NHL Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week

Fortune doesn't always fall your way in fantasy. You could carry a strong lineup and still have a losing record. Take the RotoWire Staff Hockey League, where I lead in total fantasy points yet somehow sit at 7-9 in weekly head-to-heads.

No need to worry, as I know my team will do well as long as I can avoid a bunch of injuries while gaining a bit of luck. Should you be in a similar position or are least looking to find some upgrades, we've offered a few suggestions:

(Rostered rates as of Jan. 31)

Forwards

Brock Nelson, NYI (Yahoo: 55%): Nelson usually finds his way into this column at least once a season as he's been a good – but never an elite – center. He only managed 21 points from his first 40 games, though has gone off with 11 in the last 10 to go with 26 shots and 79 faceoff wins on a 19:45 average. The lack of power-play production (two PPPs after three straight double-digit efforts) may deter poolies, yet he's on the Isles' lead group while up a man and is generally guaranteed a place in the top-six.

JJ Peterka, BUF (Yahoo: 33%): Since initially being brought up at the start of November, Peterka has racked up 10 goals, 21 assists, nine PPPs, and 91 shots while teaming up with Tage Thompson during all scoring situations. And he's getting plenty of attention thanks to three goals, a helper, four shots and a plus-6 on Tuesday. Despite the Sabres' issues keeping pucks out of their own net, they've been pretty potent at the other end, with 40 goals this month heading into Friday. That type of team support and personal involvement should allow Peterka to continue making fantasy players happy.

Adam Fantilli, CLS (Yahoo: 29%): Sean Monahan had been enjoying a career year until he got hurt three weeks ago. That led to Fantilli taking over as the Blue Jackets' No. 1 center, and he's responded by posting 12 points and 32 shots across 11 contests that included his first NHL hat-trick last Wednesday. He's also skating an average of 20-plus minutes over that stretch, peaking at 25:58 (!!!) on Saturday. With Monahan not expected to return for the next little while, expect Fantilli to keep being a significant part of a potent Columbus offense.

Jake Neighbours, STL (Yahoo: 17%): Neighbours is riding a decent run since Dec. 29 recording three goals, five assists, 21 shots and 32 hits, with five of those eight points coming on the man-advantage. There's a slight downgrade that comes with logging bottom-six ice time, yet it's tough to ignore what he's recently accomplished on the power play. And that should be enough of an incentive to pick up Neighbours.

Eeli Tolvanen, SEA (Yahoo: 15%): Like Darren Raddysh last week, Tolvanen is back here on a short turnaround, as he's on another blistering streak. His previous upswing involved a nine-game span of three goals, five assists, 16 shots and 32 hits, and he's topped that overall haul the last 12, with seven, two, 20 and 46 – including goals in four straight. And even if Tolvanen slips down the depth chart, he should still be paired with decent talent on a deep Seattle forward contingent.

Marco Kasper, DET (Yahoo: 11%): Being part of a top trio is a favorable place to be. And when your linemates are Dylan Larkin and Lucas Raymond, it's that much better. Just ask Kasper, whose numbers have skyrocketed since the promotion via seven goals, five assists, 24 shots and 16 hits across 11 appearances punctuated by his first three-point performance on Monday. He's even earned a bump up to Detroit's top power play with Patrick Kane on IR. Kasper has benefited after a big boost, and adding him to your rosters could yield the same.

Pius Suter, VAN (Yahoo: 2%): Suter briefly became a fantasy darling last season when he was on a line with J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser, even joining the two on the PP. He would ultimately return to a lesser line, though the minutes remained steady and the output serviceable. Scanning Suter's stats the last six weeks, you may notice the giant gap where he missed the scoresheet over 18 of 20 outings. But there may be signs of hope. One of Miller or Elias Pettersson seems to be on his way out of town by the Trade Deadline, and that would presumably push Suter up as Vancouver's second center. And based on current combinations, he's the one with the better wingers than Pettersson, boasting Jake DeBrusk and Conor Garland. Suter has also topped the Swede for ice time during the last four, where he's also delivered a PPG and SHG. Even if neither star leaves, Suter is being entrusted with enough responsibilities to warrant more coverage.

Mackie Samoskevich, FLA (Yahoo: 1%): Samoskevich was destined for greatness after successful stints in the USHL, NCAA and AHL. The difference in Florida is that he wasn't being utilized the same way, though his fortune may be turning around. Samoskevich was regularly toiling in the single-minutes until a larger role came around mid-January, where he's since tallied four assists, 23 shots and 18 hits. And he's now on a five-on-five line with Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone that talented with huge upside available in almost every Yahoo! league.

Defensemen

Tony DeAngelo, NYI (Yahoo: 15%): The Isles have been decimated on the back end with the recent losses of Noah Dobson and Mike Reilly to longer-term injuries, while Ryan Pulock is set for a short spell on the sidelines. Enter DeAngelo, who played in the KHL this season and posted 32 points in 34 games. There's no questioning his offensive abilities, which is why he's been immediately installed as the quarterback on the top power play. We don't know what DeAngelo's involvement will be once Dobson comes back, though we won't have to worry about that for at least a few more weeks. And their other new signing, Scott Perunovich, could eventually take over the prime placement. But until either of those things actually occurs, DeAngelo remains a must-add.

Jake McCabe, TOR (Yahoo: 11%): McCabe's scoring isn't noteworthy, yet it's adequate and supplemented by a solid fantasy haul. He's also skating alongside Morgan Rielly on the first even-strength pairing and has contributed two assists, 13 shots, 10 hits and 16 blocks since returning two weeks ago from a four-game absence. With all that output and a prominent position on the penalty kill, McCabe makes for a decent pickup who can help in multiple categories.

K'Andre Miller, NYR (Yahoo: 6%): Miller is maintaining a similar pace to previous years when it comes to secondary stats, though he's a little behind on the attacking front. There's been a resurgence of late, as he has registered four points – one of those a PPA – over the last five contests to go with six shots, four hits and four blocks on 22:57 a night. Miller has also received more man-advantage minutes during this stretch in addition to his lead shorthanded job. With all that ice time and opportunity, he's bound to keep producing.

John Marino, UTA (Yahoo: 0%): Utah welcomed Mikhail Sergachev on Wednesday, and he went right back to his usual heavy workload while covering the point on PP1. That latter role was shared with Michael Kesselring and Marino, where the two now occupy the backup unit. Marino only saw his first action of the season on Jan. 14 following back surgery, but is already logging just under 23 minutes through his last six matchups. Over that time, he's notched four assists, seven shots and eight blocks. Based on a reliable production history and work in all areas, Marino could be a nice flyer.

Goaltenders

Jake Allen, NJ (Yahoo: 38%): Jacob Markstrom has unsurprisingly handled the majority of the Devils' starts since arriving during the offseason, though he was forced to leave last Wednesday and is set to be out for at least the next month with an MCL injury. Allen has stepped in to assume all of the netminding duties, winning three of four games, and posting a 1.66 GAA and .938 save percentage, including a shutout over Philly on Wednesday. Expect this scenario to continue until Markstrom is ready to return, which represents a very favorable situation for Allen to be in behind a top-five defense and solid attack.

Connor Ingram, UTA (Yahoo: 34%): Before getting hurt, Ingram had been struggling with a 3.61/.871 line across 13 outings. He looked sharp in his first three appearances back with only two goals allowed in each before he gave up a combined seven during the last two. Karel Vejmelka (30 percent covered) went on an extended hot stretch earlier this campaign and has gone on to produce inconsistent results, yet he shut out the Wild on the road last Thursday. The duo have more or less been alternating starts of late, so you may want to add Ingram if you already have Vejmelka – and vice-versa.

Players to consider from past columns: Macklin Celebrini, Evgeni Malkin, Pavel Buchnevich, Bryan Rust, Logan Stankoven, Gabriel Vilardi, Dylan Guenther, Rickard Rakell, Connor McMichael, Juraj Slafkovsky, Marco Rossi, Dylan Strome, Jonathan Huberdeau, Pierre-Luc Dubois, Josh Norris, Logan Cooley, Pavel Dorofeyev, Matthew Knies, Cole Perfetti, Pavel Zacha, Matty Beniers, Nino Niederreiter, Troy Terry, Sean Monahan, Patrick Kane, Nazem Kadri, Jamie Benn, Elias Lindholm, William Eklund, Nick Schmaltz, Trevor Moore, Dylan Cozens, Stefan Noesen, Connor Zary, Ross Colton, Jonathan Drouin, Leo Carlsson, Casey Mittelstadt, Blake Coleman, Kyle Palmieri, Yegor Chinakhov, Michael Bunting, Brayden Schenn, Ryan Strome, Anthony Cirelli, Viktor Arvidsson, Dawson Mercer, Dmitri Voronkov, Anton Lundell, Yegor Sharangovich, Dylan Holloway, Matthew Coronato, Reilly Smith, Jake DeBrusk, Kirill Marchenko, Teuvo Teravainen, William Karlsson, Shane Pinto, Chandler Stephenson, Jaden Schwartz, Conor Garland, Tyler Toffoli, Quinton Byfield, Mason Marchment, Ryan O'Reilly, Morgan Geekie, Mason McTavish, Jack Roslovic, Kent Johnson, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Patrik Laine, Bobby McMann, Kaapo Kakko, Barrett Hayton, Alex Killorn, Jack Quinn, Anders Lee, Jiri Kulich, Tyler Bertuzzi, Alex Laferriere, Maxim Tsyplakov, Warren Foegele, Fabian Zetterlund, Brett Howden, Aliaksei Protas, Scott Laughton, Aaron Ekblad, Neal Pionk, Jackson LaCombe, Luke Hughes, Brandt Clarke, Seth Jones, Filip Hronek, Lane Hutson, Bowen Byram, Jordan Spence, Travis Sanheim, Cam Fowler, Owen Power, Ryan Pulock, Matt Grzelcyk, Justin Faulk, Mason Lohrei, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Ryker Evans, Samuel Girard, Dmitry Orlov, Radko Gudas, Erik Gustafsson, Jamie Drysdale, Darren Raddysh, Declan Chisholm, Dante Fabbro, Alex Vlasic, Damon Severson, Ivan Provorov, Ilya Samsonov, Mackenzie Blackwood, Lukas Dostal, Kevin Lankinen, Yaroslav Askarov, Scott Wedgewood, Tristan Jarry, John Gibson, Sam Montembeault, Karel Vejmelka, Jonathan Quick, Leevi Merilainen, Dan Vladar, Calvin Pickard, Joel Hofer, Elvis Merzlikins, Joonas Korpisalo, Spencer Knight, Justus Annunen