A month ago, on Oct. 29, Ryan Hartman had played seven games in a bottom-six role for the Minnesota Wild. His three goals were interesting, but nothing to call attention to at the time. Hartman had 1.4 fantasy points per game (FPPG), after all, which wasn't enough to be on the fantasy radar.
Flash forward to Nov. 30, and Hartman has increased his FPPG to 2.0, his average ice time is up 1:14 during that time and he's been on the Wild's top line with Kirill Kaprizov lately.
But not all players who are moving up the depth chart are putting up the fantasy stats that get's them noticed when sorting through the free-agent pool. Let's check in on some others who have made progress in the last month.
John Klingberg, D, Dallas Stars: While his fantasy pace hasn't come up in the past month, Klingberg's minutes accelerated after a slow start to the season. He's back up to 21:48 per game, as opposed to just 18 minutes back on Oct. 29 (three-game sample). This comes as his name is being tossed around as a trade target, with reports of inquiries from the Carolina Hurricanes for example. Miro Heiskanen has taken the majority of minutes on the advantage for the Stars this season. Admittedly, a trade to a team where Klingberg would be the unquestioned power-play quarterback would do wonders for his value. Here's hoping.
Pavel Buchnevich, W, St. Louis Blues: The Blues have used a lot of line combinations, with the diluted production apparent on the roster. Ryan O'Reilly and Brayden Schenn are unusable for fantasy at this stage. The one place that has generated consistent value is Vladimir Tarasenko's line. Buchnevich has found himself there of late, increasing his FPPG from 1.1 to 1.9 in the past month and playing an additional 3:40 per game now compared to Oct. 29.
Travis Boyd, C, Arizona Coyotes: It's not likely the fantasy production will ever come, but Boyd has slipped into the best position to potentially catch second-hand value from Clayton Keller and Phil Kessel. He seems to be the glue that keeps the line at least quasi-productive. If the Coyotes start scoring a bit more, Boyd could push his 1.4 FPPG up a little higher to the fantasy-relevant range. He's already moved up from 1.0 FPPG a month ago with an additional 3:37 per game compared to Oct. 29.
Dawson Mercer, C, New Jersey Devils: The center for what is easily the Devils most productive line to date, Mercer has seen his ice time increase 2:49 per game in the past month. His FPPG is just below what you might consider for your lineup at 1.6. There's a catch to this hope though: Do the Devils keep the Mercer, Andreas Johnsson and Jesper Bratt line together when Jack Hughes returns? Or does Hughes take the most productive wingers away from Mercer? Either way, Mercer's minutes will likely plummet.
Ryan Getzlaf, C, Anaheim Ducks: Giving other a chance to shine at the start of the season, Getzlaf was playing a limited role to start the season. But he's the Ducks No. 1 center again thanks in part to the breakout of Troy Terry at his side. Getzlaf's minutes have climbed by 2:01 since Oct. 29, with his FPPG going from 1.6 to a healthy 2.0. His value has an even higher ceiling though. A 1.8 percent conversion rate on shots is low even for Getzlaf. He's owed a few more goals.
Jeff Skinner, W, Buffalo Sabres: He didn't start the year as a top-line player, but Skinner has found a groove there with Tage Thompson. Whether they are paired with Rasmus Asplund or Victor Olofsson, the line has found a way to score. Skinner's 1.6 FPPG is just shy of useful for fantasy, but he's pushed that average up from 1.3 in the past month, so further climbing is possible.
Forwards on the move
Jack Hughes, C, New Jersey Devils (up 52 spots to No. 79): As hinted at already above, Hughes is close to returning from a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the second game of the season. Hughes was playing with Yegor Sharangovich and Janne Kuokkanen back then, but a lot has changed with the Devils lineup. As mentioned above, there is some question about which wingers Hughes will line up with when he returns. Sharangovich and Kuokkanen have done very little with Hughes out of the lineup and are not a part of the current top six. But that does leave the team with the option to preserve current lines and bring Hughes back. Bottom line: whoever is on the ice with him is likely worth chasing in medium-to-deep leagues.
Evan Rodrigues, C, Pittsburgh Penguins (up 21 spots to No. 217): Bryan Rust can't stay healthy and Rodrigues is taking advantage. After returning to health for two weeks, Rust is back on the injured reserve. That means Rodrigues is back on a line with Jake Guentzel and, this time, Sidney Crosby. He's also getting minutes on the advantage. His production sunk with Rust back in the fold, but Rodrigues crested at 1.8 FPPG at one point. Remember that he's also showcasing what he can bring to the table for when the Pens eventually go two lines deep for fantasy when Evgeni Malkin returns.
Roope Hintz, W, Dallas Stars (up 18 spots to No. 136): Some signs of life this week from the Hintz, Jason Robertson and Joe Pavelski line. They collectively have 12 points in the past three games, with Hintz posting six in the past four. And yes, that is half of his point total for the season in the past 10 days. But this has just been a waiting game, as we know this line can be among the strongest in the league as evidenced by their run last season. You probably won't find Hintz or Pavelski available, but have a look for Robertson, as he remains unclaimed in 20 percent of leagues.
Defensemen on the move
Sean Durzi, D, Los Angeles Kings (enters ranks at No. 231): Likely just a short-term stay on the rankings as Drew Doughty recovers from a knee injury, but Durzi has shown enough to be on rosters in the meantime. Two games and three power-play points is not a realistic pace (3.9 FPPG!), but it shows that he has the chops to remain there until Doughty is back. Unfortunately for Durzi, his chance came late in the process, as Doughty is back at practice ahead of his original timetable. Keep Durzi's name handy though, as he now becomes the Kings PP QB in waiting.
Goaltenders on the move
Ilya Samsonov, G, Washington Capitals (up 25 spots to No. 101): Finally getting some true separation on Vitek Vanacek, Samsonov has real potential to be an elite fantasy play. He ranked 32nd among goaltenders in fantasy points four weeks ago; he was 14th two weeks ago and is now 11th. Vanacek has gone from 26th, to 35th to 41st in that time. Samsonov's total share of the crease is only 45.7 percent right now, so you can see that the sky is the limit here.
New to rankings
Ryan Hartman, Sean Durzi, Yanni Gourde, Bowen Byram, Trevor Zegras.
Just missed
Philipp Grubauer, Jeff Petry (new regime, new chance?), Kevin Fiala, Brett Pesce, Scott Mayfield, Jaccob Slavin, Damon Severson, P.K. Subban, Zach Whitecloud, Christian Dvorak, Jeff Skinner, Alex Nedeljkovic (starting to look more consistent), Adam Boqvist (pre-season sleeper had offensive explosion this week), Erik Johnson, Jake Oettinger, Reilly Smith and Aliaksei Protas (been successfully taking Tom Wilson's spot on top line).
Dropped out
Paul Stastny, Semyon Varlamov, Dominik Kubalik, Jordan Staal, Jake Muzzin.
Top-250 rankings
1. Connor McDavid, F, EDM (F1)
2. Leon Draisaitl, F, EDM (F2)
3. Alex Ovechkin, F, WSH (F3)
4. Auston Matthews, F, TOR (F4)
5. Roman Josi, D, NSH (D1)
6. Mikko Rantanen, F, COL (F5)
7. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TB (G1)
8. Nathan MacKinnon, F, COL (F6)
9. David Pastrnak, F, BOS (F7)
10. Mika Zibanejad, F, NYR (F8)
11. Brad Marchand, F, BOS (F9)
12. Frederik Andersen, G, CAR (G2)
13. Dougie Hamilton, D, NJ (D2)
14. Anze Kopitar, F, LA (F10)
15. Adam Fox, D, NYR (D3)
16. Sebastian Aho, F, CAR (F11)
17. Igor Shesterkin, G, NYR (G3)
18. Jack Campbell, G, TOR (G4)
19. Aleksander Barkov, F, FLA (F12)
20. Timo Meier, F, SJ (F13)
21. Cale Makar, D, COL (D4)
22. Mitch Marner, F, TOR (F14)
23. Andrei Svechnikov, F, CAR (F15)
24. Kyle Connor, F, WPG (F16)
25. Gabriel Landeskog, F, COL (F17)
26. Vladimir Tarasenko, F, STL (F18)
27. Elias Lindholm, F, CGY (F19)
28. John Carlson, D, WSH (D5)
29. Charlie McAvoy, D, BOS (D6)
30. Artemi Panarin, F, NYR (F20)
31. Steven Stamkos, F, TB (F21)
32. Victor Hedman, D, TB (D7)
33. Juuse Saros, G, NSH (G5)
34. Kirill Kaprizov, F, MIN (F22)
35. Ilya Sorokin, G, NYI (G6)
36. Jacob Markstrom, G, CGY (G7)
37. Jake Guentzel, F, PIT (F23)
38. Aaron Ekblad, D, FLA (D8)
39. Seth Jones, D, CHI (D9)
40. Tristan Jarry, G, PIT (G8)
41. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, F, EDM (F24)
42. Sidney Crosby, F, PIT (F25)
43. Robin Lehner, G, VGS (G9)
44. Brady Tkachuk, F, OTT (F26)
45. Max Pacioretty, F, VGS (F27)
46. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, FLA (G10)
47. Mark Scheifele, F, WPG (F28)
48. Kris Letang, D, PIT (D10)
49. Chris Kreider, F, NYR (F29)
50. Drake Batherson, F, OTT (F30)
51. Patrick Kane, F, CHI (F31)
52. Tyler Bertuzzi, F, DET (F32)
53. Miro Heiskanen, D, DAL (D11)
54. Zach Werenski, D, CLS (D12)
55. Evgeny Kuznetsov, F, WSH (F33)
56. Patrice Bergeron, F, BOS (F34)
57. Jonathan Huberdeau, F, FLA (F35)
58. Elvis Merzlikins, G, CLS (G11)
59. Darnell Nurse, D, EDM (D13)
60. Alex DeBrincat, F, CHI (F36)
61. Mark Stone, F, VGS (F37)
62. Zach Hyman, F, EDM (F38)
63. Patrik Laine, F, CLS (F39)
64. Matt Duchene, F, NSH (F40)
65. J.T. Miller, F, VAN (F41)
66. Brent Burns, D, SJ (D14)
67. Connor Hellebuyck, G, WPG (G12)
68. Alex Pietrangelo, D, VGS (D15)
69. Carter Hart, G, PHI (G13)
70. Logan Couture, F, SJ (F42)
71. Neal Pionk, D, WPG (D16)
72. John Gibson, G, ANA (G14)
73. John Tavares, F, TOR (F43)
74. Jordan Binnington, G, STL (G15)
75. Ivan Provorov, D, PHI (D17)
76. Pierre-Luc Dubois, F, WPG (F44)
77. Filip Forsberg, F, NSH (F45)
78. Dylan Larkin, F, DET (F46)
79. Jack Hughes, F, NJ (F47)
80. Sean Couturier, F, PHI (F48)
81. Darcy Kuemper, G, COL (G16)
82. Tony DeAngelo, D, CAR (D18)
83. Matthew Tkachuk, F, CGY (F49)
84. Mario Ferraro, D, SJ (D19)
85. Troy Terry, F, ANA (F50)
86. Adam Henrique, F, ANA (F51)
87. Cam Talbot, G, MIN (G17)
88. Mathew Dumba, D, MIN (D20)
89. Mikko Koskinen, G, EDM (G18)
90. Jordan Eberle, F, SEA (F52)
91. Boone Jenner, F, CLS (F53)
92. Victor Olofsson, F, BUF (F54)
93. Sam Bennett, F, FLA (F55)
94. Josh Norris, F, OTT (F56)
95. Devon Toews, D, COL (D21)
96. Tyler Seguin, F, DAL (F57)
97. Moritz Seider, D, DET (D22)
98. Bryan Rust, F, PIT (F58)
99. Oliver Bjorkstrand, F, CLS (F59)
100. Brock Nelson, F, NYI (F60)
101. Ilya Samsonov, G, WSH (G19)
102. Anthony Duclair, F, FLA (F61)
103. Johnny Gaudreau, F, CGY (F62)
104. Taylor Hall, F, BOS (F63)
105. Teuvo Teravainen, F, CAR (F64)
106. Claude Giroux, F, PHI (F65)
107. Joel Eriksson Ek, F, MIN (F66)
108. Rickard Rakell, F, ANA (F67)
109. William Nylander, F, TOR (F68)
110. Erik Karlsson, D, SJ (D23)
111. Tom Wilson, F, WSH (F69)
112. David Perron, F, STL (F70)
113. Nicklas Backstrom, F, WSH (F71)
114. Elias Pettersson, F, VAN (F72)
115. Mats Zuccarello, F, MIN (F73)
116. Jacob Trouba, D, NYR (D24)
117. Vincent Trocheck, F, CAR (F74)
118. Ondrej Palat, F, TB (F75)
119. Brayden Point, F, TB (F76)
120. MacKenzie Weegar, D, FLA (D25)
121. Viktor Arvidsson, F, LA (F77)
122. Alec Martinez, D, VGS (D26)
123. Thomas Chabot, D, OTT (D27)
124. Ryan Getzlaf, F, ANA (F78)
125. Lucas Raymond, F, DET (F79)
126. Artem Zub, D, OTT (D28)
127. Drew Doughty, D, LA (D29)
128. Tyson Barrie, D, EDM (D30)
129. Jordan Kyrou, F, STL (F80)
130. Nazem Kadri, F, COL (F81)
131. Jesse Puljujarvi, F, EDM (F82)
132. Andrew Copp, F, WPG (F83)
133. Jaden Schwartz, F, SEA (F84)
134. Evan Bouchard, D, EDM (D31)
135. Nick Suzuki, F, MON (F85)
136. Roope Hintz, F, DAL (F86)
137. Alex Killorn, F, TB (F87)
138. Ryan O'Reilly, F, STL (F88)
139. Kevin Shattenkirk, D, ANA (D32)
140. Quinn Hughes, D, VAN (D33)
141. Tomas Hertl, F, SJ (F89)
142. Andrew Mangiapane, F, CGY (F90)
143. Jonathan Marchessault, F, VGS (F91)
144. Ryan Strome, F, NYR (F92)
145. Jason Robertson, F, DAL (F93)
146. Blake Wheeler, F, WPG (F94)
147. Chandler Stephenson, F, VGS (F95)
148. Alex Iafallo, F, LA (F96)
149. Colton Parayko, D, STL (D34)
150. T.J. Oshie, F, WSH (F97)
151. Joe Pavelski, F, DAL (F98)
152. Shea Theodore, D, VGS (D35)
153. Andre Burakovsky, F, COL (F99)
154. Brock Boeser, F, VAN (F100)
155. Nikolaj Ehlers, F, WPG (F101)
156. Ryan Graves, D, NJ (D36)
157. Brayden McNabb, D, VGS (D37)
158. Nikita Kucherov, F, TB (F102)
159. Jonathan Quick, G, LA (G20)
160. Esa Lindell, D, DAL (D38)
161. Brayden Schenn, F, STL (F103)
162. Adam Larsson, D, SEA (D39)
163. Bo Horvat, F, VAN (F104)
164. Jakob Chychrun, D, ARI (D40)
165. Mark Giordano, D, SEA (D41)
166. Jeff Carter, F, PIT (F105)
167. Mikael Granlund, F, NSH (F106)
168. Jared Spurgeon, D, MIN (D42)
169. Travis Konecny, F, PHI (F107)
170. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, ARI (D43)
171. Max Domi, F, CLS (F108)
172. Pavel Buchnevich, F, STL (F109)
173. Cam Atkinson, F, PHI (F110)
174. Ryan Johansen, F, NSH (F111)
175. Mike Smith, G, EDM (G21)
176. Samuel Girard, D, COL (D44)
177. Nate Schmidt, D, WPG (D45)
178. Sam Reinhart, F, FLA (F112)
179. Nico Hischier, F, NJ (F113)
180. Mikhail Sergachev, D, TB (D46)
181. Jakub Voracek, F, CLS (F114)
182. Joshua Morrissey, D, WPG (D47)
183. Anton Lundell, F, FLA (F115)
184. Torey Krug, D, STL (D48)
185. Cam Fowler, D, ANA (D49)
186. Mathew Barzal, F, NYI (F116)
187. Brandon Tanev, F, SEA (F117)
188. Ryan Pulock, D, NYI (D50)
189. Joel Farabee, F, PHI (F118)
190. Mike Hoffman, F, MON (F119)
191. Brandon Saad, F, STL (F120)
192. James Reimer, G, SJ (G22)
193. Morgan Rielly, D, TOR (D51)
194. J.T. Compher, F, COL (F121)
195. Anthony Mantha, F, WSH (F122)
196. Conor Garland, F, VAN (F123)
197. Anthony Cirelli, F, TB (F124)
198. Anders Lee, F, NYI (F125)
199. Vince Dunn, D, SEA (D52)
200. Jonas Brodin, D, MIN (D53)
201. Jared McCann, F, SEA (F126)
202. Martin Necas, F, CAR (F127)
203. Blake Coleman, F, CGY (F128)
204. Mackenzie Blackwood, G, NJ (G23)
205. Ryan Hartman, F, MIN (F129)
206. Filip Hronek, D, DET (D54)
207. Alexander Radulov, F, DAL (F130)
208. Clayton Keller, F, ARI (F131)
209. Ryan Ellis, D, PHI (D55)
210. Rasmus Dahlin, D, BUF (D56)
211. William Karlsson, F, VGS (F132)
212. Andreas Athanasiou, F, LA (F133)
213. Ivan Barbashev, F, STL (F134)
214. Charlie Coyle, F, BOS (F135)
215. John Klingberg, D, DAL (D57)
216. Carter Verhaeghe, F, FLA (F136)
217. Evan Rodrigues, F, PIT (F137)
218. Jonathan Dahlen, F, SJ (F138)
219. Danton Heinen, F, PIT (F139)
220. Oliver Wahlstrom, F, NYI (F140)
221. Justin Faulk, D, STL (D58)
222. Thatcher Demko, G, VAN (G24)
223. Tyler Toffoli, F, MON (F141)
224. Robert Hagg, D, PHI (D59)
225. Jamie Benn, F, DAL (F142)
226. Radko Gudas, D, FLA (D60)
227. Ben Chiarot, D, MON (D61)
228. Rasmus Andersson, D, CGY (D62)
229. Tage Thompson, F, BUF (F143)
230. Connor Murphy, D, CHI (D63)
231. Sean Durzi, D, LA (D64)
232. Braden Holtby, G, DAL (G25)
233. Linus Ullmark, G, BOS (G26)
234. Pavel Zacha, F, NJ (F144)
235. Vladislav Gavrikov, D, CLS (D65)
236. Pavel Francouz, G, COL (G27)
237. Valeri Nichushkin, F, COL (F145)
238. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, PHI (D66)
239. Robert Thomas, F, STL (F146)
240. Lawson Crouse, F, ARI (F147)
241. Alexander Wennberg, F, SEA (F148)
242. Ryan Suter, D, DAL (D67)
243. Justin Braun, D, PHI (D68)
244. Jeremy Swayman, G, BOS (G28)
245. Yanni Gourde, F, SEA (F149)
246. Kirby Dach, F, CHI (F150)
247. Bowen Byram, D, COL (D69)
248. Trevor Zegras, F, ANA (F151)
249. Noah Dobson, D, NYI (D70)
250. Spencer Knight, G, FLA (G29)