Whether you are leading the pack like Matt, or down in the dumps last place like Eddie, now is the time to address your fantasy teams needs. Here are a few helpers to get your team in tip top shape. (Some information specific to Yahoo! Sports Fantasy Hockey League)

Diversification: From your 401 k to everything, do not put all your eggs in one basket. Pick up players from different teams. On average only 2 to 3 goals are scored per team, so if you have 3 players on one team, the odds of picking up a point are working against you and not for you.

The News Knows: Pay attention to the little yellow news pad that relates to your players. The information usually gives you insight on who is producing, cold, injured or anything else that can help you make a better decision. If you are tired of checking every person and waiting for the pop up box, hover over “My Team” then click “My Player Notes”. Viola, now you have all your players news, as well as opponents and free agents which can come in handy.

Shop ‘em Baby: Sometimes you need an upgrade, and I am not talking Cialis. Contact some people in the league and see what people are looking for. Put up an offer, and see where it takes you. Trades are hard to pull off, but when done, usually helps you out. A big thing to increase your possibility for success, always respond to a trade offer with a counter or some communication. Ignoring people or trash talking a trade will not get you far, and most likely will close off all future trades no matter how good the trade is. Think Aretha Franklin, R-E-S-P-E-C-T.

How Do You Size Up: I already used a Cialis joke, so straight to the jist of things. Use your “Head-to-Head Stats” feature. A brief summary of “Win-Loss” let’s you see which categories you could improve, while “Totals” let’s you see how you are doing overall. If you are low in a category, try to find a player that can improve your weaknesses. Be careful not to improve one category and drastically impact another category for the worse. And do not forget to check out the goalie stats.

Defense Goalies Win Championships: A skater may have a bad game and take a hit to your plus/minus rating, but if a goalie has an off night, there goes your goals against average and good luck bringing up your save percentage. Try to have a consistent goalie over a streaky one. Pay attention to who your goalie is playing. Also, make sure you meet minimum games played each week. And most important, pay attention to your match-up for the week. If you have the stats on lock and going into the last day, do not play your goalie. Nothing worse than losing a few categories knowing you could have benched your goalie and won them.

Plenty of Fish in the Sea: When looking at the free agency pool, do not only look at current rankings. Cross reference overall ranking with current rankings. Proven players over rookies usually. Solid players tend to be your best bet, so pick up guys who have consistent 1 point nights instead of the occasional 3 point nights. And lastly, the rankings do not take into account how many games have been played, so do not forget to look at season averages.

I’ve Got an Eye on You: Nothing more valuable than the “My Watch List”. Not sure who to pick up, who to drop, who to trade or trade for, use the watch list. Click the little flag next to their name, then compare and contrast to your hearts content all on one screen in your watch list. Now you can compare apples to apples.

Alright, now put this information to good use and start dominating your league. That is of course, as long as you are not in the same league as myself.

So your Fantasy Hockey team looked great on paper right after the draft,but in the first full week of play they are failing to put up the numbers that you expected, right? Calm down for a second and remember that most teams are still only three or four games into the season and that there is still a lot of hockey that needs to be played before playoffs begin in April. So quit kicking yourself for passing on Nicklas Backstrom (pictured), who currently leads the NHL with 10 points in four games, and choosing Pavel Datsyuk instead, who has one point in three games. But if you did make that mistake, like I did, then remember that Datsyuk normally starts slow and usually gets the ball rolling big time around the middle of November. After scoring 97 points in each of his last two seasons, Datsyuk isn’t a guy that you want to give up on too soon. Still, one obvious problem for Fantasy Hockey GM’s is determining when to give up on a player who you had high expectations for and when you need to hold steady and hope that a player will rebound. 

One of the big reasons for slow starts is that players have to build chemistry with new linemates.  Consider that Nicklas Backstrom leads the NHL in points right now and that his linemates, Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin, each have nine points a piece. Also consider that these three guys have been playing on the same line off and on for the past two seasons. These guys already know each others tendencies and how to play together. Datsyuk, on the other hand, started the season with a new linemate in Johan Franzen and will now get another new linemate since Franzen will be out at least four months with a torn ACL. The truth is, after a busy offseason, most players are trying to adjust to new cities, new surroundings and new linemates. While some linemates click instantly, for most it takes time to work together and build that chemistry. But once it does click, then watch out.

So how can you better determine which players to drop or trade and which players to hold out on? Well, the first thing you need to know is that it is still very early in the season and those decisions can wait. Give your players 15-20 games to really get into the full swing of things. Most teams will have hit their stride by this point and it will give you a better marker of where your players stand in comparison to the rest of the league and your expectations.

As a Fantasy GM, you need to know the tendencies of your players, like Datsyuk, who historically starts slowly and builds momentum as the season progresses. Former Red Wing Mikael Samuelsson has three points in four games, but he also had a similar start last year posting 21 points in the team’s first 23 games. He scored half of his 40 points last year in the first quarter of  the season. To stay on top of some of these stats, check out the game log from past seasons to see how your players progress through the year. Do they have a tendancy to start hot and then slow down, or vice versa? Or do they stay slow and steady all year long?

And make sure to avoid the player of the week. Do you really think that Matt Carle is going to put up four assists in every game this season? Sure, Carle put up 42 points with San Jose a few seasons back, but he has failed to live up to that billing since. So don’t rush out and trade away Brian Rafalski for Matt Carle because Rafalski will probably give you the better numbers in the long run even if he has gotten off to a slow start.

Adversely, make sure to be aware of line switches. Anyone remember Alex Burrows, the lucky duck who reaped the benefits of getting placed on the Sedin Twins’ line and tore up the latter half of the season last year? Almost any player can get hot and produce good numbers for a short stretch, but if you see a guy promoted to the top line and all of a sudden his numbers skyrocket, you can bet they will stay that way until he’s moved off of the top line.

Any player is capable of having a dreaded “off” season. Utilize the game log to determine how your players normally contribute. If things don’t quite add up, you may need to keep an eye on them and start stocking your watch list with possible replacements if current trends continue. Keep in mind the caliber of player you’re dealing with also. Jason Spezza still had 73 points in an “off” year last season. Down from 92 points the year before, Spezza’s 73 is still more than most players. At that point, it might be worth holding onto the star center even if he drops 20 points from the season before.

It’s finicky work to predict hot and cold streaks and try to determine if or when a player will step back up to superstar status. Regardless, remember that it is still early in the season at this point and that your players deserve a little bit of time to settle down and play to their true potential. If things haven’t improved by the middle-to-end of November, then it might be time to rethink your stategy.

Andrei Markov went down for four months with a lacerated tendon in the opening game for the Montreal Canadiens, which is a huge hit for a team looking to bounce back after a dismal effort last year. Markov had 64 points last year from the blue line, 39 of which came on the power play, which puts Montreal in a tough spot to find a replacement defender who can quarterback the powerplay as effectively as Markov.

While Montreal may be in a tough spot to find a replacement, you shouldn’t be in as big of a predicament with your Fantasy roster. Depending on the depth of your league, there should be some suitable replacements for Markov on the blue line. Check out some of these candidates who may have gone overlooked in your Fantasy pool but may be able to help you while Markov sits on the IR.

Victor Hedman: This rookie went number two overall in the draft this past June. He was a highly-touted prospect who is often compared to the likes of Chris Pronger. On a team like Tampa Bay, that has little going on in the way of defense, look for Hedman to get some time on one of the power play units alongside stars like Vinny Lecavelier, Martin St. Louis or Steve Stamkos. Throw the big rookie on your watch list. If Hedman starts to accumulate the points, you’ll want to be first to grab him.

Alex Goligoski: The 24-year-old d-man (pictured right)  had 2 assists in his first game with the Penguins and was moved to the point of the first power play unit by coach Dan Bylsma. Playing the point with Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin in front of you? I think I could even accumulate 50 points. Twenty points in 45 games last season with the Pens. Need a quick replacement on D? Here’s your guy.

Mike Komisarek: Check the free agent pool, did Komisarek go overlooked by the rest of your  Fantasy competition? He only chipped in 11 points last season, but he has 15 penalty minutes in one game this season with Toronto. If you’re looking for points, pass on Komisarek. Need PIM’s? Check and see if he’s still available.

Zach Bogosian: Atlanta is expecting big things out of this kid, who was drafted 3rd overall by the Thrashers in 2008. In 47 games last season, Bogosian posted 19 points. Right now, Bogosian is slated to be on the second defensive pairing with Tobias Enstrom, another kid who should get a good long look if you need a replacement defenseman. This means that they will both probably get time on the second power play unit as well. Couldn’t hurt to at least toss either one of these kids on your watch list.

Kyle Quincey: This kid was brought up through the ranks of the Red Wings organization and let go because of salary cap issues. After being traded to the Kings early last season, he went on to post 38 points in 72 games. Now with the Colorado Avalanche, Quincy should be seeing time on the top defensive unit as well as the top power play unity. He already has one point in one game with the Avs. Keep a close eye on him.

It’s highly unlikely that any of these players would be able to fill the void left by Markov long term, especially since Markov puts up numbers better than a fair amount of forwards in the league. However, if the IR position is available to you, throw Markov down there and consider one of these young stars as a possible replacement.