A defensively-oriented and balanced team, the St. Louis Blues dont have mass fantasy appeal, but a little digging does present opportunities to find players that have fantasy appeal. Top Picks: There is such balance throughout the Blues lineup that there are few standouts, particularly for fantasy purposes. As such, their most valuable players, compared to others at the same position, are defencemen Alex Pietrangelo and Kevin Shattenkirk. Pietrangelo is a Norris Trophy contender who plays 25 minutes per game, and his 118 points over the last three seasons ranks eighth among defencemen. Hes also just 23, so his upside does make Pietrangelo a viable No. 1 fantasy blueliner. Shattenkirk isnt quite at Pietrangelos level, but has 109 points over the last three years and plays about 21 minutes per game. Hes also scored 42 of his 109 career points on the power play, so hes a solid No. 2 defenceman in fantasy. Value Plays: At his best, C David Backes is fantasy gold, providing a rare combination of goals and penalty minutes. Since 2008-2009, hes one of three to score at least 100 goals with at least 500 penalty minutes. Hes also a hitter, with 863 hits recorded over the last four seasons. This sounds wonderful, but Backes also scored just six goals last season, with a career-low shooting percentage (6.0%), so he could have value on draft day. C Derek Roy hasnt been the same player since suffering a quad injury in 2010-2011. He was scoring at a point-per-game pace (35 points in 35 games) that season, but has 72 points in 122 games since. He should get a serious offensive opportunity for a Blues team that needs skill and could, effectively, use Roy to replace retired Andy McDonald. C Patrik Berglund is a talented player with good size who has been up-and-down throughout his five-year NHL career. His 58 goals over the last three seasons ranks 61st and scored at a career-best rate (0.35 gpg) last season, but he also scored on 23.0% of his shots last year, an impossible-to-sustain number, so regression is on its way, unless Berglund creates a lot more chances. Consistency has been the hallmark of LW Alexander Steens game in St. Louis. Since 2008-2009, hes averaged between 0.65 and 0.71 points per game, playing more than 19 minutes per game over the last three seasons. As a No. 3 left winger, what he lacks in upside, he makes up for with stability. RW T. J. Oshie is similarly consistent, between 0.63 and 0.69 points per game in each of his five NHL seasons, but one of his other calling cards is missing time with injuries, missing at least 18 games three times in five seasons, including last season. Oshie has never scored 20 goals of 55 points in a season, but those numbers would be within his grasp if he stayed healthy. Sleepers/Breakthrough: The Blues leading scorer last year, RW Chris Stewart is still somewhat of a sleeper considering that last seasons 36 points in 48 games beat his point total (30) in 79 games the year before. Hes a high-percentage shooter, who needs more consistency to earn the trust of the coaching staff; hes played under 16 minutes per game in the last two seasons. After bursting onto the scene with 10 points in his first eight games last season, RW Vladimir Tarasenko faded quickly and missed time with a concussion. If hes healthy and in shape, Tarasenko has offensive skills that should not only translate to production, but earn him a bigger role with the Blues. Goaltending was supposed to be a strength of the Blues going into last season, considering they had the leagues best goals against average in 2011-2012, but Brian Elliott and Jaroslav Halak struggled and, with Halak getting hurt, Jake Allen even took the crease for a time. With a strong finish to the year, including a 1.28 goals against average and .948 save percentage in 13 April games, Elliott may have the edge going into this season, but if either one emerges as a starter, they will have value. Its just a matter of figuring out which one. In deep leagues, D Jay Bouwmeester could have appeal. He pretty much lost fantasy value in Calgary, but with a better Blues team, Bouwmeester could score enough, and maybe even have a half-decent plus-minus, so that hes useful in fantasy leagues. Rookies: The Blues have a lot of veterans up front and coach Ken Hitchcock isnt terribly forviging of the defensive mistakes that young players typically make, so the safe bet would be that none of the Blues rookies will put up big points, but wingers Dmitrij Jaskin and Ty Rattie do have scoring potential. Jaskin had 99 points in 51 QMJHL games last season, while Rattie fniished his WHL career with back-to-back seasons with more than 100 points. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. For more, check out TSN Fantasy on Facebook. PRETORIA, South Africa -- Oscar Pistorius has an anxiety disorder that may have contributed to the fatal shooting of his girlfriend, an expert testified at his murder trial Monday, prompting the chief prosecutor to say the double-amputee Olympian should be placed under psychiatric observation. The judge has not yet ruled on prosecutor Gerrie Nels application that the court considers a period of mental evaluation for the world-famous runner. Dr. Merryll Vorster, a psychiatrist called by the defence, testified that a series of events in Pistorius turbulent life, including the amputation of his lower legs as a baby, his parents divorce, his late mothers habit of sleeping with a gun under her pillow and his own fear of violent crime contributed to his "increasing stress." "Overall, Mr. Pistorius appears to be a mistrustful and guarded person," Vorster testified. She said he has "many features of anxiety." Vorster said Pistorius anxiety combined with his physical disability may have caused him to act differently from other people when he shot four times through a toilet stall door in the early hours of Feb. 14, 2013, killing girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp. Pistorius, 27, claims he mistook Steenkamp for a dangerous intruder when he shot her with his licensed 9 mm pistol in the pre-dawn hours. Prosecutors say he killed the 29-year-old model after an argument and shot in anger and not fear last Valentines Day. Pistorius chief lawyer Barry Roux said at the start of defence-led testimony that the double amputees vulnerability and disability was at the centre of his case of a mistaken killing. But prosecutor Nel questioned Monday if Pistorius was merely trying one of a number of defences for shooting his girlfriend. "There must be some reason why Mr. Roux decided to call this witness. It might be the third defence that we have," Nel said. Pistorius, the first amputee to run at the Olympics, testified at his trial that he fired his gun accidentally at the toilet door. That aappeared to contradict his initial statement in court documents last year that he shot in self-defence because he believed his life was in danger.dddddddddddd Nel said if Pistorius had genuine anxiety issues, Judge Thokozile Masipa should order him to be evaluated. Responding to a question from a reporter after the trial was adjourned, Pistorius said "Go read the law." As the athlete sat in the Pretoria courtroom earlier Monday making notes and occasionally looking up at the witness stand, Vorster outlined his apparently unhappy childhood and a life story in contrast to the smiling, triumphant disabled runner who made history at the London Olympics in 2012. Vorsters testimony raised the question of whether Pistorius was now claiming "diminished responsibility" for the shooting, Nel said, because of a possible mental illness. Nel also asked the psychiatrist if someone who was suffering from such an anxiety disorder, and had access to guns, would be a danger to society. Vorster said the person would, indeed, be a danger. Vorsters testimony came at the start of the eighth week of the globally televised trial, and a day before Pistorius defence had predicted it might wrap up its case. It now appears unlikely that the defence will rest Tuesday. The prosecutions cross-examination of the psychiatrist could continue on day 31 of proceedings after Nel asked for more time to look at her report on Pistorius. Vorster reached her opinion after meeting with Pistorius on two occasions this month, and also from interviews with his family, friends and agent, she said. Pistorius and his brother and sister "were reared to see their external environment as threatening," Vorster said, and this played a part in his actions on the night of the shooting. Vorster said Pistorius was more likely to try and "fight" what he thought was an intruder than run away, because his disability meant it was harder for him to flee. Pistorius was on his stumps when he shot Steenkamp. ' ' '