Apr 18, 2022
Fantasy Hockey Lookahead: Potential Week 26 Streamer Options
We’re entering the final scoring period of the fantasy season. If you’re still alive in head-to-head leagues, congratulations, you’ve made it to the championship. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride.
We’re entering the final scoring period of the fantasy season. If you’re still alive in head-to-head leagues, congratulations, you’ve made it to the championship. Buckle up, it’s going to be a wild ride.
The final scoring period will be played over the remaining two weeks of the regular season, which includes a whopping 102 games.
Unfortunately for fantasy managers, the limit to our weekly roster adds won’t reset at the end of the first week. So we’ll need to make our moves count over the entire two-week period.
As for team schedules, it’s fairly balanced. 16 teams will play seven games over the final two weeks, and only the Seattle Kraken will play more with eight games scheduled.
The Buffalo Sabres will play the least, with just four games remaining. They also don’t play until Thursday and have just two games over the next 10 days. Breakout star Tage Thompson is the only player worth rostering down the stretch with an incredible 36 goals this season.
The Anaheim Ducks, Los Angeles Kings, and Pittsburgh Penguins will play just five times, with the remaining teams playing six times.
Let’s take a look at the best schedules over the next two weeks to help maximize our moves:
Minnesota Wild
Minnesota plays seven times over the final two weeks. More importantly, three of its next five games are against teams in the bottom 10 in goals allowed per game.
The Wild rank fifth in the league, averaging 3.68 goals per game, and have been especially hot of late, scoring over four goals per game in their last eight games.
Florida Panthers
The Panthers finish off their season with two extremely favourable matchups, which could give fantasy managers the final boost they need late in the scoring period.
They’ll play the Senators and Canadiens in a back-to-back next Thursday and Friday, the final two busy days of the season.
Of course, a majority of the Panthers are already rostered in most leagues, but there are some players rostered in fewer than 20 per cent of leagues that can help out late.
Seattle Kraken
As mentioned, Seattle is the only team to play eight games over the final two weeks, so they deserve an honourable mention.
The Kraken don’t offer much in terms of fantasy assets, but if we’re desperate for man games, Seattle is our team.
They’re the only team to play four games in the final week of the season as well, while nine teams will play just twice. Weigh the quantity over quality at the midway point of the scoring period next Monday.
Here are the best streamers for Week 26:
W, Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild (19 per cent rostered, up 3 per cent)
Matt Boldy has been hot since his return from an upper-body injury which caused him to sit out four games in early April. Boldy has seven points in five games since and is now riding a personal seven-game point streak. Boldy has been one of the more impressive rookies this season, with 34 points in just 40 games. The Wild have a great schedule to close out the season, and Boldy should be added in leagues where he was dropped.
D, Gustav Forsling, Florida Panthers (16 per cent rostered, up 6 per cent)
Gustav Forsling has stepped up in a big way since Aaron Ekblad went down with a lower-body injury on March 18. Forsling has scored seven goals in just 13 games since, recording close to three and a half shots per game from the back end. Forsling racks up the blocks and is tied for ninth in the NHL with a plus-38 ranking this season. The Panthers get favourable matchups against the Islanders and Red Wings to begin their two-week stretch, finishing the season against the Senators and Canadiens next week. Forsling has a great chance to continue his hot streak into the postseason.
C, Matty Beniers, Seattle Kraken (2 per cent rostered, up 1 per cent)
Matty Beniers made his NHL debut on Tuesday against the Flames and was immediately thrown onto the top line alongside Jordan Eberle. He played just over 17 minutes in his debut, recording an assist, and he followed that up with his first NHL goal in game two of his career, while playing over 18 minutes. He’s seeing power play time already as well. The Kraken have the busiest schedule to close out the season with eight games, so Beniers is worth a look.
G, Casey DeSmith, Pittsburgh Penguins (4 per cent rostered, up 2 per cent)
Tristan Jarry is week-to-week with a lower-body injury and can be dropped in redraft leagues. It’s now Casey DeSmith’s job to close out the regular season for the Penguins. Pittsburgh is one of the better teams defensively, giving up just 2.70 goals per game, fifth-lowest in the league. DeSmith doesn’t have the numbers Jarry has, but he got off to a good start on Saturday in Jarry’s relief, allowing just two goals on 29 shots. The Penguins only have five games in the final two weeks, but expect DeSmith to get at least four of those starts, giving you a major boost in goalie cats.