X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Five Sleeper Centers Who Will Outperform Their ADP

One of the most important things to know headed into a fantasy hockey draft is the depth of talent in the league at any given position. Is there a heavy volume of high-scoring right-wingers projected to go in the early rounds before falling off a cliff in the later rounds? Can you snag a valuable defenseman in the mid-rounds, saving your high picks for the elite scorers?

At center, it's widely known that fantasy hockey is littered with talented, productive players. It's the one position you know you won't have to reach for because you often can get a viable center late in drafts.

But how do you know which ones to grab? That's where we come in. Don't break the bank on draft day and overspend when there are high-skilled, point-producing centers that your league-mates are surely passing on. Check out the following five centers who are sure to outperform their average draft position.

Upgrade To VIP: Win more with our NHL DFS Premium Pass, get expert tools and advice from proven winners! Doug Shain (@BanksterDFS) anchors the team with his exclusive DFS Heat Map, lineup picks and projections. Gain VIP access to our Lineup Optimizer, Research Station, DFS Cheat Sheets and VIP Chat Rooms. Go Premium, Win More!

 

Late-Round Centers to Target

Ryan Johansen (NSH - C) - ADP 144.4

It's honestly a little baffling to see Johansen getting selected at his current average draft position. It's not very often that one can find a bona fide number one center on a true Cup contender in the 12th round. With 54 points (15 goals, 39 assists) last season, Johansen might have had a down year for his standards but the 26-year-old had previously posted four consecutive 60+ point seasons (61, 60, 71, 63) prior to that. In addition, Johansen consistently puts up respectable peripheral numbers as displayed by his 78 penalty minutes, 15 power play points and 87 hits in 2017-2018. The playmaking center is a near lock on the Predators top line (with league superstar Filip Forsberg) and first power play unit - not to mention he could easily return to his normal 60-point range this upcoming season

Brayden Point (TB - C) - ADP 126.8

Point's current ADP suggests that somehow there are still a number of fantasy owners completely unaware of his excellent sophomore season in 2017-2018. The Alberta native registered 66 points (32 goals, 34 assists) to go along with a plus-18 rating and 218 shots on goal in playing all 82 games. The 22-year-old center has already established himself on the Lightning's second line (averaged 19:37 in time-on-ice last season) and could earn minutes on the top power-play unit as the season progresses. Point likes to shoot the puck (217 shots) and given his 32 notches last season, can be expected to increase his shot volume in his third NHL season. Considering his current draft position, the talented center could very well turn out to be one of the biggest bargains of upcoming fantasy drafts.

J.T. Miller (TB - C/RW) ADP 163.6

The only thing more surprising about J.T. Miller's current ADP is that the Rangers actually included the former top prospect in a deal in which they gave up Ryan McDonagh last season. Miller, having already posted 40 points in 63 games with the Rangers prior to the trade, exploded with ten goals (and eight assists) in 19 games with his new team to close out the regular season. The former 15th overall pick's 23 goals on the season marked his third consecutive 20-goal campaign and his 58 total points were a career-best. Miller has also established himself as a sturdy category filler, having registered at least 40 penalty minutes and 100 hits in each of the past three seasons. At just 25-years-old, playing in a very deep Lightning forward group, Miller should be expected to build off his strong start in Tampa Bay last year and set new career-highs across the board.

Elias Lindholm (CGY - C/RW)  - ADP 169.7

Sometimes all it takes for a young player to realize his potential is a change of scenery. Selected with the fifth overall pick in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Hurricanes, Elias Lindholm had failed to truly develop into the top line scorer the team envisioned on draft day. In fact, in his first five NHL seasons, Lindholm has failed to surpass the 45-point mark despite possessing significant offensive ability and consistent top-six forward minutes. Cue June 23rd, 2018 - when the Hurricanes shipped Lindholm (and Noah Hanifin) to the Calgary Flames in a five-player blockbuster. Following the trade, Lindholm signed an impressive 6-year, $29.1 million contract with his new club. The Flames have stated from the beginning that they intend to use the strong two-way forward in a top-line role, with the 23-year-old jumping onto the right-wing alongside young superstars Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. It's expected that Lindholm will earn top power play minutes as well, putting him in line for a break-out in his sixth NHL season. If the Swedish forward gets off to a good start with his new team and sticks on the team's top line, he could be a great bargain at his current ADP.

Kyle Turris (NSH - C) - ADP 171.7

When you consider Turris' up-and-down season with his new team (following a November trade from Ottawa), it's understandable that he might slip down draft boards for the upcoming season. The center's 65 games with Nashville can be broken down into thirds: 18 points in his first 23 games, 8 points in the next 23 games and 16 points in the final 19 games. Add it all together (with his 11-game start in Ottawa) and you get a 51-point (16 goals, 35 assists) season. It's not uncommon to see a player deal battle inconsistency following a trade made during the season - a traded player has to learn a new system, fit in with new teammates and learn a new city on the fly. It can be especially difficult for a player like Turris who had established roots in Ottawa over the course of his six-year tenure there. In his first full season with the club in 2018-2019, expect Turris to thrive holding down the center position on the Predators' second line. At just 29-years-old, Turris isn't anywhere close to slowing down and we could very well see him post his second career 60-point campaign this season.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Rafael Devers12 mins ago

Wilyer Abreu Starting On Saturday
Ronald Acuña Jr.22 mins ago

Ronald Acuna Jr. Could Run Less To Stay Healthy
Brooks Raley31 mins ago

Drawing Interest On Market
Miguel Ullola40 mins ago

Has Right Shoulder Discomfort
Matt Waldron48 mins ago

Diagnosed With Oblique Strain
Endy Rodríguez58 mins ago

Endy Rodriguez Expected To Begin Season With Triple-A
Eeli Tolvanen1 hour ago

Scores Twice In Victory
WPG1 hour ago

Kyle Connor Strikes Twice On Friday
Jack Roslovic2 hours ago

Tallies Goal, Assist In Friday's Victory
Leon Draisaitl2 hours ago

Leads Edmonton To Victory
Liam O'Brien2 hours ago

Exits With Undisclosed Injury
Josh Manson2 hours ago

Exits On Friday
Carlos Estévez9 hours ago

Carlos Estevez Feels Great After Cactus League Debut
Jon Gray9 hours ago

Leaves Game Friday After Being Hit By Comebacker
Kevin Porter Jr.10 hours ago

Expected To Be Available Saturday
Atlanta Falcons10 hours ago

Falcons Agree To Terms With Morgan Fox
Damian Lillard10 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Saturday's Game
Giannis Antetokounmpo11 hours ago

Probable For Saturday
Lonzo Ball11 hours ago

Remains Out For Saturday
Indianapolis Colts11 hours ago

Colts Sign Corey Ballentine To One-Year Deal On Friday
Trendon Watford11 hours ago

Will Miss Saturday's Game
Chet Holmgren11 hours ago

Resting Versus Detroit
Nicolas Claxton11 hours ago

Resting On Saturday
Pittsburgh Steelers11 hours ago

Brandin Echols Signs Two-Year Deal With Steelers
Josh Giddey11 hours ago

Not Likely To Play Saturday
Noah Clowney11 hours ago

To Remain Out Against Celtics
Kenny Yeboah11 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Lions
Avery Williams11 hours ago

Signs With Eagles
Cam Thomas11 hours ago

Sits Out First Leg Of Back-To-Back Saturday
Jalen Williams11 hours ago

Still Out On Saturday
Coby White11 hours ago

Listed As Probable For Saturday
Kene Nwangwu11 hours ago

Jets Re-Sign Kene Nwangwu To One-Year Deal
Cody Martin11 hours ago

Cleared To Return Friday
Eli White11 hours ago

Appears Likely To Open Season In Utility Role
Trey Lyles11 hours ago

Misses Friday's Game Due To Back Soreness
Tommy Henry11 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Grayson Allen11 hours ago

Not Playing Friday
Trey Jemison III11 hours ago

Unavailable Against Nuggets
Blake Walston12 hours ago

To Have Tommy John Surgery
Jacob Misiorowski12 hours ago

Brewers Reassign Jacob Misiorowski To Minor-League Camp
Gabe Vincent12 hours ago

Sits Out Friday's Game
Nick Richards12 hours ago

Sitting Out On Friday
Dorian Finney-Smith12 hours ago

Sidelined On Friday
Erik Swanson12 hours ago

Diagnosed With "Median Nerve Entrapment"
Domantas Sabonis12 hours ago

Back In Action On Friday
Shane Baz12 hours ago

Not Worried About Spring Training Results
Zeke Nnaji12 hours ago

Active On Friday
Mason Adams13 hours ago

Exits With Elbow Injury
Will Klein14 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A Tacoma
Simi Fehoko14 hours ago

Signing With Cardinals
Kylen Granson14 hours ago

Headed To Philadelphia
Jared Shuster14 hours ago

Optioned To Triple-A
Sterling Shepard14 hours ago

Remaining With Buccaneers
José Buttó14 hours ago

Jose Butto Dealing With Groin Injury
Cincinnati Bengals14 hours ago

Bengals Not Ruling Out Trey Hendrickson Extension
Wenceel Pérez14 hours ago

Wenceel Perez Receives Injection, Expected To Be Ready For Opening Day
Jose Trevino14 hours ago

Exits Early On Friday
Cooper Kupp14 hours ago

Signing With Seahawks
Jake Cronenworth14 hours ago

Not Expected To Play First Base
Karel Vejmelka15 hours ago

Makes Ninth Consecutive Start Friday
Dustin Wolf15 hours ago

Set To Face Avalanche Friday
Mikael Backlund15 hours ago

Out Week-To-Week
Sam Colangelo15 hours ago

Deemed Day-To-Day With An Upper-Body Injury
Michael Bunting16 hours ago

A Game-Time Call Friday
Dallas Cowboys16 hours ago

Dante Fowler Jr. Heading Back To Cowboys
Andrei Svechnikov16 hours ago

Expected To Return Next Week
Nikolaj Ehlers16 hours ago

Good To Go Against Stars
Buffalo Bills16 hours ago

Larry Ogunjobi, Michael Hoecht Both Facing Six-Game PED Suspensions
Tee Higgins17 hours ago

Bengals Making Headway On Contracts For Tee Higgins, Ja'Marr Chase
Ben Skowronek17 hours ago

Back With Steelers
Minnesota Vikings17 hours ago

Eric Wilson Returns To Minnesota
Pharaoh Brown17 hours ago

Heading To Miami
Minnesota Vikings18 hours ago

Justin Skule Signs With Vikings
Mackenzie Blackwood18 hours ago

Battling Illness, Not Starting On Friday
Rasmus Ristolainen18 hours ago

Day-To-Day With Upper-Body Injury
Lian Bichsel19 hours ago

Not Playing On Friday
Josh Norris19 hours ago

Undergoing Evaluation
JJ Peterka19 hours ago

Not Playing On Saturday
Neal Pionk19 hours ago

Viewed As Week-To-Week
Kareem Hunt19 hours ago

Chiefs Bring Back Kareem Hunt On One-Year Deal
Philadelphia Eagles19 hours ago

Eagles Open To Trading Bryce Huff
Cooper Kupp19 hours ago

Asking For $15 Million Per Year
Roman Dolidze24 hours ago

Set For A Rematch
Marvin Vettori24 hours ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Chidi Njokuani24 hours ago

Looks For His Third Win In A Row
Elizeu Zaleski dos Santos1 day ago

Looks For His 12th UFC Win
Kurt Holobaugh1 day ago

An Underdog At UFC Vegas 104
Alexander Hernandez1 day ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Cody Gibson1 day ago

Looks For His Third Consecutive Win
Da'Mon Blackshear1 day ago

A Favorite At UFC Vegas 104
Quinton Byfield1 day ago

Scores In Fifth Straight Game
Jesper Bratt1 day ago

Posts Second Straight Three-Point Performance
Brendson Ribeiro1 day ago

Searching For Second UFC Win On Saturday
Diyar Nurgozhay1 day ago

Set To Make His UFC Debut
MMA1 day ago

Seung Woo Choi In Dire Need Of Victory
Kevin Vallejos1 day ago

Makes Debut At UFC Vegas 104
Jacob Bridgeman3 days ago

Use Caution For Jacob Bridgeman At TPC Sawgrass
Nicolai Hojgaard3 days ago

Looks To Stay Consistent Heading Into PLAYERS Championship
Karl Vilips3 days ago

Makes PLAYERS Championship Debut After First PGA Tour Win
Taylor Pendrith3 days ago

A Sneaky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Sahith Theegala3 days ago

Out Of Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Matt Fitzpatrick3 days ago

A Shaky Play Heading Into PLAYERS
Scottie Scheffler3 days ago

Eyeing Three-Peat At TPC Sawgrass
Aldrich Potgieter3 days ago

A Risky Play At TPC Sawgrass
Si Woo Kim3 days ago

Looks To Keep Building Momentum At The PLAYERS
Denny McCarthy3 days ago

Looks To Continue Solid Play At TPC Sawgrass
Collin Morikawa3 days ago

Poised For Another Strong Performance At TPC Sawgrass
Robert MacIntyre3 days ago

A Risky Play With Upside At The PLAYERS Championship
Jordan Spieth3 days ago

Looking To Change Fortunes At TPC Sawgrass
Cameron Young3 days ago

Avoid Cameron Young At The PLAYERS Championship
Michael Kim3 days ago

Continues Incredible Form Ahead Of The PLAYERS Championship
Justin Thomas3 days ago

Looking For More Magic At TPC Sawgrass
Xander Schauffele3 days ago

Continues Competitive Return At The Players Championship
Rory McIlroy3 days ago

Looks To Reverse Recent History At TPC Sawgrass
PGA3 days ago

Victor Hovland Looking To Find Form At The PLAYERS Championship
Brian Harman4 days ago

A Sleeper Pick At The PLAYERS Championship
Min Woo Lee4 days ago

A Hard Name To Trust At The Players Championship
Tyler Reddick5 days ago

Power-Steering Failure Foils Tyler Reddick's Bid For Potential Victory
William Byron5 days ago

Recovers From Being Trapped A Lap Down To Finish Sixth
Josh Berry5 days ago

Gives Wood Brothers Team Best Run Since 2021
Alex Pereira5 days ago

Drops Decision At UFC 313
Magomed Ankalaev5 days ago

Becomes The New UFC Light-Heavyweight Champion
Justin Gaethje5 days ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Rafael Fiziev5 days ago

Loses Third Fight In A Row
Ignacio Bahamondes5 days ago

Gets Submission Win At UFC 313
Christopher Bell5 days ago

Scores His Third Consecutive Victory Of The Season At Phoenix
Kyle Larson5 days ago

Strong Phoenix Performance Falls Short Of Victory
Chris Buescher5 days ago

Quietly Earns A Top-Five Finish At Phoenix
Alex Bowman5 days ago

Leaves Phoenix With His Best Finish At The Site Since 2016
Zane Smith5 days ago

Quietly Nabs His First Phoenix Top-10 Finish
Jalin Turner5 days ago

Retires After UFC 313 Loss
Iasmin Lucindo5 days ago

Gets Dominated At UFC 313
Amanda Lemos5 days ago

Dominates At UFC 313
King Green5 days ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC 313
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF