Jeff Petry – ADP 105

Petry should not be considered a sleeper, but on average he is being the 20th defensemen drafted which is incredible value for him. Petry fills every stat category and will have top powerplay with Weber being out. Petry had 12 goals and 42 points in 55 games and for him to repeat this pace is likely his floor going into the season due to his projected increase of ice time. I believe Petry will be a top 5 fantasy defensemen and is a steal at this ADP.

Mark Giordano – ADP 143

Giordano was drafted by the Seattle Kraken and will be QBing the top powerplay this season. There is not a lot of offensive fire power on the Kraken and they will likely be relying on the defence to contribute and shoot a lot from the point. Giordano will continue blocking plenty of shots in Seattle like he always has in his career and is a solid late round add for your fantasy team.

Kieth Yandle – ADP 163

This pick has decent risk and limitations to it. Yandle is pretty one dimensional as he does not fill all of the stat categories like the two previous players, but has big upside for points as he has been the lone d-man on the flyers top PP unit. Yandle has been ineffective at even strength for a couple of years now in Florida and if the PP is not successful, Ryan Ellis could replace Yandle on the top unit. Do not reach for Yandle by any means, but if you faded defensemen and are desperate, this late round gamble could pay off for you.

Jamie Drysdale – ADP 167

At 19 years old, Drysdale is being thrust into a key role for the Ducks as they move through their rebuild. This young d-man his incredible offensive skill and will be running the top powerplay out of Anaheim this season. The team is not going to good, but Drysdale will be leaned on and has the potential to rack up powerplay points, a player to keep an eye on for sure. Be aware, he does not get many secondary categories such as blocks or hits.

Rasmus Andersson – ADP – 178

This ADP is a head scratcher and an absolute steal. This is my favourite late round target this season. Andersson gets a decent amount of hits, blocks, shots, and pims, but most importantly is the single d-man on the top PP unit in Calgary with Giordano departing. He should be cemented in this role as he filled in the last couple seasons when Giordano was injured and there is not another d-man threatening to take it away. As you have noticed a crucial aspect to a defensemen’s fantasy value is their PP usage, Andersson is a lock in this role and supplements his value with a safe floor of secondary categories. Andersson is only 2% owned and can be drafted in the final round, drafting him makes his value incredible when I am projecting him to hit 50 points this season.