Week 3 Fantasy Stockwatch

Our Ross Devonport has an interesting array of faces in his latest Fantasy Stockwatch, including Cam Ward, Alexander Semin and Kris Versteeg.

Every week our Fantasy staff will evaluate the landscape around the NHL and how it pertains to Fantasy owners in Fantasy Stockwatch.

	Antti Miettinen, RW, Minnesota Miettinen was drafted on average with the 217th pick heading into this season, but he's playing more like a top-10 guy so far. In four games, all of which the Wild have won, he has five goals and two assists. The big question is whether the 28-year-old Finn will be able to keep this pace up. In his three full seasons in Dallas, Miettinen averaged only 30 points, so you have to think this hot start is a bit of a fluke. Still, he is playing superbly alongside fellow countryman Mikko Koivu right now, so get him active in deeper leagues if your current wingers are struggling early.
	Joffrey Lupul, RW, Philadelphia Lupul had 46 points in only 56 games last season, which prompted a decent amount of Fantasy owners to take a shot on the Canadian with the decidedly foreign name as a sleeper coming into this season. Unfortunately, Lupul has yet to record a point in five games and finds himself stuck on the Flyers' third line for the time being. He was one of the most dropped players coming into Fantasy Week 3 (Oct. 20-26), and for good reason.
	Fabian Brunnstrom, LW, Dallas Brunnstrom got a down arrow in last week's Stockwatch after he was scratched a couple of times to open his rookie campaign, but the young Swede isn't likely to be sitting too much more this season after he managed a hat trick in his NHL debut. He picked up another goal two games later and spent most of his time on a line with Brenden Morrow and Brad Richards in that contest.
	Jiri Hudler, RW, Detroit Hudler was a sleeper pick of mine coming into this season, but he's been more of a snoozer so far with only one goal and a demotion from the second line. Hudler is unquestionably a skilled kid, but the expectations and overall talent level in Detroit are such that if you don't perform, you'll ride the pine. Hudler is worth holding on to in deeper formats, but probably shouldn't be starting at this point.
	Ales Kotalik, RW, Buffalo Kotalik had 62 points in 2005-06, but then slumped to a combined 81 points over the next two seasons. This year, in what will be his sixth full campaign, he's off to a flying start with seven points (4G, 3A) in his first five games. He bounces all over the lines in Buffalo, but is seeing enough time on the top line at the moment to be worth using as a nice low-end starting forward in deeper Fantasy formats.
	Cam Ward, G, Carolina Ward came into this season as the solid No. 1 goaltender with the Hurricanes, but he might lose some starts over the next few weeks thanks to his slow beginning and the two quality wins by backup Michael Leighton. Ward started on fire last season before cooling down a little, but did go 0-2-1 in his first three starts two campaigns ago before winning five of his last seven games to close October. Keep an eye on this developing situation in Raleigh, because if Leighton continues to steal more starts Ward will drop down the goalie rankings.
	Alexander Semin, LW, Washington While another Russian named Alex usually steals all the headlines in our nation's capital, Semin is making some noise early in 2008-09 with eight points (4G, 4A) in his first four contests. The fact Semin doesn't usually play alongside Ovechkin might hurt his assist totals a bit, but it will definitely help his goal-scoring numbers. He has been jelling well with Michael Nylander and Brooks Laich so far, and looks to have solidified his position as a must-start Fantasy forward for the foreseeable future.
	Radim Vrbata, RW, Tampa Bay It didn't take long for the brutally inconsistent Vrbata to find himself in Barry Melrose's doghouse in Tampa. The Czech was a healthy scratch during Saturday’s 1-0 shootout loss to the Wild thanks to his uninspiring early play. He did manage four shots on goal in each of his previous two games before being benched, so we're not sure exactly what his issue is, but you might want to bench Vrbata until he starts to produce in the points department.
	Kris Versteeg, RW, Chicago The 22-year-old Versteeg isn't one of the better-known young names in Chicago, but he emerged as a decent scorer in the AHL (127 points in 139 games) and is earning himself some time on the top line in the Windy City at the moment. While a couple of kids named Patrick are likely to easily eclipse his totals this season, Versteeg is someone definitely worth keeping a close eye on over the opening month or two.
	Sami Salo, D, Vancouver At 34 years old, Salo isn't getting any younger and he is already living up to his injury-risk status early in 2008-09. Salo, who has only played over 70 games twice in his previous nine NHL seasons, is now nursing a tweaked groin sustained on Sunday. While he's clearly capable of scoring in the high 30s when healthy, Salo is just too prone to getting nicked up to be worth starting in anything but the deepest of Fantasy leagues right now.

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