Simply put, if you have Buffalo Sabres forward Drew Stafford on your fantasy hockey roster then make sure that he is in your lineup this week. And hopefully by some stroke of luck or genius, you already have had Stafford in your lineup and your fantasy hockey team has been taking advantage of his recent points outburst.
After notching a hat trick last night in Buffalo's wild 7-4 win down in Tampa Bay---the third three-goal game for the streaky forward this season---Stafford has recorded five goals and a total of six points in his last two games. His previous best mini-stretch this year was a seven-points-in-four-games run in early January.
It certainly has been an interesting year for the former first-round draft pick. He has scored 20 goals this season, with nine of them coming in three games. That said, the 20 goals equals his career-high, and there are still two full months left in the season. Impressive.
Add to the mix that Stafford missed a month of the season due to injury and, streaky or not, his overall numbers stack up pretty nicely for a player that likely was a later-round selection in most fantasy hockey drafts.
Stafford has 20 goals, 8 power plays goals, 10 assists, and 30 points in 34 games this season. That is nice secondary scoring production from a fantasy hockey owner's point of view.
Since January 1, Stafford has recorded half of his goals and half of his points. In those 12 games, he has 10 goals and 15 points. Pointing to his streaky nature, 13 of those points have come in six games, including the six points in his last two contests with Toronto and Tampa Bay.
He may not be a player who is regularly inserted in a fantasy hockey owner's lineup, but now is certainly the time to ride Drew Stafford's latest hot spell.
Have questions or comments regarding fantasy hockey? Contact Jim at: jimcerny@gmail.com. And make sure to check this column for the weekly Fantasy Hockey Mailbag.