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Fantasy Hockey Roundup - Waiver Wire

Fantasy Hockey Help From FakeTeams' Resident Hockey Expert

By DLM30
USA TODAY Sports

Well, that was an interesting week of fantasy hockey.  I hope you all won your matchups, and if not, than let's get you the win this coming week.  If you read my article last week, it's safe to say that if you picked up Patrick Maroon I owe you an apology; Dustin Penner regained his role on the first line and Maroon fell.  Jason Demers also didn't quite cut it as Boyle returned from injury.  Again, that's my bad.  Let's get going with the waiver wire adds you should be looking at for this week.

ADD HIM

Clarke MacArthur, LW (Owned in 16% of Yahoo Leagues)  - Clarke MacArthur is perhaps one of the most underrated players in the NHL, but a lot of what he does doesn't necessarily translate well to the fantasy game.  Regardless, his game is picking up and he should be a good add for the coming weeks.  MacArthur shows great underlying stats on a fairly good Ottawa team, and is currently gelling with linemates Kyle Turris and Bobby Ryan.  Keep in mind he has a low individual SH% (5.7%, career sh% of 13.5) and is playing in very favourable conditions, so he's due to start heating up.  Get him now before anyone else does.

Dustin Penner, LW (Owned in 24% of Yahoo Leagues) - Maroon Penner figures to be in one of the best situations in hockey right now as the left winger for Ryan Getzlaf and Corey Perry. As a result, Maroon Penner should be an add in deep leagues as he should be able to generate some solid numbers just by virtue of playing with such great players.  So basically what I said about Maroon last week applies to Penner right now, and if you need proof look no further than his game against Buffalo (1 G, 3 A).  Those of you who have a hits category in your league get the added benefit of that aspect of Penner's game, so he definitely should be a guy that will produce solid numbers for you in the future.

Radko Gudas, D (Owned in 39% of Yahoo Leagues) - Gudas has been the sexy sleeper over the last few weeks, so I'm sure some of you have read about him as his name has been getting out there.  Gudas is playing extremely well right now, and is currently the 7th best defenseman as ranked by Yahoo in the last two weeks because he surprisingly put up four points within the last 14 days.  I'm not telling you about Gudas because of his offensive prowess (because he is definitely not known for his offensive skill) but rather because he is a hitting machine.  Standard leagues probably won't find Gudas an appealing option, but for those who need hits and ice-time, there may not be better value than Radko.

Ryan McDonagh, D (Owned in 38% of Yahoo Leagues) - The Rangers have a three game home stand coming up, so the next week should give us a bit of a better idea of who the Rangers are after a brutal stretch of road games to start the year.  McDonagh is a good add in deeper leagues and has a pretty good start to the season with 9 points in 16 games, and 7 points in his last 8 games.  He sees quality PP Time on an alright powerplay unit, and as the schedule settles down for the Rangers and more players come back form injury, the Rangers should get better.  McDonagh is entering his prime and has been a point producer on a struggling Rangers squad, so this could be the year he breaks out as a top offensive defenseman.

Charlie Coyle, C & RW (Owned in 6% of Yahoo Leagues) - I'm of the mindset that if a team figures to be one of the best in the NHL, you pick up the best offensive players on that team, or at least the players who play with the best players.  Charlie Coyle recently came back from injury and immediately took a spot on the first line alongside Zack Parise and Mikko Koivu.  The Wild will be one of the best teams this year and anyone playing with Parise and Koivu will be productive in fantasy (look no further than their previous linemate Nino Niederreiter, who has been great so far this year).  I would suggest keeping an eye on both Coyle and Niederreiter right now to see who takes that top spot, and pick up whoever nabs the position.  It will pay off.

Tommy Wingels (Owned in 28% of Yahoo Leagues) - Yahoo's player ratings already have a rank of 98 on Wingels, which is a testament to how well he is playing already this season.  The Sharks are the juggernaut of the league this season and are on another planet offensively.  Wingels, who has produced well on the third line, recently got promoted to first line duties alongside Tomas Hertl and Joe Thornton.  His playing time has increased, and he should be one of the top added players in fantasy by this time next week.  The Sharks play four games this week and he should put up solid points, so grab him now and reap the rewards.

Quick Notes:

  • It's also worth pointing out that Claude Giroux has ended his goalless drought and has finally scored a goal.  With that monkey off of his back expect his production to rise as I said it would.  Buy low if you can.
  • James Neal is returning to Pittsburgh's lineup and should factor in to be one of the most productive left wingers in fantasy.  Play him if you have him and buy low if you can.
  • You should have a sense on your goaltending situation by this point in the season, so if you need to upgrade you should start looking.  I've mentioned Wild goaltenders Josh Harding and Nick Backstrom as great options, but they seem to be getting more and more owned as they play well (Harding is 70% Owned in Yahoo Leagues, Backstrom at 72%).  If you need a start this week, I'd pick up Brian Elliot (45% Owned in Yahoo) for a start either Saturday against Carolina or Sunday against Washington, or Fredrick Andersen (25% Owned in Yahoo) for his start either Thursday against the Lightning or Friday against the Hurricanes.  Check to see which game they play in, as they should be able to offer you a solid start and a win.
  • Sleeper Pick of the Week: He isn't good enough for me to tell you to add him, but keep an eye out for Tyler Toffoli.  Jeff Carter just got injured and Toffoli is taking a spot beside Mike Richards on the second line, which means he should also see some powerplay time.  Give him a look in deep leagues and add him if he starts producing.

Again, if you have any questions for me leave it below, I'll answer all of them.

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