2026-27 NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 2 Primer And Pickups

What a wild first week. Whether it’s the shortened preseason or just the earlier-than-usual start, there’s been a few teams that look like they’re half asleep. We’ve had some really high-scoring games, and that’s pretty typical; expect the amount of goals scored to dip as we progress through the season as teams iron out their systems and players get into a groove. But what’s most important is we’ve now got some info on every team.

The big news entering Week 2 will be how the Panthers deal with the loss of Aleksander Barkov to another long-term injury. The Panthers captain hurt his other leg – not the one that required surgery last season – and was placed on LTIR. Following a one-season sojourn where injuries decimated the team, this puts a huge damper on their chances of winning their third Cup in four seasons.

Note four teams (PIT, OTT, CAR, PHI) will play four games in Week 4, including the Sens, who played just once in Week 1. We didn’t get much of a read on them, but it was interesting Shane Pinto’s line with Claude Giroux and Michael Amadio received the most even-strength ice time. They’ll open Week 2 with a back-to-back Monday in Boston and Tuesday in Detroit.

There are six teams (FLA, EDM, CBJ, NJ, LA, CGY) that play only twice in Week 2. You’ll generally want to avoid streaming players on these teams, especially if you have a limit on pickups and drops, but note the Jackets play back-to-back on Friday against the Pens and Saturday in St. Louis. It might not be a bad idea to stream a player (Sean Monahan or Kent Johnson?) for those two nights since you won’t need to pick them up until Friday, though note Saturday has 14 games on tap.

All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy.

Schedule

Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. Points percentages are from the 2025-26 season.

Season-long adds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Dylan Strome, C, WSH (48% rostered)

Strome’s line with Alex Ovechkin and Ryan Leonard should be a really good offensive line, but instead they’re getting buried with 32.4 CF% at even strength, by far the worst among the Caps’ four lines, per Dobberhockey.

I think Strome is the Caps’ best center – he averages the most EV TOI/GP among Caps forwards – but he’s being forced to drag Ovechkin, who at this point of his career is not elite enough on offense to offset his defensive liabilities. I still like Strome’s season-long fantasy value, especially if Spencer Carbery starts mixing up the lines to find a scoring line he can really lean on.

Artturi Lehkonen, LW/RW, COL (47% rostered)

Back-to-back 20-goal seasons and would’ve scored 50 points had he managed to stay healthy, so I’m a little perplexed when Lehkonen is rostered in so few leagues this season. Anyway, the Avs offense continues to steamroll their opponents with 14 goals in two games, and Lehkonen has accounted for three of them.

As long as Lehkonen is skating with MacKinnon and Necas, he’s a good depth option in fantasy and might get PP1 looks if the T.J. Hughes experiment doesn’t work out, though I think Nazem Kadri will get first crack.

Alex Laferriere, C/LW/RW, LA (46% rostered)

We might be wrong about the Kings – they can, in fact, score goals. Through two games, Laferriere has two assists, two shots, two blocks and eight hits. He’s a great bench player with triple-position eligibility in banger leagues.

Luke Evangelista, LW/RW, NJ (46% rostered)

Just one assist by Evangelista through two games but it’s a promising start with L2/PP1 roles and averaging 18:33 TOI/GP, fourth-most among Devils forwards. As long as Jack Hughes doesn’t get hurt, the Devils offense has top-10 upside; they were 27th in GF/GP last season and should improve this season. I would be a little surprised if Evangelista doesn’t set a career high in one or multiple offensive categories this season.

Will Cuylle, LW/RW, NYR (40% rostered)

No goals yet for Cuylle entering Sunday’s game, but eight shots and 11 hits in three games is still productive. He still has 20-goal, 300-hit potential, which very, very few players offer. 

Pyotr Kochetkov, G, CAR (27% rostered)

Kochetkov helped earn the Canes’ first win against the Flyers. It was your typical start from a Canes goalie; very few shots against, but also very few goals against, which means his save percentage wasn’t pretty but he got the win anyway.

I don’t think Brandon Bussi’s hold on the starting job is particularly strong. If Bussi gets the difficult matchup in Montreal, Kochetkov could win against the Canucks at home and then earn another favorable matchup in Chicago the game after. That’s two games where Kochetkov could easily win, and if he does, that will lead to more starts going forward.

Mid-term holds (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Vasily Podkolzin, LW/RW, EDM (67% rostered)

As expected, Podkolzin graduates from this list and he should provide good fantasy value going forward. Even upon Ryan Nugent-Hopkins’ return, Podkolzin has been so effective I’m not convinced Podkolzin will be taken off L1 or PP1. But Nugent-Hopkins’ impending return should be tracked if you have Podkolzin rostered.

Owen Tippett, LW/RW, PHI (39% rostered)

Tippett might be the third-best option among Flyers wingers after Travis Konecny and Porter Martone’s potential, but he’s also a reliable source of shots and hits.

Mason Marchment, LW, SJ (34% rostered)

As long as Marchment is skating alongside Will Smith and Macklin Celebrini, he will have fantasy value. Much like Lehkonen in Colorado, he’ll be the beneficiary of playing alongside elite offensive playmakers who need a player who can bury scoring chances. I’d be a little surprised if Marchment doesn’t come close to 30 goals this season.

Egor Chinakhov, LW/RW, PIT (33% rostered)

I was a little skeptical this season considering his elevated shooting percentage last season but, so far, Chinakhov’s made good with two points and five shots on goal in two games. Chinakhov’s L2 and PP1 roles are pretty safe and I’m comfortable with him being a depth scoring option.

Gabe Perreault, RW, NYR (24% rostered)

The ice time has fluctuated but it’s positive he’s remained on a scoring line with Mika Zibanejad and Alexis Lafreniere.

Anton Lundell, C, FLA (12% rostered)

I think Lundell can be left on the waiver wire while the Panthers figure out what to do with the void left by Barkov. While Lundell ranks second among Panthers forwards in TOI/GP, the Panthers clearly feel Sam Reinhart can fill in as the 1C for the time being. Time will tell if Reinhart at center can be the solution; he’s been bad in the dot but played center in major junior.

Should the Panthers move on from this experiment, Lundell could move up and have scoring wingers flanking him. That will boost his fantasy value. He scored at a 56-point pace last season in an elevated role; it could be higher if he gets Brad Marchand, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk or even Reinhart for a full season.

Thomas Chabot, D, OTT (53% rostered)

A strong season-opening debut for the Sens’ newest captain, and should Jake Sanderson miss significant time with his lower-body injury, Chabot will certainly be a big beneficiary. He played 27:06 against the Leafs and the Sens have four games in Week 2.

Luca Cagnoni, D, SJ (33% rostered)

I featured Cagnoni a few times over the past few seasons and he’s making a case to be their permanent PP QB. He’s been outstanding in the AHL and played at least 21 minutes in each of his first two games. Young offensive defensemen can be fickle in fantasy, but this is a high-upside option as long as you can stomach some stretches where Cagnoni gets benched or loses his role due to inconsistency or lack of production.

Denton Mateychuk, D, CBJ (8% rostered)

I was very intrigued by Mateychuk’s first two games where he played over 27 minutes alongside Zach Werenski. There’s 40-point and 100-block potential, and the biggest safety net is the minutes he’s been playing. I think Mateychuk has a lot of offensive upside and might be a player the Jackets build around should they part ways with Werenski.

Joey Daccord, G, SEA (29% rostered)

Daccord’s season debut was very good, allowing one goal on 25 shots though it was the Flames, so it wasn’t exactly a tough assignment. Daccord can provide volume; he’s showing early on that he can provide quality. What sunk Daccord’s fantasy value last season was fatigue, so if you’re going to roster Daccord, it might as well be early in the season.

Anthony Stolarz, G, TOR (19% rostered)

Strong debut from Stolarz allowing one goal on 27 shots and earning the Leafs’ only win so far this season. I’m not convinced Sergei Bobrovsky can provide quality goaltending for 50-plus starts, so we could see a pretty even split in the crease.

Joseph Woll, G, PHI (17% rostered)

The Flyers are losing in spite of Woll’s .929 SP. He earned his second straight start after a strong performance in New Jersey and could earn a third straight in Tampa Bay. Dan Vladar might be a one-season wonder and he didn’t have a good start; Woll might end up taking over the net this season.

Devon Levi, G, EDM (14% rostered)

Tristan Jarry’s start was so horrendous Levi might’ve just become the starter two games into the season. He’s earned both of the Oilers’ wins and he’ll always have good goal support to help him win games. I think Frederik Andersen still might be their best option even though he’s yet to play a minute but it doesn’t seem like his return is imminent.

Short-term streamers (< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Jackson Blake, RW, CAR (47% rostered)

L2 and PP2 playing four games in Week 2, including the Canucks and Blackhawks, who have allowed a combined 30 goals in six games.

Claude Giroux, C/LW/RW, OTT (14% rostered)

18:17 TOI, two assists, four shots, 10 faceoff wins in the season opener. I’m a little surprised how much Giroux played, and we shall see if there’s follow-through in Week 2. Potentially good matchups in Detroit and against the Flyers at home.

Shane Pinto, C, OTT (8% rostered)

20:27 TOI with four shots, four hits and eight faceoff wins. It seems like Pinto’s line with Giroux is preferred over Dylan Cozen’s line with William Eklund and Fabian Zetterlund.

Thomas Novak, C/LW, PIT (1% rostered)

Very underrated player as the Pens’ No. 2 center who’s off to a great start with four points in two games, including two on the power play. The big bonus, however, is Novak is playing PP1.

Paul Cotter, LW, VAN (10% rostered)

Great start to Cotter’s career with the Canucks, who referenced Kiefer Sherwood’s stint with them as a blueprint for getting a chance to score goals, pummel their opponents physically, and then maybe cash in on a big pay day. Cotter offers something the rest of the Canucks roster doesn’t really have up front – a big player who’s very strong on the boards with good hands. He faces his former team in New Jersey on Saturday.

Jamie Drysdale, D, PHI (9% rostered)

Four games on tap for the Flyers in Week 2, and I still think Drysdale’s their best option on the power play and in fantasy if you need a defenseman. Drysdale’s handling PP1, though don’t expect much offense, and eight blocks in three games.

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