Fantasy - NHL Player Rankings: 10-1

This week, we're counting down the top 50 players in fantasy hockey for the 2015-16 regular season.

• Players 20-11
• Players 30-21
• Players 40-31
• Players 50-41

10. Blues F Vladimir Tarasenko

The Tarasenkshow was on full display last season, as the Blues forward emerged as one of the most exciting players in hockey.

The 23-year-old finished tied for eighth in points, and we get the feeling he's just getting started. Tarasenko will continue to have plenty of opportunities to produce as the focal point of the St. Louis offense moving forward.

9. Senators D Erik Karlsson

Karlsson posted his lowest full-season point total since 2011-12, but, as in that season, he won the Norris Trophy. His 66 points were six more than the next highest-scoring defenseman.

The Senators' franchise player took some time to rest and bulk up over the summer, and is said to have regained the explosiveness he lost after an Achilles injury in 2013. He's achieved so much already, and should remain the best at his position in fantasy hockey for quite some time.

8. Stars F Jamie Benn

Benn came out of nowhere to nab the Art Ross Trophy after a four-point performance in the final game of the regular season. While he's not expected to successfully defend that crown, his secondary numbers justify putting him among the game's most productive players.

As the NHL's star power forward du jour, Benn will continue to shine, especially alongside a retooled Stars forward group that will score on the regular.

7. Blackhawks F Patrick Kane

Kane was having one of the most successful seasons of his impressive career prior to breaking his clavicle, on pace for 36 goals and 48 assists. He proved no worse for wear upon returning to the lineup, scoring 11 goals and adding 12 assists in 23 playoff games.

The caveat here is that Kane finds himself facing legal trouble, as the subject of a police investigation following allegations of sexual assault. At this point, there's no telling what the ramifications will be either off or on the ice.

6. Lightning F Steven Stamkos

Stamkos had a down year, but he tied for the Lightning lead in points with Tyler Johnson, and there's reason to believe he'll rebound in a big way this season.

For one, his assists were way down, acting as a counterweight to his 43 goals, which ranked second in the league. Second, even though he shot at a solid success rate of 16 percent, that was the lowest single-season mark of his career. With an uptick in helpers, and even a modest shooting improvement - not to mention his being in a contract year - Stamkos should return to the status of the truly elite.

5. Penguins F Evgeni Malkin

The Penguins' "other" all-world player missed 13 games due to injury, and was hindered by its lingering effects down the stretch. Still, he averaged more than a point per game, and should benefit from an improved forward group and what should be an absolutely lethal power-play unit in Pittsburgh.

Any fantasy team would be lucky to build around this talented Russian.

4. Stars F Tyler Seguin

Seguin averaged more points per game than anyone not named Sidney Crosby in 2014-15, and could have finished ahead of Benn in the scoring race had he not missed 11 games with a knee injury.

The 23-year-old is coming off back-to-back 37-goal seasons, and is likely to push that total even higher. Seguin is also demonstrating a knack for racking up assists, putting him in line to challenge for the mantle of most productive player in hockey.

3. Islanders F John Tavares

Were it not for Benn's crazy surge in the final game of the season, Tavares would have won his first Art Ross Trophy, and garnered some more serious consideration as league MVP. Denied the hardware, he's still emerging as the kind of player many expected him to become when the Islanders selected him first overall in 2009.

Tavares has 199 points in 182 games since the 2013 lockout - production on par with the game's very best - and he'll turn only 25 on Sept. 20.

2. Penguins F Sidney Crosby

Crosby achieved the highest point-per-game average in the NHL last season, and, until further notice, remains the odds-on favorite to win the Art Ross Trophy every year. While he's surely a player to build any fantasy team around, what keeps him out of the top spot is that he's unlikely to come out on top in any single statistical category other than points.

Fantasy managers will get consistent, sometimes spectacular production, and the addition of Phil Kessel on his wing could well prove to be a further boon to his assist and point totals. For now, however, Crosby's fantasy game is eclipsed by a far more dynamic forward.

1. Capitals F Alex Ovechkin

If we're ranking the best players in the game, Crosby would be at the top of the list. But for fantasy purposes, Ovechkin comes out ahead because of his ability to fill up the stat sheet and top the field in several categories.

Not only did Ovechkin lead the league in goals last season (including a league-high 25 power-play markers), he finished second in power-play points (34), recorded 91 more shots than second-place Rick Nash, threw 259 hits, and even came out with a plus-10 rating.

Surrounded by a better cast of characters in Washington than in previous years, Ovechkin should be selected first overall in fantasy hockey leagues, period.