Every season, a handful of players stand out as potential all or nothing fantasy players going forward. Lately, a few of those players have made themselves known for good and for bad. As a fan, I find it refreshing to see those that flamed out after their breakout season becomes relevant again.

I may be a sucker for a good story, but a good story is not always a fantasy worthy one. You will find a few of those Jekyll and Hyde’s below.

Peaking

Joffrey Lupul, Right Wing, Toronto Maple Leafs: Lupul is a classic example of talent taking time to show. He had one fantasy-relevant season prior to his 67 points in 66 games in 2011-12. His return from injury will only spark a Leafs team playing at an exceptional level. His two goals in Saturday’s shootout loss to Winnipeg is a sign that last season could be the norm going forward. Lupul is available in roughly 50% of leagues across the board.

Lee Stempniak, Right Wing, Calgary Flames: Stempniak turned heads briefly in St. Louis, but a trade to Phoenix from Toronto in 2010 gave him a fresh start. He put up 18 points in as many games. His 38 points in 82 games made him fantasy irrelevant and kept fantasy owners scratching their heads. Stempniak is not on a point-per-game pace, but 20 in 26 contests makes him worth a spot on your roster.

Steve Ott, Center, Buffalo Sabres: Ott seems to be a 50/50 guy in fantasy. The penalty minutes are always there, and for a tough guy, he plays a lot of minutes. Ott is a little like a revolutionary because he has been one in a now growing line of players that will score, play important minutes, and beat the smack out of someone. He is on a .5 point per game pace, which is good enough for a bench spot for a player getting you positive points in other categories.

Down In the Valley

Mike Green, Defenseman, Washington Capitals: It hurts to see a once-relevant, elite offensive defenseman (the best for fantasy) have his career derailed by injuries. This is the third consecutive season in which Green has lost significant time to the IR. I lost interest in drafting him because he could not hold his own on both ends of the ice. That may not be a concern in fantasy, but it just did not seem like he could stay atop his game without a better game. Turns out just staying on the ice is tougher than playing defense.

Cory Conacher, Left Wing, Tampa Bay Lightning: The rookie wall hit Conacher…really hard. You hope that he can recover and get back on his scoring pace, but playing less than 15 minutes a game does not help a younger player get back into the scoring column as quickly as a guy playing top six minutes. Bench him for a while and hope the next seven to ten days show some positives, or drop him and monitor his progress via the waiver wire.

Cam Ward, Goaltender, Carolina Hurricanes: Way too many teams still own him. His season is done, ya got it? I know there are inactive owners that will still have him on their roster, but Ward’s ownership is too high to assume all of his owners stopped caring.

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