Fantasy Hockey: Week 4 Preview and Waiver Pickups
How's it going hockey nerds, vizioN back again with week 4's edition of preview and waiver pickups. If you saw my post last week, I hope some of my targets have helped you out so far because some of those guys are having a monster week. Staal, Ritchie, Killorn, and Driedger all had productive weeks. Unfortunately, Drouin is really well this week but he hasn't been on the scoresheet, while Ullmark has his games delayed. We still have 2 more days left in this week so things can still change. Let me know how your week is going so far with your pickups!
For this week's preview, I've added charts so you guys can see which part of the week has the most off-days, who's playing the most games, how many games are on X day, etc. I hope this makes your weekly planning go a bit smoother. What do you guys think of this new idea? Once again, let me know down below. Improving the content quality is my priority for you hockey nerds!
On a side note, this is already the third installment for this series. I can't believe we're already on our third post (Week 4) and before you know it, Week 16 will be upon us. I just wanted to say thank you to all who have supported me so far. The coronavirus hasn't been exactly kind to us and writing out hockey stuff, like this, was originally meant to kill time and keep me occupied while I'm inside. What started out as an escape turned out to be one of the bright spots during these dark times. I found my love for hockey again and I've been learning the analytical side of it. It's been quite a ride on this subreddit so far and I'm happy that I can help some of you guys out. I've already seen some of the influences of my work and have seen mentions of hockey analytic language, like IPP and secondary assists, in some threads over the past week. I'm happy to see that we're helping one another during these tough times, not only in the real world but the virtual one too. I also wanted to give a big thank you to those who have done their part in the pandemic by social distancing and wearing masks, and not to mention, our essential workers. You guys are rockstars and I wish for nothing but the best for you and your family. As always, stay safe out there, and make sure to wear your mask.
Week Preview
This week's a mess with teams playing either anywhere from one to four games. Only five teams have four games this week and those teams are NSH, OTT, TBL, VGK, and WSH. Four teams play two games this week and those are ANH, BUF, MIN, and STL, while the remaining two teams, ARZ and COL, only play one game this week. The remaining 19 teams play three games this week.
BOS, NYR, and TOR all have the most amount of off day games. BOS and TOR have two off-day games, while NYR has three.
TBL was on fire this week scoring 13 goals in three games. Five of those goals came against NSH, and guess who they're playing twice this week? That's right, NSH! Their other two games come against state rivals, FLA, who has a $10 million goalie with a 3.57 GAA and .881 SV%. The goals, I feel it coming!!!
EDM starts off their week with a back-to-back against OTT. McJesus and the gang tore OTT a new one potting 12 goals in 2 games. Literally free points, nuff said. Their last game comes against MTL, and chances are, Carey Price will start that game. Pricey boy has a career 3.45 GAA and .872 SV% against the Oilers. Time for an oil change!
CAR have two games against DAL this week. CAR scored eight goals in two games this week against DAL, so players from CAR may be worth a stream this week. NSH have two games against DET this week, while WPG has two games against OTT. Need I say more?
Number of Games for Each Team
| Number of Games | Teams |
|---|---|
| Four Games | NSH, NYR, OTT, PHI, TBL, VGK, and WSH |
| Three Games | BOS, CGY, CAR, CHI, CBJ, DAL, DET, EDM, FLA, LAK, MTL, NJD, NYI, PIT, SJS, TOR, VAN, and WPG |
| Two Games | ANH, ARZ, BUF, MIN, and STL |
| One Game | COL |
Number of Off-Day Games
| Number of Games | Teams |
|---|---|
| Three Games | NYR |
| Two Games | BOS and TOR |
| One Game | CAR, COL, CBJ, EDM, MTL, NSH, NYI, OTT, PIT, TBL, VAN, VGK, and WSH |
Teams With Back-to-Back Games
| Teams |
|---|
| BOS, EDM, NSH, OTT, TBL, VGK, and WSH |
Number of Games for Each Day
| Day | Number of Games |
|---|---|
| Monday | 6 games |
| Tuesday | 9 games |
| Wednesday | 2 games |
| Thursday | 13 games |
| Friday | 1 game |
| Saturday | 13 game |
| Sunday | 2 games |
Week 4 Pickups
1. Josh Anderson - W (69%)
I was going to put Anderson in last week's edition but ended up picking Drouin which kind of came back to bite me in the butt. But for those who missed out on Drouin and grabbed Anderson instead, congratulations! The power forward is having a big week so far putting up 4 points in three games, with 12 SOG and 10 hits. Anderson already has nine points in 11 games this season while averaging 3.27 shots and 2.36 hits per game. MTL won't be playing until Wednesday so you can snatch Anderson to stream in the latter portion of the week. But for me personally, I'm already a part of the very nice 69 percenters and been so before the season started. To the f-cking moon we go boys 🚀🚀🚀🚀🚀
2. Jesse Puljujärvi - W (17%)
I've already picked up and dropped Pool Party twice this season and for some reason, going back to Puljujärvi for a third time feels like going back to an ex. It just feels like getting back together with an ex. Every time I get hyped and pick him up, it just ends up leaving me sad and disappointed. Well, the third time has to be the charm right? EDM begins the week with a back-to-back against OTT and we all know what happened last time they played OTT. Pool Party was one hit away from laying a goose egg during the first game but in the second half of the back-to-back, Puljujärvi potted two goals. Here's to hoping we see a hatty next time. Did I also mention that Pool Party is skating on the first line with McJesus? On a side note, Chaisson is playing on PP1 over Pool Party which brings me to my last note, I want what Dave Tippet is smoking.
3. Jason Spezza - C/W (4%)
Just ignore my flair for a second and look at the numbers. Orange juice boy has seven points in his last five games. Even if we take out his hatty from the VAN game, four points in five games is still respectable. Spezza has also found himself on PP2 which features Pyjama boy and William Nylander. He's also seen his ice time gradually increase throughout the season, from 7:41 to a season-high, 12:17, last game. Not to mention, TOR has two off-day games this week so Spezza may be worth a stream for the early portion of the week.
4. Barclay Goodrow - C/W (4%)
Here is another one for you guys in deeper leagues. Goodrow has put up four points in three games while putting up 2 faceoff wins, 5 hits, and 3 blocks so far this week. This guy was a multi-cat beast last year in San Jose and he faces the problem that Blake Coleman has in Tampa Bay, there are too many mouths to feed. I've already mentioned why streaming TBL players will be worth your while above so I won't try to convince you any further. I didn't mention Goodrow in last week's post but he was the next targeted player as I missed out on Palat, Coleman, Johnson, and Gourde.
5. Mikael Granlund - W (13%)
Granlund was feature here two weeks ago and in the time span, he has put up six points in seven games while averaging 2.29 shots and 21:12 TOI. He's also skating on line one and PP2. His ownership only jumped up by five percent so it looks like he's still flying under the radar. Did I also mention that NSH is playing four games this week with two coming against DET?
6. Tim Stuetzle - W (26%)
Stuetzle exploded scoring five of his six points this week (if we count Sunday too). He's shooting 60% on 5 shots in those three games so beware. But it looks like Stuetzle is starting to find his stride after having a rough start to the season.
7. Christian Dvorak - C/W (37%)
I know ARZ is only playing one game this week, but this is one more of a long-term hold. Dvorak has put up 11 points in 10 games this season while averaging 2.40 shots and 9.10 faceoff wins per game. Even though Dvorak is skating on the second line, he's on PP1 and is averaging 18:34 per game.
8. Alec Martinez - D (27%)
If you need a guy who can get you peripherals for this week, Martinez is your guy. VGK is playing four games this week and Martinez is averaging 1.25 hits and 3.63 blocked shots per game.
9. Calvin Peterson - G (8%)
In five games this season, Peterson is 1-3-0 with a 2.18 GAA and .935 SV%. LAK has two games against SJS this week, who are ranked 23rd in the league for Goals For per game at 2.67. LAK's last game of the week comes against MIN who Peterson is 2-0-0 in his career against with a 2.00 GAA and .934% SV. So keep an eye out for Peterson this week.
10. Chris Driedger - G (35%)
Okay, I know this may seem like a cheap cop-out since this is the third consecutive week I've featured Driedger, but hear me out. FLA has alternated between Driedger and Bobrovsky as their starter in their last six games. If this theory holds true, Bob should be starting Sunday meaning that Driedger should be starting on Tuesday against none other than DET. Driedger also already beat them this week allowing 2 goals while posting a 2.02 GAA and .941 SV%. Driedger is 3-0-1 while sporting a 1.72 GAA and .942 SV% this season. Did I also mention that he's fourth in the league for both GAA and SV%? For those saying that Driedger is in timeshare and hat no way FLA will bench a $10 million goalie, well Driedger has started four games this season which is half of FLA's games. Do you know who has started one more game than Driedger? Tristian Jarry. Jarry has a 3.92 GAA and .859% while being 76% rostered. I will be the DeepFuckingValue of this subreddit and won't stop parroting Driedger until he is rostered more than Bob.