Fantasy Hockey Week 5 Waiver Wire Picks & Preview
In the 33rd episode of the Fantasy Hockey Hacks Podcast, the FHH team discusses the fifth week in the NHL, covering fantasy hockey week 5 waiver wire picks & preview, schedule notes, and announcing the winner of our recent giveaway! We’ll discuss players to focus on in week 5 (and beyond), what the schedule looks like for each team this week, get you up to date on the latest hockey news, injury updates, and more! Subscribe to our podcast on all major directories; and stay up to date with the latest in fantasy hockey news and fantasy hockey advice.
Highlights:
- Jack Eichel traded to the Vegas Golden Knights
- Connor McDavid scores the goal of the year
- Bowen Byram excels in Cale Makar’s absence
- 4-Goal performances from Patrice Bergeron & Brock Nelson
- Carey Price set to return to the Canadiens
- Chicago Blackhawks fire head coach Jeremy Coliton
Twitter | @FHHacks
Instagram | @FantasyHockeyHacks
Fantasy Hockey Questions? Email us at FantasyHockeyHacks@Gmail.com
Hockey News & Injury Updates | Nov. 1-7, 2021
November 1
- Duncan Keith played in his 1,200 career game against the Seattle Kraken on Monday night, and scored his first goal as a member of the Edmonton Oilers. Kailer Yamamoto scored last night for Edmonton as well, his first goal in 28 games going back to April 8th last season.
November 2
- Mikko Rantanen and Cale Makar will not play on Wednesday, Nov. 3rd. Burakovsky is doubtful to play. Makar was placed on IR, best chance to play would be on Thursday, November 11th.
- Nick Schmaltz will miss 3-4 weeks with an upper-body injury.
November 3
- Jonathan Drouin is DTD, no concussion symptoms at this time.
- Pekka Rinne will become the first player in Nashville Predators history to have his number retired.
NEWS: Pekka Rinne will become the first player in Nashville Predators history to have his number retired. https://t.co/ccMiAo15Ez
— DailyFaceoff.com Hockey (@DFOHockey) November 3, 2021
- Filip Forsberg was hurt in Tuesday’s contest against the Flames, he has been listed as week-to-week.
- Sidney Crosby and Brian Dumoulin are in COVID-19 protocol. Crosby has been experiencing mild symptoms, Dumoulin nothing at the moment.
- Brad Aldrich’s name has been crossed off the Stanley Cup according to TSN’s Ryan Rishaug.
Can confirm that Brad Aldrich’s name has been x’ed out on the Stanley Cup. Was done on Sunday when the Lightning names were being added.
— Ryan Rishaug (@TSNRyanRishaug) November 3, 2021
- Leon Draisaitl became the first player since Mario Lemieux (2002-2003) to record 20 points in his team’s first 9 GP.
Oilers Leon Draisaitl
First player with 20 points thru his team’s first 9 games of a season since Mario Lemieux in 2002-03
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) November 4, 2021
- In Makar’s absence, Bowen Byram has an absolute monster game (2 G, 1 A); ties game with CBJ late to send to OT.
November 4
- Jack Eichel and a 3rd RD Pick was traded to the Vegas Golden Knights for Alex Tuch, Peyton Krebs, 1ST RD Pick (Top 10 Protected, 2022), 2nd RD Pick (2023).
Big #VegasBorn welcome for Jack Eichel! #HockeyTwitter #NHL #FantasyHockey pic.twitter.com/wlQkkZqgfQ
— Fantasy Hockey Hacks (@FHHacks) November 8, 2021
- Kris Letang returned to action after missing the previous 4-games in COVID protocol.
- Dougie Hamilton listed as DTD, Lindy Ruff said he would not play Friday, but reiterated that it is just DTD.
- Mikko Rantanen and Devon Toews cleared for game action by the Colorado Avalanche.
- Victor Olofsson missed his second straight game.
- Patrice Bergeron and Brock Nelson both scored 4 goals each on Thursday night.
- Brayden Schenn left Thursday’s game against San Jose with an upper-body injury.
- Jordan Eberle nets first hat trick in Seattle Kraken franchise history!
Jordan Eberle hatty! #HockeyTwitter #SeaKraken #FantasyHockey pic.twitter.com/40ATVvdhzt
— Fantasy Hockey Hacks (@FHHacks) November 5, 2021
November 5
- Brady Tkachuk named 10th captain in Ottawa Senators franchise history.
- Anthony Mantha placed on IR with upper-body injury. It was later revealed that he underwent shoulder surgery and is out indefinitely.
Capitals now announce Anthony Mantha underwent surgery on his shoulder after yesterday’s game against the Panthers. He is out indefinitely.
— Samantha Pell (@SamanthaJPell) November 5, 2021
- Carey Price set to rejoin the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
- Mikael Sergachev is suspended two games for an illegal hit to the head of Toronto’s Mitch Marner.
Tampa Bay’s Mikhail Sergachev has been suspended for two games for an Illegal Check to the Head on Toronto’s Mitchell Marner. https://t.co/iwkm4hVfQW
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) November 5, 2021
- Connor McDavid scores an absolute beauty to tie the game and the Oilers defeat the New York Rangers 6-5 in OT. 👀
“That was just… an outlandish goal.”
There aren’t many individual efforts that garner this type of reaction… but there aren’t many Connor McDavids. pic.twitter.com/YIVzFTLAtW
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) November 8, 2021
November 6
- The Chicago Blackhawks have fired Jeremy Coliton.
The Blackhawks have relieved Jeremy Colliton, Tomas Mitell and Sheldon Brookbank of their coaching duties and have named Derek King Interim Head Coach, effective immediately. https://t.co/2PggeNtIY4
— Chicago Blackhawks (@NHLBlackhawks) November 6, 2021
- Anthony Duclair had a 4-point (2G) game as the Panthers beat the Carolina Hurricanes to remain the only team without a regulation loss.
- Antti Raanta left last nights game against Florida after a collision with Ryan Lomberg. Suspendable play?
- Petr Mrazek will miss approximately 4 weeks with a groin injury, placed on IR.
Maple Leafs goaltender Petr Mrázek has been placed on injured reserve due to a groin injury, retroactive to November 4.
He is expected to miss approximately four weeks.
— Leafs PR (@LeafsPR) November 7, 2021
Ask The Hacks
- Would you drop Anders Lee for Lucas Raymond (or Alex Killorn)?
- Should I drop Nico Hischier for Ryan Getzlaf?
- Is it time to drop Jacob Chychrun?
- Which team do you guys think won the Jack Eichel trade? Why?
Jack Eichel is the big winner here because he finally gets the surgery he needs and wants; but between #LetsGoBuffalo and #VegasBorn, who wins this trade?
— Fantasy Hockey Hacks (@FHHacks) November 4, 2021
- I have an opportunity to trade Robin Lehner for Jack Campbell (other pieces in the trade), should I do it? Concerned about the injury situation in Vegas.
- Who do you like more for the rest of the season – Teuvo Teravainen or J.T. Miller? The league categories include hits and PIMs.
Edge Work | NHL Schedule, Week 5
Number of Games Played:
Teams With 4 Games: BOS, CGY, EDM, FLA, LAK, MTL, NJD, OTT, PIT, STL, TOR, VAN, WSH
- Team Of Interest | With the exception of the Edmonton Oilers, the Boston Bruins have a very favourable schedule for next week, which includes matchups against the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, and Montreal Canadiens. A player like Charlie Coyle (12% Rostered) could offer value next week with 4 games, 3 of which are against weaker competition. Coyle has 5 points (3 G) in 8 GP this season, and has performed well in the past against Ottawa, Edmonton, and Montreal.
- Team Of Interest | The Washington Capitals are another team with a favourable 4-game schedule for next week with games against the Buffalo Sabres (no Mittelstadt, Olofsson, Eichel), Detroit Red Wings, Columbus Blue Jackets (no Laine or Boqvist), and Pittsburgh Penguins. Give Conor Sheary (1%) a look, he may get moved into the top 6 with Anthony Mantha out with a shoulder injury; and he has put up points against both Buffalo and Pittsburgh in his career. Sheary sees time on PP1, and could be very productive next week. Lars Eller would be another option, and centers Washington’s second line at the moment.
Teams With 3 Games: ANA, ARI, BUF, CAR, DET, MIN, NSH, NYR, PHI, SJS, SEA, VGK, WPG
- Team Of Interest | The New York Rangers have favourable matchups later next week against the Columbus Blue Jackets and New Jersey Devils; but do take on the Florida Panthers in their first game of the week. Players like Alexis Lafrieniere (58%), Kaapo Kakko (14%), and Jacob Trouba (52%) are considerations for next week. Alexander Georgiev (6%) may get a start as well with a back-to-back on Saturday/Sunday.
- Team Of Interest | The Winnipeg Jets are another team to look at for next week with games against the St. Louis Blues (no O’Reilly, Schenn), San Jose Sharks, and Los Angeles Kings. Andrew Copp (69%), Paul Stastny (16%), Josh Morrissey (58%), and Nate Schmidt (38%) would all be serviceable options for next week.
Teams With 2 Games: CBJ, CHI, COL, DAL, TB
- Teams Of Interest | The Colorado Avalanche is the team to target of those clubs only playing twice next week. With matchups against the Vancouver Canucks and San Jose Sharks, you can expect a healthy level of fantasy production. Some largely available players to consider include: JT Compher (39%), Andrei Burakovsky (60%), Nazem Kadri (35%), Bowen Byram (49%) and Devon Toews (65%).
Team With 1 Game: NYI
- Team Of Interest | The lone team with 1 game next week, the New York Islanders have a favourable matchup against the New Jersey Devils; who are without Jack Hughes and potentially Dougie Hamilton who is DTD at the moment. If you’re looking for a spot start next Thursday, the Islanders have plenty of fantasy relevant players with low ownership that could make an impact; including Brock Nelson, Oliver Wahlstrom, and Anthony Beauvillier.
Edge Work | NHL Week 5 Waiver Wire Targets
Waiver wire targets will be focused on players with ownership ~50% or less.
Top Waiver Wire Targets
📈 Ryan Getzlaf (C), ANA | Rostered: 45% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (@VAN, @SEA, Vs.VAN) | Line: 1 (w/ Terry & Henrique)
- With 11 points (1 G) in 12 games played, Getzlaf is on-pace for 75 points so far this season; the highest we have seen from the Ducks captain since 2017-2018. Getzlaf is covering shots (2.8 SOG/GM), hits (22), and face-offs (58.2%) for leagues that count them. Favourable schedule for the Ducks next week, and Getzlaf has traditionally played well against Vancouver with 51 points (15 goals) in 54 career games against.
📈 Marcus Foligno (LW/RW), SEA | Rostered: 34% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (@ARI, @VGK, @SEA) | Line: 1 (w/ Eriksson Ek & Fiala)
- Foligno covers a lot of categories if you are in a league that includes hits and pims. This season Foligno is up to 30 PIMs, 25 Hits, 3 PPP, and 8 points (4 goals) in 9 games played. Shot volume is quite low though at 1.2 SOG/GM, and a shooting percentage of 36.2% screams regression. However, the Wild have a very favourable schedule for the upcoming week, and Marcus Foligno needs to be on your radar (possibly even for the rest of the year).
📈 Alex IaFallo (LW), LAK | Rostered: 33% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (@TOR, @MTL, @OTT, WPG) | Line: 2 (w/ Kempe & Danault)
- Iafallo is on a 5 game point streak, producing 7 points and 4 goals over the stretch. Iafallo’s PPTOI is improving as well, he saw a season-high 4:52 (63.5% PP Share) on the power play on Friday night versus New Jersey, and that very likely will continue. Shot volume is way up this season at 3.4 SOG/GM, and SH% is slightly elevated so expect to see some regression. However, Iafallo should be a very productive waiver wire add for next week. Total of 10 points (5 goals) in 11 GP this season.
📈 Brock Nelson (C), NYI | Rostered: 24% (Yahoo) | GP: 1 (@NJD) | Line: 1 (w/ Palmieri & Beauvillier)
- After posting a 4 goal game against the Montreal Canadiens, Nelson is up to 8 Pts (6 goals) in 8 games so far this season playing in the Isles Top 6 and second powerplay unit. There is some regression coming, as Nelson’s SH% is currently at 26.1% on the season and his shot volume is at a career-high as well at 2.9 SOG/GM. Even if Nelson settles back to his 3-year average of 31 goals and 59 points, he should be rostered in more leagues. Just 1 game next week, but keep in mind moving forward.
📈 Robert Thomas (C/RW), STL | Rostered: 8% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (@WPG, Vs.NSH, @CAR, Vs.EDM) | Line: 2 (w/ Barbashev & Tarasenko)
- With Ryan O’Reilly in COVID protocol and Brayden Schenn sent home with an upper-body injury; Thomas is seeing an expanded role. On Wednesday he played a total of 21:42 against the SJ Sharks, scoring 1 goal and 1 assist. Thomas is now up to 8 points (1 G) in 9 GP this season. 5v5 SH%, SH%, and secondary assist % is all within normal ranges, and Thomas is up to a career-high of 18:32 ATOI. Tough schedule next week, but with 4 games on the slate he could return fantasy value.
📈 Cole Sillinger (C/RW), CBJ | Rostered: 2% (Yahoo) | GP: 2 (Vs.WSH, Vs.NYR) | Line: 2 (w/ Bjorkstrand & Nyqvist)
- With 2 goals and 1 assist on Wednesday against the Avalanche, Sillinger is up to 5 Pts (3 G) in 9 GP. The team announced on Friday that Patrik Laine was placed on IR, and will miss up to 6 weeks. Sillinger took Laine’s spot on PP1 at practice and is playing with Bjorkstrand (12 Pts, 4 G, 9 GP) at 5v5. It’s a light schedule for Columbus next week, but keep tabs on Sillinger.
📈 Bowen Byram (D), COL | Rostered: 48% (Yahoo) | GP: 2 (Vs.VAN, VS.SJS) | Pair: 1 (w/ Girard, PP1)
- With Makar on the shelf until later next week, Bowen Byram is seeing time on the top pairing and powerplay. Byram had been productive before that, but with Makar out he put up 2 goals and 1 assist in 25:17 TOI (4:05 PPTOI) against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Wednesday. The Avs have a favourable schedule next week, but Byram has season-long fantasy value given his production to date – 8 Pts (3 G) in 9 GP.
📈 Kale Clague (D), LAK | Rostered: 1% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (@TOR, @MTL, @OTT, WPG) | Pair: 1 (w/ Edler, PP1)
- With Drew Doughty and Sean Walker out with injuries, the bulk of the PP has gone to Cale Klague who is now averaging 5:03 per game with the man advantage. Clague has posted 3 A (2 PPP) through 4 games. The Kings play 4 games next week and have reasonably favourable matchups.
📈 Cam Fowler (D), ANA | Rostered: 41% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (@VAN, @SEA, Vs.Van) | Pair: 2 (w/ Manson, PP2)
- Currently on-pace for 55 points with 8 Pts (1 G) in 12 games, and still under 50% ownership in Yahoo leagues. Fowler is seeing less PPTOI and roughly 40% offensive zone starts, but has still been productive. No red flags with regards to underlying numbers.
NOTE: If Kevin Shattenkirk (81%) is still available in your league, he would be the preferred option given his production to date – 11 Pts (3 G) in 11 GP, 19:32 ATOI, 2:27 PPTOI (43.4% PP Share); currently tied with Adam Fox and Roman Josi for first among NHL defencemen in scoring.
You may not have noticed, but Kevin Shattenkirk is currently tied with Adam Fox & Roman Josi for first among NHL defensemen in scoring.
Yes, Kevin Shattenkirk.@MikeMcKenna56 provides a player’s perspective on how Shattenkirk’s rediscovered his offense. https://t.co/iBGlM24y3s
— DailyFaceoff.com Hockey (@DFOHockey) November 5, 2021
📈 Jonathan Quick (G), LAK | Rostered: 11% (Yahoo) | GP: 4 (@TOR, @MTL, @OTT, WPG) | Role: Tandem
- Quick has started 60% of the games for the Kings so far this season; but going into the year most expected Petersen to be closer to that number. Petersen has been underwhelming with a 3.28 GAA and .895 SV%; conversely Quick has posted a 2.47 GAA and .915 SV%. With 4 games next week, Quick should provide serviceable category coverage for at least a couple starts; particularly Montreal (3-9-0, 2.00 GF/GM) and Ottawa (3-6-1, 2.5 GF/GM).
📈 Alex Nedeljkovic (G), DET | Rostered: 45% (Yahoo) | GP: 3 (Vs.EDM, Vs.WSH, Vs.MTL) | Role: Tandem
- Nedelkjovic has just 1 win so far this season, but over his past 5 starts, “Ned” has posted some impressive peripherals – 2.22 GAA, .930 SV%, 3.8 GSAx. It’s been a 50/50 tandem in Detroit so far this year, but over Greiss’ last 4 starts his peripherals are far less impressive – 4.85 GAA, .858 SV%, -6.11 GSAx. If that trend continues watch for Ned to start stealing starts from Greiss; while providing solid peripherals for cats leagues.
Shop Now | NHLShop.ca
The Fantasy Hockey Hacks Podcast is a proud partner of NHLShop.ca! For all your officially licensed NHL merchandise, follow the links in our show notes, or on our website. From jerseys and hats, to socks, clocks, and more, NHLShop.ca is the best source for NHL apparel and merchandise. Visit the store today to see current promotions and offers. Terms and conditions apply.
Full disclosure, Fantasy Hockey Hacks may receive a small commission for your purchase, which helps us to continue providing original content.
2021 How To Win Your Fantasy Hockey League Series
- August 8th (Ep. 19) – Guide To Wingers
- August 12th (Ep. 20) – Guide To Centers
- August 19th (Ep. 21) – Guide To Defencemen
- August 29th (Ep. 22) – Guide To Goalies & Zero G Draft Strategy
- September 7th (Ep. 23) – 2021 Fantasy Hockey Guide & The Perfect Draft
BONUS: Dom Luszczyszyn’s (The Athletic) Fantasy Hockey Rankings & Cheat Sheet