The RotoWire 200: Overall Rankings For Points Leagues

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Updated on September 23, 2013 3:26PM EST

The RotoWire 200

This list is based on projected value in a head-to-head points league that rewards goals, assists, plus-minus, power-play points, penalty minutes and shorthanded goals for skaters, and wins, saves (detracting for goals allowed) and shutouts for goalies.

In practical terms, that means this list heavily weights goaltenders who see a lot of playing time and goalies who face a lot of shots — meaning bad goaltenders on bad teams who are slated to see a lot of playing time have a lot of value compared to decent or even good goaltenders stuck in timeshares.

Rank	Player	Team	Pos.	Comments
1	Steven Stamkos	TAM	C	Beats out the Kid thanks to health edge and near-guaranteed 50 goals
2	Sidney Crosby	PIT	C	Just stop getting hit so much, alright?
3	Erik Karlsson	OTT	D	The only defenseman you can count on to score like an elite forward
4	Evgeni Malkin	PIT	C	As with Crosby, injuries can be worrisome, but he's healthy now
5	Alexander Ovechkin	WAS	RW	Looked like old-time Ovi again last year; banking on that continuing
6	Patrick Kane	CHI	RW	Playoff MVP looked pretty sick in the regular season last year too
7	Henrik Lundqvist	NYR	G	Still the King
8	Daniel Sedin	VAN	LW	Coming off a down year, but look for a big bounce-back
9	John Tavares	NYI	C	Should challenge or surpass 40 goals
10	Braden Holtby	WAS	G	.923 save mark in his first 57 NHL games; ready to step

The RotoWire 200

Rank	Player	Team	Pos.	Comments
1	Steven Stamkos	TAM	C	Beats out the Kid thanks to health edge and near-guaranteed 50 goals
2	Sidney Crosby	PIT	C	Just stop getting hit so much, alright?
3	Erik Karlsson	OTT	D	The only defenseman you can count on to score like an elite forward
4	Evgeni Malkin	PIT	C	As with Crosby, injuries can be worrisome, but he's healthy now
5	Alexander Ovechkin	WAS	RW	Looked like old-time Ovi again last year; banking on that continuing
6	Patrick Kane	CHI	RW	Playoff MVP looked pretty sick in the regular season last year too
7	Henrik Lundqvist	NYR	G	Still the King
8	Daniel Sedin	VAN	LW	Coming off a down year, but look for a big bounce-back
9	John Tavares	NYI	C	Should challenge or surpass 40 goals
10	Braden Holtby	WAS	G	.923 save mark in his first 57 NHL games; ready to step up to elite status
11	Pekka Rinne	NAS	G	Coming off his worst season; expect a rebound
12	James Neal	PIT	RW	Goal-scoring machine, and not injury-prone like his fellow elite Penguins
13	Rick Nash	NYR	LW	Good first year in NY; second will be better
14	Phil Kessel	TOR	RW	Can be painfully streaky, but piles up points
15	Sergei Bobrovsky	CLM	G	Still kind of in shock over him winning the Vezina, but he deserved it
16	Kris Letang	PIT	D	Another Penguin who gets hurt, but puts up points when healthy
17	Anze Kopitar	LOS	C	One of my favorite players in the league
18	Henrik Sedin	VAN	C	Stats depressed last year thanks to Daniel not finishing enough
19	Tuukka Rask	BOSÂ	G	In categorical formats, I'd have him above Rinne and Bobrovsky
20	Claude Giroux	PHI	C	If he's as dominant as in '11-'12, he'll outperform this draft spot; still just 25
21	Shea Weber	NAS	D	The most reliable blueliner in the game
22	Martin St. Louis	TAM	RW	We're still waiting for him to realize he's old; he still hasn't
23	Antti Niemi	SAN	G	Career-high save percentage last year probably not sustainable over 82 games
24	P.K. Subban	MON	D	Could reasonably outscore every defenseman but Karlsson
25	Jimmy Howard	DET	G	Goalie rankings are really like splitting hairs sometimes
26	Corey Perry	ANAÂ	RW	As points-and-PIM combos go, he's the best
27	Dustin Byfuglien	WPG	D	Down season last year, but expect another strong full-length campaign
28	Jonathan Toews	CHI	C	Two-way game is so good, it depresses his offense a little
29	Jordan Eberle	EDM	RW	Going to be a big star, in my view
30	Ryan Getzlaf	ANAÂ	C	Huge bounceback campaign last year, but he's lost Bobby Ryan
31	Tyler Seguin	DAL	C	Point-scoring explosion could come now that he's got top-dog status
32	Eric Staal	CAR	C	Could quite reasonably rank higher on this list, but can be inconsistent
33	Loui Eriksson	BOS	RW	Should return to 70-point status and get that Bruins plus-minus boost
34	Mike Green	WAS	D	Another injury-shortened campaign last year, but his offensive production returned
35	Thomas Vanek	BUF	LW	Arguably the league's best scorer in the first half last year
36	Jakub Voracek	PHI	RW	Super-consistent already, and hasn't reached his offensive ceiling
37	Zach Parise	MIN	LW	Good-but-not-awesome first year in Minnesota, but he gets a mulligan
38	Zdeno Chara	BOSÂ	D	Age and mediocre '12-'13 drop him, but still a good goals + PIM provider on D
39	Henrik Zetterberg	DET	LW	Still piles up points, but you can't count on him for more than 20-25 goals
40	Jamie Benn	DAL	RW	Stars' new captain enters this season with a clean slate and Seguin to feed him
41	Taylor Hall	EDM	LW	Could play some center; dual eligibility would help in some leagues, esp. Yahoo
42	Evander Kane	WPG	LW	Has the skills to pot 40; will this be the year he does it?
43	Pavel Datsyuk	DET	C	Maybe the NHL's best all-around player, but now he's 35
44	Corey Crawford	CHI	G	Has never played more than 57 games; otherwise, he'd be up there with the elites
45	Nicklas Backstrom	WAS	C	Still one of the game's top assist men
46	Alex Pietrangelo	STL	D	Former top pick saw a dip last year, but should get back at it this season
47	Jonathan Quick	LOS	G	.902 save mark last year was ugly, but Bernier trade shows Kings are committed
48	Duncan Keith	CHI	D	A reliable blue-line presence, but not as exciting as we once hoped
49	Kevin Shattenkirk	STL	D	Huge, huge offensive upside, but his points tend to come in bunches or not at all
50	Derek Stepan	NYR	C	Holdout could affect early returns
51	Oliver Ekman-Larsson	PHO	D	Could have this year's Subban-style breakout
52	Bobby Ryan	OTT	RW	Alfie's replacement should find a happy home with Spezza & Co., deliver 30 goals
53	Logan Couture	SAN	C	A rising star; should continue to take on more scoring responsibility
54	Roberto Luongo	VAN	G	With Schneider gone, the job's finally all his again
55	Patrick Sharp	CHI	RW	One of the league's best finishers; should rebound after injury-shortened '12-'13
56	Jason Spezza	OTT	C	A top-30 player if not for ongoing injury concerns
57	Keith Yandle	PHO	D	Provides reliably in all stat categories, and never gets hurt
58	Nazem Kadri	TOR	C	Point-per-game upside
59	Max Pacioretty	MON	LW	Has established himself as the Habs' go-to guy on offense
60	Dion Phaneuf	TOR	D	Year-to-year inconsistency can be a turnoff, but I like him this year
61	Joe Thornton	SAN	C	Keeps steadily declining offensively, but still good for a pile of assists
62	Matt Moulson	NYI	LW	Always scores goals, but added 29 helpers in 47 games last year
63	Patrice Bergeron	BOSÂ	C	Appears recovered from rib injuries suffered in the playoffs
64	Carey Price	MON	G	Inconsistent, but still a solid goaltending option with upside
65	Patrik Elias	NJD	LW	Not getting any younger, but still good for 50-60 points
66	Niklas Kronwall	DET	D	The promise of double-digit goals lands him here, but needs to collect more helpers
67	Mark Streit	PHI	D	He'll slot in as the Flyers' top D-man and QB the PP, which is quite valuable
68	Chris Kunitz	PIT	LW	Repeat of point-per-game performance unlikely, but still a fine option
69	Milan Lucic	BOSÂ	LW	At age 25, gets a mulligan on last year; still a terrific points+PIM guy
70	Dan Boyle	SAN	D	Horrible regular season last year, but looked revived in the playoffs
71	Jarome Iginla	BOS	RW	Looked revived in Pittsburgh last year; at 36, will that continue in Boston?
72	Tobias Enstrom	WPG	D	When healthy, an elite producer on the blue line, especially on the PP
73	Slava Voynov	LOS	D	Big-time breakout coming
74	Andrew Ladd	WPG	LW	If the Jets are any good, he'll be a big part of why
75	Justin Schultz	EDM	D	No sophomore slump here; expect a big scoring bump in his second season
76	Patrick Marleau	SAN	LW	14 points in first seven games last year; 17 points in next 41
77	Alexander Semin	CAR	LW	Point-per-game pace last year could persist, but always an injury risk
78	Matt Duchene	COL	C	Made positive strides last year; star status awaits
79	Ryan Suter	MIN	D	Known more for his D, but finished third among defensemen in points last year
80	David Krejci	BOSÂ	C	Terrific player, but the depth at C keeps him ranked below his linemates
81	David Backes	STL	C	Just six goals last year, but we know he's better than that
82	Kari Lehtonen	DAL	G	An injury risk for sure, but he's been nothing but reliable when between the pipes
83	Marian Gaborik	CLM	RW	One of the league's biggest question marks, but this is a contract year
84	Ryan Kesler	VAN	C	Finally healthy again, a very high-upside fantasy selection
85	Drew Doughty	LOS	D	Others may rank him higher, but this is a results-oriented business
86	Devan Dubnyk	EDM	G	Looked great in '12-'13, and plenty of offensive talent in front of him; is this the year?
87	Mike Smith	PHO	G	Incredible '11-'12 campaign looking awful mirage-like, but still a starter
88	Joffrey Lupul	TOR	LW	Amazing when healthy, but never seems to stay on the ice for a full season
89	Gabriel Landeskog	COL	LW	Should return to '11-'12 scoring levels (50-some points), with upside for more
90	Marian Hossa	CHI	RW	Banged up already, which has to be concerning
91	Johan Franzen	DET	RW	Always a reliable contributor of PPG
92	Mike Ribeiro	PHO	C	Point-per-game performance unlikely to be repeated now that he's in Phoenix
93	Ryan Miller	BUF	G	Will he end the season in a Sabres uniform? Guessing no
94	Brad Richards	NYR	C	All offseason reports positive after disappointing 2012-'13; an upside pick
95	Alexandre Burrows	VAN	RW	May be pushed off the Sedins' line, which would hurt a lot
96	Cam Ward	CAR	G	Healthy and looking to prove that he's Carolina's long-term answer
97	Jiri Tlusty	CAR	LW	Stunning breakout last year; more to come for the super-talented winger
98	Brent Burns	SAN	LW	Gets a huge boost on this list in leagues where he still qualifies at D
99	Nail Yakupov	EDM	RW	31 in 48 while playing just 14 minutes is pretty great; should take a step forward
100	Vladimir Tarasenko	STL	RW	Went stone-cold after hot start last year, but enormous upside
101	Alexander Edler	VAN	D	Double-digit goals likely for the Canucks' top defenseman
102	Blake Wheeler	WPG	RW	Looked awesome down the stretch last year
103	Alex Goligoski	DAL	D	Career-high scoring rate last year; can he build on it?
104	Wayne Simmonds	PHI	RW	A key cog in the Philadephia power play, which accounts for much of his value
105	Tyler Ennis	BUF	C	Much upside, and should have C/LW eligibility
106	Jack Johnson	CLM	D	Do the Jackets have enough around him to project a return to 40 points?
107	Derick Brassard	NYR	C	Looked electric after being traded to New York last year
108	Pierre Parenteau	COL	RW	One of the most underrated players in the league
109	Ryan Nugent-Hopkins	EDM	C	A world of upside, but shoulder injury and slight build are concerning
110	Brad Marchand	BOSÂ	LW	Good for solid points and great plus-minus, as usual, but never a PP producer
111	Teddy Purcell	TAM	RW	Averaging more than 60 points per 82 games over the last two seasons
112	Viktor Stalberg	NAS	LW	Finally out from under the shadow of 'Hawks stars, could have a big year
113	Christian Ehrhoff	BUF	D	Probably won't regain that 14-goal touch, but 10-11, sure
114	Tomas Fleischmann	FLA	LW	Safe, but not very exciting on Florida's top line
115	Justin Williams	LOS	RW	Drop in PP production is quite concerning
116	Brent Seabrook	CHI	D	Solid defender, but not a guy you want headlining your fantasy D corps
117	Ryan McDonagh	NYR	D	Already one of the best defenders, will his offense become more consistent?
118	John Carlson	WAS	D	Always like the upside of young defenders who get a lot of shots on goal
119	Jonathan Bernier	TOR	G	Expected timeshare with Reimer will damage his totals
120	Mike Richards	LOS	C	Practically useless at even strength, but all those PP points help
121	Jonathan Huberdeau	FLA	LW	Middling talent around him, but should keep developing; massive upside
122	Dustin Brown	LOS	RW	Huge value in leagues that count hits, but also a consistent 50-plus points
123	Jason Pominville	MIN	RW	Looked rejuvenated after being dealt to the Wild las year
124	Michael Del Zotto	NYR	D	Should once again see a lot of time on the Rangers' PP
125	Marc-Andre Fleury	PIT	G	If Vokoun is out long-term, Fleury goes way, way up; this rank assumes timeshare
126	Cody Hodgson	BUF	C	Last year's improvement was dramatic; things could be even better this year
127	Craig Anderson	OTT	G	Expect Robin Lehner to start displacing Anderson this year
128	Marcus Johansson	WAS	LW	First-line gig could lead to a huge year
129	Ryane Clowe	NJD	LW	Looked revived as a Ranger; a good fit for NJ's system, replacing Clarkson
130	Joe Pavelski	SAN	C	Third-line assignment will make it tough to average 19 minutes like last year
131	Pascal Dupuis	PIT	LW	A reliable source of secondary scoring for Pittsburgh even at ae 34
132	Ondrej Pavelec	WPG	G	Has upside and plays a lot, but you can't count on the Jets to defend
133	Cam Fowler	ANA	D	Playing better on D, but at the cost of offense; can he find a balance?
134	Kimmo Timonen	PHI	D	A dependable producer his whole career, but 38 and coming off a fractured foot
135	Brendan Smith	DET	D	Should see more ice and provide more points this season
136	Brayden Schenn	PHI	C	Extra valuable in leagues that count hits, and lots of offensive upside
137	David Clarkson	TOR	RW	The Leafs' very own Bobby Holik?
138	Niklas Backstrom	MIN	G	Played a lot last year, and just a .909 save mark isn't awesome
139	Jakob Silfverberg	ANA	RW	Young Swede has incredible upside; could blow up if given a big role
140	Jaroslav Halak	STL	G	Only scheduled to see 60 percent of the starts for St. Louis
141	Cory Conacher	OTT	LW	Move to Ottawa was not the greatest for his fantasy value
142	Kyle Palmieri	ANA	RW	The better Palmieri
143	Ray Whitney	DAL	LW	Terribly old and brittle, but he can still score points
144	Nathan MacKinnon	COL	C	First overall pick should have a fine rookie year if he can stay healthy
145	Tim Thomas	FLA	G	Betting on Thomas to not only make the roster, but also make majority of the starts
146	Milan Michalek	OTT	LW	A star when he's healthy, but almost never plays full seasons
147	Jeff Skinner	CAR	LW	Potential third-line job is murder to his value
148	Tomas Plekanec	MON	C	Well-rounded, but doesn't do anything extremely well
149	James van Riemsdyk	TOR	LW	Should build on last year's career-high scoring pace
150	Jeff Carter	LOS	C	One of the most bizarre seasons ever last year -- 26 goals and 7 assists
151	Vincent Lecavalier	PHI	C	It's a bad contract, but the first couple years should still be good
152	Valeri Nichushkin	DAL	LW	One of this year's most exciting rookies; could win a big role early on
153	Andrei Markov	MON	D	Slowed after big start last year, but still ended on 51-point pace; PP points for days
154	Jordan Staal	CAR	C	Should look better in his second Hurricanes season
155	Scott Hartnell	PHI	LW	Should bounce back, but 60 points again? No way
156	David Desharnais	MON	C	Impressive playmaker, but the Habs don't have a lot of finishers
157	Tyler Myers	BUF	D	Just another guy for the "Great Rookie Season, Steadily Worse Since" category
158	Michael Ryder	NJD	RW	Playing time should be there, but New Jersey's offense doesn't project to be great
159	Stephen Weiss	DET	C	Should see a nice boost with this change of scenery
160	Adam Henrique	NJD	C	Coming off an atrocious year, but young and put up 51 points two years ago
161	Kyle Turris	OTT	C	60-point upside, 30-point downside -- show me some consistency, kid
162	Cody Franson	TOR	D	Having trouble coming together with the Leafs on a contract
163	Mikko Koivu	MIN	C	Very consistent assist man, but not known for putting many pucks home
164	Evgeni Nabokov	NYI	G	At 38 years old, still the man in goal for the Isles
165	Jason Garrison	VAN	D	Should tally double-digit goals, but doesn't get many assists
166	Dougie Hamilton	BOSÂ	D	Great scoring rate as a rook despite limited ice time; should see more this season
167	Brendan Gallagher	MON	RW	Surprisingly productive as a rookie, but lack of size hurts his upside
168	Sven Baertschi	CGY	LW	Just about the only good thing the Flames have going for them
169	Alex Galchenyuk	MON	C	Great to own in keeper leagues, but probably inconsistent again this year
170	Patric Hornqvist	NAS	RW	Healthy, signed long-term; should be a big factor in the offense
171	Drew Stafford	BUF	RW	Consecutive 50-point seasons before last year's disaster, and he's just 27
172	Ryan Callahan	NYR	RW	Could miss about the first 10 games of the year
173	T.J. Oshie	STL	RW	Not for the first time, we ask: Can he stay healthy?
174	David Perron	EDM	LW	Has been very inconsistent, but still room to grow at age 25
175	Cory Schneider	NJD	G	Outplays Martin Brodeur and takes the big end of the timeshare
176	Brandon Saad	CHI	LW	Huge offensive potential and second-line ice time -- 50-plus points doable
177	Dennis Wideman	CGY	D	A good player, but not a No. 1 defenseman; hard to expect much
178	Semyon Varlamov	COL	G	Well, he'll play a lot
179	Karri Ramo	CGY	G	Like Varlamov, a lot of playing time, but ugly stats
180	Zach Bogosian	WPG	D	Upside in points and PIM, rare on the blue line, but health always an issue
181	Radim Vrbata	PHO	RW	Always misses some time, but a steady contributor who'll see big minutes
182	Anders Lindback	TAM	G	Will have to fight off Ben Bishop for PT
183	Zack Kassian	VAN	RW	Upside power forward who could play alongside the Sedins -- enticing
184	Shane Doan	PHO	RW	Could benefit from being paired with Ribeiro
185	Jiri Hudler	CGY	LW	Another of the few bright spots in the Calgary gulag
186	Steve Ott	BUF	C	Ever-steady -- a near-lock for 2-plus PIM and 0.5 points per game
187	Mikhail Grabovski	WAS	C	Has the upside to step into the gap left by Ribeiro
188	Valtteri Filppula	TAM	C	Fell off badly last year, but has looked great in camp with the Bolts
189	Daniel Alfredsson	DET	RW	It's gonna be weird to see him in a Wings jersey
190	Alexander Killorn	TAM	LW	Ice time + Stamkos = yes
191	Gustav Nyquist	DET	C	One of the higher-upside third-liners; could well be a star one day
192	Sam Gagner	EDM	C	Had a big opportunity, but a broken jaw has him out indefinitely
193	Mats Zuccarello	NYR	RW	Norwegian Hobbit Wizard!
194	Cam Atkinson	CLM	RW	Someone's gotta score for Columbus, and he's penciled in as the first-line LW
195	Jonathan Drouin	TAM	LW	Already penciled into a second-line spot, and could rise to the first
196	Nathan Horton	CLM	RW	Will miss the first couple months with a shoulder injury
197	Ryan Strome	NYI	C	Ready to make the jump; not much talent standing in his way
198	Alex Tanguay	COL	LW	Still a steady producer
199	Paul Stastny	COL	C	Health always an issue, and it's seemingly sapped some of his skill
200	Travis Zajac	NJD	C	The Devils' top-line center... for now