2018 Fantasy Hockey: Waiver Wire Report -- Week 2

Published: Oct 14, 2018
The NHL season is in full swing and that means fantasy hockey is as well! It’s a long grind to get to the playoffs and an even tougher challenge to win it all. Like every year, injuries are going to happen to key players, which means we need to be active on the waiver wire. The waiver wire can help you win a championship, so it’s important to add the right players at the right time. Let’s take a look at which players are worth adding for the upcoming week.
Paul Byron - Montreal Canadiens - Winger
This isn’t a homer pick. Outside of Carey Price, Paul Byron has been one of the best players for the Habs this season. There’s no question he has speed, but he’s also able to score goals and pick up some points. He’s 19% owned on Yahoo! and only 9.2% on ESPN. He’s not getting any power play time, but he is seeing time on the penalty kill, so if your league rewards you for SHP/SHG, Byron can be an asset. He’s not a sexy add, but he’s a good candidate to help fantasy owners stay afloat while injuried players are out.
Kasperi Kapanen - Toronto Maple Leafs - Winger
The Toronto Maple Leafs are the hottest team in the NHL thanks to Auston Matthews. For some reason, nobody seems to care that Kasperi Kapanen is playing on the top line with the hottest player in the league. He’s 10.6% owned on ESPN and 30% owned on Yahoo! He’s not getting any power play time, but as long as he’s on the top line, he’s going to pick up points. One day the Leafs will come back down to earth and cool off, but right now, Kapanen isn’t just a depth player, he’s fantasy relevant.
Elias Lindholm - Calgary Flames - Winger
For whatever reason, Elias Lindholm is only 45% owned on Yahoo! and 28.3% owned on ESPN. That’s absurd for a player who’s playing on the top line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. The 23-year-old has six points in four games and is averaging just over 20 minutes a game. He should be close to 75% owned on both sites, so if he’s still lying around on the waiver wire, scoop him up!
Jeff Petry - Montreal Canadiens - Defence
Once again, this isn’t a homer pick, but Petry is literally the best defenceman the Habs have on the ice. He plays a bunch of minutes every night and is on the top power play unit. His ownership is below 30% on both sites, so if you didn’t draft him in your league, you should at least pick him up till Shea Weber comes back. He’s only got four points on the season, but he’s getting opportunities, which is what we are looking for in fantasy hockey. You can never have too many defenceman on your fantasy team, so pick up Petry and wait for him to get hot.
Thomas Chabot - Ottawa Senators - Defence
Only 54.7% owned on ESPN, Chabot has had a pretty solid start to the season, collecting eight points (2G, 6A) in five games. As far as defencemen go in Ottawa, he’s the only fantasy relevant option. He’s not going to be able to maintain this pace, but he may be able to surpass the 45-point mark by the end of the season, which isn’t too bad for a player who went undrafted in a lot of leagues. Let’s buy into the hype now and see what he does over the next couple of weeks. At worst, he becomes and excellent sell-high candidate to someone in need of points from the blue line.
Joonas Korpisalo - Columbus Blue Jackets - Goalie
It’s no secret that head coach John Tortorella wants to give Korpisalo more games but just how many more games is what fantasy owners want to know. Bobrovsky got absolutely demolished by the Tampa Bay Lightning in his last start and how has a 4.39 GAA and a .860 SV%. It’s still early in the season, but Korpisalo already has two wins and he’s going to challenge Bobrovsky for that starting job. Is this a long term solution? No way, but for fantasy purposes, it’s always good to have goalies who are hot and starting games, including backup goalies. If you have a deep bench and you can hold onto Korpisalo for a few weeks, he’s worth the risk.
Jack Campbell - Los Angeles Kings - Goalie
You don’t need to be a genius to figure this one out. He’s 51% owned on Yahoo! but only 10.8% on ESPN. That’s a crazy huge gap for a goalie that isn’t that terrible. With Jonathan Quick on IR and “week-to-week”, Campbell is going to get every chance to lead this team. The Kings aren’t a power house team, but they are still a pretty good hockey team. Campbell picked up his first career shutout earlier this week against Montreal and has a nice .938% SV% on the season. If the Quick owner in your league hasn’t already added Campbell, make sure to pick him up!
Player News
Christian Yelich is leading off for the first time this season on Monday against the Padres.
Yelich has been moved up to the top of Milwaukee’s batting order with Jackson Chourio hitting fifth and Sal Frelick moved down to the fifth spot. The 33-year-old has been on a roll lately, batting .296 (8-for-27) with one homer and four RBI over his last seven games.
Brendan Donovan was scratched from the lineup for Monday’s series opener against the Giants.
No word yet on the reason for the move. It’ll be José Fermín taking over at second base with Lars Nootbaar moving up to the leadoff spot in his absence.
Bruce Zimmermann will start on Tuesday against the Padres.
Zimmermann was called up over the weekend to pitch in long relief for Milwaukee, but he’s going to take the ball on Tuesday in place of an injured Brandon Woodruff (lat) to kick off a bullpen game. It’ll likely be a one-and-done outing for the 30-year-old southpaw as part of Milwaukee’s rotation. He’s not a recommended fantasy option, especially in a road tilt against the playoff-bound Padres.
Seahawks RB Zach Charbonnet (foot) was listed as a full participant on the team’s estimated practice report Monday.
The Seahawks did not hold a practice Monday as they prepare to face the Cardinals on a short week, but the team’s listing of Charbonnet as a full participant is nonetheless striking after he missed Week 3 with a foot injury. Kenneth Walker managed just 53 percent of the team’s offensive snaps in the Week 3 win, the size of which can likely be explained by the extremely positive game script the Seahawks found themselves in against the Saints. It will be interesting to see how the snap and opportunity rates shake out should Charbonnet return to the lineup on Thursday Night Football.
Masyn Winn (knee) is scheduled to undergo arthroscopic surgery on Thursday, according to Cardinals manager Oliver Marmol.
Winn was shut down for the rest of the season back on September 13 with a torn meniscus in his right knee that he played through for the majority of the year. The 23-year-old shortstop wrapped up his second big-league season with a .253/.310/.363 triple-slash line with 72 runs scored, nine home runs, 51 RBI and nine stolen bases in 537 plate appearances over 129 games. He’s expected to be fully recovered in time for spring training.
Angels activated RHP Ryan Zeferjahn from the 15-day injured list.
Zeferjahn returns to Los Angeles’ relief mix prior to Tuesday’s series opener against the Royals following a two-week absence with right knee tendinitis. The 27-year-old middle reliever has posted a pedestrian 4.77 ERA and 72/33 K/BB ratio across 54 2/3 innings over 59 appearances this season.