IN STEVES DEFENSE: FIVE PLUS THOUGHTS primepucks.com Wed 11/11/15 2:39 PM

Duncan Keith, Chicago- fantasy owners must be overjoyed to hear that the All-Star could be available to play over the weekend as he looks almost fully recovered from his meniscus tear in his knee. There is no sugarcoating how detrimental his absence has had in most fantasy leagues as he is tough to replace. I say get him back as soon as he gets into game action. Brent Seabrook could see a slight reduction in fantasy worth as he was gobbling up the extra minutes on special teams. Close to returning   Kevin Shattenkirk, St Louis-the return of another fantasy blue-chipper from injury has owners feeling better about their blue line production as KS is among the top 3-5 fantasy defensive options in the NHL. Last season saw Shattenkirk miss 26 games but he still put up  44 points in 56 contests. Safe to say, he is a difference-maker for that Blue's power-play and all fantasy teams aside. Start him ASAP   Cody Franson, Buffalo- have any of you cut bait already with the Toronto/Nashville castoff after a slow start to his Buffalo career? The truth of the matter is, that the offensive minded rearguard drives coaches crazy with his lack of commitment to the decisive zone. However, he has more than proven that he is s very valuable pp asset and that's what most fantasy owners care about. His seven points have all come over the last nine games so he is definitely on the rise. Don't sleep on him   TJ Brodie, Calgary- the youngster has played superb since returning from injury, collecting 4 points in 7 games while logging over 24 minutes a night. The surplus of scoring defenseman for the Flames does lessen our expectations for Brodie, but it's not like new acquisition Dougie Hamilton is lighting it up. For now, Brodie will be relegated to 2nd pp minutes but that could change in a hurry. On the rise   Tobias Enstrom, Winnipeg- four points over the last five games doesn't make up for a huge scoring slide by Enstrom over the last few years. However, two time 50-point d-men don't grow on trees and he can still go on decent streaks. Never the quickest starter, the "pick up and stash" option could be the way to go with the 31-year old. Don't expect him to revert back to his elite point days but he could surprise moving forward. On the rebound?