Fantasy Hockey: Weekend Streaming Targets – Week 2
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 morning, we break down the teams and skaters with the most streamer-friendly schedules over the weekend.
This weekend features three games on Friday, 13 on Saturday, and three on Sunday. There are five teams playing on both Friday and Sunday this weekend, so let’s get into it. Happy streaming!
Anaheim Ducks–@ COL (Fri), vs. LAK (Sun)
From a fantasy perspective, the good news about the Ducks is that almost their entire top-six is widely available in fantasy leagues. Unfortunately, that’s for good reason – they don’t score a whole lot of goals. The Ducks have scored just eight times in three games so far this year, though an optimist would point out they are fresh off a season-high five-goal performance against Utah on Wednesday.
The matchup spread here leaves a lot to be desired, but I still think the likes of Troy Terry, Mason McTavish, Leo Carlsson, and Cutter Gauthier are worth a roll of the dice this weekend. All four are on the team’s first power-play unit and are available in over 80% of fantasy leagues. Of the four, I’m most interested in Terry. He scored in each of his last two games and continues to rack up shots on goal.
Colorado Avalanche–vs. ANA (Fri), @ SJS (Sun)
Talk about an enticing matchup spread. The Avalanche are struggling to keep the puck out of their own net in the early days of the season, but they have no problem scoring goals of their own. Of course, you aren’t going to find the integral pieces of the Avalanche attack anywhere near the waiver wire, but there are a couple of peripheral parts that you need to be on the lookout for this weekend.
Given all of the team’s injuries, Casey Mittelstadt (29% owned) is seeing an extended run in the Avs’ top-six and the former Sabre is making the most of it. He is playing just under 21 minutes a night and has parlayed that into some consistent shot volume, racking up 11 shots on goal in four games. While he currently is not getting any exposure to Colorado’s big guns at 5v5, he is skating alongside the likes of Mikko Rantanen, Cale Makar, and Nathan MacKinnon on the man advantage. Mittelstadt already has three goals on the season and is a strong bet to get his name on the scoresheet again this weekend.
The final member of Colorado’s potent power-play unit is Ross Colton (25% owned), and he gets the added benefit of playing with MacKinnon and Rantanen at even strength, too. Like Mittelstadt, Colton is making the absolute most of his opportunity to start the season. With two goals, one assist, 13 shots and 17 hits through his first four games, Colton is worthy of a roster spot so long as he maintains this role. Grab him now before it’s too late.
Pittsburgh Penguins–vs. CAR (Fri), @ WPG (Sun)
The matchup spread isn’t great and there isn’t a lot of depth here to begin with, but I do want to give a quick shoutout to Rickard Rakell (18% owned). He was the main beneficiary of Evgeni Malkin‘s recent torrid streak, finding the back of the net in each of his last three games. A lack of power-play one exposure caps Rakell’s upside, but his chemistry with Malkin at 5v5 gives him a solid floor even in a tough pair of matchups. He makes for a fine consolation prize if you were beat to the punch on Colton and Mittetlstadt.
San Jose Sharks–@ WPG (Fri), vs. COL (Sun)
Believe it or not, there is a lot of potential fantasy value to be found in San Jose this weekend. Connor Hellebuyck and the Jets will make for a tough assignment on Friday night, but the Avalanche are surrendering more goals than anyone else in the league. William Eklund (12% owned) is unfortunately unavailable for Friday’s contest, but he is worth keeping in mind for a one-off start on Sunday if he is able to return. Otherwise, we are looking at the likes of Mikael Granlund (23% owned) and Fabian Zetterlund (10% owned).
Granlund is the preferred play but is not as widely available. The 13-year-veteran is taking on plenty of ice time, averaging over 21 minutes a game. He offers plenty of upside thanks to exposure at 5v5 and on the power-play to Tyler Toffoli (53% owned), who is an excellent target himself in shallower leagues. Granlund is yet to find the back of the net through four games, but he does have three helpers and is averaging four shots per game.
Zetterlund will likely be relegated to second-line duties this weekend, but he should see plenty of power-play time alongside Toffoli and Granlund. While his usage isn’t on par with the two of them, Zetterlund’s ice time is still north of 17 minutes a night. He already has two goals on the season and is a decent bet to find the back of the net again this weekend, particularly on Sunday against the Avs.
Winnipeg Jets–vs. SJS (Fri), vs. PIT (Sun)
Finally we have the Jets, who should be sizable favourites in both of their home matchups this weekend. Unfortunately, similar to the Penguins, a lack of depth in Winnipeg means you won’t find a lot of quality options on the wire, but there is one name worth checking for.
Gabriel Vilardi (32% owned) has endured a slow start to the season, yet he still remains tied to the hip of Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor at 5v5 and on the power-play. The trio is yet to score a goal at 5v5 together, but the underlying numbers suggest better days are ahead. The Jets are averaging just under 30 scoring chances per 60 with their top line on the ice. I would expect Vilardi and his line-mates to take advantage of a pair of favourable matchups and get their game back on track this weekend. Full stream ahead.