With every team in action due to US Thanksgiving on Thursday, player choices abound for the casual and hard-core fantasy player. Brett Berard and Trevor Zegras two to target.
On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies can be used in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games
Forwards
Marcus Johansson, LW, MIN @ BUF (1% rostered)
Johansson is heating up, notching a pair of goals and two helpers during his current four-game point streak. Skating on Minnesota's second line, Johansson has been much more engaged recently. Johansson won't add much in terms of blocked shots and hits, but as long as he in the top-six, he provides value.
Jason Zucker, LW, BUF vs. MIN (8% rostered)
Zucker, skating on Buffalo's third line, has goals in consecutive games and gotten on the scoresheet in three straight outings following a dry spell of equal length from Nov. 9-14. His performance, besides that cold stretch, has been relatively solid, as the veteran has posted five markers and nine helpers in 21 contests. Zucker is benefitting from power play, which as long as that continues, he should remain a solid depth option.
Zachary Bolduc, RW, STL @ NJ (0% rostered)
Bolduc made Jim Montgomery's coaching debut for the Blues memorable, notching his first goals of the season. Monty's style of play should benefit Bolduc, who has the potential to be a physical presence on the third line with Dylan Holloway and Oscar Sundqvist, He is worth a flier to see if that trio can replicate the performance they had Monday.
Erik Haula, C, NJ vs. STL (8% rostered)
Haula ended a six-game point drought by notching a helper Saturday. He followed that up by lighting the lamp Monday. His production has been uneven, but the third-line center is up to five goals, six assists, 40 shots on net, 37 hits, 19 PIM and 17 blocked shots through 24 outings this season. Haula is solid second tier option in deeper leagues.
Brett Berard, RW, NYR @ CAR (0% rostered)
The Rangers are searching for answers to break out of their recent slump and find the mojo they have been lacking. New York promoted and dressed Berard, who has a motor that doesn't end, on Monday, using him in place of the injured Chris Kreider on the second line. Berard, who tallied an assist in his debut, notched seven goals and 13 points in 16 minor-league appearances for Hartford this season.
Kyle Palmieri, RW, NYI vs, BOS (33% rostered)
Palmieri comes into Wednesday's contest having lit the lamp in back-to-back contests. He is having a solid November, as he is up to six goals and 12 assists in 12 appearances this month. Palmieri is up to 10 markers and nine assists on the season and is on pace to potentially match and exceed the 30 goals he posted last season.
Emil Heineman, LW, MTL @ CLM (0% rostered)
The Habs have been tweaking their lines recently with Heineman currently on the third trio. His overall production is nothing elite, as he has four goals and two assists on the season. But he is seeing time on the power play, which is where he has notched three of his six points.
Dmitri Voronkov, LW, CLM vs. MTL (3% rostered)
Voronkov missed most of October with an upper-body injury but he is making up for lost time. He has four goals and two assists over his last five games. Columbus has several intriguing forward options for their top three lines, meaning that Voronkov will have to stay hot to maintain a prime scoring position. Right now, he is skating on the Blue Jackets' top line.
Jake DeBrusk, LW, VAN @ PIT (38% rostered)
DeBrusk lit the lamp again Tuesday for Vancouver, making Jason Chen look prescient for including him in his Tuesday column. After a slow start, DeBrusk is now up to six goals and eight assists in 20 contests. DeBrusk has never scored less than 19 goals in a full season, that streak should remain intact while he skates on the Canucks' top line.
Philip Tomasino, C/RW, PIT vs. VAN (0% rostered)
One man's meat is another man's poison. Pittsburgh has been searching for offensive help all season. To help fill a possible top-six role, they acquired Tomasino from Nashville for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Tomasino, another first round pick that has not panned out for the Predators, could find success skated next to Evgeni Malkin on the Pens' second line.
Anthony Cirelli, C, TB vs. WSH (45% rostered)
Cirelli, whose rostered percentage continues to just rise, was profiled by me Monday. As I noted then, The loss of Steven Stamkos to Nashville created a hole down the middle for Tampa. Ably filling that role has been Cirelli, who extended his goal streak to six (six goals, two assists) Monday. If you missed the boat on Cirelli, that window of opportunity to add him is fading.
Matthew Coronato, LW, CGY @ DET (2% rostered)
Coronato, despite skating on the third line with Yegor Sharangovich and Mikael Backlund, has remained productive. He has three points and 11 shots over his last three contests as the Flames has been willing to deploy their top-nine based on merit rather than usual placement. Coronato, taken 13 overall in 2021, is providing that he can be a stalwart in Calgary's lineup.
Logan Stankoven, C/RW, DAL @ CHI (44% rostered)
Stankoven is in the midst of a mild slump, notching just one helper his last five contests. Maybe that will decrease his DFS price a smidge after Stankoven posted four goals and 10 helpers his first 15 games of the season. Dallas has a plethora of scoring options up front and Stankoven has more than proved he belongs on that list.
Pavel Dorofeyev, LW/RW, LV @ COL (21% rostered)
Dorofeyev has been somewhat up-and-down, alternating contests with at least a point with ones where he was shut out. Despite that sporadic production, Dorofeyev is up to five goals on 32 shots over 11 contests in November, though he also has a minus-9 rating. He is relatively firmly entrenched on the Knights' third line.
Nino Niederreiter, RW, WPG @ LA (45% rostered)
Nino has been surprisingly productive this season, posting nine goals and six helpers in games. He has two goals and an assist during his current three-game point streak after going six games without a point. The Jets have a deep roster, though a bit top-heavy in the top-six, making Nino's output even more welcomed in Winnipeg.
Warren Foegele, LW, LA vs. WPG (3% rostered)
Foegele agreed to a three-year, $10.5 million contract with the Kings following a breakout season with Edmonton in 2023-24. He tallied a career-best 41 points last season in his third and final year with the Oilers. Foegele is a depth option for the Kings, but he can retain his second line placement, he has a shot to exceed expectations.
Trevor Zegras, C, ANA @ SEA (8% rostered)
Zegras is very slowly working his way back into relevance in season-long leagues in addition to DFS. He has two goals and three assists over his last five contests making up for a very slow start. Zegras saw his fantasy value plummet off the charts last season, falling to 15 points in an injury-plagued campaign that limited him to 31 games. Now healthy, Zegras is certainly worth a look.
Alexander Wennberg, C, SJ vs. OTT (3% rostered)
Wennberg has picked up his play recently to make up for the absence of Mikael Granlund (upper body). He has three goals and three assists over his last five games, and three of the six points in that span have come on the power play. Wennberg has become more of checking line center the last several seasons, but has shown that he can produce when needed.
Defensemen
Ryan Suter, STL @ NJ (1% rostered)
Suter is no longer the offensive weapon he was when he broke in with Nashville and most of his time in Minnesota. He has now morphed into a relatively solid stay-at-home blueliner who can still munch minutes and blocked shots. The Blues are using Suter on their top pairing, affording him a slight uptick in value.
Oliver Ekman-Larsson, TOR @ FLA (26% rostered)
OEL is a decent secondary scoring option on the blueline for Toronto. Morgan Rielly is the clear top dog there, but Ekman-Larsson is seeing 21 minutes of ice time per game, including 2:21 on the man-advantage. In addition, he is on pace again to tally over 100 hits again, providing additional value for leagues that use that category.
Simon Edvinsson, DET vs. CGY (5% rostered)
Edvinsson has tremendous upside and should eventually be a solid No 2 to Moritz Seider on the Red Wings' backline. That time may be coming sooner rather than later, as Edvinsson has cracked the scoresheet in three of his last four appearances since returning from a one-game absence due to a lower-body injury earlier this month.
Emil Andrae, PHI @ NSH (1% rostered)
My inclusion of Andrae in Monday's column worked out well as he lit the lamp for the first time in his career. Travis Sanheim is locked in as the Flyers' top blueline offense, but Andrae certainly make a great case to fill the role as the secondary option. Andrae is seeing 19 minutes of ice time per game and has seen an uptick of action on the man-advantage, giving him a chance to show he deserves that spot.
Jake Walman, SJ vs. OTT (44% rostered)
Walman, acquired by the Sharks for next to nothing from the Red Wings, has more than ably stepped into the role as San Jose's top blueline option. He is thriving now that he's recovered from an upper-body injury -- notching a goal and four helpers in six games since his return. The 28-year-old defenseman is up to 14 points (three on the power play), 54 shots on net, 29 blocked shots, 17 hits and a plus-5 rating over 19 appearances.