The expression you typically use is about not being able to see the forest for the trees -- meaning you are missing the big picture and focusing too much on the details. But the reverse can also be a pitfall. Not recognizing the true value or lack of value of a detail due to the overall impression it's leaving.
In the effort of rooting out some of the fallen trees from our forest of fantasy rankings, I took a few extra steps in crunching the numbers this week. The result is some slightly-ahead-of-the-calendar spring cleaning of the ranks. There was definitely some dead wood hiding in this forest that needed extraction.
And, yes, I'm advocating the outright dropping (almost) of all the players in this introduction in any redraft fantasy format.
Nicklas Backstrom, C, Washington Capitals (rostered in 87.5 percent of leagues): We start with one of the players I don't think should just be dropped in fantasy leagues. There's still some hope here. But this is a very disappointing season for Backstrom regardless of what happens from here out. Not only did we have to wait a month and a half longer than originally projected for Backstrom to finally make an appearance in mid-December, but he's just not putting up fantasy stats. His 1.5 fantasy points per game (FPPG) overall is actually propped up by his production from December. He has 1.4 FPPG for the past two months and 1.1 FPPG for the past three weeks. The one piece of hope remaining is that a return of Anthony Mantha (practiced this week) could give the Caps the complete picture they need to field a competitive top six and turn around the power play. Sometimes a single missing puzzle piece can make the difference.
Ryan Strome, C, New York Rangers (76.5 percent): There are some forwards who have put in more power-play minutes this season with fewer points to show for it, but none of them are on a team with a better power-play conversion rate than the Rangers. Strome's offense has all but dried up this season, despite him still getting massive minutes alongside Artemi Panarin and on the team's top power-play unit. I don't know that it's possible for Strome to be in a situation with a better chance to have success, so it may just be time to cut bait. His 1.5 FPPG for the season is even better than his 1.3 FPPG for the past two months.
John Gibson, G, Anaheim Ducks (63.7 percent): What started off as such a promising campaign for Gibson has devolved into the usual scenario -- one of the better skilled goaltenders in the league being hung out to dry. He's fourth in the league in high-danger shots against (per NaturalStatTrick.com) despite sitting ninth in total minutes. And the Ducks are probably not going to improve at the trade deadline later this month.
Carter Verhaeghe, W, Florida Panthers (53.0 percent): It's shades of the same situation as Strome here -- top-six minutes and power-play time on a strong offense, but nothing to show for it. I think this can easily be blamed on the steep increase in the number of cooks in the Panthers scoring kitchen from last season. Verhaeghe was able to put up better fantasy production when he didn't have to contend with Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell and Mason Marchment for looks.
Evan Bouchard, D, Edmonton Oilers (46.1 percent): This might be a coaching change impact, as Bouchard's steep decline in fantasy points coincides roughly with when the Oilers made the switch behind the bench. In the past three weeks, Bouchard has only managed 0.8 FPPG. That has only dragged down his season-long FPPG to 1.7, so he still appears viable if you don't look deeper.
Jesse Puljujarvi, W, Edmonton Oilers (36.9 percent): This is the other player here I might make a case for hanging on to in deeper fantasy formats just a little longer -- especially if he can be stashed on your IR. But the overall case for Puljujarvi is a weak one. For someone who's played 200 minutes with Connor McDavid at 5-on-5 and another 80 minutes with McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on the power play, 12 goals and 16 assists fueling 1.4 FPPG just doesn't pass muster.
Adam Larsson, D, Seattle Kraken (20.0 percent): For a while there, Larsson was trending toward massive minutes on the blue line, peaking in December with 23:22 in average ice time. For a player who needs minutes to accrue enough hits and blocked shots to be fantasy relevant, the drop in ice time since then has been too much. It's come to the point where he's dipping below 20 minutes some nights. His almost-relevant 1.6 FPPG for the season is masking the 1.3 FPPG he's put up since the start of January and the 0.7 FPPG he's posted in the past three weeks.
Ryan Johansen, C, Nashville Predators (25.5 percent): A couple of months ago, Johansen and Matt Duchene were being discussed collectively for their resurgence in production this season. While Duchene has maintained his status well enough, Johansen has tumbled. We can blame this one on the Predators just not having the pieces for two threatening lines of offense at even strength. So while Duchene gets to hang around with Filip Forsberg and Mikael Granlund, Johansen does his best with Luke Kunin and Eeli Tolvanen ... but it's just not the same caliber of linemates.
Forwards on the move
Kyle Palmieri, W, New York Islanders (enters ranks at No. 221): Unfortunately, Barzal is sidelined at the moment, but a new-look Isles top line has piqued my interest in Palmieri (and to a lesser extent, Zach Parise). The trio got three games in together since uniting against the Kraken a week ago and combined for 10 points in those contests. Palmieri has struggled to find his offense since becoming an Islander, but is still in his prime enough to produce a 30-goal pace if he finds the right fit again.
Jake DeBrusk, W, Boston Bruins (enters ranks at No. 250): It's tough because he's a much-discussed name when it comes to the approaching trade deadline, but it's no accident DeBrusk ripped off a hat trick on Monday. He's currently getting playing time with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand on the top line. Whether this is a way to drive up his trade value or a commitment to start using him more, we will have to wait and see. But a trade won't find DeBrusk in a better situation than his current one.
Defensemen on the move
Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings (up 36 spots to No. 46): Is there anyone hotter than Seider lately? The answer is mathematically, no. Seider and New Jersey Devils winger Jesper Bratt are tied for the NHL lead with 4.0 FPPG since Feb. 9.
Jeff Petry, D, Montreal Canadiens (up 114 spots to No. 111): I don't forgive easily, but Petry's box score from Saturday has me all-in on this coaching change bringing back the Petry of old. In a game in which Petry accumulated zero points, he still managed 2.7 fantasy points against the Senators with five blocked shots and two hits. Furthermore, he had his power-play quarterback role back. Don't hesitate a moment longer and check if you are in one of the 32 percent of leagues in which Petry is still available.
Goaltenders on the move
Darcy Kuemper, G, Colorado Avalanche (up 56 spots to No. 32): Pavel Francouz has not had the impact I anticipated, but rather, a much more difficult one to quantify. Given that Kuemper had a .907 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against average (GAA) prior to Francouz making an appearance this season, I expected the return of the talented backup to push this into more of a time share. Instead, Kuemper has used the presence of Francouz to fuel a tremendous run in the crease. Since Francouz's arrival, Kuemper has a .932 save percentage and 2.13 GAA.
Jeremy Swayman, G, Boston Bruins (up 85 spots to No. 92): OK, maybe Swayman can challenge Seider and Bratt for the title of being the hottest commodity in fantasy. In fact, Swayman has been so good in the past three weeks that he could cut his fantasy production in half and still be a top-10 goaltender in that span.
New to rankings
Yegor Sharangovich, Adam Pelech, Nick Schmaltz, Kyle Palmieri, Ryan Lindgren, Phillip Danault, Chris Tanev, Jean-Gabriel Pageau, Zach Parise, Scott Laughton, Filip Hronek, Noah Hanifin, Corey Perry, Petr Mrazek and Jake DeBrusk.
Just missed
Scott Mayfield, Travis Konecny, Drake Batherson, Anthony Mantha, Gustav Nyquist, Peyton Krebs, Travis Sanheim, Josh Anderson, Justin Holl, Kyle Okposo, Dysin Mayo, Tyler Motte, Dawson Mercer and Alexander Kerfoot.
Dropped out (spring cleaning edition)
Lawson Crouse, Mario Ferraro, Adam Larsson, Ryan Johansen, Andrew Copp, Ryan Getzlaf, Pavel Francouz, Ilya Mikheyev, Oliver Wahlstrom, Alex Goligoski, Evgenii Dadonov, Mike Smith, Evan Rodrigues, Jesse Puljujarvi, Sean Durzi and Jaden Schwartz.
Top-250 rankings
1. Auston Matthews, F, TOR (F1)
2. Nikita Kucherov, F, TB (F2)
3. Connor McDavid, F, EDM (F3)
4. Leon Draisaitl, F, EDM (F4)
5. Nathan MacKinnon, F, COL (F5)
6. Aleksander Barkov, F, FLA (F6)
7. Igor Shesterkin, G, NYR (G1)
8. Kirill Kaprizov, F, MIN (F7)
9. Brad Marchand, F, BOS (F8)
10. Jacob Markstrom, G, CGY (G2)
11. Andrei Vasilevskiy, G, TB (G3)
12. Cale Makar, D, COL (D1)
13. Mitch Marner, F, TOR (F9)
14. Timo Meier, F, SJ (F10)
15. Alex Ovechkin, F, WSH (F11)
16. Mikko Rantanen, F, COL (F12)
17. Adam Fox, D, NYR (D2)
18. Roman Josi, D, NSH (D3)
19. Frederik Andersen, G, CAR (G4)
20. Jack Hughes, F, NJ (F13)
21. David Pastrnak, F, BOS (F14)
22. Gabriel Landeskog, F, COL (F15)
23. Victor Hedman, D, TB (D4)
24. Sebastian Aho, F, CAR (F16)
25. J.T. Miller, F, VAN (F17)
26. Mika Zibanejad, F, NYR (F18)
27. Elias Lindholm, F, CGY (F19)
28. Mats Zuccarello, F, MIN (F20)
29. Steven Stamkos, F, TB (F21)
30. Kyle Connor, F, WPG (F22)
31. Andrei Svechnikov, F, CAR (F23)
32. Darcy Kuemper, G, COL (G5)
33. Jonathan Huberdeau, F, FLA (F24)
34. Filip Forsberg, F, NSH (F25)
35. Matthew Tkachuk, F, CGY (F26)
36. Jake Guentzel, F, PIT (F27)
37. Ilya Sorokin, G, NYI (G6)
38. Jack Eichel, F, VGS (F28)
39. Kris Letang, D, PIT (D5)
40. Aaron Ekblad, D, FLA (D6)
41. Noah Dobson, D, NYI (D7)
42. Jack Campbell, G, TOR (G7)
43. Bryan Rust, F, PIT (F29)
44. Brayden Point, F, TB (F30)
45. Joe Pavelski, F, DAL (F31)
46. Moritz Seider, D, DET (D8)
47. Sidney Crosby, F, PIT (F32)
48. Patrik Laine, F, CLS (F33)
49. Dylan Larkin, F, DET (F34)
50. Tristan Jarry, G, PIT (G8)
51. Juuse Saros, G, NSH (G9)
52. Alex Pietrangelo, D, VGS (D9)
53. Max Pacioretty, F, VGS (F35)
54. Patrick Kane, F, CHI (F36)
55. Vladimir Tarasenko, F, STL (F37)
56. Charlie McAvoy, D, BOS (D10)
57. Brady Tkachuk, F, OTT (F38)
58. Anze Kopitar, F, LA (F39)
59. Patrice Bergeron, F, BOS (F40)
60. Nazem Kadri, F, COL (F41)
61. Drew Doughty, D, LA (D11)
62. Blake Wheeler, F, WPG (F42)
63. Chris Kreider, F, NYR (F43)
64. Evander Kane, F, EDM (F44)
65. Sergei Bobrovsky, G, FLA (G10)
66. Seth Jones, D, CHI (D12)
67. Mark Scheifele, F, WPG (F45)
68. Dougie Hamilton, D, NJ (D13)
69. Matthew Boldy, F, MIN (F46)
70. Artemi Panarin, F, NYR (F47)
71. Darnell Nurse, D, EDM (D14)
72. Kevin Fiala, F, MIN (F48)
73. Jesper Bratt, F, NJ (F49)
74. Teuvo Teravainen, F, CAR (F50)
75. Tage Thompson, F, BUF (F51)
76. Johnny Gaudreau, F, CGY (F52)
77. Boone Jenner, F, CLS (F53)
78. Brent Burns, D, SJ (D15)
79. Brayden Schenn, F, STL (F54)
80. Roope Hintz, F, DAL (F55)
81. Jason Robertson, F, DAL (F56)
82. Devon Toews, D, COL (D16)
83. Ryan Pulock, D, NYI (D17)
84. Elias Pettersson, F, VAN (F57)
85. Alex Tuch, F, BUF (F58)
86. Thomas Chabot, D, OTT (D18)
87. Ville Husso, G, STL (G11)
88. Cam Talbot, G, MIN (G12)
89. Evgeni Malkin, F, PIT (F59)
90. Logan Couture, F, SJ (F60)
91. MacKenzie Weegar, D, FLA (D19)
92. Jeremy Swayman, G, BOS (G13)
93. John Tavares, F, TOR (F61)
94. William Nylander, F, TOR (F62)
95. John Carlson, D, WSH (D20)
96. Colton Parayko, D, STL (D21)
97. Zach Werenski, D, CLS (D22)
98. Nico Hischier, F, NJ (F63)
99. Alex DeBrincat, F, CHI (F64)
100. Pavel Buchnevich, F, STL (F65)
101. Andrew Mangiapane, F, CGY (F66)
102. Pierre-Luc Dubois, F, WPG (F67)
103. Tyler Bertuzzi, F, DET (F68)
104. Connor Hellebuyck, G, WPG (G14)
105. Sam Reinhart, F, FLA (F69)
106. Justin Faulk, D, STL (D23)
107. Adrian Kempe, F, LA (F70)
108. Jordan Kyrou, F, STL (F71)
109. Brock Nelson, F, NYI (F72)
110. Joel Eriksson Ek, F, MIN (F73)
111. Matt Duchene, F, NSH (F74)
112. Jared Spurgeon, D, MIN (D24)
113. Sam Bennett, F, FLA (F75)
114. Clayton Keller, F, ARI (F76)
115. Morgan Rielly, D, TOR (D25)
116. Tomas Hertl, F, SJ (F77)
117. Tyler Toffoli, F, CGY (F78)
118. Michael Bunting, F, TOR (F79)
119. Zach Hyman, F, EDM (F80)
120. Jacob Trouba, D, NYR (D26)
121. Thatcher Demko, G, VAN (G15)
122. Anthony Duclair, F, FLA (F81)
123. Mikhail Sergachev, D, TB (D27)
124. Cole Caufield, F, MON (F82)
125. Claude Giroux, F, PHI (F83)
126. Jeff Petry, D, MON (D28)
127. Rasmus Dahlin, D, BUF (D29)
128. Joshua Morrissey, D, WPG (D30)
129. Mark Giordano, D, SEA (D31)
130. Alec Martinez, D, VGS (D32)
131. Rasmus Andersson, D, CGY (D33)
132. Evgeny Kuznetsov, F, WSH (F84)
133. Lucas Raymond, F, DET (F85)
134. Taylor Hall, F, BOS (F86)
135. Brayden McNabb, D, VGS (D34)
136. Jaccob Slavin, D, CAR (D35)
137. Vincent Trocheck, F, CAR (F87)
138. Cam Atkinson, F, PHI (F88)
139. Miro Heiskanen, D, DAL (D36)
140. Jake Oettinger, G, DAL (G16)
141. Connor Brown, F, OTT (F89)
142. Tony DeAngelo, D, CAR (D37)
143. Troy Terry, F, ANA (F90)
144. Shayne Gostisbehere, D, ARI (D38)
145. Connor Murphy, D, CHI (D39)
146. Tom Wilson, F, WSH (F91)
147. Ryan Graves, D, NJ (D40)
148. Ondrej Palat, F, TB (F92)
149. Esa Lindell, D, DAL (D41)
150. Alex Killorn, F, TB (F93)
151. Calvin de Haan, D, CHI (D42)
152. Tanner Jeannot, F, NSH (F94)
153. Viktor Arvidsson, F, LA (F95)
154. T.J. Oshie, F, WSH (F96)
155. Nick Suzuki, F, MON (F97)
156. Mathew Barzal, F, NYI (F98)
157. Ryan Hartman, F, MIN (F99)
158. Ivan Provorov, D, PHI (D43)
159. Nicklas Backstrom, F, WSH (F100)
160. Neal Pionk, D, WPG (D44)
161. Blake Coleman, F, CGY (F101)
162. Zach Whitecloud, D, VGS (D45)
163. Jakob Chychrun, D, ARI (D46)
164. Mathew Dumba, D, MIN (D47)
165. Ivan Barbashev, F, STL (F102)
166. Josh Norris, F, OTT (F103)
167. Robin Lehner, G, VGS (G17)
168. Shea Theodore, D, VGS (D48)
169. Jonathan Marchessault, F, VGS (F104)
170. Bo Horvat, F, VAN (F105)
171. Valeri Nichushkin, F, COL (F106)
172. Jamie Benn, F, DAL (F107)
173. Jonas Brodin, D, MIN (D49)
174. Oliver Bjorkstrand, F, CLS (F108)
175. Erik Johnson, D, COL (D50)
176. Tim Stutzle, F, OTT (F109)
177. Tyler Seguin, F, DAL (F110)
178. Artem Zub, D, OTT (D51)
179. Ryan McDonagh, D, TB (D52)
180. Marcus Foligno, F, MIN (F111)
181. Nikolaj Ehlers, F, WPG (F112)
182. Quinn Hughes, D, VAN (D53)
183. Anton Lundell, F, FLA (F113)
184. Andre Burakovsky, F, COL (F114)
185. Jeff Skinner, F, BUF (F115)
186. Rasmus Ristolainen, D, PHI (D54)
187. Alex Iafallo, F, LA (F116)
188. Vladislav Gavrikov, D, CLS (D55)
189. Marc-Andre Fleury, G, CHI (G18)
190. John Klingberg, D, DAL (D56)
191. Adam Henrique, F, ANA (F117)
192. Samuel Girard, D, COL (D57)
193. Jared McCann, F, SEA (F118)
194. Yegor Sharangovich, F, NJ (F119)
195. Rickard Rakell, F, ANA (F120)
196. Mason Marchment, F, FLA (F121)
197. Anthony Cirelli, F, TB (F122)
198. Torey Krug, D, STL (D58)
199. Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, F, EDM (F123)
200. Damon Severson, D, NJ (D59)
201. Chandler Stephenson, F, VGS (F124)
202. Brock Boeser, F, VAN (F125)
203. Kevin Shattenkirk, D, ANA (D60)
204. Luke Schenn, D, TB (D61)
205. Evan Bouchard, D, EDM (D62)
206. Ryan Strome, F, NYR (F126)
207. Robert Thomas, F, STL (F127)
208. Adam Pelech, D, NYI (D63)
209. Ryan O'Reilly, F, STL (F128)
210. Jordan Eberle, F, SEA (F129)
211. Cam Fowler, D, ANA (D64)
212. Nathan Bastian, F, NJ (F130)
213. Nick Schmaltz, F, ARI (F131)
214. Linus Ullmark, G, BOS (G19)
215. John Gibson, G, ANA (G20)
216. Jeff Carter, F, PIT (F132)
217. Mikael Granlund, F, NSH (F133)
218. Radko Gudas, D, FLA (D65)
219. Anders Lee, F, NYI (F134)
220. Trevor Zegras, F, ANA (F135)
221. Kyle Palmieri, F, NYI (F136)
222. Elvis Merzlikins, G, CLS (G21)
223. David Perron, F, STL (F137)
224. Tyson Barrie, D, EDM (D66)
225. Brett Pesce, D, CAR (D67)
226. Ryan Lindgren, D, NYR (D68)
227. Phillip Danault, F, LA (F138)
228. Tyler Myers, D, VAN (D69)
229. Ilya Samsonov, G, WSH (G22)
230. Matt Roy, D, LA (D70)
231. Christopher Tanev, D, CGY (D71)
232. Jonathan Quick, G, LA (G23)
233. Jean-Gabriel Pageau, F, NYI (F139)
234. Kaapo Kahkonen, G, MIN (G24)
235. Ondrej Kase, F, TOR (F140)
236. Ben Chiarot, D, MON (D72)
237. Jakub Vrana, F, DET (F141)
238. Zach Parise, F, NYI (F142)
239. Scott Laughton, F, PHI (F143)
240. Nate Schmidt, D, WPG (D73)
241. Erik Cernak, D, TB (D74)
242. Reilly Smith, F, VGS (F144)
243. Filip Hronek, D, DET (D75)
244. Carter Verhaeghe, F, FLA (F145)
245. Noah Hanifin, D, CGY (D76)
246. Justin Braun, D, PHI (D77)
247. Corey Perry, F, TB (F146)
248. Jakub Voracek, F, CLS (F147)
249. Petr Mrazek, G, TOR (G25)
250. Jake DeBrusk, F, BOS (F148)