Chytil, Marchenko and Hughes — the kids are alright

Special to Yahoo Sports

In this space, we’ll look at which NHL players are seeing their fantasy hockey values rise or fall on a week-to-week basis.

This week’s article includes Chytil on a heater, another Kirill the Thrill in the NHL, D-Ham hot in NJ and Konecny in a bit of a slump.

First Liners (Risers)

Filip Chytil, C, NYR

Chytil-mania continues to run wild. January has been a big month for the center, as he has eight goals and four assists in 11 games this month. Four of those goals came in his last three contests, giving Chytil a career-best 16 markers this season. In addition, he sits one assist shy of tying his career-high in that category, while his 29 points also set a new mark for Chytil. The Kid Line with Alexis Lafreniere-Chytil-Kaapo Kakko has been the team’s best this month.

Sebastian Aho, LW, CAR

When NHL superstar wingers are discussed, Aho sometimes gets lost in the mix. A closer look at his numbers shows that to be a mistake. If you throw out his rookie season, when he had 49 points in 82 games as a 19-year-old, Aho posted 158 goals and 194 assists for 352 points in 363 games, close to a point per game. This season is no different, as Aho’s seven goals in his last four games have given him 21 markers and 23 apples in 42 games. He truly is an elite player.

Kirill Marchenko, LW, CLM

Selected in the second round (49th overall) in 2018, Marchenko is doing his best Cy Young impersonation. Through 26 games, Marchenko has 13 goals — six of which have been scored on the man-advantage — with zero assists. Marchenko is skating on the second line at even strength and on the top power-play unit for the Blue Jackets. He played the past four seasons in the KHL, enabling him to be more ready for the physical side of the game. But he adapted well to the smaller ice rinks in the NHL and has looked like he’ll be a sniper on the wing for Columbus.

Claude Giroux, RW, OTT

After seeing his production drop in three consecutive seasons and his games played fall two years in a…