Finding 2024-25 Fantasy hockey sleepers while avoiding Fantasy hockey busts is the backbone of any winning Fantasy hockey strategy. Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark heads into his first season with Ottawa after going 22-10-7 with a .915 save percentage across 40 outings with the Bruins last season. He is the clear No. 1 option for Ottawa, but the Senators are expected to have a weaker defensive roster than Boston had last year. This could lead to some rough outings for Ullmark, so is he a player to stay away from with 2024-25 Fantasy hockey lineups?
Kings goalie Darcy Kuemper could be in a buy-low situation this year, as the ex-Capital is playing for a more defensive-minded team with the Kings. The 34-year-old sits ahead of David Rittich on the depth chart, and he is available late in most 2024-25 Fantasy hockey drafts. Before making any 2024-25 Fantasy hockey picks, check out the Fantasy hockey rankings 2024-25 from the proven computer model at SportsLine.
The model was created by Mike McClure, a predictive data engineer and professional daily Fantasy player with more than $2 million in career winnings. He’s used his prediction model to simulate the entire 2024-25 NHL schedule 10,000 times and identify the top Fantasy hockey sleepers, breakouts and busts. Head to SportsLine now to see them.
McClure’s model takes factors such as player history, schedule, injuries and matchups into account to create the most unbiased 2022-23 Fantasy hockey rankings possible. Now the model has zeroed in on the 2024-25 NHL season, ranked every player, and found the top sleepers, breakouts and busts. See every pick here.
Top 2024-25 Fantasy hockey picks
One of the 2024-25 Fantasy hockey busts SportsLine has identified: Oilers defenseman Evan Bouchard. The 24-year-old exploded offensively last season, racking up 18 goals and 64 assists for 82 total points. Bouchard tallied just eight goals and 32 assists in 2022, so it was a major step forward for a player who also provides hits and blocks.
However, he is a much riskier Fantasy hockey pick than other players at his position with a similar ADP, as he does not have the long-term success to back up his 2023 stats. He is also playing on a roster that features Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Connor McDavid along with several other offensive-minded players, so there are some concerns about Bouchard’s volume this season. He has an ADP of 22 in the latest FantasyPros ADP data, which qualifies him as a bust compared to where the model has him ranked (No. 53).
Another surprise: Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini is one of the top Fantasy hockey breakouts this season. San Jose selected the Hobey Baker winner with the first overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and he is expected to play a huge role in the Sharks’ massive rebuild.
Celebrini, 18, registered 64 points (32 goals, 32 assists) and a plus-25 in 38 games for Boston University last year. He added another eight points (four goals, four assists) in five games as a member of Canada’s U20 team at the 2024 World Junior Ice Hockey Championship. While Celebrini hasn’t played in a regular-season NHL game yet, his strong preseason play suggests he will be a huge asset for Fantasy hockey managers this season. See the full rankings right here.
How to find proven 2024-25 Fantasy hockey rankings
The model has also made a surprising call on Panthers forward Sam Reinhart after he was one of the league’s top goal-scorers a season ago. You can only see the latest Fantasy hockey rankings 2024-25 here.
So what’s the exact value of every NHL player in the 2024-25 Fantasy hockey rankings, and where does the first overall pick from the 2024 NHL Draft rank? Visit SportsLine now to get Fantasy hockey rankings, all from a DFS pro who has won more than $2 million in his career and has simulated the entire NHL season 10,000 times, and find out.
