Fantasy Hockey Draft Rankings, Advice and Analysis

Perry, Seguin lead cast of fantasy right wingers

Top-40 Fantasy Hockey Right Wing Rankings

Wednesday, 08.29.2012 / 12:00 PM
Pete Jensen - NHL.com Staff Writer

NHL.com's fantasy hockey staff of Matt Cubeta, Pete Jensen, Sergei Feldman, Justin Goldman, Brian Metzer and Chris Foster has you covered all season long with essential fantasy hockey knowledge, rankings and advice to get you ready for your fantasy leagues.

The star power at the right wing position is often deemed inferior to the center and left wing footprints from a fantasy standpoint. A prime example was Yahoo's final 2011-12 overall rankings, which slotted only Marian Gaborik and Corey Perry among the top 15 and not a single right wing in the top 10.

However, overlooking the position's wealth of budding stars and well-rounded assets could cost fantasy owners dearly. While snagging a top-tier center is always an important piece to the puzzle, choosing your fantasy right wingers carefully could ultimately make or break your team's championship hopes.

Anchoring the right wing rankings for the second straight year is Perry, whose 2010-11 masterpiece (50 G, 48 A, plus-9, 104 PIM, 31 PPP, 290 SOG) still resonates throughout the fantasy landscape. His 38-point drop last season put his standing in serious jeopardy, but his ability to post 37 goals (T-6th in NHL) and finish as the League's only RW with 60-plus points and 120-plus PIM during his team's forgettable season solidified his No. 1 ranking.

Helping Perry's cause in reclaiming the top spot is the uncertainty surrounding last season's most prolific right wingers, Gaborik and Marian Hossa. Both remain ranked in the top six at the position entering the new season based on their past performance and potent linemates, but their projected fantasy values could dip if their recoveries from late-season injuries carry over into 2012-13.

The cloudy status of Hossa (No. 3) and Gaborik (No. 6) has opened the door for 20-year-old Tyler Seguin to ascend to the second right wing spot. Enormous potential surrounds Seguin's third campaign as he embarks on full-time top-line duties for the Bruins after a stellar sophomore stint. Rounding out the top five are six-category star Joe Pavelski (No. 4) and Phil Kessel (No. 5) -- whose 82 points led all classified right wingers last season.

This year's fantasy right wing rankings are jam-packed with surprising projections, including Kings' playoff hero Dustin Brown cracking the top 10 and sleeping giant Dany Heatley predicted to rediscover his form on his revamped line in Minnesota. We're also expecting Alexander Semin and Jaromir Jagr to produce at higher levels with their new clubs, Drew Stafford and Chris Stewart to bounce back, and first-year players Nail Yakupov and Damien Brunner to emerge as fantasy difference-makers by season's end.

NOTE: Positional ranking based on combination of last season's Yahoo! Fantasy Hockey position assignments and NHL.com's 30 in 30 lineup projections. Ranking reflects each player's fantasy value, taking into account statistical history, performance in default Yahoo! categories (G, A, +/-, PIM, PPP, SOG) last season, potential future lineup placement, strength of projected linemates and our expectations of how they will perform this coming season.

1. ANA Corey Perry

2. BOS Tyler Seguin

3. CHI Marian Hossa

4. SJS Joe Pavelski

5. TOR Phil Kessel

6. NYR Marian Gaborik

7. CHI Patrick Kane

8. EDM Jordan Eberle

9. MTL Erik Cole

10. LAK Dustin Brown

11. TBL Martin St. Louis

12. ANA Teemu Selanne