Welcome to my 2021/22 Week Nine Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report for those competing in head-to-head categories or rotisserie leagues. There are both standard and deep league acquisition targets. This report focuses on the best options among those who are 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. Some of these are only short-term targets, while others you may want to keep permanently.
Best Standard League
Adds (25% to 65% Yahoo ownership):
1) Trevor Zegras, Ana, (53% Yahoo ownership): Trevor Zegras has already made a few appearances on my weekly waiver wire report, so it was a no-brainer to give him the top spot this week with the Mighty Ducks playing 5 games. He might have choked in the latest Sandbagger Invitational, but he’s been clutch on the ice, scoring 14 PTS in his last 12 GP while taking 35 shots on goal. If Zegras is available in any of your leagues, submit a claim immediately. He’s on the wire in both of mine, and I’ve submitted claims.
2) Jake Oettinger, Dal, (50% Yahoo ownership): The Dallas Stars have won 8 of their last 9 games, in large part due to outstanding goaltending. Oettinger has posted a .951 SV% over his last 6 GP, and Holtby .935 over his last 4 GP. You can find both goalies on many waiver wires, and this is the week to do it, as the Stars play 4 games. If you really need help, it might even be worth picking up both guys. Khudobin hasn’t played since surrendering 7 goals to Minnesota on November 18th, which was the last time this team lost a game.
3) Mikael Granlund, Nsh, (62% Yahoo ownership): Mikael Granlund scoring 25 PTS in his first 23 GP was not something I saw coming this season, but he’s doing his best to help himself and linemate Matt Duchene prove they are worth their big contracts. Granlund recently picked up 4 assists in one game on 4 goals scored by his other linemate Filip Forsberg, on what has been one of the most productive lines in the NHL. The Predators will be playing 4 games this week, so Granlund is a great addition if he’s available.
4) Marcus Foligno, Min, (54% Yahoo ownership): Marcus Foligno is approaching “must own” status in all fantasy leagues that count hits. Only Tom Wilson has both more hits and more PTS. The Wild play 4 games this week, and Foligno has been scoring goals on the second line with Joel Eriksson-Ek. In his last 15 GP, Marcus has scored 8 PTS (6 of them goals), with 28 shots, 41 hits, and a +10. The winger peaked at 15% owned last season, and was at just 9% on Oct 1st, so his stock is trading well above it’s 52-week high.
5) Sam Girard,
Col, (56% Yahoo ownership): The last time I recommended Sam Girard in a fantasy
report, he went pointless in his next 6 games, but I’m still a believer in the talent. Sure,
he has only scored 2 PTS in his last 9 GP, but he has also scored 2 PTS in his
last 3 GP, which is a much more exciting way to look at the stat line. The
reason I’m excited about Avalanche players this week is they’ll be playing on
Mon-Wed-Fri-Sun and will be easy to fit into your line-up. With both Makar and
Byram banged up, Girard should get a power play boost.
Honorable Mentions: Conor Garland, Martin Necas, Jesper Bratt, Alex Goligoski, Braden Holtby
Last Week: Jakub Voracek, Anthony
Cirelli, Reilly Smith, James Reimer, Rasmus Andersson
Best Deep League Adds
(under 25% ownership):
1) Ville Husso, Stl, (13% Yahoo ownership): With Jordan Binnington getting placed in Covid protocol, Ville Husso takes over the St. Louis net. On Saturday night the Florida Panthers ripped 51 shots at him, and Husso stopped 48, almost winning in a shootout (bringing his season-long SV% up to .929). The Blues will play 4 games this week, with Florida again and 3 winnable games in the nights that follow. Husso is currently available in 87% of leagues, and may also be worth adding in shallower formats where goaltending options are limited.
2) Rickard Rakell, Ana, (25% Yahoo ownership): The theme of my waiver wire report this week is kinda like that scene in Mighty Ducks 2 when Coach Bombay asks Charlie to get the team back together, leading to one of the best roller-blade scenes in movie history. The quack attack is back Jack! Add Rakell to my list of must-add Ducks (6 PTS in his last 7 GP), who plays on a line with Zegras and Sonny Milano. Even Sonny has scored 13 PTS in his last 14 GP and is available in 92% of Yahoo leagues. Ducks fly together!
3) Jamie Drysdale, Ana, (20% Yahoo ownership): It might be prudent to check which Ducks are available in each of your leagues. Drysdale has scored 10 PTS in his last 14 GP and is worth a weekly streamer slot in nearly all formats. He’s currently stuck behind Shattenkirk and Fowler on the power play depth chart, but is still getting plenty of opportunity with the man advantage. That deployment has been limiting his upside all season, but he’s still been productive in a secondary role and has a bright future.
4) Kaapo Kakko, NYR, (17% Yahoo ownership): Kakko earned a spot on last week’s waiver report based on the strength of his deployment on line 1 with Zibanejad and Kreider. Well guess what, he’s still on that line and still needs to be added (scoring 4 PTS in his last 6 GP). The Rangers are going to play 4 games this week, making Kakko a prized streaming target yet again. So, if you added him on my recommendation last week, then let it ride. He could be on the verge of a high-scoring breakout.
5) Valeri
Nichushkin, Col, (22% Yahoo ownership): The Ducks might play the most games
this week, but it will be Colorado players who will be the easiest to fit into
your starting line-up (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday will all be very busy).
Nichushkin has scored 10 PTS in his last 11 GP, and is in a position to get
more ice time with Kadri injured (though we don’t currently know how long Kadri
will be out). The Avalanche are a high-octane offensive team who are very
proficient at scoring goals.
Honorable Mentions: Andreas Johnsson, Sonny Milano, Hampus Lindholm, Yegor Sharangovich, Anthony Stolarz
Last Week: Kaapo Kakko, Gustav
Nyquist, Jesper Bratt, Dan Vladar, Vladislav Gavrikov
No comments:
Post a Comment