Plenty of tidbits of information to share this evening on the NHL's trendiest fantasy defensemen, so we tweaked the format a bit. Here are some thoughts and observations to pass on: Dion Phaneuf was suspended for two games for boarding Kevan Miller of Boston Saturday night. The Toronto defenseman has been a huge fantasy disappointment with only 12 points in 31 games, but think BUY LOW when you hear his name. His fantasy value can't get any lower, but the Toronto offense will get better in the 2nd half and so will Phaneuf.Anaheim's Cam Fowler is clearly on the rise, as made evident by three points (1G/2A) last night against the Islanders and six in the last five. With 19 points in 33 games, the 22-year old should fly by his career-high of 40 points, established in his rookie season. BREAKOUT ALERT in Year 4.James Wisniewski will miss about a week for Columbus with an upper-body injury. Hopefully, he picks up where he left off, as the hard-shooting blueliner has been blazing with 18 points in 28 games. He is delivering to the Blue Jackets the type of offensive production he provided for Montreal in '10-11, when he scored a career-high 51 points. I believe he is still an elite fantasy option, but he needs to stay healthy.After leaving Saturday's game with an upper-body injury, Kimmo Timonen returned last night in grand style by collecting a goal and an assist. Another splendid BUY LOW opportunity, as the Finnish defender has struggled with only 8 points in 30 games but he has showed signs of late. Try to acquire him on the cheap, as Timonen is always good for 35+ points.It's official- Marc Staal has been diagnosed with his second concussion. Having yet to flourish as consistent point-producer in his NHL career, the skilled d-man has much more value in real life than fantasy. Just ask goalie Henrik Lundqvist, who must be praying for him to get back soon.Andrei Markov got a littled banged up in Saturday's game, but the Montreal defenseman looked fine in practice today. He has been super since returning from his knee injury, so treat him as upper-tier fantasy option.It's 16 games and counting without scoring a goal for Tobias Enstrom. That's some streak of futility for the normally reliable scoring defender, but he is more known for dishing out assists. Having said that, only one assist during that time is not good. He is getting plenty of quality ice-time, but the Winnipeg power-play is dead last in the NHL. That should change, but keep Enstrom on the bench ...

During last night's game against Boston, Pittsburgh defender Kris Letang was apparently injured during the first period and left the contest, but did eventually return. In most instances, fantasy owners would be holding their breath, considering that Letang is arguably the elite fantasy option on defense these days. Prior to this season, he had accounted for 80 points in 86 games over a two-year span. Only Erik Karlsson of Ottawa stands in his way of being the clear-cut no. 1 offensive defenseman in the NHL. The story reads a bit differently in '13-14, as he has only recorded five points in 16 games. His offensive struggles have been made evident by his current six-game streak with no points and only three points for the entire month of November. His recent shortcomings have prompted Coach Dan Bylsma to promote defenseman Paul Martin to the top power-play, while dropping Letang to the second unit. Martin might be a nice player, but he doesn't possess half the skill of Letang, especially in terms of quarterbacking the power-play. He is more sound defensively and very adept in making the first pass, so the Penguins were electing to play it safe. Now, the word is that Martin sustained a lower-body injury during the overtime period last night, so he will likely miss time. He was having a solid season with 11 points in 23 games, so now the spotlight turns back on Letang. Will he turn it around soon? The answer is absolutely yes. With all of the Penguin's firepower healthy and starting to click, it's only a matter of time before Letang gets his share of points and starts to resemble the nearly point-per-game producer over the last 2 seasons. Parting Shots: Kevin Shattenkirk missed last night's game for St. Louis due to illness. He should be ready to go for their next game, so leave the rising defenseman in your starting lineups. With 16 points in 22 games, "Shats" is a legitimate elite fantasy option on defense.. James Wisniewski of Columbus returned to live action with a "bang", collecting 2 power-play assists. Start him with confidence, as he is off to a super start... Dustin Byfuglien has been erupting lately for Winnipeg, but where has Tobias Enstrom been? The diminutive Finn has been ice-cold with only 2 points in his last 18 games, but he should turn it around soon. Now is the time to "buy low" on him, while his fantasy value is low as possible.... Michael Del Zotto is back playing for the Rangers after being a healthy scratch for multiple games, but ...

As the NHL season approaches the 10-game mark, many defenseman are off and running in the scoring department; some very familiar and some not so much. As we glance at the top of the rankings, fantasy owners need to realize who is the "real deal" and who is a just a "flash in the pan" in assessing their future fantasy values for the remainder of the season.      PK Subban has picked up where he left off as the Norris Trophy winner last season, collecting 10 pts in 8 games. He has clearly passed Andrei Markov as Montreal's primary fantasy option on defense....Despite all the talk of weight issues and lack of dedication to his overall game, Winnipeg's Dustin Byfuglien is off a solid start with 7 points in 9 games and looks poised to challenge the 60-point mark. Don't forget about his partner Tobias Enstrom, who always has flown under the fantasy radar but barring injuries, should be a lock for 50-point prioduction....Alex Pietrangelo also has the look of a potential top-five fantasy d-man this season, bouncing back with 6 pts in 7 games. His first of many 50+ seasons is coming, so treat him as a legit no. 1 fantasy option....It's important to remind us all that Kris Letang would certainly be among the scoring leaders if not for his injury. How do I know for sure? Matt Niskanen, who replaced Letang on the Pen's power play, is in the top ten with 6 points. Enough said... Oh yeah, Erik Karlsson is coming on strong too with 4 points in the last five games. Ottawa's franchise player will be one of the elite scoring blueliners by season's end.      While many fantasy owners passed over Marek Zidlicky partially because of New Jersey's anemic offense and his waning production in recent years, the veteran has stepped up in the exodus of Ilya Kovalchuk to provide more stability on their power play. He is just a few years removed from three straight seasons of 40+ points. A proven track record makes him a safer bet than most to post good numbers....Another forgotten defenseman was new Calgary captain Mark Giordano, who has exploded out of the gate with 9 pts in 7 games. Apparently, he has re-dedicated himself to staying healthy and he had been rewarded with top power play minutes. He was on the rise a few years ago with a 43-point season, but injuries and lack of pp time hurt his production. Not anymore, but can he keep it up? I say that 40 points is likely, but a spot in the top ten?.. Probably not. By the end of the year, Dennis Wideman and T.J Brodie will get ...

Enstrom was given a maintenance day yesterday but was expected to play tonight. Monitor his status prior to the 8 PM EST puck drop.

Center Mikhail Grabovski wasted no time in proving his detractors wrong, scoring three goals and an assist in his Washington Caps debut in the 6-4 loss against Chicago. Although he centered the second line, he showed instant chemistry with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the top power-play unit. This is worth noting, considering first-liner Marcus Johansson only played 1:11 on the PP as opposed to Grabovski's 3:29. I know it's only one game in, but stashing away "Grabo" on your bench wouldn't be a bad idea. Call me impulsive, but I just dropped 40-year old Ray Whitney for him this morning. The bottom line- Mike Ribeiro scored over a point-per-game in the same exact role last season. The Caps will score tons of goals, so here is a great opportunity for an early fantasy gift... More Game Notes: Tyler Bozak scored the game-winning short-hander in the Leafs road win over Montreal. The underrated center gets zero fantasy respect, yet will be playing big minutes with one of the rising NHL stars in Phil Kessel. You figure if Phil gets 90 points, Bozak can get 60. Right? Don't ignore him. He might surprise.. A few interesting line notes in this game- LW Joffrey Lupul played on the second line with Nazem Kadri and Nikolai Kulemin, while James van Riemsdyk moved up to the top unit. Also, despite missing most of training camp, D Cody Franson resumed his spot on the first power-play unit. Jake Gardiner logged over 4:00 minutes of PP time, so he could still be a fantasy factor. If Franson falters after his extended layoff, Gardiner has the tools to move up.. D Dustin Byfuglien started the season with a roar, collecting three assists in Winnipeg's come-from-behind victory in Edmonton. His 24:09 minutes of ice-time was second on the team, so the reports of a better conditioned and more motivated "Big Buff" seem pretty accurate. If he stays on track, 60 points is very realistic. Top-five fantasy upside.. Don't sleep on fellow d-man Tobias Enstrom, who picked up two assists and is a legitimate 50-pt. candidate. His lack of goal-scoring and his extensive injury history keeps him under the radar.

Center Mikhail Grabovski wasted no time in proving his detractors wrong, scoring three goals and an assist in his Washington Caps debut in the 6-4 loss against Chicago. Although he centered the second line, he showed instant chemistry with Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom on the top power-play unit. This is worth noting, considering first-liner Marcus Johansson only played 1:11 on the PP as opposed to Grabovski's 3:29. I know it's only one game in, but stashing away "Grabo" on your bench wouldn't be a bad idea. Call me impulsive, but I just dropped 40-year old Ray Whitney for him this morning. The bottom line- Mike Ribeiro scored over a point-per-game in the same exact role last season. The Caps will score tons of goals, so here is a great opportunity for an early fantasy gift... More Game Notes: Tyler Bozak scored the game-winning short-hander in the Leafs road win over Montreal. The underrated center gets zero fantasy respect, yet will be playing big minutes with one of the rising NHL stars in Phil Kessel. You figure if Phil gets 90 points, Bozak can get 60. Right? Don't ignore him. He might surprise.. A few interesting line notes in this game- LW Joffrey Lupul played on the second line with Nazem Kadri and Nikolai Kulemin, while James van Riemsdyk moved up to the top unit. Also, despite missing most of training camp, D Cody Franson resumed his spot on the first power-play unit. Jake Gardiner logged over 4:00 minutes of PP time, so he could still be a fantasy factor. If Franson falters after his extended layoff, Gardiner has the tools to move up.. D Dustin Byfuglien started the season with a roar, collecting three assists in Winnipeg's come-from-behind victory in Edmonton. His 24:09 minutes of ice-time was second on the team, so the reports of a better conditioned and more motivated "Big Buff" seem pretty accurate. If he stays on track, 60 points is very realistic. Top-five fantasy upside.. Don't sleep on fellow d-man Tobias Enstrom, who picked up two assists and is a legitimate 50-pt. candidate. His lack of goal-scoring and his extensive injury history keeps him under the radar.

It is probably safe to drop Enstrom from your team.

Enstrom won't play tonight after getting nicked up in his last game when he took a big hit in the defensive zone. He left the game and did not return. He didn't participate in practice this morning so he is clearly still banged up. He isn't expected to miss an extended period of time, he will probably be back on Tuesday vs. Tampa Bay.

Jets coach Claude Noel said afterward Enstrom is day-to-day after "it just seized up. It's just something that happens when you put stress on muscles." It doesn't sound like Enstrom's injury is too serious.

Enstrom has missed the Jets last 19 games with a shoulder injury. Monitor his status later in the day for confirmation that he will be in the lineup.