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NLL FANTASY: ALL HAIL CAPTAIN KELUSKY

Justin Rubino's weekly look at all things fantasy lacrosse

02/11/2009

Tracey Kelusky is one of those guys.

Not the guy who craves media attention. Not the locker room parasite. Certainly not the guy who takes his anger out by delivering a crosscheck to the head. And he'll never be on Sunday morning's front page pulling a Chris Brown.

No, Kelusky is the guy who you can peg in August as the undisputed number one draft pick and Rookie of the Year before he ever steps foot on the NLL turf. The guy who delivers on all cylinders, earning his "perennial All-Star" title through performance and not name. He is a hero on and off the turf, the face and leader of his team. His name dons the back of most fans' jerseys, but the only name he cares about is the one on the front of the jersey; a so-called ambassador of the sport.

Gary Gait. Darris Kilgour. John Grant. Casey Powell. Brodie Merrill.

You know going into the Entry Draft that they're something special, just like you knew The Godfather had no chance of failing. Just like you knew The Beatles next single would top the charts. Just like you knew she or he was the one. But calling something worthy of historical enshrinement, whether that be through an Academy Award or a plaque in the NLL Hall of Fame, before it evens hits the air waves (or shakes hands with the Commish) might be a bit premature.

Take some of today's young talent, for example. While they are having very special starts to their careers, it's difficult to put Jordan Hall or Daryl Veltman in that category just yet.

Why?

For every ying, a yang. For every will, a way. For every stud, a dud.

Delby Powless and Pat Merrill are solid contributors but don't stand up to the names mentioned above. Mark Miyashita was an average player before going MIA on Minnesota's injured reserve list last March. Matt Shearer played well but never became the superstar many expected. And I'm not quite sure who Tim Langton and Brian Piccola are, but they appeared in a whopping 38 games over four seasons... combined. I would say think along the lines of MMMBop, but at least the prepubescent boys of Hanson had 1997 going for them.

Sometimes, though, you just know they're something special.

Like the aforementioned Grant, who was drafted first overall just a year earlier (1999) out of the University of Delaware, Kelusky rode his lacrosse skills and turned an impressive junior career into a scholarship at the University of Hartford. In 1997, he was a 22-year-old freshman. By his senior year, he had broken the NCAA single-season scoring record with 59 goals.

That record has since been broken by Philadelphia Wings forward Athan Iannucci, who scored 62 goals for Hofstra in 2006. Zack Greer, who is widely considered to be the top prospect in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft, broke the record again with 67 goals for Duke in 2007.

Taking notes? Remember Greer for your 2009 fantasy drafts.

Getting back to the point, Kelusky came into the league as a 25-year-old man who general managers knew would be an All-Star. Immediately...

...And Kelusky didn't disappoint. He followed up his 2001 Rookie of the Year campaign with an insane 94 points in his second season. He then fell into the lap of the Calgary Roughnecks in 2003 and has been their leader ever since. When he scored in the waning minutes of the 2004 Champion's Cup Final to cement Calgary's first-ever championship, he cemented his legacy as well.

"Captain Canada" notched 88 points in 2007, proving he wasn't too old to still be the Roughnecks superstar. But after suffering a concussion and seeing action in only seven games of the 2008 season, many thought Kelusky's playing career might look more like Darris Kilgour's, ending prematurely.

Instead, he's spent 2009 channeling his inner youth, on pace to score 93 points.

In fantasy terms, he's averaged 4.4 points-per-game this year. The nine-year vet has been even more impressive in his last three starts, scoring 4.2, 5.2 and 6.9 points in those contests. The 6.9 point effort (four goals, five assists, four loose balls) should net the first Weekly Award for a Calgary player this year.

If you drafted the Rougnecks star this year, fresh off his 25-fantasy-point 2008 season, you most likely got his reliability and consistency at awesome value. I know I did.

So who else has provided the most return compared to their initial investment? What about guys ready to provide big returns on a future investment? After taking into account some of your e-mails about your teams and players not receiving enough love in this column, as well as my own personal opinion, here's a team-by-team look:

Boston
Daryl Veltman, Brenden Thenhaus, Matt Lyons and Gary Bining all have a reasonable argument to occupy this slot. All have shown up in a big way at points throughout the season, but they have all disappeared at points, as well. Despite back-to-back 1.8-point performances from Veltman, I still have to give the nod to him (man-crush rule) as the guy you want the most. But, all four should be owned, seeing as how they can all put up numbers worthy of a fourth or fifth fantasy starter.

Buffalo
Despite a hiccup against the Wings on Friday night, the Bandits are who we thought they were. In terms of surprises, Ken Montour has to be considered the biggest fantasy steal in drafts this year. In all likelihood, he was either taken in the latter portion of your draft, or was not drafted at all. All he has done in response is enter a two-horse race with Matt Disher (to be discussed) for Goalie of the Year honors. In a related note, at the risk of single-handedly causing a two-game skid for the Bandits, they are still really good. You should feel comfortable starting any of your Bandits.

Calgary
As alluded to, you probably got Kelusky's first-round-worthy numbers somewhere in the third to fifth round range of your draft. Almost everyone who has seen consistent playing time in Calgary has been worth owning, but Dane Dobbie has been the best surprise. He has totaled an impressive 19.3 fantasy points on the year, and when you take into account the fact that he may have been a free agent pickup, you have yourself one of the biggest steals of the fantasy season. In case you were wondering, Josh Sanderson, Kelusky, Kaleb Toth, Curt Malawsky and Scott Ranger all must be owned.

Colorado
After a slow start to the season for the Mammoth, the usual suspects have come to play in their current two-game win streak: Brian Langtry, Gavin Prout and Jamie Shewchuk (hopefully you followed my advice and didn't do anything drastic with them... as in dropping them). However, they cannot fall into the category of "steal" (especially considering their overall numbers compared to expectations) so the man of the hour for this column's purposes is Andrew Leyshon. Ever since taking over for the injured Gee Nash, he has been lights out in the two Colorado wins (6.3 and 9.7 fantasy points). He absolutely needs to be owned, and will provide excellent bang-for-your-buck. And in a light week (only four games this upcoming weekend), picking him up can potentially leave your opponent without a starting goaltender. I also want to take this opportunity to repeat myself: pick up Matt Danowski. He did not score against Minnesota on Saturday, but he did have three assists to go with six shots on goal; the points will come.

Edmonton
Is there any doubt about this? Dan Teat has been unbelievable for Edmonton, and he probably went off the board sometime after the eighth round of your draft. His 28 fantasy points are second to only Casey Powell's 30.4. Ryan Benesch has come at great value as well; his initial value has skyrocketed since being traded from the Rock doghouse to the Rush starting lineup.

Minnesota
Earlier in the season, following the Swarm's 2-0 start, it looked like Kevin Ross and Kevin Croswell were poised to be big 2009 steals. However, Minnesota has dropped three straight (albeit against strong opponents), and they appear to be mired in an offensive funk. Coach Duane Jacobs has also reiterated that Nick Patterson will remain his starter in net, deflating Croswell's value. For now, I would refrain from starting anyone on the Swarm until they snap out of this.

New York
Casey Powell is fantasy gold right now, but he should have gone in your first round. Instead, a name making noise in "The City That Never Sleeps" is Brendan Mundorf, fresh off of a back-to-back hat-trick weekend. His two games produced 3.8 and four fantasy points, and if he can keep that kind of production up, he is well worth a roster spot and maybe even a starting spot (depending on your depth). Also start watching Ryan Boyle, who tallied 4.8 fantasy points against Philadelphia on Sunday. He has been quiet all year, but has the ability to perform at that type of level.

And, as per a fan e-mail, here's me giving some love to Jordan Hall. He's put up 21.7 fantasy points and was probably still on the board in the fourth round of drafts. That's a Kelusky-like return.

Philadelphia
Mat Giles has been performing well at a consistent level recently, leading the Wings in scoring (27 points). That has translated to 20.4 fantasy points, a very respectable number worthy of most starting lineups. Philadelphia picked up a huge win against Buffalo on Friday and came out firing against New York on Sunday before faltering in the second half. If the Wings are going to maintain the success they enjoyed for a majority of the weekend, Giles will have to continue his stellar play. I'm betting he does just that. Drew Westervelt, Merrick Thomson and Geoff Snider (26 loose balls against Buffalo!) all need to be owned as well, but Giles has provided the best return thus far.

Portland
Matt Disher. Matt Disher. Matt Disher.

Need I say more? The man is putting up ridiculous fantasy numbers, leading all goaltenders with 54 fantasy points. To put that number into perspective, the aforementioned Montour is second with 37.2. Now, you would be correct in pointing out that Montour has a better per-game fantasy output considering he rotates in net with fellow Bandit Mike Thompson. However, all that matters in fantasy is "what have you done for me lately?" And Matt Disher has become a lock to answer that question in the form of eight fantasy points.

Rochester
Shawn Williams has been the best fantasy player on the Knighthawks roster this year, but that was expected; he probably went in the first or second round in your league. Instead, Pat O'Toole gets my vote here. He has been awesome for Rochester since coming back from injury, and considering his late start on the season, you probably got him cheaper than his worth (much like Kelusky). He should be a solid goaltending option for your squad from here on out. I'm also continuing to hold out some hope for Joe Walters, but only for a couple more weeks. He could be worth an add if he's still out there, but don't start him.

San Jose
You knew coming into the year that Colin Doyle and Jeff Zywicki were going to get theirs, but Rhys Duch and his 22.5 fantasy points have been a great surprise for fantasy owners. Duch and fellow rookie Veltman came into the year highly touted, but no rookie is ever a lock for fantasy stardom (see teammate Paul Rabil's fantasy numbers). These two are breaking the mold, and Duch has elevated himself into the "must-start" echelon. Frank Resetarits is also worth a speculative add. He had two goals this past weekend and is definitely talented enough to repeat that in any given game.

Toronto
At the slim chance that Jason Crosbie is available in your league, you need to pick him up immediately. He probably went somewhere in the fifth round of your league, and has put up numbers warranting that draft slot this year. However, with four goals against Edmonton this past weekend, he displayed the ability to put it in the net. If he can score two-three goals to go with his assists, his value will skyrocket past that fifth round value. Also, pick up Craig Conn. Now. It looks like Jamie Batley may be onto something in Toronto (see Lewis Ratcliff's four goal, three assists outburst), which will help the value of all Rock players.

Some other quick notes of interest:

-Although I wouldn't dream of starting him until/if he started blowing up, I wouldn't give up on Paul Rabil just yet. He continues to see more action every week as he continues to learn the indoor game.

-Ryan Powell's production has evened out over the course of the year, and he and Cory Conway are must starts in Portland. Peter Morgan and Derek Malawsky have proven themselves enough to be owned in all leagues, as well.

-Matt Vinc may have been replaced by Erik Miller, who stood on his head against Philadelphia on Sunday, but don't get any crazy ideas. Vinc remains the starter in New York, and a good one at that. He is a solid week-to-week start.

-Anthony Cosmo has recovered from a rough start, coinciding with Boston's surge in the East Division. This is no coincidence; the defense has figured things out and Cosmo is back to his old self. He has been very consistent and can be started with confidence again.

-Dan Carey was benched this past weekend in Colorado, so stay tuned as to why. It could be injury-related, much like last year, but this unfortunate turn of events could mean good things for the fantasy value of fellow lefties Jamie Shewchuk or Gary Rosyski.

-Do your best to avoid the Edmonton goaltending situation for now. The same goes for Philadelphia, where Coach Dave Huntley does not seem likely to tip his hand as to who will start from week-to-week. It's not worth risking the goose egg.

-Start expecting big nights out of Lewis Ratcliff often in Toronto. In related news, the world is round again.

-Check your rosters for any proposed trades sent your way by your leaguemates! This has probably been the most submitted e-mail topic I have received, so I'm sticking to my word and passing this along. Don't let those go unnoticed. It's a great part of fantasy sports and useful tool to improve your team. Try to target some of the guys from this article and past editions, or maybe even your favorite player.

That's all for this week. As always, shoot me your thoughts at jrubino@nll.com.

No monetary investment necessary.

--Justin Rubino/NLL.com