This is my 2021 Week Fourteen 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 your best options among those who are more likely to be available in your league as opposed to the universally owned players. There are 10 recommendations in total, 2 goalies, 2 defensemen, and 6 forwards.
Best Standard League
Adds (25% to 65% Yahoo ownership):
1) Jason Robertson, Dal, (47% Yahoo ownership): I’ve been pumping Robertson for a few weeks now, as he will be making his 4th consecutive appearance on my weekly fantasy report. What makes the upcoming week even more special is the 4 games Dallas will play against Detroit, although the Dead Wings have been showing signs of life lately. Robertson has scored 16 PTS in his last 17 GP with 55 shots and a +11. Expect to see him near the top of the most added player list on Yahoo nearly every day this week. If he’s on your waiver wire, go add him right now (unless you have a bye).
2) Craig Smith, Bos, (44% Yahoo ownership): Robertson did have some competition for my top add of the week from Craig Smith, who continues rolling in Boston. Over his last 15 GP, Smith has potted 16 PTS with 33 shots, 16 hits, and a +9. He now finds himself playing on the Bruins 2nd line with David Krejci and Taylor Hall. The Bruins will play 4 games this week, with 3 of those against Buffalo, who will be without their best goalie Linus Ullmark, who returns to the injured list. It’s a great week to be invested in Boston.
3) Rasmus Dahlin, Buf, (57% Yahoo ownership): Many analysts (myself included) had high hopes for Dahlin heading into the season, only to be disappointed when the whole team fell far short of expectations. But if you haven’t been paying attention, the Sabres offense has been starting to heat up. In his last 7 GP, the young defenseman has scored 6 PTS with 15 hits. The Sabres will play 4 games against tough competition, but I’m still willing to roll the dice on Rasmus while he’s regressing back-up to where we expected him to be.
4) Jared McCann, Pit, (43% Yahoo ownership): Jared McCann continues to rack up big PTS on the Penguins power play, scoring 12 PTS (8 with the man advantage) in his last 14 GP, with an impressive 47 shots on goal. The Pens will play 4 games this week, with 3 of them against New Jersey, who has been terrible. I added him to one of my teams last week as a streamer, but he’s earning himself a permanent position. Pittsburgh has a fantastic schedule during the fantasy championships (Buffalo twice, Philly twice).
5) Jake Oettinger, Dal, (31% Yahoo ownership): The Dallas Stars have a 4-game week coming up against the Detroit Red Wings (disclaimer: The Wings have been shockingly decent lately), which puts Oettinger in a position to get 1-2 wins. Khudobin had started 4 consecutive games before his rookie back-up earned back-to-back starts against Columbus. You have to hope Jake gets 2 starts this week, having posted a .929 SV% over his last 7 GP. I also considered Jeremy Swayman and Chris Driedger for this slot, but both those guys also have competition for crease time.
Honorable Mentions: Yanni Gourde, Jordan Staal, Jared Spurgeon, Jeremy Swayman, David Krejci
Last Week: Martin Jones, Andrew
Copp, Josh Anderson, Josh Morrissey, Jason Robertson
Best Deep League Adds
(under 25% ownership):
1) Colin Blackwell, NYR, (10% Yahoo ownership): For a guy playing on a line with Artemi Panarin, the growth in Blackwell’s ownership has been shockingly low. He was among my top deep league adds last week, and I’m going to let it ride. The Rangers will face a slightly tougher schedule in round 1 of the fantasy playoffs, but still have a pair of matches against the Flyers. Blackwell has scored 11 PTS in his last 11 GP, and is primed to cash in residuals from a red hot Panarin. Worth considering even in shallower leagues.
2) Mike Reilly, Bos, (16% Yahoo ownership): Reilly was already on a hot streak before getting traded to the Boston Bruins, who are in desperate need of defensemen. He has scored 10 PTS in his last 12 GP, including 2 PTS in his 2 GP with Boston. As mentioned above, the Bruins have a fantastic schedule coming up, and Reilly is widely available. You can expect him to log a ton of ice time against the last place team in the NHL, which is an ideal situation for any player. He’s almost worth considering in a standard sized league.
3) Jonathan Bernier, Det, (9% Yahoo ownership): Bernier was lit up for 7 goals by the Nashville Predators in his first game back from injury, which may be the reason he was not traded at the deadline. Then on Monday night after the deadline had passed, Bernier stopped 37 of 38 shots for a spectacular win over the Carolina Hurricanes. The Wings will be facing Dallas 4 times, and the Stars should win most of those games. But in deep league where goalies are hard to find, Bernier has more upside than you might expect from a Detroit goalie.
4) Adam Erne, Det, (7% Yahoo ownership): One of the major drivers of the Red Wings recent success has been the surprising production of winger Adam Erne, who has scored 8 PTS in his last 9 GP. What makes him even more appealing has been his hit volume, collecting 30 shots and 35 hits in his last 15 GP. Daily faceoff currently lists Erne on the top Red Wings power play, which may be a reflection of Detroit’s lack of quality PP options, but also pumps up his value in the near-term for those in deeper fantasy leagues.
5) Casey Mittelstadt, Buf, (17% Yahoo ownership): Memo to future self: Remember Casey Mittelstadt for your sleeper list next season. The young center is finally starting to deliver on that high draft pedigree, scoring 9 PTS in his last 10 GP, with 7 goals and a +8. The Sabres might be a dumpster fire right now, but that is also clearing the path for Casey to log more ice time. The 22-year-old is really starting to show his shooting prowess, and is worth more in leagues that reward goals over assists.
Honorable Mentions: Filip Chytil, Charlie Coyle, Adin Hill, Jamie Oleksiak, Paul Byron
Last Week: Craig Smith, Colin
Blackwell, Alexandar Georgiev, Ty Smith, Kaapo Kakko
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