The plus-minus rating is one of the most difficult statistics to project. Generally speaking, players on good teams are a strong bet to be plus and players on bad teams are doomed to minus totals – but it’s not that simple.

Sometimes a traditional power -- like the Red Wings – suffers poor goaltending and slips at even strength. As a result, a traditionally strong plus-minus bet like Nicklas Kronwall (-5) has gone the other way. Henrik Zetterberg, +30 last season, is just +3 through a big chunk of this season.

Texans quarterback Matt Schaub is back from the injured list in a very big way. The midseason fantasy hero looks poised to stage a huge statistical finish.

He just tore up the Packers, completing 28 of 42 passes for 414 yards and two touchdowns. Schaub had been shelved with a partially torn knee ligament.

Perennial Vezina Trophy candidate Martin Brodeur is hurt. So is potential MVP candidate Roberto Luongo.

Marc-Andre Fleury is hobbled, along with Cam Ward, Nikolai Khabibulin, Kari Lehtonen . . . well, you get the idea. There has been plenty of fantasy hockey heartache this season.

But look at all the back-ups and fill-ins posting great numbers.

Last call for many fantasy general managers in Week 13 came Monday night. And Texans running back Steve Slaton answered it with an amazing finish to rack up some last-minute points. He scored two touchdowns in final 4 minutes, 35 seconds of play – after a lot of casual viewers went to bed. Slaton’s 40-yard TD run with 2:04 to play – and the game in hand for Houston – was pure fantasy gold.

The first quarter of the NHL season produced the usual assortment of fantasy heroes and goats.





We saw some nice statistical bounce-backs and breakouts . . . and we witnessed catastrophic collapses, too. The first two months of the season tested the patience of fantasy general managers as they tried to discern which trends were long-term and which were mere blips.

If you like Drew Brees – or, rather, if you own Drew Brees in your fantasy league – then Monday night was great fun. Once again, the Saints quarterback had the explosive New Orleans offense going full tilt. So what if all-purpose back Reggie Bush was on the shelf for another week? Brees deployed his small army of skill-position threats to shred the Packers. He completed 20 of 26 for 323 yards and four touchdowns. He threw 70-yard TD passes to Lance Moore and Marques Colston. His passing created space for running back Pierre Thomas, who piled up 121 yards from scrimmage and scored two touchdowns. Nice.

Brenden Morrow was not only one of the top NHL power forwards – combing goal scoring with penalty minute accumulation – he was the lynchpin of the Dallas Stars offense. He scored 32 goals last season and was a force in front of the net. He had 15 points and 49 PIMs in 18 games this season. Morrow's demise to a season-ending knee injury sent shock waves through the fantasy hockey world.

The Carolina Panthers ground game continues to amaze. Even with quarterback Jake Delhomme struggling mightily, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart tore up the Lions for 250 yards rushing and three touchdowns. Detroit knew the run was coming . . . and yet the Lions could not stop it. Williams had 14 carries for 120 yards and two touchdowns. He has piled up three consecutive 100-yard games.
Stewart, on the mend from nagging heel and toe injuries, got 15 carries for 130 yards and one TD.

Alex Ovechkin is back on his fast offensive track. During Washington’s five-game winning streak, he scored 10 points (three goals, seven assists) and posted a plus-11 rating.

That pushed his point total to 15 in 14 games. Throw in his plus-14 rating and you can see he is headed in the right direction – in a hurry.

Here are some other NHL forwards still trying to wake up.

The Washington Capitals have produced the NHL’s most dangerous scorer during the season’s first quarter. This is not a surprise.

But the big scorer is Alexander Semin, not Alex Ovechkin. Now THAT is a surprise.

Roberto Luongo is widely regarded as the NHL’s most talented goaltender. Lately, he has been the most productive as well – posting three shutouts during a five-game span.

For the last two weeks, anyway, Peyton Manning looked more like his old self. Nobody talked about his knee problems or the demise of the once-mighty Colts offense. He completed 42 of 69 passes for 494 yards, five touchdowns and no interceptions against the Patriots and Steelers. Manning caught a few breaks on deflected passes against Pittsburgh, but, hey, progress is progress.