Welcome to the new Daily Fantasy Hockey weekly waiver wire report. Each week I will be updating some of the players we should targeting on the waiver wire to help us build a championship fantasy hockey team. The recommendations will focus on, for the most part, standard Yahoo Hockey leagues with the following stat categories:
- Goals
- Assists
- Powerplay Points
- Short Handed Points
- +/- Rating
- Shots on Goal
- Hits
- Faceoffs Won
- Goalie Wins
- Saves
- Save %
- Goals Against Average
- Shutouts
Only players who are under 50% owned in Yahoo Fantasy Hockey will be considered for the waiver wire report. If you have specific questions about how a player fits your league settings please hit me up on Twitter(@Jager_Bombs9)
Let us now take a look at this week's low owned waiver wire options:
Fantasy Hockey Sleepers and Waiver Wire Pickups at Defense and Goaltender
Defense
Cam Fowler (ANH, D) 41% Owned
He just came off a stretch where he had points in five of six games. He isn't going to help much in the +/- department but if you need some extra offensive stats and you have an open or wasted D slot he makes a great addition to a roster.
Anton Stralman (TB, D) 49% Owned
He isn't going to light the world on fire in the scoring department but can aid your fantasy team in many other ways. He has fired 13 shots on goal in his last 3 games and was rewarded last game with a goal and an assist vs. the Islanders. He is getting over 21:00 of ice time with 2:41 coming on the powerplay each game.
Shayne Gostisbehere (PHI, D) 19% Owned
The "Ghost", as his teammates call him, has had a great start to his career. In his first eight games he has three goals, including two powerplay, overtime winners. He has added an assist and a whopping 19 shots on goal. He is positioned on the #1 powerplay unit to be the quarterback on the point. His +/- can be a bit damaging as he learns to play more of a defensive game in the NHL but presents huge upside with offense.
Also Available - Rasmus Ristolainen (BUF, G) 45% Owned
Goaltenders
Michal Neuvirth (PHI, G) 38% Owned
Don't look now but a Flyer goaltender leads the league in save percentage. He has a bright spot on a struggling team with a new coach. He went 3-1 with a .946 save % and one shutout in November and has been a huge part in bringing the Flyers back to life. His ownership % is climbing and probably won't be around next week at this time.
Garret Sparks (TOR, G) 12% Owned
He made his NHL debut on Monday and made a historic start. He shutout the Oilers and became the first goalie in Leafs history to record a shutout in his debut. It look like he will get another start as Reimer doesn't look to be quite ready to return yet. If you are playing in a keeper format he is a great stash as a backup this year with huge upside in the future.
Also Available - James Reimer (TOR, G) 53% Owned