NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Players to Target - Thursday, Jan. 18

Thursday's top targets include a few makeshift top centers, including the Ottawa Senators' Ridly Greig and the Vegas Golden Knights' Chandler Stephenson.

Yegor Sharangovich, C/LW, CGY vs. TOR (39% rostered)

No Jonathan Huberdeau, no problem. Sharangovich's hot run continued with the overtime winner against the Coyotes, giving him six goals in his past four games. We know the Leafs don't defend very well and their goaltending remains a mess. While it feels like Sharangovich's hot streak may be fading soon, he's usually pretty good at getting shots on net regardless. 

Charlie Coyle, C, BOS vs. COL (36% rostered)

Coyle is playing L1 and PP1, and the Avs only win games by outscoring their opponents. Depth is not a luxury the Avs have, and with the Bruins getting last change, they'll get the better matchups. Coyle is working on a two-game scoring streak and also increased his shooting rate over the past few games. 

Casey Mittelstadt, C, BUF vs. CHI (28% rostered)

It's actually kind of amazing that the entire fantasy community has slept on this guy all season. He scored three points in a 3-0 win against the Sharks despite starting the game on L1 with Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch only to see Don Granato put his lines in the blender midway through the game. 

No matter where Mittelstadt lines up, he's been a consistent source of points. This is the second straight matchup against a weak defensive team and the Sabres are carrying a lot of positive momentum into this matchup. 

Phillip Danault, C, LA vs. NSH (24% rostered)

Danault has a chance to extend his points streak to seven games and averaging more than 18 minutes per game lately. His line with Kevin Fiala and Trevor Moore actually led the Kings in even-strength ice time, nearly three more minutes than Anze Kopitar's line. With the Preds struggling in net, this is a nice matchup for the slumping Kings. 

Chandler Stephenson, C, VEG vs. NYR (19% rostered)

In the absence of both Jack Eichel and William Karlsson, Stephenson is the Knights' top center. He gets moved around the lineup a lot, but over the past two season he's shown that he can produce at a 60-point pace with the right linemates in a top-six role. He's scored four points in his past seven games, including two assists against the Preds, while averaging close to 19 minutes per contest. 

Conor Garland, RW, VAN vs. ARI (7% rostered)

This is a revenge game for Garland, who has eight points in six career games against his former team. He snapped a four-game goal drought against the Jackets but, most importantly, the Canucks' third line with Garland, Dakota Joshua and Teddy Blueger have been excellent all season. They generate a ton of scoring chances and the Canucks' depth will be too much for the Coyotes to overcome. 

Ridly Greig, C, OTT vs. MTL (3% rostered)

Greig is averaging close to 18 minutes per game over the past three games with Josh Norris unavailable, and he's coming off a two-goal effort against the Avs. With this kind of deployment, and the Habs playing the second half of a back-to-back, this is one of the few favorable matchups for the Sens this season. 

Kaapo Kakko, RW, NYR at VEG (3% rostered)

Kakko scored a goal in just his second game since returning from injury and he remains in a good position to score goals playing on a line with Mika Zibanejad and Chris Kreider. I like this matchup against the Knights because they're shorthanded and experiencing some goaltending woes; that doesn't happen very often and it'd be good to take advantage.  

Pontus Holmberg, RW, TOR at CGY (2% rostered)

Holmberg has streaming value only because he's playing on a line with Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner. His two-assist effort against the Oilers gives him six points in his past six games, and with Jacob Markstrom injured, this is ripe for another high-scoring matchup for the Leafs.