Fantasy Hockey 2025-26: Weekly Strength of Schedule and Streaming Targets — Week 16

Finding an edge in fantasy hockey often comes down to maximizing your man games — and targeting players with favourable matchups. Our Fantasy Hockey Strength of Schedule tool helps you do precisely that.

Each week, we evaluate every NHL team’s upcoming slate using three key factors:

• Games Played: More games mean more opportunities for fantasy points.
• Strength of Schedule (SOS): Based on opponent difficulty, the higher the score, the easier the matchups.
• Light Nights: Nights with eight or fewer NHL games, when it’s easier to fit extra players into your active lineup.

By combining these three components, the tool highlights which teams — and streamers — are best positioned for fantasy success this week.

If you’re looking for a full breakdown of every team’s upcoming schedule, check out our Fantasy Hockey Strength of Schedule Tool — updated daily to show which teams have the most games and valuable light-night matchups each week.

Week 16 Strength of Schedule

Week 16 Streaming Targets

Because of Martin Luther King Day on Monday, the NHL schedule is a bit wonky this week. Instead of the usual heavy Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday slates, Monday actually shapes up as the busiest night. That means you should have open lineup spots nearly every day, making traditional “Light Nights” largely irrelevant. With that in mind, we’re going to focus on the teams playing four games this week (half the league), with an emphasis on those drawing favourable matchups.

New Jersey Devils

The Devils are tied for the best Week 16 schedule, with games at Calgary, Edmonton, Vancouver, and Seattle. Three of those four matchups qualify as premium spots, making New Jersey one of the most attractive teams to target this week.

Dawson Mercer (C/RW – 28% rostered)

Mercer is the safest of the Devils’ streaming options based on deployment, skating alongside Nico Hischier and Timo Meier at even strength. That said, he doesn’t offer an elite floor or ceiling. He enters Week 16 with four points (2G / 2A) in his last eight games, while averaging just 1.8 SOG and 3.8 Shot Attempts per game. Mercer isn’t a volume shooter, but his role gives him a strong chance to chip in points this week. The Meier–Hischier–Mercer line has posted a solid 3.1 xGF/60 and 28.1 SCF/60 this season, generating enough offense to capitalize on New Jersey’s favorable matchups.

Arseny Gritsyuk (LW/RW – 1% rostered)

Gritsyuk is a riskier option than Mercer, but the upside is higher. He has just one assist in his last eight games, but recently earned a promotion to the Devils’ top power-play unit following Stefan Noesen’s injury. That added opportunity boosts his breakout potential. Gritsyuk has shown encouraging shot volume, averaging 2.4 SOG and 4.4 Shot Attempts per game over his last seven, giving him a better floor than Mercer despite playing roughly three fewer minutes per night.

Pittsburgh Penguins

The Penguins draw the same set of matchups as the Devils this week, just in a different order (@ SEA, @ CGY, @ EDM, @ VAN). Like New Jersey, Pittsburgh doesn’t offer many slam-dunk streaming options, so the approach here is largely betting on lower-end players breaking through in favorable matchups—unless you’re in a league where Evgeni Malkin (73%) or Rickard Rakell (66%) are somehow still available.

Kris Letang (D – 43% rostered)

Letang should be available in some leagues, particularly standard formats, because he’s still a strong volume contributor in extended formats where he averages 1.3 blocks and 1.3 hits per game. His value jumped last week after Erik Karlsson was placed on IR, pushing Letang onto the top power-play unit and into nearly 25 minutes per night. In those three games, he recorded an assist in each while averaging 1.0 SOG, 3.7 Shot Attempts, and his usual reliable peripherals. With two matchups against bottom-three penalty kills this week, his role on PP1 could pay dividends for managers needing blue-line help.

Ben Kindel (C – 2%), Egor Chinakhov (LW/RW – 1%), Tommy Novak (C/LW – 1%)

These three options are fairly interchangeable this week, so you can largely choose based on league format and roster needs.

• Kindel is skating on the third line and second power-play unit and offers the best shot volume of the trio. He has five assists in his last eight games while averaging 1.8 SOG and 3.5 Shot Attempts per game.
• Chinakhov may be the best positioned, skating on the second line with Malkin and seeing time on the second power-play unit. He has four points (3G / 1A) in his last eight games, averaging 1.6 SOG, 3.8 Shot Attempts, and just 13:42 TOI per game. However, he logged 15:05 TOI in his most recent outing, which could signal an expanded role.
• Novak has the strongest recent production, posting seven points (2G / 5A) in his last 11 games and recently skating on the second line with Malkin. His power-play usage is inconsistent, but his shot volume is comparable to Kindel and Chinakhov, keeping him on the fringe of the streaming conversation this week.

Anaheim Ducks

The Ducks have three favorable matchups and one clear stay-away spot this week. They host the Rangers on Monday before heading on the road to Colorado, Seattle, and Calgary. Colorado is the obvious tough draw, but Anaheim should be able to generate offense in the other three games. They also offer the strongest streaming options among the schedule-driven teams.

Beckett Sennecke (RW – 36% rostered)

Sennecke has been a streaky scorer this season, but when he gets rolling, the production comes in bunches. He enters Week 16 with at least one point in eight of his last nine games, totaling nine points (4G / 5A), while averaging 3.1 SOG, 6.4 Shot Attempts, 1.3 hits, and 19:11 TOI per game. He’s one of the best streams of the week and could once again turn into a longer-term hold if this offense sticks.

The concern, of course, is volatility. We’ve seen similar hot streaks from Sennecke followed by cold spells, like his mid-to-late December stretch where he managed just two points over seven games. Still, the bigger-picture production is strong: 33 points (12G / 21A) in his last 38 games, which translates to a 71-point pace (26G / 45A).

Mikael Granlund (C/LW/RW – 23% rostered)

Granlund is an excellent fallback option if Sennecke isn’t available. With Leo Carlsson out, Granlund has been logging massive minutes, averaging 21:30 TOI over his last six games. What’s stood out most is his recent shot volume. Known primarily as a pass-first playmaker, Granlund has averaged 3.2 SOG and 6.0 Shot Attempts per game over his last five. If he continues to see 21-plus minutes with that level of shot output, Granlund is well-positioned for a productive week.

Minnesota Wild

The Wild rank seventh  in schedule quality this week and have seen several strong streaming options emerge after injuries decimated the roster over the past two weeks. Joel Eriksson Ek remained out over the weekend, while Matt Boldy and Marcus Johansson joined him last week, leaving Minnesota’s entire second line sidelined. Eriksson Ek’s timeline remains unclear, Boldy is expected to miss a week or two, and Johansson is day-to-day. Schedule-wise, the Wild open the week in Toronto and Montreal before returning home to face Detroit and Florida.

Mats Zuccarello (RW – 18% rostered)

Zuccarello was already logging heavy minutes, but with the Wild shorthanded, his workload has skyrocketed. He played a massive 25:35 in Saturday’s win in Buffalo and enters Monday with nine points (4G / 5A) in his last 11 games. The shot volume has been excellent as well, averaging 2.5 SOG and 5.3 Shot Attempts per game, highlighted by an 11-attempt outing against the Sabres. If Minnesota doesn’t get reinforcements back this week, Zuccarello’s ceiling is extremely high.

Ryan Hartman (C/RW – 10% rostered)

With Eriksson Ek out, Hartman has taken on an expanded role, and with Boldy and Johansson also sidelined, he logged 22:10 TOI on Saturday. Hartman enters the week with five points (4G / 1A) in his last six games while averaging 2.3 SOG and 4.5 Shot Attempts per game. If the injury situation holds and Hartman continues to skate with Kirill Kaprizov and on PP1, he’s an excellent streaming option this week.

Vladimir Tarasenko (LW/RW – 5% rostered)

Tarasenko sits third in the pecking order, but he regained a spot on the top power-play unit with Boldy out and responded with two points (1G / 1A) and five SOG in 15:55 TOI on Saturday. He’s more dependent on the injured forwards remaining out than Zuccarello or Hartman, but if that’s the case, Tarasenko is a viable stream in deeper formats.

Seattle Kraken

The Kraken rank eight in schedule quality this week, but they offer far better streaming options than the Florida Panthers, Vancouver Canucks, and Colorado Avalanche, who sit just ahead of them. Seattle plays four home games, hosting the Penguins, Islanders, Ducks, and Devils, making them an appealing target. 

Jared McCann (C/LW – 40% rostered)

McCann continues to be one of the most underappreciated fantasy assets in the game. Despite producing 11 points (5G / 6A) in his last 11 games, he’s still available in roughly 60 percent of Yahoo leagues. He maintains strong shot volume, averaging 2.5 SOG and 4.5 Shot Attempts per game, and was promoted to the top line midway through Seattle’s most recent contest. If that role sticks and leads to increased ice time, McCann could be even more productive this week. He offers a secure role, a reliable floor, and legitimate week-winning upside, making him a strong stream with long-term appeal.

Jordan Eberle (RW – 30% rostered)

Eberle missed a couple of games in early January but has returned with three points (2G / 1A) in four games since. Overall, he has 11 points (7G / 4A) in his last 12 outings. There’s slightly more hesitation with Eberle right now, as his shot volume has dipped to just 1.3 SOG per game in January. If that trend continues, his ceiling will be lower than it was in November and December, when he was a more reliable fantasy target.

Matty Beniers (C – 27% rostered)

Like Mikael Granlund, Beniers has long been viewed as a pass-first playmaker, but his shot volume has taken a noticeable step forward in January. Over his last 10 games, he’s averaging 2.3 SOG and 4.5 Shot Attempts per game, roughly half a shot more per night than his season-long pace. Beniers enters the week with 13 points (6G / 7A) in his last 14 games, marking one of the best stretches of his young career. With a favorable schedule ahead, that production could continue.