Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Pickups: Week 3
Each week, we’re here to help you find value on the waiver wire. Players who are trending up, earning new opportunities, or quietly producing under the radar. These can be short-term difference-makers who can help you win the week or patch lineup holes caused by injuries, but also project to have long-term upside.
Our focus is on availability and upside: players rostered in fewer than 40% of leagues who are showing strong usage trends, positive analytics, or upcoming schedule advantages.
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Goalie Pickups
By: Brock Seguin
Cam Talbot (DET – G) – 36% Rostered
John Gibson struggled in the season opener, which opened the door for Talbot to start three straight. He made the most of it—going 3-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA, .929 SV%, and 2.2 goals saved above expected (GSAx).
John Gibson (DET – G) – 34% Rostered
Gibson’s Red Wings debut was rough, but some of those goals were fluky. Since then, he’s settled in nicely—stopping 47 of 50 shots (.940 SV%) to win back-to-back starts.
At this point, both Detroit goalies should be rostered. The Red Wings are playing strong team hockey, supported by one of the NHL’s best penalty kills. However, it’s going to be a timeshare all year. Todd McLellan isn’t afraid to ride the hot hand, which means you could easily go a week with only one (or zero) starts from either guy. It’ll be frustrating, but both should deliver solid ratios when they do play.
Jake Allen (NJD – G) – 36% Rostered
With Jacob Markstrom sidelined, Allen has taken over as New Jersey’s No.1—and he’s thriving. He’s undefeated with a 1.91 GAA and .931 SV%. The Devils are playing great in front of him, ranking top-10 in both 5v5 xGF/60 and xGA/60, and boasting one of the league’s best PKs. Combine that with 4.0 goals per game of support, and Allen is probably the best short-term pickup available right now.
Alex Lyon (BUF – G) – 28% Rostered
Lyon has been a workhorse to start the year—he’s started every Sabres game, faced the most shots (198), and made the most saves (183) in the NHL. He’s posted a 2.55 GAA, .924 SV%, one shutout, and 5.1 GSAx.
Lyon has quietly been solid for years, ranking top-30 in GSAx/60 in each of the last two seasons. But his workload might shrink soon. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen is on a conditioning stint and should rejoin the team soon. Plus, Buffalo’s defensive structure is still shaky, which could drag Lyon’s SV% closer to .910 and push his GAA above 3.00 over time.
Jakub Dobeš (MTL – G) – 26% Rostered
Dobeš has started hot—again. He opened last year 5-0-0 with a 1.55 GAA and .941 SV%, but went 2-9 after that. This year, he’s 3-0-0 with a 1.63 GAA, .939 SV%, and 1.9 GSAx/60 (third-best in the NHL).
Montreal’s underlying numbers are average, but good enough to give Dobeš a chance to win most nights. The issue is volume. Sam Montembeault isn’t going anywhere, and the Habs seem content to rotate them evenly. Expect just 1–2 starts per week unless one clearly separates.
Dan Vladar (PHI – G) – 19% Rostered
Vladar’s been terrific through four starts (1.75 GAA, .929 SV%), and it doesn’t look fluky. Philadelphia currently leads the NHL in 5v5 xGA/60 and sits in the top 10 in PK%. They won’t score much for him, but the team defense has been elite. With Samuel Ersson struggling (.849 SV%), Vladar should continue to see an increasing share of the workload.
Akira Schmid (VGK – G) – 18% Rostered
Adin Hill left Monday’s game vs. Carolina with a lower-body injury—the second time in four games he’s been forced out. That sets up Schmid for an extended look. He’s been inconsistent but flashed upside, including stopping 22 of 23 shots in relief vs. the undefeated Hurricanes.
Vegas is top-10 offensively and defensively by the metrics, making Schmid a strong speculative add while Hill’s sidelined.
Elvis Merzļikins (CBJ – G) – 13% Rostered
Jet Greaves was the trendy preseason draft pick, and he’s currently leading the NHL in GSAx/60 (2.4)—but Elvis hasn’t left the building. Merzļikins has maintained a timeshare with a 2.69 GAA, .927 SV%, and a 2-1-0 record.
The problem? Columbus has been one of the league’s worst defensive teams, which could erode both goalies’ numbers over time. Merzļikins is a fine deep-league pickup for those desperate for starts, but there are safer options among time-share goalies on stronger defensive teams.
Skater Pickups
By: Beebs Bondy
Zach Benson (BUF – LW) – 30% Rostered
PP1/L1- 6 Pts (6A) in 3 GP (11 SOG) – 18:29 TOI
Buffalo’s return to relevance early on this season has a direct correlation to Benson’s entering the lineup for his season debut just three games ago. The 20-year-old former 13th overall pick (2023) has all the pedigree to be Buffalo’s next big star and found himself in a fantastic position on the Sabres’ top power play and line with Tage Thompson to start his season. The flashy forward has turned his early optimal usage into an incredible 6 assists and 11 SOG through three games to start the year. Coming off an eye-opening seven-shot performance in Monday’s loss to Montreal, he is proving that he can be an offensive contributor across all categories (not just assists) and is effective in both offensive aspects with his 3.66 SOG per game so far. Add in his game-by-game increase in ice time (21:11 TOI on Monday), and we have ourselves a perfect breakout candidate that is sitting at 30% rostered at the moment.
Conor Garland (VAN – RW) – 30% Rostered
PP1/L1 – 7 Pts (2G/5A) in 7 GP – 21 SOG – 20:10 TOI
After bursts of offensive spark in 2024-25, it appears Conor Garland has gained the trust of Vancouver’s new head coach, Adam Foote, and is quickly becoming his go-to option on offence. Garland has been absolutely eating ice time to start the season, averaging over 20+ mins TOI and ranking in the top 30 among forwards in usage. The uptick in ice time has led to a massive boost in both SOG and point production for the feisty forward, as shown by his 3 SOG per game alongside his point-per-game production (7 Pts in 7 GP). Recent injuries have led to Vancouver leaning even more on their 29-year-old forward as Garland finds himself occupying both Vancouver’s top power play and line with Elias Pettersson. If anyone is going to put up points for the Canucks, it is likely to be their top forwards, and Garland seems like that guy for the time being.
Sean Couturier (PHI – C) – 8% Rostered
PP1/L1 – 7 Pts (2G/5A) in 6 GP – 10 SOG – 19:28 TOI
Couturier was moved to Philadelphia’s top power play just seven days ago and has not looked back, putting up 7 Pts (2G/5A) and eight SOG in four games since his lineup promotion. The 32-year-old Flyers’ captain is enjoying his 14th NHL season in Philadelphia, but first under Head Coach Rick Tocchet, and he appears to be very much in his boss’s good books. The veteran forward is no stranger to eating up ice time and has used this experience to take his game a step further by averaging 19:28 TOI this season (57th among all forwards). Couturier showed flashes of fantasy relevance last year by closing out the 2024-25 campaign with 13 Pts (5G/8A) in his final 13 GP to go along with 39 SOG (3 per game). Dating back to his previous 19 games played, he is over a point-per-game player (20 points) and deserves much more ownership than his single-digit % shows.
Banger – Emmit Finnie (DET – C/LW) – 26% Rostered
L1 – 5 Pts in 6 GP (25th in hits – 22 in 6 GP)
Despite being a 2023 7th-round pick, Finnie battled and earned his way onto Detroit’s top line out of training camp and has not looked back, hitting everything in sight while occupying key minutes alongside Dylan Larkin. Finnie has not only turned his early, unexpected usage into five points in six games, but impressively ranks tied for 25th among all skaters with 22 hits. The 20-year-old Lethbridge native has watched his ice time increase nightly as head coach Todd McLellan becomes more confident in his game, playing above 18:30 TOI in his last two contests, resulting in two goals, three points, and seven SOG. Finnie has been a true category filler to start 2024-25, averaging 2 SOG per game to go alongside his impressive +7 plus/minus on top of everything aforementioned. If Finne can continue to throw the body like his spot in the lineup depends on it, he should provide plenty of help in other categories and could make for one of the most interesting breakouts this season, especially in banger leagues. He is one top power play bump away from becoming a must-own player regardless of league format.
Banger – Vasily Podkolzin (EDM – LW/RW) – 1% Rostered
L1 – (14th in NHL in hits – 26 in 7 GP)
Podkolzin was upgraded to the Oilers’ first line with Conner McDavid and Leon Draisaitl on Tuesday ahead of their game vs. Ottawa. The 24-year-old earned the promotion after putting up a whopping 22 hits in his first six games played despite only averaging 13:35 TOI/GP. His ability to throw the body around ranks him 14th in the NHL, to go along with his two assists and seven SOG, and he showed that by putting up four more knocks on Tuesday. With the added ice time that comes with being attached to two of the greatest players in the world, Podkolzin should not only work his way into the top-10 of league hits, but also should be able to surpass his career totals of 24 points from last season with ease. He runs the risk of moving back down the lineup when Zach Hyman returns early on in November, but if he can lock in this role for a few weeks, it could produce great value in almost all banger leagues.
We don't want to talk about the same names weekly, but we also still like
Cutter Gauthier (ANA – LW) 52%
Leo Carlsson (ANA – C) 40%
Josh Doan (BUF – RW) 26%
Jimmy Snuggerud (STL – RW) 20%
Dmitri Voronkov (CBJ – LW) 17%
Jackson Blake (CAR – RW) 12%
Beckett Sennecke (ANA – RW) 12%