| Pos | Role | Name |
| C | 1 | Nicklas Backstrom  ActiveWhile Alex Ovechkin stole the headlines, Nicklas Backstrom was dominant in his own right on Tuesday in the Washington Capitals' 6-5 shootout win against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Backstrom had one goal and four assists, giving him 32 points in 31 games on the season. He's more than just the Robin to Ovechkin's Batman. Dec 10 |
| 2 | Brooks Laich  SidelinedBrooks Laich (groin) skated for the first time since November 27 on Sunday. Laich has missed five games and will not be in the lineup on Tuesday. He skated at the Capitals practice facility while Washington played the Rangers in New York. Laich has four goals and six points in 25 games this season and has little, if any, fantasy value. Dec 9 |
| 3 | Mikhail Grabovski ActiveMikhail Grabovski scored on a penalty shot Sunday. It was Grabovski's ninth goal of the season and he now has 25 points in 30 games, nine more than he had in 48 games for Toronto last season. He is worth having in all but the shallowest of fantasy leagues at this time. Dec 9 |
| 4 | Jay Beagle ActiveJay Beagle will finally reenter the Capitals' lineup on Friday. Beagle hasn't been given an opportunity since Oct. 16. He's projected to play alongside Joel Ward and Jason Chimera. Nov 29 |
| LW | 1 | Marcus Johansson ActiveMarcus Johansson moved back to the top line in the third period Friday. Johansson replaced Martin Erat alongside Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom and set up Ovechkin in the third stanza to cut the Red Wings lead to one. Johansson has two goals and 17 points in 20 games this season and should be started in all but the shallowest fantasy leagues. Nov 16 |
| 2 | Martin Erat ActiveMartin Erat assisted on Aaron Volpatti's first period goal Saturday. It was Erat's first game in the lineup after being a healthy scratch for the previous three games and asking the Capitals to trade him. Erat has seven assists in 24 games but has not found the back of the net this season. He is seeing fourth line minutes and it is unlikely that Washington will get a lot for him in a deal. Dec 1 |
| 3 | Jason Chimera ActiveJason Chimera has agreed to a two-year/$4 million contract extension with the Washington Capitals. Chimera's $2 million cap hit will represent only a mild increase on his current $1.75 million hit. The 34-year-old forward is off to an uncharacteristically good start with five goals and 11 points in 16 games. Nov 8 |
| 4 | Aaron Volpatti ActiveAaron Volpatti might end up being the victim of the Washington Capitals' logjam. The Washington Capitals are likely to enter the season with Tom Wilson and that will likely come at the cost of one of the 13 forwards already inked to one-way contracts. Along with Mathieu Perreault, Volpatti's job with the Capitals doesn't appear to be secure. Volpatti had a goal and an assist in 33 games last season. Sep 25 |
| 5 | Joel Ward ActiveJoel Ward scored for the Washington Capitals in their 4-1 loss to the Avalanche in Colorado Sunday night. It was Ward's eighth goal of the season. Nov 10 |
| RW | 1 | Alex Ovechkin ActiveAlex Ovechkin has an outside shot of being the first 50 goals in 50 games player since Brett Hull. Ovechkin has missed two Capitals games and the 50-in-50 distinction is a measure of how many games your team has played. If we expand the list to include everyone that netted 50 goals in their first 50 contests played, then Mario Lemieux is the most recent player to accomplish that feat in 1995-96. He reached the 50-goal mark in his 50th game, but it was the Penguins' 59th contest. Either way, the fact that he's even remotely within striking distance in mid-December is remarkable. Ovechkin leads the league with 26 goals in 29 contests (31 for Washington). The 28-year-old is also just three goals shy of becoming the 89th member of the 400-goal club. Dec 12 |
| 2 | Troy Brouwer ActiveTroy Brouwer has only nine points this season after a breakout 2013 campaign. Brouwer had 19 goals and 33 points during the truncated 2012-13 season and averaged a career high 18:32 minutes of action in 47 games. But it has been a completely different story this season as he has only five goals although four have come on the power play. He has had a bunch of centers this season after relying on Mike Ribeiro last season and that could be hurting his production. Dec 7 |
| 3 | Eric Fehr ActiveAfter being banished to the press box for the last nine games, Eric Fehr will dress Saturday night in Toronto. He'll play alongside Mikhail Grabovski and Troy Brouwer in his first appearance since Nov. 2. Martin Erat will be a healthy scratch to make room for Fehr. "Chemistry, one thing. It was time for Fehrsie to get a game," coach Adam Oates said. "Marty's been fighting it a little bit, in my mind. Sometimes when you sit up top you get a fresh perspective. It's not permanent, just trying to shake it up a little bit." Fehr has one goal and five assists in 14 games this season. Nov 23 |
| 4 | Tom Wilson ActiveTom Wilson skipped Thursday's practice because of family reasons. He's expected to be back in Washington on Friday. The Capitals don't play again until Saturday night against Nashville, so we'll leave Wilson as active. Dec 5 |
| D | 1 | Mike Green ActiveIn reality, Mike Green left his Washington Capitals teammates out to dry on Tuesday. That's not how fantasy hockey owners should feel, though. The 28-year-old racked up a ridiculous 18 PIM - and on three different incidents - tonight despite just logging merely 3:31 TOI. Green had a -1 rating while two of his penalties helped to set up Tampa Bay Lightning power-play goals. The main concern is a punishment (healthy scratch?), although he also has an assist tonight, too. Dec 10 |
| 2 | John Carlson ActiveJohn Carlson netted his sixth goal of the season Wednesday, but it wasn't enough for the Capitals, who dropped a 6-4 decision to Ottawa. With four points in his last five contests, Carlson is enjoying a hot stretch of late. Brooks Laich, Marcus Johansson and Eric Fehr all scored goals for the Caps in the losing effort. Nov 27 |
| 3 | Karl Alzner ActiveKarl Alzner scored his first goal of the season Saturday. It was the game winner and it was the first goal Alzner has scored at home in his career. He now has six career goals in the NHL and has a goal and five helpers with a plus-four rating and 10 penalty minutes. While he has no fantasy value in traditional pools, his defensive play is getting him some consideration to play for Team Canada at the Sochi Olympics. Dec 8 |
| 4 | John Erskine  I.L.John Erskine is focused on strengthening his surgically-repaired knee while he remains on the long-term injured reserve list. "There's pain but I can play with pain. I don't want to go back out there and be two steps behind and hurt the team," said Erskine. He's now eligible to be activated at any time, but that probably won't happen in the near future. Nov 20 |
| 5 | Jack Hillen I.L.Jack Hillen (knee) has been placed on Washington's long-term injured reserve list. He is projected to miss four to six months after suffering a fractured left tibial plateau. Hillen was injured in the team's second game of the season. Oct 8 |
| 6 | Steven Oleksy ActiveSteve Oleksy netted his first goal of the season and added his seventh assist in the Washington Capitals' 4-1 victory over the Rangers in New York Sunday night. Washington's Jason Chimera and Mikhail Grabovski scored second-period goals and
defenseman Nate Schmidt added a goal in the third for the Capitals. Grabovski's goal came on a penalty shot. Dec 8 |
| 7 | Nate Schmidt ActiveNate Schmidt scored his second goal in the last two games on Sunday. It was quite a weekend for the defenseman who potted the first of his career on Saturday. He had some offensive capabilities in college hockey last season with nine goals and 32 points in 40 games so this may continue. We would wait for now and see if he is able to keep it up. Dec 9 |
| 8 | Dmitry Orlov ActiveDmitry Orlov will make his season debut Saturday. He has been brought up from the minors six times this season because there's a provision in his contract that states he can leave for the KHL on Jan. 1 if he doesn't appear on an NHL roster for a total of 30 games. Orlov's agent has voiced his concern of late regarding the young defenseman's future with the Capitals and earlier this season he suggested that that the team should trade him elsewhere. Nov 30 |
| 9 | Alexander Urbom ActiveAlexander Urbom will make his season debut on Thursday. The Washington Capitals claimed Urbom off of waivers from the New Jersey Devils. He's got the potential to have a fruitful career in the NHL, but his lack of offensive upside severely limits his potential fantasy value. Oct 10 |
| G | 1 | Braden Holtby ActiveTuesday served as a tough - and short - night for Braden Holtby, who was pulled 11:07 into the first period against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Washington Capitals goalie has been pulled four times already this season. While he's been a solid workhorse for the most part, these off-nights can really hurt fantasy owners in GAA and save percentage on a week-to-week basis. At least the last two came early in weeks. Dec 10 |
| 2 | Philipp Grubauer ActivePhilipp Grubauer earned his second career NHL win despite the fact that he didn't even start the game for the Washington Capitals on Tuesday. He stopped 32 out of 34 shots in 52:47 of ice time on Tuesday. While he probably doesn't have a ton of long-term value, he could grab a start here and there in the next couple weeks ... especially if Braden Holtby keeps struggling. Dec 10 |