Hey there! It’s Lackeydrinksonme!
I missed last week’s streamer column as I was on a work trip, and this weekend I’ve been dealing with back spasms, which are some of the worst things ever. As you may know, putting more skaters on the ice usually results in a fantasy hockey victory. Rather than picking up and dropping a player for one game, I take time to map out days with fewer games, so you can grab someone for 2-3 additional starts a week from a single player.
Let’s get going!
Week of 11/5
This week is actually pretty crowded, with Wednesday as the only truly short-slate day.
Washington Capitals: M/W/F/Su
The best schedule of the week, avoiding the super crowded T/Th/St days and offering utility all week. You could pick up a skater who can strategically plug a hole any day and pick up four extra starts. Nice! Problem is, there’s a dearth of real gems when you start to dig.
Matt Niskanen – Second on the team in TOI and fourth in total shots, Niskanen is a good grab for an extra few games out of the defenseman slot. I especially like the Hits and Blocks, if you’re ina league that counts those.
Lars Eller – Working on the second power play unit, Eller’s shot rate and counting stats aren’t terrible. He’s worth a look for a few games if you have a consistent active slot for him, but I’m not thrilled by mediocre possession numbers.
Brett Connolly – Fifteen minutes of ice time a game isn’t bad, and if you couple that with a decent shooting rate and counting stats, Connolly is worth checking out if you’re in a super deep league.
Pittsburgh Penguins: M/W/St
The Pens have an interesting schedule, but by now you should know the drill. Grab a guy or two for M/W, and then use that spot for spot goalies or streams as the scoring comes together for the remainder of the week.
Carl Hagelin – A nice shooting rate and lots of hits, Hagelin probably won’t net you a ton of points but might be a good skater to roll the dice on for two games and then releasing him back to the wild.
Jamie Oleksiak – Lousy TOI is offset by strong hits and decent SOG. Oleksiak has pretty good possession numbers and is probably the best option to stream all the way to Saturday, if you’re running short on defensemen.
Dominik Simon – Even worse with TOI, Simon has been working with the time he’s been given, launching 20 shots and delivering 17 hits so far this season. Another super-deep look, but again, worth the spot for Monday and Wednesday and then returning him to waivers afterward.
Colorado Avalanche: W/F/Su
Colorado is another interesting team. You could grab one or two guys Wednesday morning after spot-starting skaters or goalies early in the week, and then ride whatever you get through Sunday. What I don’t like is the competition, as Nashville and Winnipeg aren’t easy teams for no-namers to score on.
Alexander Kerfoot – Owned in around a quarter of ESPN leagues, Kerfoot is your best bet for some production from the streaming slot this week. Featuring some nice power-play time and solid possession numbers, if he’s available Wednesday morning I’d grab him.
Erik Johnson – I think the last time I recommended Johnson, I already had him on my bench, and I think that week he did diddly squat for me. Johnson is worth another looks for his TOI/GP and peripherals like shots, blocks, and hits. Maybe he’ll come through as COL works to stay competitive, but I feel a little scorned so I’m personally probably not grabbing him.
Carl Soderberg – Not the flashiest name, but Soderberg has solid TOI and gets some power-play time in sideways, and shoots enough to make it worth your while. Probably the biggest gamble out of the three COL players I’m pointing to, but available in most leagues and clearly taking time to shoot the puck means he’s worth the dice roll on the short(er) slates this week.
Not sure if I can take a deep dive Wednesday night (I’ve missed the last few), but there will be a continuation of this series next Monday. Feel free to ask any questions you might have, and good luck!!
