Fantasy Hockey 2021/22 Week 13 Waiver Wire Report

Welcome to my 2021/22 Week Thirteen 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):

WARNING: Shortly after I posted this report, it was announced that Tampa's game against New Jersey was postponed. I'm not going to re-write my reports every time this happens, but I can add a warning. 

1) Sam Girard, Col, (61% Yahoo ownership): If you’re in the market for streamers for the upcoming week, do yourself a favor and first check which Colorado Avalanche are available in your league.  They play 4 games, including Seattle and Arizona twice. They could score 30 goals over the next 7 days. Girard is not currently on a hot streak (3 PTS in his last 8 GP), but is still scoring at a pace of 48 PTS per 82 GP on the season. If you need hits and blocks, his teammate Erik Johnson would be a more viable candidate.

2) Anthony Cirelli, TB, (39% Yahoo ownership): The return of Kucherov and Point resulted in a shift of other forwards down the Lightning line-up, leaving Cirelli on the 2nd line with an upgrade of Stamkos and Killorn. Tampa will be playing 4 games this week, with a few against weaker competition. So, after you’re done checking which Avs are available, next stop are the Bolts. Much like Girard, Cirelli hasn’t been particularly hot either (3 PTS in last 7 GP), but I like his situation and the schedule for this week in particular.

3) Conor Garland, Van, (62% Yahoo ownership): The Canucks have hardly played any games over the last month due to Covid outbreaks and attendance restrictions, so there may be more of them than usual available on your waiver wire. Garland has already made a few appearances on my weekly waiver recommendations and was on my sleeper list in September. He’s especially useful if you need help in the shots category. In his last 7 GP, Conor has 4 PTS, with 20 shots and a +3. They play 4 games against really good teams, so don’t expect help in +/-.

4) Alex Nedeljkovic, Det, (63% Yahoo ownership): Recommending a goalie in this ownership range can be tricky, especially during scheduling chaos. Each week I add every possible candidate to my watch list and begin a process of elimination. This season, the last men standing have often been Nedeljkovic, Reimer, or Quick. This week Big Al is the least worst streaming option. The Red Wings play winnable games, and the rookie is getting a majority of the starts. Over his last 6 GP, Alex has posted a .914 SV%.

5) Carter Verhaeghe, Fla, (55% Yahoo ownership): Carter Verhaeghe is on pace to score 67 PTS, which is down slightly from his 69-point pace last season. He’s playing on the top line with Barkov, scoring 8 PTS in his last 9 GP. The Panthers don’t have a particularly tantalizing schedule this week, but Verhaeghe’s ownership is still too low, available in some leagues where he shouldn’t be. There aren’t many situations better than being on the top line and top power play for one of the highest scoring teams in the league.

 

Honorable Mentions: Anthony Duclair, Tanner Jeannot, Jordan Eberle, Erik Johnson, Anthony Stolarz

Last Week: Ivan Barbashev, Justin Faulk, Reilly Smith, Alex Nedeljkovic, Tanner Jeannot

 

Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):

 

1) Corey Perry, TB, (21% Yahoo ownership): Perry was an honorable mention in my fantasy report last week, and has not slowed down since, scoring 8 PTS in his last 8 GP (with 18 shots). There has been a re-alignment of the Tampa depth chart that could hurt the sustainability of his current hot streak, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a solid streaming target this week. He does have a spot on Tampa’s 2nd power play unit and has potted 2 PP PTS in his last 8 GP. Also averages roughly a hit per game, and takes a lot of shots.

2) Erik Cernak, TB, (9% Yahoo ownership): Cernak was 23% owned at the end of October, after averaging 21% last season. His stock value has dropped after missing several games with an injury. Cernak is especially useful in category leagues that count hits and shots. In 18 GP this season, Erik has fired 39 shots on net, adding 51 hits. It may not even matter if he provides any PTS. Over the past 2 seasons, Cernak has been a regular streaming target of mine whenever I need help in hits and shots from my blueline.

3) Pavel Francouz, Col, (13% Yahoo ownership): Francouz was my deep league goaltending recommendation last week, and played 1 game in relief of Kuemper, leading the team to a come from behind victory vs Toronto, stopping 18 of 19 shots. The Avalanche play 4 games this week, 3 against terrible teams, including a back-to-back against Arizona. Francouz will get a minimum of 1 win, and possibly 2. Martin Jones is another option, but the Flyers play 3 really good teams this week, and are unlikely to emerge victorious.

4) Tanner Pearson, Van, (5% Yahoo ownership): The Canucks will be going on road trip this week after a long period of inactivity. When the team has been allowed to play, Pearson has scored 6 PTS in his last 7 GP, playing on a line with Garland and Pettersson. The season started slowly for the 29-year-old, but he’s been picking up steam. He averaged 22% ownership in 2019/20, 13% last season, and is currently 5% owned. His fantasy usefulness has been trending downward, but he’s worth a stream this week.

5) Jared McCann, Sea, (22% Yahoo ownership): I don’t own any Kraken players in fantasy, aside from maybe the occasional streamer. Well, this week they are going to have a busy schedule, and could present some streaming value. Jared McCann might be the leading candidate for team MVP, and is particularly useful in the shots category. Over his last 7 GP, McCann has scored 4 PTS with 26 shots. If instead you need some hits, you might want to try teammate Yanni Gourde who has 3 PTS in 3 GP (with 8 hits) since returning from Covid protocol.

 

Honorable Mentions: Craig Smith, Matt Grzelcyk, Yanni Gourde, Nils Hoglander, Martin Jones

Last Week: Craig Smith, Ross Colton, Pavel Francouz, Damon Severson, Nicolas Roy