This is my 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
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) Tomas Tatar, W, Mon, (55%
Yahoo ownership): The Habs have a really juicy schedule this week and Tatar has
5 PTS in his last 5 GP, clicking on a line with Gallagher and Danault. But unlike
his linemates, Tatar also plays on the top power play, giving him even more
opportunity. Fantastic streaming option this week in any league. They play
Colorado, Detroit, and St. Louis, 3 teams that have been easy to
score on.
2) Robin Lehner, G, NYI, (61%
Yahoo ownership): Over his last 6 GP, Lehner has posted 6 wins with a 1.25 GAA
and .956 SV%. This guy is red-hot and has taken over the #1 job from Greiss.
The Islanders play 4 games next week, although one is against Tampa on a back
to back. He sure seems to have put his mental health struggles behind him and
is playing great hockey. Add him wherever you can find him.
3) Ryan Pulock, D, NYI, (50% Yahoo
ownership): The Islanders play 4 games this week and Pulock has scored 8 PTS in
his last 10 GP. Most of those points have been assists, but he’s still shooting
a ton and putting up hits. Certainly a great streaming option this week if you
can find him on the waiver wire. He got a lot of hype coming into the season
when he was 68% owned, which plunged down to 38% by Oct 31 after a disappointing
start.
4) David Perron, W, Stl, (30%
Yahoo ownership): As a team St. Louis has been struggling, but Perron himself
has at least been enjoying individual success with 10 PTS in his last 8 GP. They
have him playing on a line with Ryan O’Reilly and Thomas Steen, who play 4 games
this week. The Blues play Monday-Tuesday, he’s a fantastic 2-day streamer at the
very least.
5) Michael Ferland, W, Car, (42%
Yahoo ownership): Ferland has been playing well on a line with Rask and Svechnikov,
scoring 4 PTS in his last 6 GP. His hit numbers have been down lately, which
makes some sense considering his recent concussion. Don’t expect the same hit
numbers he was posting earlier in the season, but he’s still a good streaming
option for the upcoming week with 4 games (albeit against a few good goalies).
Last Week: Nico Hischier, Carter
Hart, Noah Hanifin, Kevin Fiala, Blake Coleman
Best Deep League Adds (under 15% ownership):
1) Phillip Danault, C, Mon, (15%
Yahoo ownership): Danault has scored 12 PTS in his last 12 GP, and has been playing
on a productive line with Tatar and Gallagher. The Habs have a great schedule
this week, so you can expect that production to continue at least a little
while longer. He started the season 0% owned and has gradually been improving
month by month.
2) Charlie Coyle, W, Min, (10%
Yahoo ownership): Coyle has been centering the Wild top line with Parise and
has put up 10 PTS in his last 12 GP. They play 4 games this week, including a
Monday-Tuesday back to back if you can squeeze him into your line-up to start
the week. Coyle has been nothing if not consistent, scoring exactly 6 PTS in
Oct, Nov, and Dec. His production has improved since Christmas.
3) Paul Byron, W, Mon, (7% Yahoo
ownership): While Byron has only managed to produce 1 point in his last 5
games, he’s playing on the top line with Domi and Drouin. As we discussed
earlier, you want to own Canadiens this week. We don’t know how long he’ll stay
on that line, but in the meantime, this is a very appealing streamer.
4) Johnny Boychuck, D, NYI,
(6% Yahoo ownership): Boychuck is a good deep league streamer this week, with
the Isles playing 4 games and JB putting up 4 PTS in his last 5 GP. He’s not
the same guy he was a few years ago and I wouldn’t target him as a rest of
season acquisition. Boychuck has been producing good shot and hit totals over
the last 30 days.
5) Thatcher Demko, G, Van,
(4% Yahoo ownership): If you need goaltending help in a deep league, your
options are limited. The Canucks goalie of the future has been recalled from
the minors, and GM Jim Benning has stated that he has nothing left to prove in
the AHL. In theory the team should want him to get starts, as sitting on the
bench won’t help his development, but Markstrom has been fantastic over the last
month. We have no idea how much this kid is going to play, but he’s talented
and somebody to keep an eye on.
Last Week: MacKenzie Blackwood,
Dylan Strome, Jakob Chychrun, Jake Virtanen, Ty Rattie
The 1% (best adds 1% owned or less):
1) Jordie Benn, Mtl: This is
where I tell you once again that the Habs have a great schedule. Benn has been
surprisingly productive lately, scoring 4 PTS in his last 5 GP. Historically
this has been a guy you only add for hits and blocks. That scoring rate is
obviously not sustainable, but you at least hope he can sustain it into next
week when you stream him.
2) Rocco Grimaldi, Nsh: Grimaldi
is a decent streaming option this week in your 18-20 team leagues. He has
scored 5 PTS in his last 4 GP and has been rewarded with more playing time. Not
a guy I’m holding on to for the whole season, he’s just a short-term target who
is on a mini hot streak.
3) JG Pageau, Ott: Be aware
that Pageau is returning from injury, because this guy has strong deep league
value (or at least he did prior to his most recent injury). Ottawa does not
have a busy schedule coming up, so Pageau isn’t a “streaming” target, but a
potential long-term add if he can return to form.
Last Week: Barclay Goodrow, Niklas
Kronwall, Casey Cizikas
Safe to drop in Standard Leagues:
1) TJ Oshie, Wsh: It has not
been a good last 10 games for TJ Oshie, who has only managed to produce 1 point
in that stretch despite getting good deployment. I’m not dropping him in deep
leagues, but if you’re in a shallow league with plenty of productive players
available on the waiver wire, Oshie is droppable. He doesn’t need to be 78%
owned.
2) Jason Zucker, Min: Another
player who is ice cold, Zucker has produced 1 point in his last 9 GP. That does
not justify his 54% ownership and he can be safely dropped in shallow leagues. He
may still have some value as a streaming target when Minnesota has a good
schedule, but not a permanent hold.
Last Week: Brady Tkachuk, Semyon
Varlamov
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