5. Shea Weber, Nashville: 5 G, 4 A, 2 PPG, 2 PPA With 38 points in 56 games for Nashville, Weber is on pace to challenge his career high in points (53) and according to many insiders, is playing the best hockey of his career. Fantasy owners can also expect a positive carry-over effect from Weber's amazing play in the Olympic Games so far. Don't be surprised if the ultra-talented blueliner, who has been the runner-up to the Norris Trophy twice, captures the top prize with close to a point-per-game pace over the last 20 games or so. 4. Keith Yandle, Phoenix: 1 G, 9 A, 1 PPG, 7 PPA How does one of the more consistent point-getters on defense year-in, year out continues to fly under the radar is beyond me, but he needs to be treated as an elite fantasy option. Well on his way to a fourth 40+ point season in his NHL career, he put up 59 points in ‘10/11. Oliver-Ekman Larsson has been the rising star on the Coyotes' defense over the last few seasons, but from a fantasy perspective, Yandle has already arrived. Start him with extreme confidence. 3. Matt Niskanen, Pittsburgh: 2 G, 11 A, 4 PPA The formula here is pretty simple. Any Pittsburgh defenseman responsible for quarterbacking the primary power-play unit with Crosby, Malkin and Neal is worth his weight in gold. With Letang out for the forseeable future, Niskanen's dream season should continue without a hitch. Only possible contenders are Paul Martin and Olli Maata, but we think Niskanen should hold on to the "dream" spot. Unless, Letang returns, but that's highly unlikely for the remainder of this season. 2. Erik Karlsson, Ottawa: 5 G, 9 A, 1 PPG, 5 PPA Not much to say here other than Karlsson has set the gold standard for fantasy defensemen with another remarkable year in progress- 55 points in 59 games. Over the last 3 seasons, he has accumulated 147 points in 157 games. Flat-out sick! If you do own Karlsson in any fantasy format, he is as untradeable as they come. 1. James Wisniewski, Columbus: 2 G, 10 A, 2 PPG, 7 PPA Amazingly enough, our top-rated fantasy defender has been playing through a broken pinkie toe injury, but he is not expected to miss any time after the Olympic break. The hopes for Wisniewski owners are that he can stay away from the infirmiery long enough to get back to his 50-point form when he was playing in Montreal. My advice to Wisniewski owners is because of perpetual health concerns, dangle him as trade bait and test the market. If you are have defensive depth on your team, see if he can fetch you a legit 75-80 point forward.