NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Rankings (1/28)

Welcome to the Week 17 Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire article here at FTN Fantasy (UPDATED FEB 4.). This is a two-week period across most standard Fantasy Hockey leagues at Yahoo, ESPN and Fantrax. There won’t be a Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire article next week as I have the next two weeks covered below. 

My fantasy hockey rankings – Fresh update Sunday, Feb at 3 p.m. ET. 

There are several teams on bye this week and the NHL will go on pause from Thursday, Feb. 1 until Monday, Feb. 5 due to the All-Star break. I dove into the next 14 days, but it’s important to hold onto your moves if your league is playing a two-week period. A lot can change from now until after the All-Star break. Below you’ll see some of the best waiver wire pickups, players to stash, players to buy low and sell high, which players to drop and who to stream. I’ll also highlight some of the injuries, and what it means for you and the Fantasy Hockey landscape.

There are only six games in the first of the two weeks in Week 17(Jan. 29 – Feb. 4) and just nine teams in action. I also highlighted teams that play the most in the week following the All-Star game. That could be the second half of Week 17 or it could be a new week, which is the case in most high stakes leagues. There are several teams only slated to play once after the ASB, and there are three teams with four games. 

It’s that time of the season where you need to start piling up wins. It may mean you have to cut a struggling player for a four-game stream or someone trending up. Sometimes you have to make uncomfortable moves, but the way to get the best of your opponents moving forward is to have more games played, while taking advantage of the matchups each week.

The strategy I like to call “attacking the schedule” can be the difference in winning a championship. Each week, find out which borderline players or streamers wouldn’t crack your lineup on the busy days on the schedule. 

Drop those players for players scheduled to play on the lighter scheduled nights. Those days are usually Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. If you’re in a shallow league or a roto league, this strategy may not mean that much to you. But if you’re not going to play an average player on a busy night like Thursday or Saturday, you’re better off dropping him for someone playing on those lighter days. This strategy is similar to “two-start” pitchers in Fantasy Baseball.

Please be sure to check out our fantasy hockey Discord channel. Reach out to me anytime with questions!

My fantasy hockey rankings – Fresh update Sunday, Feb at 3 p.m. ET. 

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Injuries 

• Jack Hughes, NJ
• Jack Eichel, VGK
• Mark Scheifele, WPG
• Valeri Nichushkin, COL
• Connor Bedard, CHI
• Owen Tippett, PHI
• Patrick Kane, DET
• Andrei Svechnikov, CAR
• Patrik Laine, CLS
• Alex Killorn, ANA
• Max Pacioretty, WAS
• Dougie Hamilton, NJ
• Shea Theodore, VGK
• Mikhail Sergachev, TB

Quick thoughts 

• Buy Hughes and Eichel if you’re in a good spot in the standings. Sell if you’re not. 
• Kane should be back soon. Grab him if he was dropped. 
• Hold Tippett if you can and make sure you have Joel Farabee. 

Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire 

The waiver wire consists of players owned in fewer than 60% of Yahoo leagues. They are ranked in order of how I value them for the rest of the season. I dug deep for those playing in NFHC High Stakes leagues.

Last Chance 

• Elias Lindholm, VAN
• Matt Duchene, DAL
• Wyatt Johnston, DAL
• Sam Bennett, FLA
• Tyler Seguin, DAL
• Gustav Nyquist, NSH
• Joel Farabee, PHI
• Troy Terry, ANA
• Blake Coleman, CGY
• Charlie Coyle, BOS
• Brayden Schenn, STL
• Jonathan Drouin, COL
• Brock Faber, MIN
• Thomas Harley, DAL
• Joey Daccord, SEA

Wyatt Johnston, C/RW, Dallas Stars

Johnston finally picked up RW eligibility which makes it easier to roster him. On top of that, he’s been amazing since his promotion to the top line. He has four goals and nine points in his last nine games. He has at least three shots on goals in five of those nine games and four in four of them. He’s also played 17+ minutes in five of his past six. 

Sam Bennett, C, Florida Panthers

Bennett only has 23 points in 37 games, but he has 13 in his last 14. This Panthers team is loaded on offense and Bennett is widely available. He’s been playing with Matthew Tkachuk and Carter Verhaeghe for the majority of the season. It’s surprising how low Bennett’s ownership is when you consider how many categories he touches. 

Troy Terry, RW, Anaheim Ducks

Terry has a quiet 15 goals and 37 points in 47 games. He finished the first half with points in six straight games (four goals and 10 points), and points in 17 of his final 23 games. He’s playing his best hockey of the season right now. 

Deep-League Adds

• Sean Monahan, WPG
• Adam Henrique, ANA
• Gabriel Vilardi, WPG
• Mason Marchment, DAL
• Jordan Eberle, SEA
• Morgan Frost, PHI
• Andrei Kuzmenko, CGY
• Kaiden Guhle, MTL
• Simon Nemec, NJ
• Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, BUF

Sean Monahan, C, Winnipeg Jets 

Monahan wrapped up his time in Montreal with 11 points in his final seven games. He had three multi-point games over that span, including five points on the power play. He excelled on Montreal’s first power play and I fully expect him to get top power play time with the Jets. He also traded in Josh Anderson and Juraj Slafkovsky for Nikolaj Ehlers and Cole Perfetti. Monahan gets a big boost with the trade to Winnipeg. He was a valuable asset in Montreal. 

Banger Leagues 

• David Savard, MTL
• Kaiden Guhle, MTL
• Nick Seeler, PHI
• Alec Martinez, VGK
• Adam Larsson, SEA
• Jake McCabe, TOR
• Connor Murphy, CHI
• Yakov Trenin, NSH
• Jeremy Lauzon, NSH
• Alexander Romanov, NYI
• Jani Hakanpaa, DAL

Don’t Sell

• Sam Reinhart, FLA
• William Nylander, TOR
• J.T. Miller, VAN
• Matthew Tkachuk, FLA
• Roope Hintz, DAL
• Matt Boldy, MIN
• Quinn Hughes, VAN
• Evan Bouchard, EDM
• Mike Matheson, MTL

Consider Dropping 

• Matty Beniers, SEA
• Evan Rodrigues, FLA
• Phillip Danault, LA
• Johnny Gaudreau, CLS
• Trevor Moore, LA
• Tyson Barrie, NSH
• Erik Gustafsson, NYR
• Hampus Lindholm, BOS
• Owen Power, BUF
• Jamie Drysdale, PHI

Week 17 (Jan. 29 – Feb. 4)

Two games

Nashville Predators  

(MON @ OTT, WED vs. LA)

Gustav Nyquist, LW 

It’s hard to believe Nyquist is available across most formats when you consider he has  38 points in 51 games. He only has four points in his first nine games, but he has 34 in his last 42. He remains on the top line and top power play. His 13 PPP are the most he’s had since his sophomore season. He had a career-high 54 points that season and he’s on his way to passing that mark. 

Colton Sissons, C

Sissons is in the middle of a breakout season and has been valuable in fantasy leagues with shots, hits, faceoff wins and special teams points. Sissons’ 13 goals are two away from his career-high, and his 25 points are five away from matching his career-best from last season and 2018-19. His seven power-play points are tied for the most he’s had in a season, and he checks in with a career-best three shorthanded goals and four shorthanded points. He’s also logging a career-high 17:12 per game. He can add a few counting stats for those looking for starts this week. 

Jeremy Lauzon, D 

Hits and blocks. 

Ottawa Senators 

(MON vs. NSH, WED @ DET)

Josh Norris, C 

Norris has three points in five games since returning to the lineup. He lost his spot on the top line, but the Sens have a decent top six and juggle their lines quite often. It’s encouraging to see Norris on the top power play with the big boys.

Vladimir Tarasenko, W 

Decent steam if he’s hanging around the waiver wire. 

San Jose Sharks 

(TUE vs. SEA, WED @ ANA)

Tomas Hertl, C & Logan Couture, C

These are pretty much the only two players on San Jose worth your time, and I believe they’re more than streaming options. William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund in deeper formats.

Week 17 – the second part of Week 17 or Week 18 NFHC (Feb. 5 – Feb. 11)

Four games

Colorado Avalanche 

(MON @ NYR, TUE @ NJ, THU @ CAR, SAT @ FLA)

Ross Colton, C/LW

Colton has 10 goals and 26 points on the season, which isn’t fantastic, but you’re getting him at a good time. He picked up six assists over his final three games of Week 16. He’s getting top power play time at the moment. There’s certainly some chemistry between Colton, Miles Wood, and Logan O’Connor. 

Artturi Lehkonen, LW 

Lehkonen has been held off the score sheet in his first two games back in the lineup, but he’s had plenty of chances, and he could find his way back on the top line again. I also expect the Avs to add a second-line center at the deadline, so he’s an intriguing hold in deeper formats. Lehkonen will start the week playing on a line with Ryan Johansen and newly signed Zach Parise. It’s a trio to keep an eye on. 

Grab Jonathan Drouin over both.

Vancouver Canucks 

(TUE @ CAR, THU @ BOS, SAT @ DET, SUN @ WAS)

Pius Suter, C 

I haven’t been able to find any point props for Suter, but he’s on my radar. He was a great anytime goalscorer bet and NHL DFS play this past week. Suter scored a hat trick this week and ]finished with four goals and six points in three games. Two of those points came on the power play. He’s currently skating on the first unit and at 5v5 with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser. 

UPDATE: Suter should lose his spot on the top power play with the addition of Elias Lindholm. Suter may stick on the second line, but Ilya Mikheyev is the big winner here as he could play alongside Lindholm and Elias Pettersson

Washington Capitals 

(TUE vs. MTL, THU @ FLA, SAT @ BOS, SUN vs. VAN)

T.J. Oshie, RW & Dylan Strome, C

Strome has been Washington’s most consistent player this season. He’s centering the first line with Alex Ovechkin and is on the first power play. Oshie has moved up and down the lineup. But he should remain on the top power play. 

One game 

• Ducks
• Blue Jackets 
• Red Wings
• Kings
• Predators 
• Senators 
• Kraken

Zero games 

• Sharks

Attack the Schedule 

Monday – 2 games
Tuesday – 8 games
Wednesday – 3 games
Thursday – 7 games
Friday – 3 games
Saturday – 13 games
Sunday – 2 games

NYR – MON, WED, FRI
TOR – MON, WED, SAT
CHI – WED, FRI
MIN – WED, FRI

The Rangers are the only team to have more than two games on the lighter scheduled nights this week. Alexis Lafreniere could be available. 

The Canadiens, Blues, Canucks, and Capitals are the only four teams that play Saturday and Sunday. 

Brayden Schenn, C/LW, St. Louis Blues 

Schenne has points in nine of his last 11 games. He touches just about every category available in fantasy hockey, including shorthanded points, power play points, hits, blocks, and faceoff wins. 

Buy-Low Candidates 

• Tim Stutzle, OTT
• Brady Tkachuk, OTT
• Jack Hughes, NJ
• Jack Eichel, VGK
• Adrian Kempe, LA
• Alex DeBrincat, DET
• Tage Thompson, BUF
• John Tavares, TOR
• Josh Morrissey, WPG

Sell-High Candidates

• Blake Coleman, CGY
• Dakota Joshua, VAN
• Alexander Kerfoot, ARI
• Jake DeBrusk, BOS
• Jonathan Drouin, COL
• Yegor Sharangovich, CGY
• Mark Stone, VGK
• Ilya Samsonov, TOR