The Penguins have three other defensemen ranked among the top 175 overall fantasy assets: Justin Schultz (52 percent owned in Yahoo; ranked 97th), Trevor Daley (16 percent owned; 170th) and Ian Cole (31 percent owned; 171st). Daley, who had been playing alongside Letang, Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Phil Kessel on Pittsburgh's first power-play unit in the past three games, is likely to hold down a man-advantage spot among those star-studded forwards in Letang's absence.
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That said, the best in-house replacement option is Schultz, who has 13 points (two PPP) and is a plus-14 with 26 SOG in his past 11 games. Daley is quite the consolation prize if Schultz is already owned, having scored points in three straight games; he's a plus-3 with 11 penalty minutes, two PPP and four SOG in that span.
Cole has cooled down offensively (no points in past four games) but remains an asset in leagues that count hits (65) and blocked shots (60). Daley has a respectable blocks total (49) as well.
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If these Penguins defensemen are already off the board, here are a few other players at the position who can help your team survive without Letang:
Dion Phaneuf, OTT (56 percent owned): Phaneuf's ownership is high, but he's definitely floating around in plenty of active leagues. He has been productive since re-joining Erik Karlsson on the first power-play unit for the Ottawa Senators, with eight points in his past 11 games with four PPP, 16 PIMs and 26 SOG. He's a proven offensive player and always an asset in hits leagues; he has 54 this season and has six straight seasons of at least 100.
Ivan Provorov, PHI (29 percent owned):Provorov is a future No. 1 defenseman who is getting better and better as his rookie season progresses. He has five points, is a plus-7 and has chipped in 18 SOG during the Philadelphia Flyers' 10-game win streak. He's currently on the second power-play unit and is taking on an expanded role with Mark Streit (shoulder) out of the lineup. Keeper-league owners shouldn't pass him up.
Jake Gardiner, TOR (16 percent owned):Gardiner averages 20:29 of ice time per game (2:35 on power play) and has points in four straight games (three PPP) for the Toronto Maple Leafs. He has been manning the first power-play unit with rookies Auston Matthews and William Nylander, and is tied for the second-best plus/minus among Maple Leafs skaters (plus-3).
Tony DeAngelo, ARI (3 percent owned):DeAngelo is among the top 10 defensemen in goals (0.63, 6th) and points (1.88, 7th) per 60 minutes among those with at least 10 games played. He remains relatively unknown in fantasy circles, but has been the second-best power-play defenseman (six PPP) among rookies behind Zach Werenski (nine) of the Columbus Blue Jackets. DeAngelo has power-play points in back-to-back games.
Others worth considering: Oscar Klefbom (EDM; 21 percent) or Andrej Sekera (EDM; 19 percent), Ryan Ellis (NSH; 24 percent), Jaccob Slavin (CAR; 1 percent)
