Is Carter Hart back to elite form?

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 a first-overall pick getting hot in New Jersey, a fresh start working out well in Detroit, the return to form by a Cup-winning netminder, a top-tier defenseman injured again and a slumping winger in Vancouver.

First Liners (Risers)

Nico Hischier, C, NJ

The first-overall pick in 2017, Hischier has yet to produce at the level of some of his more well-known colleagues who were taken in the same spot. However, that does not mean he’s been a bust or unworthy of a roster spot in most formats. Hischier set career-highs with 21 goals and 39 assists in 70 games last season and has gotten off to a strong start to this campaign. He is up to two markers and four helpers in five contests, benefitting from the attention Jack Hughes receives as the first line center in New Jersey.

Brayden Point, C, TB

When you think about all the stars in Tampa, Point sometimes gets lost in the mix. Point tallied a goal and an assist Saturday, giving the 26-year-old center four goals on the season, all of which have come in the past four games, along with a pair of helpers in six contests. With all the talent around him, Point might never approach the 92 points he posted in 2018-19, but a 70+ point season could be in the cards as he centers the first line alongside Nikita Kucherov.

Taylor Hall, LW, BOS

Hall resurrected his career to an extent last season in Boston, notching 20 goals and 41 assists in 81 games after struggling in the prior two campaigns. So far this year, he’s showing that his return to form in 2021-22 was no fluke, potting three goals with a pair of assists in six games, punctuated with an overtime game-winner Saturday. Hall signed a four-year, $24 million contract with the Bruins in July of 2021, and while he will likely never approach the 93 points he scored when he won the Hart Trophy in 2017-18 with the…