Week 10: Fantasy top 50 defenseman rankings for 2017-18

Each week during the regular season, NHL.com has you covered with an overview of the fantasy defenseman landscape. With production trends, injury news and top 50 rankings based on performance and upside in standard Yahoo leagues, fantasy owners should use this information as a basis for roster decision-making.

TRENDING UP

Brent Burns, SJS: It took longer than expected, but the San Jose Sharks defenseman is finally living up to his Yahoo average draft position (6.7). Burns had no goals and seven assists in his first 19 games, but has responded with 11 points (four goals, seven assists) over his next 10. His shot volume has remained strong throughout (122 shots on goal, seventh in NHL), and he rejoins the top five defenseman rankings this week after three straight multipoint games totaling six points (three goals, three assists), five power-play points and 22 SOG. Fantasy owners who traded for Burns in a buy-low situation have been rewarded; he leads all defensemen in scoring since Dec. 1 and ranks tied for 10th among all players in that span.
Dmitry Orlov, WSH: The defenseman started slow with three points (one goal, two assists) over his first 20 games, a stretch where the Washington Capitals were 10-9-1 with 2.80 goals per game. But Orlov (21 percent owned) has since become fantasy-relevant again with the Capitals winning nine of their past 12 games with 3.5 goals per game in the span. The 26-year-old has eight points (two goals, six assists), 22 SOG and is plus-6 over those 12 games. He is skating alongside Matt Niskanen on the first pair and has been a sneaky source of 5-on-5 production off the waiver wire.
Josh Morrissey, WPG:Winnipeg Jets defenseman Dustin Byfuglien is week to week with a lower-body injury, opening the door for Morrissey (13 percent owned) to get more involved in the offense. The 22-year-old spent the first game without Byfuglien on the top pair with Jacob Trouba and had one goal on one SOG in 21:21 (season average: 19:17). He also has added value in hits (58) leagues. Morrissey was already heating up before Byfuglien's injury and now has points in back-to-back games with six points (two goals, four assists) over his past eight. With 11 points (four goals, seven assists), 41 SOG and a plus-5 in 31 games, he's on pace to exceed his totals from last season (20 points, 99 SOG, plus-6 in 82 games).

TRENDING DOWN

Victor Hedman, TBL: Burns and Kris Letang of the Pittsburgh Penguins have taught fantasy owners that patience can pay off with elite defensemen who are underachieving. Hedman had an assist against the St. Louis Blues on Tuesday but has no goals and five assists over his past 13 games. Hedman's constant exposure to forwards Nikita Kucherov and Steven Stamkos on the first power-play unit should eventually lead to an offensive rebound, but it's alarming that he has gone eight straight games without a PPP despite being tied for the Tampa Bay Lightning's lead in SOG (21) over the span.
Justin Faulk, CAR: The Carolina Hurricanes defenseman was drafted on average among the top 100 (ADP: 97.2) after scoring 123 points (48 goals, 75 assists) and 50 PPP in 221 games over the previous three seasons. But he has no points in his past nine games and has been held without a point in 25 of 30 games this season. His points-per-game average (0.23) is by far the lowest of his NHL career. Faulk (69 percent owned) is averaging nearly three SOG per game (84 in 30 games), but is shooting 1.2 percent --significantly worse than any of his prior three seasons (6.3 in 2014-15, 8.7 in 2015-16, 7.6 in 2016-17). There are better streaming options from the Hurricanes defense alone; Noah Hanifin (16 percent owned) has 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) and 61 SOG in 30 games this season, and Trevor van Riemsdyk (1 percent) has four points (one goal, three assists), four SOG and is plus-6 over his past four games. Faulk's heavy shot volume and power-play usage (3:14 per game) support his bounce-back candidacy, but he's very close to dropping out of these rankings.
---

TOP 50 DEFENSEMAN RANKINGS

Standard Yahoo categories include goals, assists, plus/minus, PIMs, PPP and SOG for skaters. ... Value has been quantified based on factors including but not limited to past production, defense pairs, power-play usage, team's offseason changes, injury history, age, sleeper, bounce-back or breakout potential, anticipated regression, contract status, Yahoo ADP and overall upside for the rest of the season. ... Any players with day-to-day injury concerns (DTD) are noted. NEW - INJ. indicates a player who has returned from injury and rejoined the rankings.
1. John Klingberg, DAL (SAME)
2. Drew Doughty, LAK (SAME)
3. Roman Josi, NSH (SAME)
4. Kris Letang, PIT (+6)
5. Brent Burns, SJS (+7)
6. Erik Karlsson, OTT (SAME)
7. John Carlson, WSH (+1)
8. Shayne Gostisbehere, PHI (+1)
9. Victor Hedman, TBL (-4)
10. Nick Leddy, NYI (+1)
11. P.K. Subban, NSH (-4)
12. Mikhail Sergachev, TBL (+4)
13. Kevin Shattenkirk, NYR (SAME)
14. Zach Werenski, CBJ (+1)
15. Will Butcher, NJD (+3)
16. Morgan Rielly, TOR (+3)
17. Torey Krug, BOS (+5)
18. Colton Parayko, STL (+10)
19. Shea Weber, MTL (+4)
20. Duncan Keith, CHI (-3)
21. Tyson Barrie, COL (+3)
22. Dougie Hamilton, CGY (-2)
23. Oliver Ekman-Larsson, ARI (-2)
24. Jake Muzzin, LAK (+1)
25. Brandon Montour, ANA (+2)
26. Mattias Ekholm, NSH (+3)
27. Keith Yandle, FLA (+4)
28. Rasmus Ristolainen, BUF (-2)
29. Aaron Ekblad, FLA (+3)
30. Charlie McAvoy, BOS (+3)
31. Ryan Suter, MIN (+4)
32. Mike Green, DET (-2)
33. Ryan McDonagh, NYR (+3)
34. Seth Jones, CBJ (+2)
35. Mark Giordano, CGY (+5)
36. Ivan Provorov, PHI (+3)
37. Matt Niskanen, WSH (+4)
38. Tyler Myers, WPG (+8)
39. Cam Fowler, ANA (-1)
40. Jake Gardiner, TOR (+4)
41. Colin Miller, VGK (NEW)
42. Erik Johnson, COL (+6)
43. TJ Brodie, CGY (SAME)
44. Justin Faulk, CAR (-2)
45. Darnell Nurse, EDM (NEW)
46. Oscar Klefbom, EDM (-1)
47. Tim Heed, SJS (NEW - INJ.)
48. Esa Lindell, DAL (NEW)
49. Dmitry Orlov, WSH (NEW)
50. Josh Morrissey, WPG (NEW)
Dropped out: Sami Vatanen, NJD; Shea Theodore, VGK; Kris Russell, EDM
Key injuries: Alex Pietrangelo, STL (dropped out); Dustin Byfuglien, WPG (dropped out); Justin Schultz, PIT (dropped out); Ryan Ellis, NSH; Jared Spurgeon, MIN; Andrej Sekera, EDM
READ: Last week's Top 50 defenseman rankings