Fantasy Hockey: Weekend Streaming Targets – Week 15
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 four games on Friday, 12 on Saturday, and six on Sunday, so as per usual, we are going to target the skaters playing on those two quieter nights. We have four teams to choose from this week, so let’s get into it. Happy streaming!
Carolina Hurricanes–vs. DET (Fri), vs. MIN (Sun)
Teuvo Teravainen (LW/RW) – 36% owned
A one-time staple in the fantasy hockey community, Teravainen has struggled to maintain consistent production this season, spending much of it vying for playing time in Carolina’s bottom-six. He has just 14 goals and 11 assists in 43 games this season, but a recent promotion to the top-line alongside the Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho leaves Teravainen with plenty of streaming value heading into the weekend. The Finnish winger has looked right at home alongside his former running mate in Aho, racking up four points in his last four games. He’s also continued to occupy his regular role on the team’s second power-play unit, and should be able to keep his strong run of form going into a pair of favourable home matchups against the Red Wings and Wild this weekend.
Michael Bunting (LW) – 29% owned
Saddled to a second-line role alongside Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Jesper Fast, Bunting’s ice-time and usage have not been near his teammate Teravainen’s in recent weeks, but he is a member of the team’s top power-play unit. His diminished role at 5v5 means he does not offer a ton of upside, but he is a decent bet if you are chasing power-play points this weekend. It is worth noting the Wild in particular struggle on the penalty-kill, posting the worst rate in the league at 71.3%.
Detroit Red Wings–@ CAR (Fri), vs. TBL (Sun)
David Perron (LW/RW) – 43% owned and J.T. Compher (LW/RW) – 21% owned
Both Perron and Compher are regular fixtures in Detroit’s top-six, and both are currently skating on the team’s top power-play unit as well. Perron offers a bit of a higher ceiling but is not as widely available as Compher, who regularly gets a ton of ice-time that he admittedly struggles to make the most of. Despite a pair of difficult matchups against the Hurricanes and Lightning, they are both worthy of a mention here given their exposure to the likes of Dylan Larkin, Alex DeBrincat, and Lucas Raymond. Carolina and Tampa Bay are both killing penalties at on over 80% clip, though the Lightning have surrendered their faire share of goals at 5v5 this season.
Minnesota Wild–@ FLA Friday, @ CAR Sunday
Brock Faber (D) 41% owned
Faber’s ownership continues to soar in recent weeks, and it should only climb further given yesterday’s news of Jared Spurgeon‘s season-ending injury, but he is still available in nearly 60% of leagues. Faber is eating a ton of minutes in all situations for the Wild, and his upside as the quarterback of Minnesota’s top power-play unit only grew with Kirill Kaprizov‘s reintroduction to the lineup. Considering the six-game slate, there’s a decent chance you may only be able to fit a defender into your lineup on Sunday. If that is the case, Faber is an excellent option this weekend and is frankly deserving of a full-time roster spot in standard formats moving forward. The 21-year-old blue-liner has six assists in his last seven games, and while he has not been able to find the back of the net in that span, he continues to rack-up shots on goal at a respectable clip. He has 15 shots across those seven games, and his heavy-usage means he can be a good source of hits and blocked shots in formats that account for those statistics as well.
Marco Rossi (C) 9% owned
Rossi has been bounced up and down the Wild lineup all season but showed us on Thursday the type of fantasy value he can provide when given the chance to centre Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello on the team’s top line. The former ninth-overall pick snapped a five-game pointless streak on Thursday, registering a goal and an assist along with three shots on goal in just under 18 minutes of ice-time. If he ever gets an extended run centering that line and perhaps sneaks onto the top power-play unit, his production could really take off. For now, he remains a solid streaming option across all formats.
New York Islanders–@CHI (Fri), vs. DAL (Sun)
Anders Lee (LW) – 34% owned and Kyle Palmieri (RW) – 6% owned
With Mathew Barzal buried on the third line, the Islanders’ current top-nine is a bit of a hot mess, but we do still have a couple of reliable streaming options available to us in Lee and Palmieri. Lee has endured a tough season to date but is currently skating on the team’s de facto first-line centered by Brock Nelson. Lee is fresh off a two-goal game, and is playing better of late with 10 shots on goal across his last four games, though he is limited to a role on the team’s second power-play unit which does cap his upside.
Palmieri is a great target in deeper leagues this weekend, particularly for Friday’s game in Chicago. He is still holding down a role in their top-six as well as the top power-play unit. He is pointless in his last three games but continues to show an affinity for putting the puck on net in bunches when he gets the necessary ice-time, as he has been of late. He registered an absurd eight shots on goal his last time out, and could be a cheap source of shots and goals this weekend.
Goaltenders
There are plenty of teams rocking the Saturday/Sunday back-to-back this weekend, which should leave us with a trio of enticing spot starts on Sunday.
Samuel Ersson – 37% owned
Ersson’s ownership has climbed of late as he continues to eat into Carter Hart’s workload, but he is still available in 63% of leagues. The Flyers’ goalie tandem has been locked into a rotation of late, and if that continues it should mean Hart will be in net against the Avalanche on Saturday, leaving Ersson to take on the Senators on Sunday. Ersson is in excellent form dating back to mid-Decemeber, with a 6-2-1 record and an outstanding .941 SV% across his last nine appearances. Look for him to carry that red-hot form into a very favourable matchup on Sunday.
Jonathan Quick – 40% owned
Quick’s ownership continues to drop as his numbers have predictably fallen back down to earth and starter Igor Shesterkin has regained control of the Rangers’ crease. The Rangers are doing the Southern California back-to-back this weekend, travelling to Los Angeles on Saturday before making the short trip to Anaheim on Sunday. The only worry here is that the Rangers might opt against traditional wisdom and allow their back-up, Quick, to take the first of the back-to-back games so he can face his former team on Saturday. It’s best to wait for Saturday’s starter to be confirmed before making a move on Quick, though he would be one of the top starts in goal on Sunday’s slate if they do in fact save him to face the Ducks.
Ilya Samsonov – 32% owned
The Leafs are in Vancouver on Saturday and Seattle on Sunday, and someone else aside from Martin Jones is presumably going to have to start one of those two games. Joseph Woll is travelling with the team but does not quite appear to be ready for game action, opening the door for either Samsonov or Dennis Hildeby (2% owned) to be the projected starter on Sunday. Samsonov was serviceable against Detroit his last time-out and Hildeby is still with the Marlies, making a cross-continent recall unlikely, so I would expect Samsonov to face the Kraken on Sunday after Jones takes on the mighty Canucks on Saturday. Samsonov comes with an obvious risk to your SV% and GAA but, rightly or wrongly, the Leafs will be favoured in Seattle on Sunday, making Samsonov a worthy, end-of-the-week desperation play.