Secure these high-risk but high-upside rookie defensemen! Ryan Ufko, Luca Cagnoni, and Zayne Parekh offer last-minute fantasy value.
On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy hockey managers to stream, roster or utilize in standard leagues and/or DFS games. Players and goalies highlighted for streaming in standard leagues are rostered in less than 50 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Ryan Ufko, NSH vs. ANA (0% rostered) – FanDuel $3,800
Ufko’s usage is definitely power-play dependent, but that’s good in this matchup against one of the league’s most penalized teams. Ufko scored two assists in his previous game, his third point in his past four games, and in a meaningless game for the Preds could see increased minutes as he auditions for next season.
Luca Cagnoni, SJ at WPG (0% rostered) – FanDuel $4,300
Cagnoni made his season debut on April 13 in Nashville and registered an assist, showcasing his offensive skills. The undersized puck mover played in a handful of games for the Sharks last season and didn’t look completely out of place, and since last season has been a scoring machine in the AHL with 95 points in 131 games. Despite his inexperience, he has the best skill set to play that role on the Sharks blue line. Cagnoni led all Sharks defensemen in ice time with 21:06 last night against the Hawks.
Zayne Parekh, CGY vs. LA (16% rostered) – FanDuel $4,400
Not a good game for Parekh with a minus-3 rating in a 3-1 loss to the Avs, though admittedly it was a tough matchup. As the season winds down, Parekh is playing significant minutes and this matchup should prove to be a lot easier than facing the league’s best team. Parekh has scored six of his eight points this season on home ice, where the Flames can dictate the matchups.
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