Every Wednesday during the season, NHL.com fantasy hockey contributor Brian Metzer provides in-depth defenseman analysis. From updated weekly top 60 rankings to trending players and more, Metzer is your go-to guy for fantasy D-men advice all season long.
The month of January is always filled with a ton of platitudes and grand proclamations such as, "New Year, New You!" that speak to the notion of getting in shape and living a better life. Well, this is also a great time to get that fantasy blue line in shape so your team can compete better than it has to this point in the season.
There are a number of defensemen that have been heating up over the past couple weeks and could give your fantasy backside the makeover it has needed. The first couple of names will likely be trade targets, since they are rostered in 68 percent or more of Yahoo Standard Leagues but were slow out of the gates because of injury or other circumstances.