NHL 2018/19 Week 16 Fantasy Hockey Report

This is my week sixteen 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. This week the list only features players who play games before the all-star break, which also converges with the bye weeks, which is why Yahoo is making this a 2-week match.

Best Standard League Adds (20% to 60% Yahoo ownership):

1) Alex Galchenyuk, W, Ari, (37% Yahoo ownership): For the last 30 days Galchenyuk has been scoring over a point per game pace (5 goals, 9 assists, 8 PP PTS, 26 shots in 13 GP) and has two enticing matches before the all-star break. His 5 on 5 situation is a bit weak, playing on a line with Conor Garland and Nick Cousins. Where AG is doing all his damage is on the power play with Keller. That’s why I see Galchenyuk as a high-end streamer rather than a permanent hold.

2) Jordan Binnington, G, Stl, (36% Yahoo ownership): The rookie goalie has seen his ownership double over the course of 7 days. He has started 5 games and won 4 with a 1.62 GAA and .936 SV%. The Blues will play two terrible teams before the all-star break in Anaheim and Los Angeles, so I would 100% stream this guy in any sized league if you can find him on your waiver wire.

3) Nate Schmidt, D, LV, (31% Yahoo ownership): Over the last 30 days, Schmidt has been scoring at a 50-point pace, while getting time on the power play. He trained very hard in the offseason to get his body into immaculate shape, said his prayers and ate his vitamins. The Knights have Minnesota and Nashville coming up before the break, two teams who haven’t been hard to score on lately.

4) Kevin Fiala, W, Nsh, (30% Yahoo ownership): On one hand Fiala has scored 1 point in his last 4 GP, on the other hand he had scored 10 in his previous 10 GP; which combines for a 64-point pace over the last 30 days. The Preds will be in Colorado on Monday, and the Avs have had problems keeping the puck out of their net for the last 6 weeks.

5) Alex Tuch, W, LV, (56% Yahoo ownership): Tuch has scored at least a point in 10 of his last 12 GP, with a pair of two-point nights, close to a point per game player on the season. He also puts up good shot numbers and averages about a hit per game. Tuch has reached a level where he is worth a permanent hold and should be owned in most 12-team standard leagues.

Last Week: Darnell Nurse, Blake Coleman, Jared Spurgeon, MacKenzie Blackwood, Jaden Schwartz

Best Deep League Adds (under 20% ownership):

1) Anders Nilsson, G, Ott, (8% Yahoo ownership): If I were to travel back in time 3 weeks to tell myself in the past that I would be recommending Anders Nilsson in an upcoming fantasy report, I would have laughed at myself. Yet here he is. Over his last 6 GP, the Ottawa Senators new goaltender has 4 wins with a 1.80 GAA and .944 SV%. Those numbers are not sustainable, and Craig Anderson returned from a concussion last night. The coach may decide to play the hot hand and ease Anderson back into the line-up, or Nilsson becomes a back-up goalie on a bad team. If you play in a league where the top 30-40 goalies are owned and you’re desperate for starts, Nilsson is worth a speculative acquisition while we wait to see how the Sens goalie situation plays out.

2) Joe Thornton, C, SJ, (12% Yahoo ownership): Jumbo is available in many leagues and the Sharks have 2 games before the all-star break (including a juicy match against the Florida Panthers). The big guy has scored 5 PTS in his last 7 GP. He’s been somewhat limited on the 2^nd power play unit, but still putting up some PP PTS. Not a bad short-term streamer for deeper fantasy leagues.

3) Conor Garland, W, Ari, (8% Yahoo ownership): The rookie has only scored 1 point in his last 3 GP after scoring 5 PTS in his previous 3. He’s already started to cool off and his ice time has been erratic. That being said, the Coyotes have Ottawa coming up on Tuesday, Montreal on Wednesday so I do like him as a pre-all-star streamer in deeper leagues.

4) Joonas Donskoi, W, SJ, (12% Yahoo ownership): Kevin Fiala and Joonas Donskoi have something in common, 1 point in his last 4 GP after a 10 point in 10 GP stretch. The difference is Fiala gets more power play time while Donskoi does all his damage at even strength. They have him playing on a line with Evander Kane and it’s working. Given the schedule, he’s a pre-all-star quality streamer.

5) Brendan Dillon, D, SJ, (6% Yahoo ownership): There has been an increased opportunity for playing time on the Sharks blueline with Vlasic on IR. Dillon has made the most of that opportunity with 6 PTS in his last 8 GP, averaging over 21 minutes of ice time. The Sharks play 2 games before the break and this guy has been productive lately.

Last Week: Jordan Binnington, Jakub Vrana, Nick Ritchie, Miles Wood, Jesperi Kotkaniemi

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

1) Jordan Oesterle, D, Ari: I just added Oesterle as a streamer for next week in my 18-team league. Over his last 6 GP the kid has scored 4 PTS (2 on the PP), 17 blocks, 7 hits, +3, 10 shots, while averaging 21:15 of ice time. The Coyotes have a really nice pre-all-star schedule.

2) Calle Jarnkrok, W, Nsh: Jarnkrok has limited upside, but he’s consistent enough that he should be owned in more than 1% of leagues (but not above 8%); especially if you are in a categories league with face-offs, he’s a center with LW eligibility in Yahoo and can pad FW totals from the wing.

3) Ryan Carpenter, W, LV: Over his last 6 GP, Carpenter has scored 4 PTS with 11 hits while averaging 13:22 of ice time. He will even chip in few face-off wins if you play that category. Probably not worth a permanent roster spot in any sized league, but he’s got some streaming appeal when the schedule aligns (like the next 4 days).

Last Week: Luke Kunin, Oskar Sundqvist, Brett Kulak

Safe to drop in Standard Leagues:

1) Jake Gardiner, Tor: It’s not going well for Jake Gardiner in Toronto right now, with 3 PTS in his last 12 GP. He’s still owned in 67% of Yahoo leagues, but he should be down in the 40% range. If he does get moved, I like him to turn things around.

2) Colton Parayko, Stl: His owners have been getting quality shot, hit, and block production, but his scoring has dried up (2 PTS in his last 14 GP) and he’s still 56% owned. In shallow leagues you are better off using that roster spot to stream players with good schedules in and out of your line-up.

Last Week: Mike Smith, Henrik Lundqvist