Week 1 is in the books. Congrats if the short week propelled you to victory, and my condolences if you were robbed of a full week of games. I had mixed results, myself!
Unlike last week’s first iteration, we’ve actually got a few teams playing the coveted Friday/Sunday split to close out Week 2. I’ll be taking you through some lesser-owned guys from Boston, San Jose, and Vegas to help you make the most of your weekly output. Godspeed, streamers!
Note: For the sake of uniformity and convenience on my part, only players rostered in less than 50% of Yahoo leagues will be included. Also, a “***” denotes a priority stream, in my humble opinion.
Boston Bruins (@ BUF, v. SJ)
Mike Reilly (16% rostered): Reilly has zilch in the way of offense but can still help you out with hits and blocks. He gets pretty big minutes and is only out there to do those two things, really. If you’re lacking bangs at the tail-end of the week, there’s some value here. Otherwise, he’s not useful at all.
Craig Smith (12% rostered): If you’ve paid attention to rate stats (per-60 stats) over the years, you’ve probably noticed how consistent Smith has been in that regard. Be that as it may, the dude never seems to get all that much ice time. But be that as it may, the dude is also a top-six winger for Boston and gets PP2 time. I won’t label him a priority stream, but there’s always a chance he chips in some points and shots for ya’s.
Erik Haula (2% rostered): I really only like Haula if your league counts FOW. He’s wing-eligible, making those extra few FOW very handy indeed. Gets PP2 time, as well, for what it’s worth.
San Jose Sharks (v. TOR, @ BOS)
Quick note: The game against Toronto is the second part of a back-to-back. Pay attention to who plays in goal Thursday and stream appropriately on Friday if you’re desperate for some goalie stats. Adin Hill off to a tremendous start. Ride the wave!
***Timo Meier (39% rostered): Okay, what? Only 39% rostered?! Timo Meier is good, y’all! I drafted multiple shares because he’s uber cheap, but I didn’t think he’d be this widely available. Man. Well, you’ll get a top line, top PP forward capable of points, shots, PPP, and hits. Plug this dude into your lineup for two extra games at the end of the week. Two games and he’s already the #34 overall player in one of my Yahoo leagues (standard cats + blocks).
***Logan Couture (31% rostered): Juicy Couture ain’t what he used to be, but again I’m surprised at just a 31% ownership rate. Also top line, top PP. Also capable of points, shots, PPP, and some hits. I don’t like Couture nearly to the degree I like Meier, but there’s still fantasy production to be had. He’ll log big minutes and get used for everything. Has 3 PTS in two games, and 5 BLK on the year already, too!
***Mario Ferraro (7% rostered): Super Mario is only a priority stream in true banger leagues, and there’s a solid chance he’s already owned anyway if that’s the case. But even in standard leagues, there’s some value here. He’s a top-pairing defenseman who could luck into some points. Mostly he’ll give you hits (and blocks), though. In a big way. I said so in my Sharks team preview, but I wouldn’t be surprised to see 350 H+BLK by season’s end.
Vegas Golden Knights (v. EDM, v. NYI)
Quick note: ideal situation here. Not only are both of these home games, but both EDM and NYI are playing second halves of back-to-backs. Two tired opponents coming into town!
Reilly Smith (15% rostered): Meh, Reilly Smith ain’t sexy but injuries have given him opportunity. Should skate with William Karlsson and Jonathan Marchessault and also see PP2 time. Half of fantasy relevancy is deployment, and for now he’s got a pretty favorable situation.
Evgenii Dadonov (15% rostered): Can basically copy/paste the above blurb and replace some names. Daddy ain’t what he was in Florida cuz no Barkov feeding him, but he can still score and will see good minutes while Patches and Stone are on the shelf.
Nolan Patrick (5% rostered): If you’re unlucky and don’t have Smith or Daddy as options, then Patrick is your next best bet in Vegas. Extra bump in FOW leagues since he can slot into RW (at least on Yahoo).
Brayden McNabb (5% rostered): Resident Bang Daddy for Vegas. Stream for H+BLK.
***Keegan Kolesar (1% rostered): Trailing in hits? Kolesar is almost certainly available in your league and already has 13 H in two games, so I’m labeling him a priority stream if that applies to you. I imagine they’ll want him to keep crunching bodies playing a fast-paced Oilers squad and then a gritty Isles team. Great matchups for enforcers to shine.
Week 3 Snapshot
Teams with 4 games: ANA, ARZ, CAR, CGY, FLA, LA, MTL
Teams with 3 home games: ANA, CAR (4!), LA, PIT, SEA, STL, VAN
Teams with 3 off nights: ANA, ARZ, CAR, CBJ, DAL, FLA, NYR, VEG, WSH
Teams with 2 off nights: BUF, CGY, CHI, DET, LA, MTL, NJ, OTT, SEA, TB, TOR
Teams with just 2 games: EDM, NSH, OTT
Teams with just 1 game 😱: NYI
Teams with back-to-backs: ANA, ARZ, BOS, CAR, CGY, CHI, DET, FLA, LA, MTL, NJ, PHI, VEG, TB
Next week’s Friday/Sunday splits: ANA, ARZ, CAR, CBJ, NYR
I do a some fantasy baseball as well as a some fantasy hockey here at Razzball. Find me on Twitter: @jkj0787. DMs are always open for questions, comments, concerns, complaints, etc. Odds are good I’m drinking black coffee, dark beer, or some form of bourbon at any given time.
