NHL 2018 Week 15 Fantasy Hockey Report

This is my week fifteen 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) Darnell Nurse, D, Edm, (60% Yahoo ownership): Over his last 7 GP, Nurse has scored 5 PTS with 22 shots and 22 hits. The Oilers may be a train wreck, but Nurse is capitalizing on the opportunity presented by Klefbom’s injury and needs to be added in more leagues. I own him in a 12-team standard league and he’s been incredible, providing great numbers in almost every category. He’s more than just a streamer at this point, though we may have to re-evaluate his value when Klefbom does return.

2) Blake Coleman, W, NJ, (30% Yahoo ownership): If you play in a league that counts hits and shots, Coleman has great value. Over his last 15 GP, he has scored 7 PTS with 47 shots and 42 hits. He’s been a tremendous streamer in standard leagues, and may even be worthy of a permanent roster spot. If you look at the top 25 players in hits this season, the only one with more shots than Coleman is Ovechkin. There aren’t many better sources of hits who can also help you in other categories.

3) Jared Spurgeon, D, Min, (45% Yahoo ownership): Spurgeon has been playing a ton since the injury to Dumba and has been productive, scoring 7 PTS in his last 7 GP. The Wild play 4 games this week, so he’ll be a very useful streamer. He is on pace for 48 PTS and is inside the top 20 in defenseman scoring. Dumba is still at least 2 months away from returning, so you may want to hang on to Spurgeon beyond just this week.

4) MacKenzie Blackwood, G, NJ, (34% Yahoo ownership): The rookie returned from a brief stint on the injured list and posted a 32-save win against the Flyers, giving him a 1.85 GAA and .947 SV% on the season. The Devils play 4 games next week and don’t face any high scoring teams. It’s hard to say if this success is sustainable, but in the meantime he’s a solid option if you need help in net.

5) Jaden Schwartz, W, STL, (35% Yahoo ownership): Schwartz has managed to stay healthy over the last month and has been getting a ton of playing time (averaging over 20m per game over the last 2 weeks). The line with Tarasenko and Schenn has been re-united, with Schwartz picking up 4 PTS in his last 7 GP. The Blues have won 3 of their last 4 and are generating some momentum. They play 4 games this week, including Monday-Tuesday, making Schwartz a quality streaming target.

Last Week: Tomas Tatar, Robin Lehner, Ryan Pulock, David Perron, Michael Ferland

Best Deep League Adds (under 20% ownership):

1) Jordan Binnington, G, STL, (17% Yahoo ownership): Binnington’s ownership is rising fast after a sensational week posting 3 wins with a 0.67 GAA and .974 SV%. For the time being he appears to have secured the #1 starters role and the Blues play 4 games next week. I’m doubtful this little hot streak is sustainable, but there is every reason to roll the dice on him next week if you need starts.

2) Jakub Vrana, W, Was, (14% Yahoo ownership): Vrana has been seeing time on the 2^nd line with Backstrom and Oshie, producing 4 PTS in his last 3 GP. His deployment has not been consistent enough to trust in the long-term, but he’s worth a gamble in the short-term with the Capitals playing 4 games this week.

3) Nick Ritchie, W, Ana, (5% Yahoo ownership): The Ducks have been in a free-fall, but that hasn’t stopped Ritchie from collecting 6 PTS in his last 7 GP. Ritchie was on pace for 263 hits per 82 games last season, and that number is down to 177 for this season. He’s not hitting as much as he has in the past, but has been getting decent ice time playing with Henrique and Kase, putting up more PTS.

4) Miles Wood, W, NJ, (3% Yahoo ownership): After a slow start to the season, Wood has managed to start scoring PTS (6 in his last 7 GP). He’s been getting power play time and always puts up reliable shot and hit numbers. This is a great week to plug this guy into your line-up in deep leagues, especially those counting hits.

5) Jesperi Kotkaniemi, C, Mtl, (5% Yahoo ownership): The rookie has been productive lately, scoring 5 PTS in his last 7 GP. He’s been enjoying success on a line with Tatar and Byron. The Habs have a good schedule this week, and this kid is a decent streaming option in deep leagues.

Last Week: Phillip Danault, Charlie Coyle, Paul Byron, Johnny Boychuck, Thatcher Demko

The 1% (best adds 1% owned or less):

1) Luke Kunin, W, Min: Kunin remains a tempting target in very deep leagues so long as his deployment on the line with Parise and Coyle continues. The kid has scored 5 PTS in his last 8 GP, consistently playing over 15 minutes per game. The Wild play 4 games this week, including Monday-Tuesday, for those of us who like to stack extra games at the start of a match-up.

2) Oskar Sundqvist, W, STL: Sundqvist has seen a recent jump in deployment, playing over 16 minutes in 3 of the last 4 games, including time on the top power play unit in St. Louis. He has scored 4 PTS in his last 2 GP. There are plenty of reasons to roll the dice on this kid in deep formats.

3) Brett Kulak, D, Mtl: Kulak has been putting up decent numbers (at least peripherals) despite low deployment. Over his last 7 GP he’s scored 2 PTS with 12 shots, 12 hits, and 14 blocks. He’s worth streaming consideration in 18-20 team leagues with Montreal playing 4 games this week.

Last Week: Jordie Benn, Rocco Grimaldi, JG Pageau

Safe to drop in Standard Leagues:

1) Mike Smith, Cgy: It’s safe to drop Mike Smith in all but the deepest leagues. Rittich seems to have secured the starters job, with Smith only playing in 3 games over the last 30 days (not counting the game he’s playing later today), posting a 3.71 GAA and .871 SV%. He’s still owned in 59% of Yahoo leagues. That number should be much lower.

2) Henrik Lundqvist, NYR: Lundqvist is not the King anymore. Over the last 30 days he’s played 9 games with a 3.87 GAA and .883 SV%, yet has managed to maintain 82% ownership in Yahoo leagues.  If he’s your #1 goalie in a shallow league, your season is probably already over. Whatever you decide to do, you’re not winning a championship with this guy on your roster. Unlike Mike Smith, at least Hank is still getting regular starts, but I’d still only want him as a streamer on favourable weeks.

Last Week: TJ Oshie, Jason Zucker