Fantasy face-off: Most valuable defenseman for 2018-19

NHL.com compares elite defensemen Dustin Byfuglien, Brent Burns and Victor Hedman to see who is most valuable at the position in fantasy for 2018-19. See how these players compare in terms of scoring, category coverage, team security, lineup placement and other factors before viewing the @NHLFantasy Twitter poll results. For more fantasy coverage, visit NHL.com/Fantasy.

NOTE: Players are listed in order of rank in NHL.com's top 250.
Dustin Byfuglien, WPG -- The Winnipeg Jets defenseman is a perennial top 25 overall fantasy player because of his elite coverage, consistently producing in all six standard categories and also hits. He benefited from the Jets' offensive breakout last season, finishing 39th overall in Yahoo -- an impressive rank considering he missed 13 games. Byfuglien is a five-time 50-point producer, has four straight seasons of at least 100 penalty minutes and at least 110 hits in each of his 10 full NHL seasons (2.3 per game in career). He also leads defensemen in shots on goal per game since entering the NHL in 2005-06 (3.02) and produced in power-play points (22) and plus/minus (plus-15) last season. He took his production to another level in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, scoring 16 points (five goals, 11 assists) in 17 games to lead Winnipeg to the Western Conference Final. Byfuglien now has the luxury of skating with elite fantasy forwards Patrik Laine, Blake Wheeler and Mark Scheifele, making it extremely likely that he'll finish high in the overall landscape.

Brent Burns, SJS -- The San Jose Sharks defenseman leads the position in goals (68), points (218), PPP (82) and SOG (1,005) over the past three seasons. He has arguably the highest ceiling at the position considering the next closest defenseman (Dougie Hamilton) has 682 shots over the same span. Burns started slow last regular season (no goals, seven assists in first 19 games), but was nearly a point-per-game player the rest of the way (60 points in final 63 games). He may not have reached the 75-point mark like he did in the previous two seasons, but his strong finish extended into the playoffs (seven points in 10 games), erasing any concerns that the 33-year-old is slowing down. Another factor to consider from last season is that Burns had an unusually low shooting percentage (3.6), which should likely revert closer to his rate from the prior three seasons playing defenseman (8.0). Burns gains additional value on the power play having left wing Evander Kane (signed seven-year contract May 24) on board for a full season. With Burns' first power-play role cemented and his durability undisputed (hasn't missed a game since before he changed positions in 2014-15).

Victor Hedman, TBL -- The Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman had NHL career highs in goals (17) and SOG (216) last season, finishing among the fantasy top 20 for the second straight season and winning his first Norris Trophy. His assist total (46) dipped compared to 2016-17 (56), but he made up for it with a career-best plus-32 in 77 games (second among NHL defenseman). He also provided category coverage with 26 PPP and 54 PIMs (his most since 2011-12), ultimately finishing as the top ranked fantasy defenseman in a season where there were so many disappointments at the position. Hedman leads all NHL defenseman with 59 power-play points over the past two seasons and should have no problem maintaining that production on the first unit with elite forward duo Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos. Although Hedman's ceiling may not be as high as Byfuglien and Burns, the 27-year-old Swede is the most likely defenseman to finish in line with his preseason ADP.

Next highest ranked defensemen in NHL.com's top 250: Erik Karlsson, OTT; Drew Doughty, LAK; P.K. Subban, NSH; John Klingberg, DAL; Roman Josi, NSH
Worth noting: Karlsson is entering a contract year (potential 2019 unrestricted free agent) and could be traded by the Ottawa Senators before or during the upcoming season. Karlsson would gain fantasy value and could become the most valuable fantasy defenseman again in the right situation but is ranked fourth at the position by NHL.com for now.