Each fantasy season is full of injuries and players that just don’t meet your expectations. Being able to adjust on the fly and find studs on your league’s waiver wire is critical in a short season. Here are five players owned in less than 30% of Yahoo leagues who can help your team:
Patrick Wiercioch (25%): The Senators have been dealing with injury after injury. Most of the usual suspects you would usually rely on for fantasy in Ottawa – Erik Karlsson, Jason Spezza, Milan Michalek, Craig Anderson – have been on IR for what seems like ages. Kyle Turris and Daniel Alfredsson are still around, so you know you’re not watching Binghamton. Sergei Gonchar has been hot lately, but he’s already owned in 74% of leagues. Good luck nabbing him now.
The more readily available defenseman is Wiercioch. He’s paired with Gonchar on the top power play unit and 5-on-5, and he’s been doing his best to make up for Karlsson’s absence. He has six points in his last 5 games.
Robin Lehner (20%): Moving to the crease, Lehner has played admirably in the month of March. In his seven starts, he’s posted a 3-1-3 record, with a SV% of .937. If the Senators can provide the goal support like they did Saturday against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Lehner’s increased win total would put his numbers near the top of fantasy goalie rankings.
Mike Fisher (19%): Usually, goals are hard to come by in Music City, but not lately. The Predators have scored 22 goals over their last six games, and Mike Fisher has registered a point in each of them, scoring 5 goals and 2 assists. If you don’t have room to add another forward, defenseman Roman Josi (12%) has eight points in those six games in Ryan Suter‘s old role alongside Shea Weber.
R.J. Umberger (6%): The Blue Jackets’ point-earning streak has finally come to an end, but Umberger’s point streak has now extended to 3 games. His overall scoring is way down this year, but he could be picking it up when it matters most. Because Columbus doesn’t have your typical “first line” to bear the weight of the offense, Vinny Prospal (14%), Derick Brassard (3%), and Mark Letestu (2%) are viable – and equally risky – alternatives.
Pierre-Marc Bouchard (3%): The Minnesota Wild have won five straight games, and have scored at least three goals in four of those games. Secondary scoring continues to play a large part in their success. Last week in this column, I recommended Devin Setoguchi, who chipped in two goals and an assist in his three games. In those same three games, Bouchard had four assists. Stick with them while they’re hot.
Last Week’s Picks: No need to beat a dead horse talking about Devin Setoguchi – he’s still a quality add. Curtis Glencross and Brandon Saad have tallied points in each of their games this week. Shawn Horcoff scored a goal for the offensively challenged Edmonton Oilers. And Shawn Matthias had a goal, an assist, and a puck in the face this week … just in case your league gives you points for that.
