The world of Fantasy Sports can have different criteria than that of real-life sports. Although different fantasy leagues vary, some players cover categories more effectively than one might imagine.
Fantasy players might be surprised to discover that some NHL players offer high value in many fantasy leagues, that might not be as apparent in real life. St. Louis Blues Captain Brayden Schenn is one of those players.
Brayden Schenn, a high draft pick coming into the NHL nearly 15 years ago, has been neither here nor there regarding impressions throughout his career. At 33 years old, he has hardly gotten better or worse over time. He is neither disappointing nor excellent. He is not underrated or overrated. He is simply a solid player who would make any team better, but also one that teams would not be selling the farm to acquire.
As a player with typical captain characteristics though, Schenn has advantages in fantasy categories that are quite significant.
The St. Louis Blues captain is not a high-end point producer but is satisfactory in that aspect. Since his first full season over a decade ago, he has always produced points above a point every two games. He has also been the definition of a consistent 20-goal scorer, as he has reached that mark eight times in his career. He has not had a good start in the goal-scoring department this season so far, but is still maintaining a 40-point pace.
Brayden Schenn’s value, however, comes in other popular categories. A few things he does well could help supplement category scoring needed in many leagues.
In being a model of consistency, Schenn has always been a decent contributor to penalty minutes and continues to do so this year by maintaining a PIM pace of over 40 again by season’s end. Being a guy who is not afraid to drop the gloves, he can pleasantly give fantasy players a boost in any scoring-style league, with a fighting major on any given night.
Brayden Schenn also shoots the puck quite consistently. So far this season, Schenn has recorded at least a shot on goal in 24 of the 25 games he has played this year. He is averaging just over two shots per game, but it is coming in a very reliable way. This can put fantasy players at ease when looking at matchup scoreboards, knowing what they can expect from him.
Another thing that you can fully expect is that Brayden Schenn will record hits. His shots on goal and hit pace have been nearly identical for two straight seasons. Like his shooting, his hitting comes in a very consistent manner. There have only been two games this season that he has not recorded a hit. He may not be his brother, Luke when it comes to laying the body, but he can always be counted on for a boost in that department.
Brayden Schenn, being a Center by trade, also wins a lot of faceoffs. He is on pace to win around 600 this year, and he finished with over 450 last year. Being an experienced veteran, you can expect him to be a go-to when it comes to faceoffs. His faceoff success is also significantly useful in leagues that count faceoff wins, because he can be dressed in most fantasy host sites as a left winger. This means that you can reserve your Center slot for someone else. You will get an edge, as it is less likely that other contestants will have wingers that can provide faceoff wins the way Schenn can. He is one of a few guys out there who will win a Center-specific scoring category from the Left Wing slot in a fantasy lineup.
With many leagues having Brayden Schenn listed as a free agent still, this is your chance to utilize him as an addition that may put you over the hump in whatever way you need in your fantasy league.
Brayden Schenn may not shoot or score like David Pastrnak, but he can do so at half his rate. The same cannot be said the other way around in hits. Pastrnak throws hits about as frequently as atom hockey kids in comparison to the way Schenn does. More importantly, you didn’t have to burn a top-15 draft pick on Schenn.
Brayden Schenn may also only hit half as often as a bruising stay-at-home defenseman, but at least his shots don’t completely miss the net in four games straight like they do.
Brayden Schenn may win only half as many draws as Sidney Crosby or Nico Hischier, but can you dress either of the two on the wing?
Brayden Schenn may not rack up a minor penalty per game like Nikita Zadorov, but he also has more than one goal.
Brayden Schenn is likely extremely overlooked in your league and is the jack of all trades. If you have him dressed, you likely got better in almost every category. It didn’t cost you much. He is the definition of a supplement.
