Brock Nelson or Tomas Hertl? Week 3
Points leagues, Week 3 (Oct 12-18): start Brock Nelson, narrowly. Both count 2 games left in Week 3 (Oct 12-18), so it comes down to value per game: 2.02 fantasy points to 2.00. Who to start in fantasy hockey in Week 3 (Oct 12-18), Cs ranked 26th and 28th at the position.
The Week 3 call
Points leagues, Week 3 (Oct 12-18): start Brock Nelson, narrowly. Both count 2 games left in Week 3 (Oct 12-18), so it comes down to value per game: 2.02 fantasy points to 2.00.
Categories leagues: Tomas Hertl instead, -0.3 category value for the week to -0.6, because his category mix is worth more there.
Over COL's last 5 games Brock Nelson played 5 games, 17:07 a night with 1:30 on the power play: line 2 by even-strength ice time and the second power-play unit.
Brock Nelson's ice time is down: 17:07 over his last 5 games against 19:09 on the board.
Over VGK's last 5 games Tomas Hertl played 5 games, 16:20 a night with 5:26 on the power play: line 3 by even-strength ice time and the first power-play unit.
COL has a back-to-back and VGK has a back-to-back in Week 3.
This is the call for one lineup slot across the week, the way weekly-lock leagues play it. In a daily-lineup league, start whichever of the two plays that night, and both when they fit.
Week 3 (Oct 12-18), side by side
| This week | Brock Nelson | Tomas Hertl |
|---|---|---|
| Games, Week 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Games counted (left this week) | 2 | 2 |
| Back-to-backs | 1 | 1 |
| Games, Week 4 | 4 | 3 |
| Line by ice time | Line 2 | Line 3 |
| Power-play unit | PP2 | PP1 |
| TOI, last games | 17:07 (5) | 16:20 (5) |
| TOI, board | 19:09 | 16:52 |
| PP TOI, last games | 1:30 | 5:26 |
| Shots, last games | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Injury | None listed | None listed |
| Projected fantasy points | 4.0 | 4.0 |
| Projected category value | -0.6 | -0.3 |
Schedule: Brock Nelson Tue @DAL, Wed DAL, Fri PIT. Tomas Hertl Mon @MIN, Tue @NSH, Thu CGY, Sat PIT.
Projections are the board's per-game value times the games counted. A skater listed out, or who missed his team's last three games, counts none. A goalie counts his team's games times his share of its recent starts. Lines and power-play units are by ice time over the team's last five games. Stats and schedule from the NHL; injury designations from ESPN's public NHL injury list.
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The rest-of-season call
Season-long, points leagues: Brock Nelson, 2.02 fantasy points per game to 2.00.
Categories leagues: Tomas Hertl instead, 89th overall against 91st, because the categories reward a different mix.
| Category (z per game) | Brock Nelson | Tomas Hertl |
|---|---|---|
| A assists | -0.3 | -0.4 |
| G goals | 0.7 | 0.2 |
| +/- plus-minus | 0.1 | -0.9 |
| BLK blocked shots | -0.1 | -0.5 |
| HIT hits | -0.7 | 0.6 |
| PPP power-play points | 0.4 | 0.7 |
| SOG shots on goal | -0.4 | 0.2 |
Other close calls
Week 3 streamers and goalie starts · NHL waiver wire · Rest-of-season rankings
Common questions
Should I start Brock Nelson or Tomas Hertl in Week 3?
Points leagues, Week 3 (Oct 12-18): start Brock Nelson, narrowly. Both count 2 games left in Week 3 (Oct 12-18), so it comes down to value per game: 2.02 fantasy points to 2.00. Categories leagues: Tomas Hertl instead, -0.3 category value for the week to -0.6, because his category mix is worth more there. Over COL's last 5 games Brock Nelson played 5 games, 17:07 a night with 1:30 on the power play: line 2 by even-strength ice time and the second power-play unit. Brock Nelson's ice time is down: 17:07 over his last 5 games against 19:09 on the board. Over VGK's last 5 games Tomas Hertl played 5 games, 16:20 a night with 5:26 on the power play: line 3 by even-strength ice time and the first power-play unit. COL has a back-to-back and VGK has a back-to-back in Week 3.
Who is better for the rest of the season, Brock Nelson or Tomas Hertl?
Season-long, points leagues: Brock Nelson, 2.02 fantasy points per game to 2.00. Categories leagues: Tomas Hertl instead, 89th overall against 91st, because the categories reward a different mix.
Who wins more categories, Brock Nelson or Tomas Hertl?
Brock Nelson is ahead per game in 4 (assists, goals, plus-minus, blocked shots); Tomas Hertl in 3 (hits, power-play points, shots on goal).
By the Parlae deskBoard updated Oct 13, 2026 at 8:39 PM ETHow this is builtReport a wrong number