This article is part of our Beat the Cap series.
Beat the Cap: Pinch Pennies on the Back End
Identifying a low-budget defenseman who can contribute fantasy points is a significant advantage in the daily racket. There are no guarantees with elite forwards and even fewer with defensemen.
Spending up for top-tier defensemen usually pinches you against the cap and limits your goalie and forward options. Goalies and forwards almost always have a higher ceiling than defensemen, so creating cap space for a top-tier goalie and forward is a priority.
Locking a low-priced defenseman in your lineup is an easy path to cap relief, and it gives you the flexibility to hone in on your top targets of the night. It is a worthwhile strategy most nights, but especially nights with a lot of games.
The goal is finding a defenseman who can produce a positive point total. Fantasy hockey contests are often won and lost by tenths of a point, so anything above zero helps, especially when you're investing as close to zero as possible.
It is all about your return on investment, and with a limited investment, a minimal return should be considered nothing but a positive.
The Ebb
Minutes matter
There are many defensemen who go unnoticed most nights but log plenty of minutes. The more ice time a player receives the more opportunities there are for shots, blocked shots, penalty minutes and a plus rating. Consider a goal or assist a sneaky bonus. Shorthanded minutes and power-play duty are significant boons, as well.
Embrace the shot block and penalty minutes
Fantasy points are fantasy points. It would be nice to roster a team full of point producers, but they're expensive. However, there are defensemen who block shots and take penalties at a more consistent rate than the majority of forwards register points. Those defensemen are much cheaper, too.
Kids who skate
Speed still kills, and the modern defenseman is mobile and aggressive. Young defensemen rarely get assigned difficult minutes and matchups. Instead, they're utilized in offensive situations to protect their own potential defensive ineptness. There are usually two or three high-risk, high-reward young defensemen a night with a great price.
The big picture
The end goal is to accumulate as many fantasy points as possible. If pinching pennies with your second defenseman allows you to spend up and secure a top-tier forward or goalie, it is worth it.
Saturday night, David Savard and Tyler Seguin combined for 14 points on Draft Kings. Max Pacioretty, James van Riemsdyk and Nicklas Backstrom posted 6.2 points. On FanDuel it broke down as 16.5 points for Seguin and Savard, whereas Backstrom, Pacioretty and van Riemsdyk had 6.3.
There are no sure things -- obviously -- however look at the price gaps. The Savard-Seguin combo cost $11,800 on FanDuel and $10,500 on Draft Kings, while Backstrom, Pacioretty and van Riemsdyk cost $23,000 and $19,400, on the two sites, respectively.
This is an extreme example, however these are players I targeted and used in contests Saturday. It would be easy to back track through the stats and find a defenseman and forward pair who blew Seguin and Savard out of the water at a similar price. The point here, though, is to imagine if Pacioretty, van Riemsdyk and Backstrom registered a point.
Using Savard allowed me to roster all four of those high-priced, top-tier forwards.
Savard was a minimum priced defenseman on both sites Saturday. He was playing top-pairing minutes with Jack Johnson at even strength and on the No. 2 power-play unit. It was the perfect spot to lock him in lineups to provide cap relief, which enabled spending up elsewhere.
The Flow
In the past week, Savard, John Moore and the breakout trio of T.J. Brodie, Damon Severson and Sami Vatanen have showcased how skimping on defensemen can reward.
Here are eight low-priced defensemen to keep an eye on in the near future:
Nick Holden, D, Colorado: His top-pairing minutes and top power-play duty is an adequate starting point. The fact he is near minimum price screams profit.
Anton Stralman, D, Tampa Bay: The blocked shots were commonplace, but he has an expanded offensive role for the Bolts now, especially with Victor Hedman out.
Jay Bouwmeester, D, St. Louis: Playing on a solid team helps, especially on plus/minus sites, but he logs huge minutes in all situations and is always cheap.
Tyler Myers, D, Buffalo: Josh Georges was brought in to help, so expect Myers to begin making strides. Myers logs huge minutes and is a proven offensive contributor.
Morgan Rielly, D, Toronto: With power-play time, his speed and price tag, there is reason to consider using Rielly every time Toronto takes the ice.
Danny Dekeyser, D, Detroit: Power-play time in Hockey Town, USA is a good thing. Dekeyser's price is headed north, so get shares now, while he is still cheap.
Jordie Benn, D, Dallas: The gritty defender has an improved game. He has the potential to contribute across categories.
Seth Jones, D, Nashville: There is too much talent to stay unproductive. This is a perfect buying opportunity, until Jones' price rises.
If you have additional questions or would like to see anything specifically covered in Beat the Cap contact me in the comments below or via Twitter @naparker77.
