Fantasy Hockey: Weekend Streaming Targets – Week 11
Our Weekend Streamers series aims to help you steal your matchup by getting the most value possible out of the limited transactions in your fantasy league. Every Friday, we break down the teams and skaters with the most streamer-friendly schedules over the weekend.
This weekend features seven games on Friday, 11 on Saturday, and six on Sunday. There are seven teams playing on both Friday and Sunday this weekend, so we are going to switch up the format a little bit and look at the top options at each ownership range in Yahoo! Fantasy leagues, starting with 40% – 31%.
40% – 31%: Ross Colton (C/LW – 40% Owned)
It is hard to find a team with a better matchup spread this weekend than the Avalanche. Colorado travels to Anaheim for the tail-end of their back-to-back on Friday before hosting the Kraken on Sunday. That means you are going to want as much exposure to the likes of Nathan MacKinnon and Mikko Rantanen as you can get this weekend, and Colton is still floating around on the waiver wire of 60% of leagues.
Colton began the season as hot as any player in the league, scoring eight goals in his first ten games before suffering a broken foot in late October. He has struggled to replicate that production since returning from injury, scoring just two goals in seven games, but even though he now has to contend with a healthy Valeri Nichushkin and Artturi Lehkonen for minutes, Colton is still seeing ideal utilization. He skated alongside Rantanen and Casey Mittelstadt on the team’s second line in San Jose on Thursday, and continues to hold down a spot on the Avs’ first power-play unit. Colton’s name could be all over the scoresheet this weekend if he sees similar usage against the Kraken and Ducks.
30% – 21%: Nick Schmaltz (C/RW – 24% Owned)
One of the most underrated point producers in the NHL, Schmaltz is always one of the first names you should check for when you’re looking to get some spare games into your fantasy lineup. The 28-year-old winger sees major minutes alongside Clayton Keller at 5v5 and on the power-play. They’ve developed a very potent chemistry over the last few seasons, thanks in large part to Schmaltz’s playmaking prowess. Utah is averaging a robust 33 scoring chances and 15 high-danger chances per 60 when the two of them are on the ice at 5v5 together this season.
Over his last four seasons, Schmaltz has racked up 72 goals and 131 assists in 236 games, including 25 points in 31 games this year. He is certainly deserving of much higher ownership than just 24%, and that’s especially true this weekend when Utah faces the Wild and Ducks. The obvious knock on Schmaltz is the lack of shot volume and goal scoring upside, but you won’t find a safer bet off the waiver wire to pad your assist totals this weekend.
20% – 11%: Casey Mitteltstadt (C – 20% Owned)
In case you missed it in the Colton blurb, let me say it again: you are going to want as much exposure to MacKinnon and Rantanen as you can get this weekend. Like Colton, Mitteltstadt’s production has really slowed down of late after a red-hot start to the campaign. He hasn’t found the back of the net in his last 15 games and the shot volume has been dwindling as you might expect, but he remains a reliable playmaker, notching five assists in his last seven games.
The lack of goal scoring obviously caps his upside, and that’s why we find him further down this list. But if we like the odds of Colton and Rantanen finding the back of the net against the Ducks and Kraken (and we do), then stacking Mitteltstadt’s assist production alongside them makes a lot of sense.
10% – 0%: Eetu Luostarinen (C/LW – 2% Owned)
Of course, no streaming post is complete without a recommendation tailored for banger leagues, and that’s exactly what the 98% available Luostarinen is. The 26-year-old Finn has bounced up and down the Panthers’ lineup this season, but currently finds himself alongside Anton Lundell and Sam Reinhart on the team’s second line. His minutes have skyrocketed the last few games and the production has unsurprisingly followed suit. He’s scored a goal and assist over that span while also piling up 13 hits.
The hits are of course where most of this potential value is stemming from. His physical play gives him a stable floor and his exposure to Reinhart means he has the potential to pad your point totals as well. He still makes for a viable option in deeper leagues with standard scoring formats, just know the potential upside is limited here by a lack of power-play time.