Special to Yahoo Sports
Enough time has passed since you overindulged on holiday food and drinks, so there’s no excuse to forget about fantasy. There’s still over three months left in the NHL regular season, which means there’s a lot left to play for.
As mentioned last week, we’ll be reintroducing players who were previously covered this season who haven’t recently appeared here and remain available in at least 50% of Yahoo leagues (with certain exceptions). Will any be included below? Guess you’ll have to read on and find out …
(Rostered rates as of Jan. 5)
Forwards
Vladimir Tarasenko, Ottawa Senators (Yahoo: 47%)
Tarasenko was brought in during the summer to complement a promising young offensive core, and for the most part, he’s been dependable, with eight goals, 16 assists and 66 shots in 32 games. The lack of a lead power-play role has left Tarasenko at five points, with nothing coming in the last month. He’s within Ottawa’s top six — alongside Tim Stutzle — and remains an established sniper who can strike at any time, like the two pucks he potted Tuesday. As the Sens have been struggling, Tarasenko’s name has come up in trade talks. A move to another team may hurt his potential output, though his current prospects are solid.
Jake DeBrusk, Boston Bruins (Yahoo: 41%)
DeBrusk’s career has generally alternated between super short-term stats and a bunch of zeroes on the scoresheet. A great start to the season was followed by a dry spell from early November to the holidays, but he’s recovered to ride a five-game scoring streak consisting of three goals and four assists — with four of those points coming on the man advantage. DeBrusk has also been mentioned as a player who could be dealt, yet that’s been the case in previous years without any result. For now, he’s on a nice run and is playing with a good group of forwards. That should be enough to earn additional fantasy interest.
Dawson Mercer, New Jersey Devils (Yahoo: 45%)
Hard work and talent can get you far, but it sometimes takes being around the right group of people to level up. Take Mercer, a 2020 first-round pick who hasn’t missed an NHL game in two-plus years. He’s operated as a center but seems to perform better as a winger alongside one of Jersey’s stars. Mercer’s latest situation has him next to Nico Hischier at…