NHL Fantasy Hockey Week 6 Waiver Wire Pickups: Wyatt Johnston Shining for Dallas Stars
Welcome to another edition of the Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Report. The NHL season has just begun, which means we need to start looking for top fantasy hockey waiver wire pickups. This part of the year is critical to be able to claim players who might have been missed in drafts but are rising up fantasy hockey rankings. Some of these players will help you win a championship, so make sure you aren’t asleep at the helm of your fantasy hockey lineup. Let’s take a look at some NHL players worth targeting on the fantasy hockey waiver wire this week.
Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Pickups Week 6
Tomas Hertl - San Jose Sharks - Centre
The San Jose Sharks are still a terrible hockey team, but they can only go up. Tomas Hertl is a good player on a bad team, so his upside will always be limited. He has five points in the last five games including a whopping 17 shots on goal. With volume like that, points are bound to come. He’s a solid depth option in 10-12 team formats.
Wyatt Johnston - Dallas Stars - Centre
Don’t look now but Wyatt Johnston has 13 points on the season, including four goals in the last four games. The kid has a ton of skill and we may be witnessing his breakout season. His ice time is reasonable, but he’s not seeing any top power play minutes, so that might limit his upside. Regardless, he’s 30% owned in Yahoo! leagues and that’s just too low for a player who’s flirting with a point-per-game pace.
Nicholas Robertson - Toronto Maple Leafs - Winger
The Toronto Maple Leafs are desperate for secondary scoring and Nicholas Robertson is doing his part to be part of the solution. The winger has four points in the last four games despite not seeing more than 13 minutes in a single game. The low ice time is a concern, but if he keeps this up, at some point, Sheldon Keefe is going to have to move him up the lineup and give him more ice time. We know he can produce, but he just hasn’t been able to do it consistently in the NHL. He’s only worth considering in deeper formats where players are scarce.
Erik Gustafsson - New York Rangers - Defence
With Adam Fox out of the lineup, Erik Gustafsson has gotten the first loom at quarterbacking the top power play unit and he’s done pretty well. He has five assists in the last four games and is playing well over 20 minutes a night. We know he’s not out there to play defence, but on a good Rangers team, if he can hold onto that spot until Fox is ready to return, he could provide fantasy owners with a ton of value.
Calvin Pickard - Edmonton Oilers - Goalie
This is a speculative add and nothing more. The Oilers fired Jay Woodcroft over the weekend and they are desperate to get this ship turned around. Jack Campbell is in the AHL and Stuart Skinner has not been good this season. On the flip side, Calvin Pickard has posted a 2.03 GAA and a .939 SV% in the AHL. It’s unlikely that he will have numbers like those in the big league, but there’s no reason to not give the veteran a chance to show what he can do. What do the Oilers have to lose at this point? They are a mess and everyone should get a chance to prove that they deserve to be here, including Pickard. He’s going to get a look at some point, so add him, be patient and hope for the best. It’s never a bad idea to roster a goalie who plays on a team with Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl.
All stats provided by NHL.com
Player News
Cam Smith is absent from the Astros’ lineup for Thursday’s matchup against the Rangers.
It’s the second straight game that the 22-year-old outfielder has found himself on the bench. He’s slashing a disappointing .214/.313/.347 with three homers, 11 RBI and a 34/12 K/BB ratio over his first 112 plate appearances in the big leagues. If he’s unable to find his way back into the starting lineup on a regular basis, perhaps the Astros would be better served sending him back to Triple-A Sugar Land to get him back on track. Zach Dezenzo will start in right field and bat seventh against Jacob deGrom and the Rangers on Thursday evening in Arlington.
Dodgers recalled LHP Justin Wrobleski from Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The 24-year-old southpaw is expected to work bulk innings of the Dodgers’ bullpen during Thursday’s contest against the Athletics. Wrobleski was clobbered in his lone start with the Dodgers this season, giving up eight runs on eight hits over his five frames.
Dodgers optioned RHP J.P. Feyereisen to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
The 32-year-old hurler was with the big league club for just two days this time around to add a fresh arm to the bullpen. He has posted a miserable 11.25 ERA, 3.00 WHIP and a 4/1 K/BB ratio over four innings at the major league level this season. Justin Wrobleski was recalled from Triple-A in a corresponding move on Thursday.
Diamondbacks signed RHP Jonatan Bernal to a minor league contract.
The 22-year-old hurler spent the previous three seasons in the Royals’ organization before pitching for Leones de Yucatan in the Mexican League this year. There he appeared in just three games — posting a 3.60 ERA, 1.80 WHIP and a 4/1 K/BB ratio over five innings — but it appears to have been enough to catch the eye of the Diamondbacks. He’ll add minor league bullpen depth.
Jake Burger will start at first base and bat eighth for the Rangers on Thursday evening against the Astros.
It’ll be the fourth consecutive game that Burger has started since returning from Triple-A Round Rock. The 29-year-old slugger has hit safely in each of the first three contests upon his return, going 3-for-9 (.333) with a double, two RBI and a 3/2 K/BB ratio. If he’s still hanging around on the waiver wire in deeper leagues, he makes for a worthwhile addition.
Yu Darvish (elbow) allowed two runs on two hits over four innings for Triple-A El Paso on Wednesday.
Darvish struck out four and walked one on the day. He sat 94.5 mph on his four-seam fastball and got a few whiffs on his slider and cutter, which both looked good. He had 10 whiffs overall and threw 51 pitches in the outing. He should push over 60 pitches in his next rehab start, which will come early next week. He will probably need two or three more outings before rejoining the Padres rotation. He was really good when healthy last season, so now might be a good time to stash him on your IL.