Welcome to my 2021/22 Week Fourteen 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.
If Yahoo #FantasyHockey is going to have a month-long week 16 with a bunch of rescheduled games, it might be smart in week 15 to start stocking up with players from teams with the most postponed games, like the Islanders, Senators, and other Canadian teams.
— Hockey Economist (@Hockeconomics) January 15, 2022
Best Standard League Adds (25% to 65% Yahoo ownership):
1) Anthony Duclair, Fla, (65% Yahoo ownership): While Verhaeghe has been heating up on the Barkov line, so too has Anthony Duclair caught fire on the Huberdeau line. The Panthers have scored 21 goals in their last 3 games and whatever residual exposure you can get to those top 2 scoring lines is a must. Duclair has scored a whopping 13 PTS in his last 9 games, thanks largely to Huberdeau. Duclair needs to be owned in all standard sized leagues beyond just a streamer. Until he cools off or gets demoted to a lower line, he needs to be owned.
2) Noah Dobson, NYI, (33% Yahoo ownership): The New York Islanders have played the fewest games in the NHL, and will be making up the difference over the next 6 weeks. They’ll play 4 times this week with Dobson quarterbacking the top power play unit. The young defenseman has scored 8 PTS in his last 10 GP (on a 41-point pace for the season), and is poised for a breakout. If you can hang on to him until the marathon month-long “week 16”, you might hit the jackpot with all those postponed games the Islanders will theoretically be playing.
3) Carter Verhaeghe, Fla, (60% Yahoo ownership): This is Verhaeghe’s second consecutive week on this list, thanks to his deployment/chemistry with Aleksander Barkov. Carter has scored 9 PTS in his last 9 GP and needs to be owned in more leagues. There is one big red flag hanging over all Panthers players this week, with 3 of their 4 games scheduled to be played in Canada, where there have been frequent postponements due to attendance restrictions. There’s a risk that one or more of those Canadian games could get postponed at the last minute. Consider yourself warned.
4) Tanner Jeannot, Nsh, (53% Yahoo ownership): Jeannot has become a must-own player in category leagues that count hits. In his last 10 GP, the winger has scored 7 PTS with 41 hits. I’ve been riding the Jeannot train myself for the last 2 weeks, and will not be disembarking for at least another 7 days as the Preds play 4 times in week 13. He has been scoring goals at an unsustainable rate, and will inevitably cool off in that department. Once that happens, it’ll be harder to hold a permanent roster spot for this banger, but enjoy the ride while it lasts.
5) Pavel Francouz, Col, (30% Yahoo ownership): This is my 3rd consecutive week recommending Francouz, who has still only played 3 games, winning all of them. The bottom line here is that Colorado has another (relatively) easy schedule this week, and Francouz is going to see some action for one of the league’s best teams. His save percentage is still underwhelming at .895, but keep in mind that after a long injury absence, it will take him a few games to find his form. I’m also interested in a resurgent Cal Petersen, but am concerned about their games vs Colorado and Tampa.
Honorable Mentions: Sam Girard, Cal Petersen, Adrian Kempe, Viktor Arvidsson, Clayton Keller
Last Week: Sam Girard, Anthony Cirelli, Conor Garland, Alex Nedeljkovic, Carter Verhaeghe
Best Deep League Adds (under 25% ownership):
1) Karel Vejmelka, Ari, (9% Yahoo ownership): Recommending an Arizona goaltender as a fantasy streamer would have seemed preposterous to me earlier in the season (the inexplicable Scott Wedgewood hot streak notwithstanding), but this week presents ideal circumstances. The Coyotes play 4 games against teams that average below 3 goals scored per game (two of them among the 3 lowest scoring teams in the league). We recently saw Vejmelka stand on his head and steal a game from the mighty Leafs, and he’s sporting a respectable .916 SV% over his last 5 GP. The best part, he’s available in 91% of leagues.
2) Alex Tuch, Buf, (22% Yahoo ownership): Getting traded to the Buffalo Sabres has resulted in Alex Tuch getting a big boost in time on ice, becoming one of their top offensive weapons. In his first 5 GP playing on the top line, he has scored 4 PTS with 8 shots and 7 hits. The shot numbers are low right now, but I’m hoping that will pick up as he plays more games (last season he fired 2.5 shots per game). The Sabres play 4 games this week, including back-to-back Mon-Tue games vs Detroit and Ottawa that could be really juicy (even though technically Detroit shut them out yesterday).
3) Trevor Moore, LA, (8% Yahoo ownership): Last season Trevor Moore scored at a 34-point pace and was 0% owned in fantasy for most of the campaign. So it caught me by surprise to see that he has scored 12 PTS in his last 10 GP with 26 shots and 13 hits, averaging 16:23 time on ice. Trevor has been playing on the 2nd line with Danault and Arvidsson, which has proven to be a fertile scoring ground. Moore has climbed to 8% owned, up from 0% on Dec 31. The Kings play 4 games this week, so it’s well worth taking Trevor for a spin.
4) Brandon Montour, Fla, (12% Yahoo ownership): The Florida Panthers offense is officially a juggernaut, second only to Colorado in goals per game. The rising tide raises all boats, and Montour has scored 6 PTS in his last 9 GP (pacing for 40 PTS per 82 GP on the season). As mentioned above, there’s a risk that some of their games next week might get postponed, but it has yet to be officially announced. Montour’s ice time is a little low, but he still provides a decent shot rate and sees time on the Florida power play. Also +8 over his last 9 GP.
5) Luke Kunin, Nsh, (9% Yahoo ownership): The most intriguing feature of Luke Kunin is not his deployment on the 2nd line with Ryan Johansen, but rather the 35 hits he has thrown in the last 10 GP (while also providing 6 PTS and 19 shots). If you need hits this week, you may also want to try Lawson Crouse in Arizona (25 hits in last 7 GP). Speaking of the Coyotes, Phil Kessel also earned serious consideration for my final deep league recommendation, having scored 10 PTS in his last 8 GP. If Phil gets traded to a contender before the deadline, he could become a hot commodity.
Honorable Mentions: Anton, Lundell, Phil Kessel, Lawson Crouse, Gustav Forsling, Martin Jones
Last Week: Corey Perry, Erik Cernak, Pavel Francouz, Tanner Pearson, Jared McCann
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