This is my week nineteen fantasy hockey report for those competing in
head to head categories or rotisserie leagues. There are both standard and deep
league acquisition targets. This is more of a “waiver wire” report, looking for
those who are more likely to be available in your league as opposed to the
universally owned players. I also do not recommend any players who play 2 games
or less over the next 7 days (Monday to Sunday), with a preference for those
with 4 or more games.
Best Standard League Adds (20% to 60% Yahoo ownership):
1) Erik Gustafsson, D, Chi, (52%
Yahoo ownership): Still available in almost half of leagues, Gustafsson needs
to be universally owned next week. The Blackhawks have Ottawa, Detroit,
Colorado, and Dallas in the queue and Gusto is on pace for a 55-point season (8
PTS in last 10 GP). This ownership is too low. The Hawks have been producing a
ton offense over the last month.
2) Josh Anderson, W, Clb,
(49% Yahoo ownership): Anderson has been a steady producer of goals, shots, and
hits for most of the season. He’s not a big time point producer but has sustained
strong fantasy ownership because of peripheral numbers. The Blue Jackets have 4
games next week, including Mon-Tue, if you want to stack some extra games at
the start of your week. Over his last 11 GP, Anderson has scored 8 PTS with 32 shots
and 33 hits.
3) Mats Zuccarello, W, NYR,
(46% Yahoo ownership): Zuccarello might not even be a Ranger by the end of the
week, which could interrupt an otherwise strong schedule. There is some risk if
you’re only using him as a streamer, but if he does last until the deadline, it
should be a big week for Mats. The Norwegian has 15 PTS in his last 10 GP. We
will have to re-evaluate Zuccarello’s value when he does get traded to a new
team where he may not get the same generous deployment.
4) Jason Zucker, W, Min, (50%
Yahoo ownership): It’s a great schedule for the Wild next week, even if Zucker
has not been particularly hot lately (5 PTS in last 11 GP, with 25 shots and 24
hits). He should provide decent peripheral numbers against some weak opponents
(Ducks, Wings, Rangers, and the not so weak lately Blues) as the Wild battle to
hold on to a playoff spot.
5) Darcy Kuemper, G, Ari,
(28% Yahoo ownership): Kuemper shut out the mighty Maple Leafs offense on Saturday
and the Coyotes play 4 games next week. This is a volume play, as he’s been getting
80% of the team’s starts over the last month (10 GP, 5 wins, 2.69 GAA, .913
SV%). Kuemper will also probably have to face the Jets and Flames coming up, so
there is some risk involved. But he is likely going to play 3 games if you need extra starts and he’s available
on many waiver wires.
Last Week: Travis Konecny, Gustav
Nyquist, Jordan Binnington, Nolan Patrick, Matt Niskanen
Best Deep League Adds (under 20% ownership):
1) Dominik Kahun, W, Chi, (7%
Yahoo ownership): I’m definitely buying stock in the Chicago Blackhawks next
week. Kahun has been a beneficiary of the Hawks recent offensive outburst,
scoring 9 PTS in his last 7 GP. He’s been a 1% owned player for most of the
season, but people have begun to take notice. Even if this scoring rate is not
sustainable, Kahun is at the very least a fantastic short-term streamer.
2) Brandon Saad, W, Chi, (16%
Yahoo ownership): After scoring just 35 PTS in 82 GP last season, Saad found
himself at 26% owned Oct 1. That ownership number has been
slowly shrinking each month even though his output has improved, on pace for a
49-point season (8 PTS in his last 10 GP). With the Hawks having a juicy
schedule ahead, Saad is a really strong streaming option.
3) Anders Nilsson, G, Ott, (15%
Yahoo ownership): Nilsson has put together a good run as Senators goalie since
his arrival. This should all come crashing down by the trade deadline, but
hopefully that won’t be next week. Over his last 5 GP, Nilsson has 3 wins with
a 2.38 GAA and .934 SV%. Craig Anderson was recently hit in the face with a
tennis ball, so he could be out for a while. Even if Anderson does return, Nilsson
may have secured the #1 job, until he eventually falls apart.
4) Jordan Oesterle, D, Ari,
(3% Yahoo ownership): Oesterle has been slowly ascending into relevancy, having
now scored 9 PTS in his last 12 GP. I’ve been streaming him regularly in my
18-team league over the past month, and he may have earned himself a permanent
roster spot. His shot totals have been very low, but if your league counts
blocked shots, Oesterle gets added value.
5) Pavel Buchnevich, W, NYR,
(6% Yahoo ownership): When the smoke clears from the trade deadline, Buchnevich
is due for a promotion, having scored 6 PTS in his last 9 GP. That increased
opportunity may not come in the next 8 days, but he’s going to get a value bump
soon. The Rangers do play 4 games in the coming week, so Buchnevich is certainly
worth a look in deep leagues.
Last Week: Andreas Athanasiou, Dylan
Strome, Jonathan Bernier, Ben Hutton, Jakub Vrana
The 1% (best adds 1% owned or less):
1) Derek Ryan, C, CGY: The
biggest problem facing Derek Ryan is a crowded depth chart ahead of him,
limiting his deployment. That hasn’t stopped him from scoring 9 PTS in his last
10 GP. The Flames have a great schedule, especially Fri-Sun games against Anaheim
and Ottawa. You’ll want Flames on the weekend.
2) Vinnie Hinostroza, W, Ari:
This is another player that I seem to be frequently streaming in and out of my
line-up lately (8 PTS in his last 12 GP). The Coyotes play 3 games in the first
4 days of the upcoming week all against teams who have been having recent goaltending
issues (Edm, Cgy, Van). He’s a great target to stack some extra games at the start
of your week, then stream him out for a player who plays twice on the weekend.
3) Cody Ceci, D, Ott: Despite
his low ownership %, Ceci has been on my roster in an 18-team league since the
draft, mostly due to his peripheral category production. Over his last 11 GP, the
kid has scored 6 PTS with 20 shots, 19 hits, and 22 blocks. Ottawa has a busy
schedule next week, which makes Ceci a quality streamer.
Last Week: Marcus Johansson,
Josh Leivo, Troy Stecher
Safe to drop in Standard Leagues:
1) Justin Faulk, Car: Faulk
may still have some usefulness when the Hurricanes have a favorable schedule,
but you don’t need to burn a permanent roster spot on him in a shallow league. He’s on
pace for a 30-point season and does not need to be 58% owned. He shouldn’t be
anything more than a streamer in shallow formats.
2) Rickard Rakell, Ana: The
carnage in Anaheim has seen Rakell’s ownership fall down to 64% (a 10% drop in
the last 17 days). I own him in a 12-team standard league and have been really
close to dropping him (2 PTS in his last 10 GP). The only reason he’s still on
my roster is that the Ducks always seem to play on the light schedule nights when I’m
most often looking to stream in some extra games.
Last Week: Jake Allen, JT
Miller
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