National Lacrosse League

Last week’s Fantasy Spotlight was a bit unconventional as it matched two players from different positions against one another. Calgary forward Daryl Veltman took on Minnesota transition player Andrew Suitor. They each played back-to-back games so we’ll compare their better performances. Here are their stats:

Veltman (vs. Washington): six assists and two loose balls for 14 fantasy points.
Suitor (vs. Edmonton): two assists and 11 loose balls for 15 fantasy points.

Although neither player had a goal, they both produced at a level beyond their current fantasy value of $12. Suitor squeaks this one out by the skin of his teeth thanks to his accumulation of 11 loose balls, giving the Swarm their first spotlight victory of the season.

This week’s spotlight will feature two past winners as Rochester’s Mike Accursi, the victor in Week 7 will face Calgary’s Shawn Evans, who defeated his brother, Scott, in the Week 12 spotlight.

Accursi got off to a great start this season with 104 fantasy points in his first six games. He’s cooled off somewhat - 88 fantasy points in his last six games - but is still one of the top scoring players on the Knighthawks.

Shawn Evans has produced more consistently throughout the year and has more overall fantasy points with 224, compared to Accursi’s 193. He has also played one more game, however, so that might account for the difference. Calgary and Rochester play each other Friday night and it will be the first time Evans has faced the Knighthawks since they traded him. This variable could lead to him having a huge game or a disappointing one.

Who do you think will come out on top in this week’s matchup? Shawn Evans or “No Mercy” Mike Accursi? Vote in the poll on the right.

BUY

Kevin Crowley (Philadelphia $20) – Crowley is one of the top scorers in the Fantasy Challenge but is still only valued at just $20. His 245 total fantasy points puts him right up there with some of the elite $25 players. He is a contender for the league’s Rookie of the Year award and is second in the NLL with 33 goals. Considering goals are worth four fantasy points a pop, this can really help your team.

Garrett Billings (Toronto $25) – Colorado isn’t playing this weekend so many fantasy owners are probably looking for someone to replace John Grant Jr. in their lineups. Billings would be your guy. He’s hot right now with 129 fantasy points in his last four games and a whopping 43 last week alone. Billings has always been good but he has stepped up even more so with injuries taking Blaine Manning and Josh Sanderson out of commission.

Zack Greer (Edmonton $13) – Greer has been one of the Rush’s best fantasy players this season. He averages 13 fantasy points per game, which makes him the most cost efficient player at this price range. He is also riding a hot streak with 15 or more fantasy points in each of his last four contests. Edmonton is looking to keep its playoff hopes alive and with a 4-7 record, each game is important to them. Expect Greer to keep up this pace in the final few games of the season.

Mike Poulin (Calgary $18) – Poulin is one of just a few goalies producing above his price point with 18.8 fantasy points per game. He is the top-scoring goalie in the Fantasy Challenge, and Poulin hasn’t seen less than double-digit production since Week 6. Poulin’s matchup against the Knighthawks makes him even more appealing as their offense has struggled the last couple of games.

AVOID

Josh Sanderson (Toronto $19) – Sanderson has missed the Rock’s last two games due to injury. No word on when he’ll be back in the lineup or many details about the injury itself so it is better to play it safe here and keep him off your roster.

Johnny Powless (Rochester $12) – Powless has been inconsistent this season and it seems that he has established a trend of following up a good fantasy game with a bad one. After putting up 17 points in Week 1, he scored just nine in Week 2. After scoring 16 points in Week 7, he then scored just five in Week 8. He had 18 points in Week 10 and followed it up with just two points in his next game on Week 12. Powless had a good fantasy game last weekend with 12 points so if this trend continues, then he is best avoided for this week.

MY TEAM

G – Aaron Bold (Edmonton $18)
D – Kyle Rubisch (Edmonton $11)
D – Steve Toll (Edmonton $5)
T – Peter McFeteridge (Calgary $7)
T – Jordan MacIntosh (Minnesota $18)
T – Pat McCready (Rochester $8)
F – Cody Jamieson (Rochester $20)
F – Curtis Dickson (Calgary $16)
F – Garrett Billings (Toronto $25)
F – Kevin Crowley (Philadelphia $20)