According to the Raleigh News and Observer, Justin Williams, who has been out for an extended period of time this season with a torn Achilles, could be returning as soon as this upcoming week. The Hurricanes have a game on Thursday against the Penguins but that may be a bit too early so he may be most likely to return on the weekend vs. either the Flyers or the Capitals, if it is in fact going to be this week.
Fantasy Impact:
It’s likely that Williams is a free agent in a lot of leagues because he was slated to be out so long. He’s way ahead of schedule and his return does seem imminent at this point. It would be a good move to grab Williams right now before anyone else in your league gets the jump on you. Williams is a very solid player when he’s healthy. He’s scored over 30 goals twice so far in his career and was close to a point-per-game scoring pace in 05-06.
If you’re wary of him returning so quickly, don’t have any reservations about stashing him on IR (if available) and seeing how he fares as he plays in his first few games back. While it is great that he’s returning so quickly, always be a bit cautious about players coming off longer term injuries. Daniel Briere was out for a bit and then he came back much quicker than anticipated but ended up getting injured again. Make sure you’re prepared for this eventuality, if it does indeed occur.
Williams’ return will boost a lot of other Carolina players’ values. The team has been playing decent but not great. Cam Ward has struggled and their best player, Eric Staal, has not had the type of production they need from him. If Williams can stay healthy and come in and take some pressure off his teammates, that will be a big help to the entire team. As a fantasy manager, you will want to take notice of some of these residual possibilities and maybe take a stab at buying low on a guy like Eric Staal.
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