Fantasy Hockey: Weekend Streaming Targets – Week 10
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 will break down the teams and skaters with the most streamer-friendly schedules over the weekend. We will also look at the best spot starts in goal each weekend, highlighting the widely available goaltenders that could provide the boost and edge you need to win your matchup.
This weekend features six games on Friday, 13 on Saturday, and six on Sunday, so as per usual, we target the skaters playing on those two quieter nights. We have five teams to choose from this week, so let’s dive in. Happy streaming!
Anaheim Ducks – @ NYR (Fri), @NJD (Sun)
Troy Terry (RW) – 37% owned
Terry and the Ducks’ offensive upside has taken a hit after the injuries to Mason McTavish and Trevor Zegras but Terry’s consistent shot volume still makes him a viable goal threat every night. Even in a pair of tough matchups, he’s a decent bet to add to your goal totals this weekend and, considering the talent he possesses, his 8.8 shooting percentage on the season suggests he’s due for a bit of positive regression.
Pavel Mintyukov (D) – 23% owned
Given that the Friday and Sunday slates are relatively busy this week with six games a piece, there’s a decent chance you may only be able to fit a defenseman into your lineup on either one of those days. If that’s the case, Mintyukov looks to be one of the best options available this weekend. Similarly to Terry, Mintyukov’s production has taken a hit due to the Ducks’ injury woes but still sees plenty of offensive zone time and continues to quarterback Anaheim’s top power-play unit, making him worthy of streaming consideration this weekend.
Leo Carlsson(C) – 12% owned
Carlsson is getting plenty of opportunities when he is dressing for Anaheim. The problem is they are continuing to manage his workload. Given that he’s played in each of the last six games and the Ducks have a looming back-to-back on Sunday and Monday, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Carlsson sit out one of the two games this weekend. Carlsson possesses an abudance of talent and upside, but you have to consider the risk that he may be a late scratch for either Friday or Sunday’s game.
Carolina Hurricanes–vs.NSH (Fri), vs.MIN (Sun)
Stefan Noesen (LW/RW) – 7% owned
You’re not going to find any of Carolina’s main contributors below 50% ownership, but they do still offer us a decent deep-league target this weekend in Noesen. Noesen has recently been promoted to the top line, skating alongside Sebastian Aho and Seth Jarvis, while also getting time with the second power-play unit, and he’s taken full advantage of the opportunity. He has registered six points in his last eight games and played a season-high 16:38 on Thursday.
Ottawa Senators–@ DAL (Fri), @ VGK (Sun)
Josh Norris (C) – 33% owned
Norris has endured a bit of a slow start to the 2023-24 season after missing almost all of last season due to injury, but he continues to get plenty of ice time at even strength and on the power play. He appears to have been demoted to the second line at today’s morning skate but should continue to be featured on the Sens’ first power-play unit alongside Brady Tkachuk, Tim Stutzle, Drake Batherson, and Jake Sanderson. The matchups are admittedly not the best, with Ottawa travelling to Dallas and Vegas this weekend, but his heavy usage alongside some premium offensive talent still makes him an intriguing option.
San Jose Sharks–@ARI (Fri), @ COL (Sun)
Mikael Granlund (C/RW) – 49% owned
Granlund has been in incredible form and has seen his ownership skyrocket this week, but he is still available in just over half of Yahoo! leagues heading into the weekend. The Sharks’ second-line centre has made the most of a significant uptick in ice time, registering three goals and 12 assists in his last nine games while posting an absurd ATOI of 22:15. The matchups leave a lot to be desired this weekend with the Sharks travelling to Arizona and Colorado, but his recent usage and production make him impossible to ignore.
William Eklund(C/LW) – 9% owned & Fabian Zetterlund (LW) – 4% owned
Eklund and Zetterlund’s production doesn’t quite mirror that of Granlund and Tomas Hertl over the Sharks’ mini-hot streak, but they have been solid contributors over that stretch and have also seen an uptick in ice-time. Eklund is skating alongside Hertl at 5v5 while Zetterlund is on the second line with Granlund, and both are featured on San Jose’s number-one power-play unit. Eklund has picked up four goals and four assists across that nine-game stretch while playing just over 18:30 minutes per night. Zetterlund, on the other hand, has just one assist over that span but has found the back of the net four times, registering almost three shots on goal per game while playing over 20 minutes a night. They are a pair of great options in deeper leagues this weekend, though you need to consider the risk any Sharks player can pose to your plus/minus if your league’s format accounts for it.
Vegas Golden Knights–vs.BUF (Fri), vs.OTT (Sun)
Ivan Barbashev (C/LW) – 42% owned
Similar to the Hurricanes, most of the Golden Knights’ top-six are well above 50% ownership, but they still leave us with a pair of viable streaming options heading into the weekend. The first of which is Barbashev, who hasn’t quite taken advantage of the opportunity afforded to him this season, but his role at 5v5 alongside Jack Eichel and Mark Stone will always make him worthy of streaming consideration when the schedule lines up right. He’s also seeing some time on Vegas’ second power-play unit.
Chandler Stephenson(C) – 29% owned
Stephenson is in the midst of a four-game point streak, registering three goals, three assists, and ten shots on goal while playing over 18 minutes a night. He may be boxed out of playing with the Golden Knights’ two biggest stars at 5v5, but skating alongside Jonathan Marchessault on the second line still leaves him with plenty of upside. Like Barbashev, he’s also a key component of the team’s second power-play unit.
Goaltenders
If you’re looking to steal your matchup with a spot start in goal this weekend, two widely available options should be tending the twine come Sunday. The first is Colorado’s Ivan Prosvetov(12% owned). Prosvteov has been very effective when called upon this season, earning himself a couple of extra starts over starter Alexandar Georgiev of late. Georgiev has a long enough leash where he is still clearly considered the Avs’ number-one despite his slow start to the campaign, so I would fully expect him to get the nod in Winnipeg on Saturday, leaving Prosvetov to take on the Sharks at home on Sunday. The Avalanche will be a massive favourite to pick up the win over San Jose, and given Prosvetov’s steady performance lately, confidently slide him into your lineup with little risk to your GAA and SV%. Prosvetov owns a .919 SV% and a 2.49 GAA to along with his 4-2-1 record on the season.
The other option we need to talk about this weekend is Canucks’ backup Casey DeSmith (9% owned). Vancouver is in Minnesota on Saturday, a game where Thatcher Demko will almost certainly get the start, leaving DeSmith to play on Sunday when the team travels to Chicago to take on the basement-dwelling Blackhawks. Like Prosvetov, DeSmith has been solid when given the chance to play this season and will be a sizeable favourite to pick up the win on Sunday. He owns a .913 SV% and a 2.69 GAA on the year along with a 5-2-1 record. DeSmith and Prosvetov will undoubtedly see their ownership skyrocket on Sunday, so I recommend picking them up on Saturday, if possible, once Georgiev and Demko are confirmed to starters in their respective games.