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Fantasy adds and drops: Anthony Mantha is off to a good start

Detroit Red Wings v Ottawa Senators

OTTAWA, ON - OCTOBER 7: Anthony Mantha #39 of the Detroit Red Wings prepares for a faceoff against the Ottawa Senators at Canadian Tire Centre on October 7, 2017 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Jana Chytilova/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

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The fine folks at Pro Hockey Talk will start doing their best to help you win your fantasy hockey leagues.

The “fantasy adds and drops” column will aim to aid fantasy hockey general managers make tough decisions when it comes to picking up players that are available in the majority of leagues and dropping players that have performed below expectations.

We’ll be using Yahoo! Sports fantasy data as the base for this column.

Here’s a list of players that are all owned in less than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues that I’d consider picking up this week:

--Anthony Mantha-LW/RW-Detroit Red Wings (owned in 49 percent of leagues)

Mantha has picked up seven points in five games this season. He’s been held off the scoresheet in two of five games, but he’s made up for it by recording two three-point games already. Mantha is averaging over two minutes of ice time per game on the power play.

--Jesper Bratt-LW/RW-New Jersey Devils (owned in 41 percent of leagues)

Bratt was arguably the biggest surprise in the league during the first week of the regular season. No expected this former sixth-round pick to score six points in his first three games, but that’s exactly what happened. In his last two games, he’s failed to record a point, and that’s a little concerning.

--Ryan Hartman-LW-Chicago Blackhawks (owned in 35 percent of leagues)

Hartman has eight points in five games so far this season, but keep in mind that five of those points came in one game. His offensive production will definitely dry up, but his ability to rack up penalty minutes make him an intriguing addition in leagues that award point for PIM.

--Mikko Rantanen-LW/RW/-Colorado Avalanche (owned in 20 percent of leagues)

The 10th overall pick in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft is off to a good start this season, as he has one goal and four assists in six games. He’s played over 17:30 in three of his last four contests, which means the Avalanche coaching staff believe they can rely on him. He needs to be owned in a lot of dynasty leagues, too.
[More Fantasy: Check out RotoWorld’s weekly Waiver Wired column]

--Sven Andrighetto-LW/RW-Colorado Avalanche (owned in 12 percent of leagues)

Avalanche GM Joe Sakic has been criticized for a lot of the moves he’s made, but getting Andrighetto from Montreal for Andreas Martinsen was one of his best. Andrighetto is an undersized, speedy forward with offensive ability. He’s up to six points in six games already this season. He won’t continue on a point-per-game pace, but he’s good enough to a productive NHLer. I’d rather have Andrighetto than Nail Yakupov on my fantasy team.

--Jan Rutta-D-Chicago Blackhawks (owned in 29 percent of leagues)

Rutta’s NHL career is off to a fantastic start. He’s accumulated two goals, two assists, a plus-6 rating and six penalty minutes in six contests. The 27-year-old rookie has averaged 18:59 of ice time, which isn’t insignificant for a first-year blue liner.

--Connor Hellebuyck-G-Winnipeg Jets (owned in 47 percent of leagues)

The goaltending picture in Winnipeg wasn’t exactly clear going into the season. Hellebuyck was supposed to be the goalie of the future, while Steve Mason was going to be the short-term solution. Well, the future appears to be now. Hellebuyck has done well for the Jets and although Mason isn’t out of the picture, the youngster will be the go-to option for now.
[Fantasy Podcast: RotoWorld on Ovechkin’s hot start]

Here are a list of players that are owned in more than 50 percent of Yahoo! leagues that could be dropped:

--Milan Lucic-LW-Edmonton Oilers (owned in 76 percent of leagues)

At this point, most hockey fans know what Lucic brings to the table. He’s a tough customer that can chip in offensively every so often. His offensive numbers would be better if he’d be lining up with Connor McDavid, but he’s not. So unless you’re getting points for penalty minutes, you can drop Lucic in most leagues.

--Andre Burakovsky-LW/RW-Washington Capitals (owned in 63 percent of leagues)

Burakovsky tends to get off to slow starts, and that’s been the case this season. Some Caps players have been filling up the net, but he hasn’t been one of them. He has two assists in six games so far this season.

--Robin Lehner-G-Buffalo Sabres (owned in 63 percent of leagues)

Many expected the Sabres to be one of the more improved teams in the NHL this season, but they’ve disappointed so far. The disappointment doesn’t all fall on Lehner’s shoulders though. Unfortunately, when a team doesn’t win, it impacts their goalie’s fantasy value.

--Jakob Silfverberg-RW-Anaheim Ducks (owned in 58 percent of leagues)

It’s been a disappointing start to the season for the Ducks forward, who has just one assist in six games. He’ll get his offensive totals up at some point, but he’s still never hit the 50-point mark in his career, so there’s a cap to his upside.

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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.

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