Week 3: Fantasy top 100 forward rankings for 2016-17

All season long, NHL.com will rank the top 100 forwards for standard Yahoo leagues (goals, assists, plus/minus, penalty minutes, power-play points, shots on goal). Players with long-term injuries have been removed from this list. Multiple positions indicate dual eligibility in Yahoo leagues.
These rankings are based on expectations for the rest of the season. Value is quantified by line combinations, power-play usage, past performance and overall upside in standard leagues. Changes in value each week are based on recent performance and/or lineup trends.

Toronto Maple Leafs centers Auston Matthews and William Nylander, and Winnipeg Jets wing Patrik Laine have led an impressive rookie class through the first few weeks of the season, but obviously are unavailable in all leagues. However, several other rookies who have been impressive are widely available; a few even cracked the top 100 this week.
Jimmy Vesey of the New York Rangers ranks third among rookies in goals (five) in nine games and has looked impressive no matter who he's played with. Vesey had a goal, two penalty minutes and was plus-2 in a 6-1 win against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday. The 23-year-old is owned in 24 percent of Yahoo leagues. Teammate J.T. Miller (34 percent owned) had three points in that game and has nine points in nine games. He also made the top 100 this week.
Mitchell Marner hasn't fared as well offensively as his teammates Matthews and Nylander, but showed flashes of what he can do with three assists and a plus-3 rating in a 3-2 win against the Florida Panthers on Thursday. There's no question he'll be a big part of Toronto's offense moving forward and is widely available (33 percent owned).
Another big addition this week was Washington Capitals wing Marcus Johansson. He had back-to-back two-goal games Saturday and Sunday, and the dual-eligible forward (LW/RW) is only owned in 46 percent of leagues.
Other additions to the top 100 include Philadelphia Flyers rookie Travis Konecny (seven points in 10 games), Brock Nelson of the New York Islanders (nine points in nine games), Alex Wennberg of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Darren Helm of the Detroit Red Wings and Charlie Coyle of the Minnesota Wild.

Trending up

Marian Hossa was probably an afterthought for fantasy owners on a team with Patrick Kane, Artem Anisimov, Artemi Panarin, Jonathan Toews and a slew of young forwards ready to make a name for themselves. The 37-year-old had the worst offensive season of his career in 2015-16 (13 goals, 33 points) since his rookie season of 1998-99. Hossa's first goal this season was the 500th of his career, and he's tied for fifth on the Blackhawks with seven points (three goals) but leads the team with three power-play goals and five power-play points. Hossa, who has goals in consecutive games, has played on a line with Anisimov and Panarin, as well as with Toews and Richard Panik. He's been successful no matter who he's been with.

Trending down

A consensus top-3 pick in almost all formats heading into this season, Jamie Benn of the Dallas Stars has descended down the fantasy rankings pretty rapidly. A lot of it has to do with the plethora of injuries the Stars have had to endure so far, but Benn's lack of production is still worrisome. With two goals, two assists (three power-play points) a minus-6 rating, 11 penalty minutes and 21 shots on goal, Benn is ranked just inside the top 150 overall in Yahoo (148). Even linemate Tyler Seguin hasn't declined that much through all of Dallas' struggles through eight games; he has four goals, three assists and 29 SOG, which has him ranked 66th overall. It's still early, so you shouldn't go into full panic-mode on Benn, but if he can't get it going soon, he could prove to be one of the biggest busts in fantasy hockey this season.

Worth noting

• Minnesota Wild left wing Zach Parise is week to week with a lower-body injury sustained in a 5-0 win against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 25. Parise was playing on the top line with center Eric Staal and right wing Charlie Coyle. With Parise sidelined, coach Bruce Boudreau has mixed up his lines: Mikael Granlund has skated on the top line with center Mikko Koivu and right wing Jason Pominville and rookie Joel Eriksson Ek has been moved to left wing on the second line with Staal and Coyle. Eriksson Ek arguably has been the Wild's best forward during the past five games with two goals, three assists, a plus-3 rating and seven SOG. Playing with Staal could improve Eriksson Ek's production, and he should be added in most 12-team formats as long as Parise is out.
  - It's very early in the season, but if you're looking to mix up your lineup with some trades, here's some advice: Buy low on the Washington Capitals. One of the most potent offenses/power plays in the NHL last season, the Capitals are 15th in goals per game (2.75) and 18th in power-play percentage (17.4) through eight games this season. Alex Ovechkin has looked pedestrian with four goals on 32 shots (12.5 percent), Nicklas Backstrom hasn't scored a goal (five assists), and Evgeny Kuznetsov, T.J. Oshie and Andre Burakovsky each have four points. Chances are Washington will turn things around soon; seven of the Capitals' 13 games in November are against teams that didn't qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. If another owner in your league is willing to part with Ovechkin, Backstrom or Kuznetsov, don't hesitate to make a move.
  - The top line of the Carolina Hurricanes has been one of the most productive during the first two weeks of the season. Left wing Jeff Skinner is owned in 76 percent of leagues (five goals and 11 points, including a point in six of seven games and multipoint games in four of them), but the other two members of his line are likely to be available. Center Victor Rask (29 percent owned) has 10 points, including at least one in each of his eight games this season, and right wing Lee Stempniak (30 percent) has four goals in eight games.
  - Columbus Blue Jackets center Nick Foligno, who was fantasy-relevant in 2014-15 before disappearing last season, has eight points (seven assists) in eight games. He had three assists, was plus-2, had four SOG and a power-play point in a 4-0 win against the Anaheim Ducks on Friday.
  - New York Islanders rookie Anthony Beauvillier (2 percent owned) has impressed and likely will remain with the team after his nine-game trial ends following his next game. He has five points in eight games and was recently promoted to the top line with Jon Tavares and Josh Bailey. Carolina Hurricanes rookie wing Sebastian Aho (28 percent owned) has an advantage because he is dual-eligible (LW/RW). He has five assists (three PPP, 17 SOG) in eight games, although he doesn't have a point in his past three. Aho has played well and if he remains with the Hurricanes as is expected, could be worth watching.

Top 100 Fantasy Forwards

These rankings were last updated Nov. 1
1. Patrick Kane, RW, CHI (SAME)
2. Alex Ovechkin, LW, WSH (SAME)
3. Sidney Crosby, C, PIT (+3)
4. Connor McDavid, C, EDM (SAME)
5. Joe Pavelski, C/RW, SJS (SAME)
6. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL (+1)
7. Claude Giroux, C, PHI (+2)
8. Steven Stamkos, C, TBL (+5)
9. Evgeni Malkin, C, PIT (+5)
10. Jamie Benn, LW, DAL (-7)
11. Tyler Seguin, RW, DAL (-3)
12. John Tavares, C, NYI (-2)
13. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY (-2)
14. Jakub Voracek, LW/RW, PHI (+18)
15. Wayne Simmonds, RW, PHI (+5)
16. Corey Perry, RW, ANA (-1)
17. Brad Marchand, LW, BOS (SAME)
18. Blake Wheeler, RW, WPG (-6)
19. Ryan Getzlaf, C, ANA (SAME)
20. Auston Matthews, C, TOR (+5)
21. Nikita Kucherov, RW, TBL (SAME)
22. Logan Couture, C, SJS (SAME)
23. Taylor Hall, LW, NJD (SAME)
24. Artemi Panarin, LW, CHI (SAME)
25. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C, WSH (-9)
26. Mark Scheifele, C, WPG (+3)
27. Patrik Laine, RW, WPG (+4)
28. Anze Kopitar, C, LAK (-10)
29. Phil Kessel, RW, PIT (+5)
30. Nathan MacKinnon, C/RW, COL (SAME)
31. Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA (-3)
32. Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS (-5)
33. Nicklas Backstrom, C, WSH (SAME)
34. Joe Thornton, C, SJS (-8)
35. Matt Duchene, C, COL (+13)
36. Max Pacioretty, LW, MTL (+3)
37. Alexander Steen, LW, STL (SAME)
38. David Pastrnak, RW, BOS (SAME)
39. Ryan O'Reilly, C/LW, BUF (-3)
40. William Nylander, C/RW, TOR (+15)
41. Tyler Toffoli, C/RW, LAK (SAME)
42. Jordan Eberle, RW, EDM (+4)
43. Milan Lucic, LW, EDM (+2)
44. Sean Monahan, C, CGY (SAME)
45. Jonathan Toews, C, CHI (-2)
46. Filip Forsberg, LW, NSH (-11)
47. Jeff Skinner, LW, CAR (+14)
48. Patric Hornqvist, RW, PIT (+5)
49. Mika Zibanejad, C/RW, NYR (+5)
50. Jonathan Marchessault, C, FLA (+37)
51. Kyle Okposo, RW, BUF (+1)
52. Alex Galchenyuk, C, MTL (+5)
53. Ryan Johansen, C, NSH (-13)
54. Jonathan Drouin, LW, TBL (-5)
55. James Neal, LW, NSH (-13)
56. Jason Spezza, C, DAL (DTD)
57. Daniel Sedin, LW, VAN (-6)
58. Artem Anisimov, C, CHI (+11)
59. Brendan Gallagher, RW, MTL (SAME)
60. Alexander Radulov, RW, MTL (+3)
61. Chris Kreider, LW, NYR (DTD)
62. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, COL (-4)
63. Mike Hoffman, LW, OTT (-3)
64. Richard Panik, LW, CHI (+8)
65. Brayden Schenn, C/LW, PHI (SAME)
66. Max Domi, LW, ARI (-2)
67. Jeff Carter, C, LAK (SAME)
68. Gustav Nyquist, LW/RW, DET (SAME)
69. Jaromir Jagr, RW, FLA (-7)
70. Rick Nash, LW, NYR (SAME)
71. Ryan Kesler, C, ANA (SAME)
72. Marian Hossa, RW, CHI (+8)
73. Victor Rask, C, CAR (+15)
74. Leon Draisaitl, C/RW, EDM (SAME)
75. Dylan Larkin, C/RW, DET (SAME)
76. Brandon Saad, LW/RW, CBJ (SAME)
77. T.J. Oshie, RW, WSH (-4)
78. Vincent Trocheck, C, FLA (SAME)
79. J.T. Miller, C/LW, NYR (NEW)
80. Tyler Johnson, C, TBL (-3)
81. James van Riemsdyk, LW, TOR (+4)
82. Mats Zuccarello, RW, NYR (SAME)
83. David Backes, RW, BOS (-4)
84. Henrik Sedin, C, VAN (SAME)
85. Jimmy Vesey, LW, NYR (NEW)
86. Brock Nelson, C/LW, NYI (NEW)
87. Travis Konecny, C, PHI (NEW)
88. Kyle Palmieri, RW, NJD (-5)
89. Tanner Pearson, LW, LAK (+5)
90. Paul Stastny, C, STL (SAME)
91. Alex Killorn, C/LW, TBL (+9)
92. Tomas Hertl, C, SJS (SAME)
93. Mark Stone, RW, OTT (-7)
94. Alexander Wennberg, C, CBJ (NEW)
95. Marcus Johansson, LW/RW, WSH (NEW)
96. Mitchell Marner, C/RW, TOR (NEW)
97. Darren Helm, C, DET (NEW)
98. Charlie Coyle, C/RW, MIN (NEW)
99. Jaden Schwartz, LW, STL (SAME)
100. Loui Eriksson, LW/RW, VAN (-9)
Dropped out: Andrew Ladd (LW, NYI), Henrik Zetterberg (C/LW, DET), Robby Fabbri (C/LW, STL), David Krejci (C, BOS), Teuvo Teravainen (LW/RW, CAR), Derick Brassard (C, OTT), Sam Reinhart (C/RW, BUF)
Just missed: Nick Foligno ( LW/RW, CBJ), Jason Zucker (LW, MIN), Lee Stempniak (LW/RW, CAR), Brandon Sutter (C, VAN), Sebastian Aho (RW, CAR), Ondrej Palat (LW, TBL), Troy Brouwer (RW, CGY), Eric Staal (C, MIN), Radim Vrbata (RW, ARI), Andre Burakovsky (LW, WSH), Bobby Ryan (RW, OTT), Joonas Donskoi (RW, SJS)
Key injuries: Jack Eichel (C, BUF), Jonathan Huberdeau (LW, FLA), Patrick Sharp (LW/RW, DAL), Bryan Little (C, WPG), Evander Kane (LW, BUF), Jiri Hudler (C/RW, DAL), Zach Parise (LW, MIN), Thomas Vanek (LW/RW, DET)
READ: Last week's Top 100 forward rankings