Toronto Maple Leafs: Best Fantasy Options for 2023-2024
Toronto Maple Leafs: Best Fantasy Options for 2023-2024
Unsurprisingly, Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner are considered to have the most fantasy potential among the Leafs. Neither of the two has been disrespected in any of the rankings, but there is some slight variance surrounding their value.
Matthews is ranked 5th overall by ESPN, 10th by NHL.com, and 9th by Daily Faceoff. He consistently lands as the fourth or fifth-ranked centre in all three rankings.
McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and sometimes centre Draisaitl are graded higher in all lists. One can question Draisaitl listed as a centre but production-wise their ratings are easy to understand.
Elias Petterson of the Vancouver Canucks is rated third overall by ESPN, and Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils comes in at fifth overall according to Daily Faceoff.
Petterson is a versatile player for the Canucks, and Hughes has tremendous upside, but I have a hard time putting either ahead of Matthews.
Matthews is a more proven performer, with the NHL hardware to back it up.
The placings of Matthews are certainly not egregious, but I look for him to have a big season. He is in a contract year and his “puck-luck” should improve based on his advanced stats.
Marner’s rankings range from 22nd overall (ESPN) to as high as 11th overall (Daily Faceoff). NHL.com places him 17th.
Right-wingers rated higher than Marner include David Pastrnak of the Boston Bruins, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers, and Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche. Again, all of these are fathomable.
What hurts Marner’s fantasy value is the non-traditional scoring categories. His shots on goal, penalty minutes, and goal-scoring decrease his value compared to the others ranked above him.
Yet, I foresee Marner finally cracking the 100-point barrier this season. It’s also a good possibility there is some regression around Tkachuk and Pastrnak.
It will be difficult for Tkachuk to duplicate his debut season with the Panthers and the talent level surrounding Pastrnak just diminished with the retirement to two important teammates.
Goaltender Ilya Samsonov brings the most divisiveness in the rankings. ESPN sees him as the tenth-best goalie available. Both NHL.com and Daily Faceoff give him a middling placement (14th and 15th).
There are two factors to consider here. First, Joseph Woll may cut into his playing time if he continues his ascension. Second, the Leafs defense is their greatest weakness.
It is best to ignore Samsonov for any fantasy team, as there are just too many variables to consider in how his season may turn out.
Other Toronto Maple Leafs Player Rankings
John Tavares and William Nylander find themselves lower down the fantasy player rankings.
Nylander ranges from 29th (NHL.com) to 41st overall (Daily Faceoff). Tavares is slightly lower, from 42nd (NHL.com) to 65th (Daily Faceoff).
By now, you know what you get with both players. Each of them is reliable and regularly produces around 80 points per year.
There are, however, questions surrounding both of them. Is Nylander capable of another step or is he a 40-goal, 80-point player? Also, will his contract situation affect his performance?
For Tavares, not known for his skating, does his production decline as he ages?
Look for both to end the year in the 70-90 point range, with Nylander being closer to the latter, and Tavares the former.
Toronto Maple Leafs: Fantasy Sleepers
Two potential fantasy sleepers I like on the Toronto Maple Leafs are Tyler Bertuzzi and Matthew Knies.
Late-round fantasy picks should be used on young players with potential, such as Knies. The other option is to take a veteran hoping to bounce back, like Bertuzzi.
Bertuzzi is on a 1-year deal, so he will be motivated and following the “bet on yourself” mantra. Knies showed great promise at the end of last season.
While it seems likely that Bertuzzi is destined to play alongside Matthews and Marner on the first line, it bears watching how their chemistry develops. Not everyone can fit in seamlessly with the two stars.
Either way, based on head coach Sheldon Keefe’s line juggling it is likely that each have a turn as the top-line left-winger throughout the year.
There is one last Toronto Maple Leafs fantasy sleeper, but only for the brave on a late-round flyer. That is defenseman John Klingberg.
The much-maligned free-agent addition is going to see top 4 minutes and time on the power play. He is likely to rack up some stats along the way.
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Remember, fortune favors the bold.