Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire – Saturday, Oct. 28

You'll get another chance on Sunday to win with four games scheduled, but why take that risk, right? 

Saturday's action starts early with a 1 p.m. ET matinee in Philadelphia where the Flyers host the Ducks, and then a 6 p.m. ET local start for Panthers hosting the Kraken. 

There are only two late games, with the Rangers visiting the Canucks at 7 p.m. PT and the Kings hosting the Knights at 7:30 p.m. PT in your typical late California start. 

All players listed are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.

(ranked by matchup)

Joey Daccord, SEA at FLA (4% rostered)

Daccord was excellent in his previous start, stopping a franchise-record 42 shots despite losing in overtime to the Canes. It’s clear he’s played much better than Philipp Grubauer, and while the Kraken have made no indication yet, Daccord should be the starter until he falters. That makes Daccord worth adding and holding.

The Panthers are playing the final game of a four-game homestand, and that’s always a tough matchup for the road team. However, the Panthers have not scored more than four goals all season, so perhaps the goals against will be a little lower here.

Casey DeSmith, VAN vs. NYR (8% rostered)

This is the second half of a back-to-back against a very tough Rangers squad, so be wary. However, the Canucks are typically very good at home, and while DeSmith was very shaky for the Pens last season (15-16-4, .905 SP, 3.17 GAA), he’s been very good for the Canucks this season with a 37-save win against the Oilers in his first start and 33 saves against the Panthers.

Pavel Zacha, C, BOS vs. DET (36% rostered)

Zacha’s fantasy value is wholly dependent on his deployment as the No. 1 center. Matthew Poitras may be a threat for a few shifts, but it’s unlikely he’ll overtake the veteran Zacha. He’s scored three points in four games and the Wings have allowed nine goals in their past two games.

Owen Tippett, RW, PHI vs. ANA (32% rostered)

High-volume shooting and a good amount of hits give Tippett’s fantasy value a high floor. He’s playing L1 against both a very physical and defensively porous team, which makes this a very favorable matchup. After a relatively quiet start, Tippett has scored four points in four games.

Mason McTavish, C/LW, ANA at PHI (28% rostered)

McTavish is riding a three-game point streak and with Leo Carlsson drawing in and out of the lineup, McTavish is their most reliable center. You get points, plenty shots and faceoff wins from the LW slot.

Sam Bennett, C, FLA vs. SEA (22% rostered)

Bennett is expected to make his season debut so be sure to start him. Not sure where he’ll play since Eetu Luostarinen has been pretty effective at center, but Bennett was their No. 2 center last season so he’ll be getting top-six minutes regardless. Bennett gives you 60-point potential well over 100 hits a season for added value in banger leagues

Sean Monahan, C, MTL vs. WPG (16% rostered)

The usage at least makes Monahan a speculative add. He scored a goal last game, giving him six points in seven games, and played a season-high 21:09 with 14 faceoff wins. He’s healthy and it looks like he’s getting his career back on track, and at this rate, I’m not sure his upside is that much lower than Nick Suzuki’s.

Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, WPG at MTL (31% rostered)

I still don’t like Ehlers’ usage but I really like the matchup. Ehlers scored a goal on a season-high six shots against the Wings last game and the Habs allow 35.3 shots per game, the third-highest in the league.

Alexis Lafrenière, LW/RW, NYR at VAN (20% rostered)

Lafrenière recently got RW eligibility and he’s also finding his groove with three goals in three games playing on a very effective line with Filip Chytil and Artemi Panarin. Curiously, his scoring rate seems to have an inverse effect on his hitting rate; he’s on pace for just 35 hits after getting 100-plus in the past two seasons. Lafrenière’s hot streak offsets a difficult challenge against Thatcher Demko but the Canucks are still not very good on defense.

Leo Carlsson, C, ANA at PHI (10% rostered)

When Carlsson plays, he’s worth streaming every single time. He usually centers Troy Terry and Trevor Zegras on a very offensively talented line and plays top-line minutes. It’s understandable why the Ducks want to manage his workload, but it’s frustrating from a fantasy perspective.

Matthew Poitras, C, BOS vs. DET (7% rostered)

An assist against the Ducks extended Poitras’ point streak to three games and the 19-year-old rookie has been so impressive that it really doesn’t look like he’s going back to junior. The upside to Poitras, along with his faceoff wins and shots, is that he’s been playing a few shifts with the top line.

Jaden Schwartz, C/LW, SEA at FLA (6% rostered)

One thing I’ve noticed about Schwartz this season is shot volume; he’s on pace for 225 shots, which would blow past his career high of 188. The Kraken have plenty of quality wingers but with this kind of shooting rate, I’d take Schwartz over the rest.

Kyle Palmieri, RW, NYI at CLB (5% rostered)

Palmieri was on pace for 49 points last season after being limited to 55 games and he’s continuing where he left off. Lane Lambert obviously trusts him, who’s playing L2 and PP1 with Anders Lee on the second unit. He can provide a steady diet of shots and hits, and against the Jackets, the odds of scoring a point are also higher than usual.

Tye Kartye, LW, SEA at FLA (1% rostered)

At the very worst, you’re getting good hitting and shooting volume. Not sure why Dave Hakstol waited this long to put Kartye back on the top line, where he was excellent in the playoffs, but I think Kartye can be a better version of Frank Vatrano.

Jack Roslovic, C, CLB vs. NYI (1% rostered)

Roslovic was put on L1 with Johnny Gaudreau and Boone Jenner and produced immediately, scoring three points against the Habs and extended his point streak to four games, which also included a game in which he registered eight (!) shots. After a quiet start, Roslovic’s play and fantasy value has been trending upwards, and if he can stay on the top line, he might be worth rostering in 12-team leagues.

Joel Farabee, LW, PHI vs. ANA (3% rostered)
Bobby Brink, RW, PHI vs. ANA (1% rostered)

Brink and Farabee play on the same line centered by Noah Cates, so this is a very under-the-radar line stack if you have two open slots or play DFS. They’ve combined for five goals and nine points in 13 games and the Ducks are allowing 31 shots per game, 12th-most in the league.

Mike Matheson, D, MTL vs. WPG (45% rostered)

Seriously, last chance to grab him. Averages 26 minutes per game, top PP minutes, multi-category coverage and on pace for 58 points since last season.

Travis Sanheim, D, PHI vs. ANA (34% rostered)

In the same vein as Matheson, Sanheim has been an all-situations minutes eater for the Flyers. His point totals have been a bit more impressive though I’m not sure that’s sustainable, but it’s easier to pile up the stats when you average over 26 minutes per game.

Ivan Provorov, CLB vs. NYI (5% rostered)

Provorov’s on a four-game assist streak and he’s played very well for the Jackets. Competition is tough on a crowded blueline, so for Provorov to carve out 23 minutes on a consistent basis tells us that he’s been very consistent and reliable. His 20 blocked shots is tied-13th in the league; with his current point production, he’s become a very valuable multi-category producer.

Pavel Mintyukov, ANA at PHI (6% rostered)

The Flyers have an excellent PK, with thanks to Carter Hart’s strong play, which dampens Mintyukov’s value a little bit. However, he’s been excellent handling the puck and on the power play, though curiously he’s yet to register a power-play point. Regardless, he’s scoring assists and putting up shots on a consistent basis, and it’s a moderate reward for relatively little risk.