2014-15 Fantasy Hockey: Week 10 Waiver Wire
Week ten in fantasy hockey is starting, and some players are emerging as must-own players in many leagues. Finding players on the waiver wire is essential to winning in fantasy hockey and for replacing injured players, either for the short-team or long run. Let’s take a look at which players you should be targeting on the waiver wire this week.
Josh Jooris | Calgary Flames | Yahoo! Ownership- 4%
Jooris is slowly becoming a must-own fantasy player. The undrafted center has been very productive in his first NHL season with the Flames—12 points (8G, 4A) in 21 games with a plus-3 rating and 29 shots on goal (SOG). The rookie clearly isn’t taking enough shots, but his potential to score goals is there. The 24-year-old has five powerplay points up to now—four of them being goals, and two game-winning goals (GWG). Jooris is only averaging 47 seconds on the powerplay, so the production may be hard to maintain long term, but right now he’s worth a pick up and should be a very good depth player for fantasy owners.
Who I’d drop for him: Tanner Pearson (29%), Pierre-Alexandre Parenteau (23%), Alexander Semin (39%)
Riley Sheahan | Detroit Red Wings | Yahoo! Ownership- 5%
The Red Wings are known for growing talent in their organization, and Sheahan looks like he could be the next big thing in Detroit. The 23-year-old has 15 points (6G,9A) in 28 games with a plus-6 rating and 46 SOG. The numbers don’t scream superstar, but the Ontario native is playing close to fifteen minutes a game and has five powerplay points this season—three of them being goals. The first round pick in 2010 is playing on the third line with Tomas Jurco and Stephen Weiss and the chemistry the three have will continue to keep Sheahan fantasy relevant. Even with all the superstar talent in Detroit, the kid will find a way to produce at a high level more often than not.
Who I’d drop for him: Evgent Kuznetsov (38%), Andrew Shaw (17%), Patrick Elias (29%)
Martin Brodeur | St. Louis Blues | Yahoo! Ownership- 33%
I’m going to start off by saying I don’t think the Brodeur experiment in St. Louis is going to work long-term. However, the future Hall of Famer could definitely help a fantasy team in desperate need of a goalie, so Brodeur becomes fantasy relevant again. His numbers haven’t been great—a .872% save percentage (SV%), a 3.03 goals-against average (GAA) and one win. It’s only two games, but the 42 year-old looks his age, and playing in a tough western conference won’t help. With all that being said, Jake Allen has not been good of late and is struggling to say the least. The kid is going to have to be exceptional to keep the four-time Vezina trophy winner on the bench and right now that’s not the case. Brodeur will get every chance to play and show the Blues that he can help keep pace in a tight central division.
I wouldn’t drop anyone to add him because, personally, I don’t think it will last. If fantasy owners have an empty spot in their roster and need a goalie, then adding him would be a wise decision, and Jake Allen owners should also consider pick up the two-time Stanley Cup champion as a handcuff in case the kid does lose his starting job down the road.
Players to Watch:
Fanatsy hockey season is in full swing and these players could be on the rise/decline in the next few weeks
Trending up:
Brendan Gallagher | Montreal Canadiens | Yahoo! Ownership- 27%
Jacob Trouba | Winnipeg Jets | Yahoo! Ownership- 53%
Matt Beleskey | Anaheim Ducks | Yahoo! Ownership- 32%
Trending Down:
Bobby Ryan | Ottawa Senators| Yahoo! Ownership- 85%
Milan Lucic | Boston Bruins | Yahoo! Ownership- 87%
Mark Streit | Philadelphia Flyers | Yahoo! Ownership- 79%