Operator: “911 … what is your emergency?”
Caller: “I need some assistance – I am at risk of not winning my fantasy hockey playoffs!”
Now is the time to pounce on some of the top players in fantasy hockey who were left for dead by frustrated owners. I have seen several “stars” drafted in early rounds placed on waivers, many in the over 80% owned range, which should be rostered. Expect this trend to continue for a few more weeks. The other thing to look for at this point would be consistent scorers returning from injury. Pick your spots and scoop them up for the long season. Remember, we play until late March, so a lot of situations will change. Make room for a few of these perennial owned players now before they go quickly.
Playing the waiver wire along with taking advantage of favorable schedules can boost your roster into the playoffs.
Here are some free agent options that may be available in your pool:
(Own % as of Wednesday Oct. 30th in Yahoo leagues)
Forward | Team | % Own | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Jake Virtanen | VAN | 1 | Good streaming option, Canucks putting in goals |
David Kreji | BOS | 19 | Back from injury on high scoring team |
Conor Garland | ARI | 7 | Sneaky pickup adding points to hits |
Bryan Rust | PIT | 3 | Deployment adds to value, don’t forget him |
Defense | Team | % Own | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Filip Hronek | DET | 21 | Flury of shots that are starting to connect |
Sami Vatanen | NJ | 4 | You could do a lot worse, 4 games week 6 |
Goalies | Team | % Own | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Brian Elliott | PHI | 12 | Been hot, can throw in a bad start, goalies are scarce |
Cam Talbot | CAL | 10 | Watch his use, if Flames heat up he could add wins |
Schedule advantage Week 6 Nov. 4 – Nov 10:
- 4 games, 12 teams: ARI, BOS, CHI, DET, EDM, NYR, NJ, OTT, PHI, TOR, VAN, VEG
- 2 games, 5 teams: ANA, BUF, DAL, TB, WAS
Looking further ahead to Week 7:
- 4 games, 3 teams: ARI, OTT, WAS
- 2 games, 4 teams: CBJ, NYI, NAS, TB
Dave Schneider can be contacted by email at daveytrane1@yahoo.com