Top 75 Forwards: Weekly Fantasy Hockey Rankings (Week 2)

Over the course of the 2018-2019 NHL season, RotoBaller will be breaking down our fantasy hockey player rankings by position looking at the rest-of-season values for each player.

These positional rankings will be updated and posted on a weekly basis, starting with forwards every Sunday, defensemen on Monday, and goaltenders each Tuesday.

Note: Rankings are determined considering a standard Yahoo league format (goals, assists, plus-minus, power play points, shots on goal, and hits for skaters).

Top 75 Forwards - Rest of Season Fantasy Rankings

1. Connor McDavid (EDM - C)
2. Alex Ovechkin (WSH - RW)
3. Nikita Kucherov (TBL - RW)
4. Auston Matthews (TOR - C)
5. Sidney Crosby (PIT - C)
6. Evgeni Malkin (PIT - C)
7. Jamie Benn (DAL - C,LW)
8. Tyler Seguin (DAL - C)
9. Nathan MacKinnon (COL - C)
10. John Tavares (TOR - C)
11. Brad Marchand (BOS - LW)
12. David Pastrnak (BOS, RW)
13. Blake Wheeler (WPG - C,RW)
14. Patrick Laine (WPG - RW)
15. Steven Stamkos (TBL - C)
16. Taylor Hall (NJD - LW)
17. Patrick Kane (CHI, RW)
18. Claude Giroux (PHI - C,LW)
19. Vladimir Tarasenko (STL - RW)
20. Phil Kessel (PIT - RW)
21. Filip Forsberg (NSH - LW)
22. Johnny Gaudreau (CGY - LW)
23. Artemi Panarin (CLB - LW)
24. Mark Scheifele (WPG - C)
25. Patrice Bergeron (BOS - C)
26. Jack Eichel (BUF - C)
27. Aleksander Barkov (FLA - C)
28. Evgeny Kuznetsov (WSH - C)
29. Anze Kopitar (LAK - C)
30. Mathew Barzal (NYI - C)
31. Jakub Voracek (PHI - RW)
32. Alexander Radulov (DAL - RW)
33. William Karlsson (VGK - C,LW)
34. Leon Draisaitl (EDM - C,RW)
35. Nicklas Backstrom (WAS - C)
36. Mikko Rantanen (COL - RW)
37. Joe Pavelski (SJS - C,RW)
38. Rickard Rakell (ANA - LW,RW)
39. Ryan Getzlaf (ANA - C) *INJ
40. Vincent Trocheck (FLA - C)
41. Mitch Marner (TOR - RW)
42. Jeff Carter (LAK - C)
43. Sean Couturier (PHI - C)
44. Brock Boeser (VAN - RW)
45. Jonathan Marchessault (VGK - C,LW) 
46. Sean Monahan (CGY - C)
47. Viktor Arvidsson (NSH - RW)
48. Brayden Point (TB - C)
49. Evander Kane (SJS - LW)
50. Sebastian Aho (CAR - C,LW)
51. Mark Stone (OTT - RW)
52. Jake Guentzel (PIT - LW)
53. Brayden Schenn (STL - C)
54. Jaden Schwartz (STL - LW)
55. Jonathan Huberdeau (FLA - LW)
56. Mikael Granlund (MIN - C, RW)
57. Max Pacioretty (VGK - LW)
58. Wayne Simmonds (PHI - RW)
59. Logan Couture (SJS - C,LW)
60. Nikolaj Ehlers (WPG - LW,RW)
61. Matthew Tkachuk (CGY - LW)
62. Patric Hornqvist (PIT - RW)
63. Ilya Kovalchuk (LW, LA)
64. Gabriel Landeskog (COL - LW)
65. Mike Hoffman (FLA - LW,RW)
66. Kyle Palmieri (NJD - RW)
67. Ryan Johansen (NSH - C)
68. Cam Atkinson (CBJ - RW)
69. William Nylander (TOR - C,RW) 
70. T.J. Oshie (WSH - RW)
71. Eric Staal (MIN - C)
72. Clayton Keller (ARI - LW,RW)
73. Anders Lee (NYI - LW)
74. Kyle Connor (WPG - LW)
75. J.T. Miller (TBL - C,RW)

Stock Report

Fantasy Hockey Risers

Auston Matthews (TOR - C) - 6 --> 4

The NHL's current scoring leader jumps up to #4 on the forward rankings after his scolding hot start to the 2018-2019 season. In six games, Matthews has posted a jaw-dropping 14 points (including ten goals) to take an early lead as a potential Art Ross candidate. The Arizona native has been dangerous at both even strength and on the man advantage (5 power play points). He's got one of the finest releases in the game, which allows him to get the puck off his stick quicker than most. It might still be early in the season but it appears that Connor McDavid might have some serious competition as the expected league's top scorer.

Sebastien Aho (CAR - C,LW) - 61 --> 50

Aho finds himself as the biggest riser on this week's list following the silky winger posting ten points (four goals, six assists) in five games to the start the campaign. Aho is fresh off a 65-point sophomore season and looks as if he might take another step forward offensively in his third year. The 21-year-old is a fixture on the Hurricane's top line/first power play unit and has established great chemistry with Teuvo Teravainen and newcomer Michael Ferland. The Canes are off to a fast start (4-1-1) and will bank on Aho continuing to help carry a surprisingly effective group of forwards.

Kyle Connor (WPG - LW) - NR --> 74

Connor joins the list for the first time following a point-per-game start (four goals, one assist in five games) to the season. While I initially had concerns about the sophomore's place on the team's top line, Connor has done nothing but prove he belongs with the big boys (Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele). At just 21-years-old, Connor now has 37 goals in 101 career games, displaying his unique combination of skills and smarts. Winnipeg has perhaps the most lethal forward group in the NHL and Connor should remain at the forefront of continued production as the season progresses.

Fantasy Hockey Fallers

Max Pacioretty (VGK - LW) - 47 --> 57

It's not unusual for a premiere player take some time to adjust to a new team, but Pacioretty is having a particularly tough time finding his ground in Vegas. The former Canadiens captain has just one goal in six games and hasn't quite gelled with Erik Haula on the team's second line this far. Vegas on a whole has struggled to score goals (29th in goals for per game at 1.67) and will look to their prized offseason acquisition to find the back of the net. He's shooting the puck at a high rate (3 shots per game) so the goals will likely come, but until he starts burying, he might fade further down the rankings.

Nikolaj Ehlers (WPG - LW,RW) - 51 --> 60

It's important not to overreact to slow starts from established scorers, but there seem to be some significant warning signs surrounding Ehlers' game thus far. In five games, the Jets winger is receiving just 12:52 of average ice time (including just one minute of power play time) and has yet to find the scoresheet. In addition, Ehlers has fired just nine shots on goal (1.8 s/g) and checks in with a minus-two rating. Overall, Ehlers is coming off consecutive 60-points seasons, remains immensely talented, and should eventually begin producing. With all that said, don't drop him just yet, but it may be best to take caution in putting him into lineup until he figures things out.

Clayton Keller (ARI - C,LW,RW) - 67 --> 72

Keller gets bumped down the list this week after producing just one assist, a minus-two rating, 12 shots, and two hits through his first four games. The Coyotes are another team struggling to score goals (they have been shut out in three of four games) and desperately need Keller's game-breaking skill to translate to more goals. The shifty forward should eventually get things going offensively – he's cemented on the team's first line/top power play unit and actually has great possession numbers (58.9% corsi). However, until then, his stock takes a dip in week two.

More Fantasy Hockey Analysis