Fantasy Hockey: Weekend Streaming Targets – Week 18
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.
This weekend features one game on Friday, 13 on Saturday, and three on Sunday, so as per usual, we are going to target the skaters playing on those two quieter nights. We have just one single team playing Friday and Sunday this weekend, so let’s get right into it. Happy streaming!
Arizona Coyotes–vs. CAR (Fri), @ COL (Sun)
Nick Schmaltz (C/RW) – 30% owned
With games against the Hurricanes and Avalanche this weekend, the Coyotes’ matchup spread leaves a lot to be desired, but as I mentioned above, they are the only team we have to work with if you’re strapped for matchup acquisitions and looking to get two games out of the price of one. Luckily for us, one thing the Coyotes do have plenty of is widely-available fantasy options in their top-six, and with no one is that more evident than Nick Schmaltz.
While Schmaltz’s production this season has failed to live up to the lofty expectations he set in each of his previous two campaigns, he’s still managed to register a respectable 31 points in 49 games, and continues to be stapled to the hip of Clayton Keller on the team’s top line and power-play unit. While he may not be operating at the near point-per-game pace we’ve come accustomed to seeing from him, he has managed to up his shot volume of late, registering 32 shots on goal across his last 11 games. Keller excluded, there’s no better Coyote to bet on padding your point totals this weekend, and that growth in shot volume suggests it’s just as likely to come via goals as it is assists.
Mattias Maccelli (LW) – 7% owned
If it’s assists your chasing this weekend, than Maccelli might just be the play for you. Maccelli has made a concentrated effort to shoot the puck more this season, but he is still a pass-first player at his core, compiling eight goals and 26 assists in 52 games this season. Maccelli has averaged over half an assist per game across the last two seasons, yet despite his seemingly elite playmaking talent, he remains strangely under-utilized in a Coyotes team desperate for offense. With an ATOI of 16:25 and his role being limited to second line and power-play duties, his upside is obviously capped, but you won’t find a Coyote more likely to add to your assist totals this weekend.
Dylan Guenther (LW) – 5% owned Barrett Hayton (C) – 4% owned
Rounding out our options this week are a pair of deep league targets in Guenther and Hayton. All Guenther’s done when given the opportunity this season is produce, whether that be with the AHL’s Tucson Roadrunners (10G/18A in 29 GP) or with the Coyotes, where he’s managed four goals and five assists in 15 games. The ninth-overall pick of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft possesses obvious talent, but similar to Maccelli, his upside is capped by a lack of minutes. Guenther is playing just over 15 minutes a night, but he is holding down a spot on the Coyotes’ top power-play unit. If you’re looking for some power-play exposure in a deeper league this weekend, look no further than Guenther.
At producing near a point-per-game clip in the second half of last season, Hayton was an obvious sleeper candidate this summer, only to have his season derailed by some poor puck and a major upper-body injury. Hayton returned from his three-month absence last week, and after fighting for playing time on the team’s fourth line, he’s now reclaimed his spot as the Coyotes’ first-line centre between Keller and Schmaltz – the spot where he showed so much promise in the second half of last season. Unfortunately for Hayton, he’s still yet to see any power-play time, though that could change this weekend as he continues to earn more ice-time. He is far from the safest option the Coyotes have to offer us this weekend, but if you’re shooting for upside in a deeper league, Hayton isn’t the worst gamble.