Fantasy: Top 10 waiver wire pickups for Week 14

Every Monday during the season, NHL.com will provide the top 10 players to add off the fantasy waiver wire. Based on Yahoo transaction data and other factors including production, lineup and/or injury trends, we have identified appealing options at each position for fantasy owners in season-long leagues.

FORWARDS

Daniel Sprong, RW, PIT (15 percent owned in Yahoo):The Pittsburgh Penguins forward has quickly ascended in their lineup and is skating with elite center Sidney Crosby on their first line, making him a must-add in many fantasy formats. Sprong had two goals and one assist with six shots on goal against the New York Islanders on Friday and has 18 shots on goal through five games. Sprong was the second-leading scorer in the American Hockey League before being recalled, scoring 28 points (18 goals, 10 assists) in 29 games for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. He is also skating on their second power-play unit, making him even more appealing in Yahoo leagues and a DFS value target in DraftKings.
Tanner Pearson, LW, LAK (8 percent):The Los Angeles Kings forward had a power-play assist against the Nashville Predators on Saturday, extending his point streak to three games. Pearson has two goals, three assists and seven SOG in that span. He has seen an uptick in performance since his recent promotion to the Kings first line alongside established fantasy forwards Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown. Pearson is also skating alongside Kopitar, Brown and defenseman Drew Doughty on their first power-play unit lately. As long as he maintains exposure to Kopitar and Brown, Pearson should become a hot commodity off the fantasy waiver wire. He has 25 points (eight goals, 17 assists) and 93 shots on goal in 42 games this season, putting him on pace for new NHL career highs in points and assists.

Mattias Janmark, C/LW, DAL (1 percent):The Dallas Stars forward has been one of their most-consistent forwards over the past two weeks but surprisingly hasn't seen any traction on the fantasy waiver wire. Janmark had a multipoint game against the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, giving him points in back-to-back games and five of his past six. He has four goals, three assists and 11 shots on goal in those six games. Janmark continues to skate alongside Jason Spezza (38 percent) on Dallas' second line, sees occasional time alongside Alexander Radulov (35th in Yahoo) and plays on the second power-play unit with Spezza, forwards Martin Hanzal and Devin Shore, and defenseman Esa Lindell.
Vinnie Hinostroza, C/LW, CHI (3 percent):The Chicago Blackhawks forward is taking advantage of a chance to play top-line minutes and could start making a case for fantasy rosters. Hinostroza had one assist against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday to extend his point streak to five games. He has two goals, five assists (one on power play) and 11 SOG in that span. Hinostroza has eight points (three goals, five assists) in 11 games this season and is skating on their first line with center Jonathan Toews and wing Brandon Saad. Toews and Sadd have four-game point streaks of their own, and Chicago is tied for the most games in Week 14 (four; 13 teams play one game this week).

Micheal Ferland, LW/RW, CGY (14 percent): The Calgary Flames forward has been a solid source of goals skating on the first line with Johnny Gaudreau and Sean Monahan. He has back-to-back multipoint games and eight points (six goals, two assists) in his past 11 games. Ferland has 24 points, one shy of his NHL career high (25 in 2016-17) and has already set a new high with 17 goals through 40 games. As long as he remains in this lineup position, he will have solid fantasy upside in any given week. Calgary also plays four games in Week 14.
Andreas Athanasiou, C/LW, DET (6 percent): The Detroit Red Wings forward is beginning to find his offensive groove and had back-to-back multipoint games (three goals, one assist) and 13 shots on goal this past week. He was held without a point against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Sunday, but had three SOG. Athanasiou has seven points (four goals, three assists) in his past nine games and is skating on Detroit's second line with its leading scorer Dylan Larkin and wing Tomas Tatar (12 percent). Athanasiou has 17 points (nine goals, eight assists), three power-play points and 81 SOG in 31 games and could be a second-half sleeper if he sticks among the Red Wings' top-six forward group.

Others to consider: Teuvo Teravainen, C/LW/RW, CAR (37 percent); Jakob Silfverberg, LW/RW, ANA (36 percent); Nick Schmaltz, C/LW, CHI (17 percent); Alex Tuch, RW, VGK (5 percent); Ryan Dzingel, LW/RW, OTT (1 percent)

DEFENSEMEN

Samuel Girard, COL (1 percent):The Colorado Avalanche rookie defenseman has been inconsistent since being acquired from the Nashville Predators on Nov. 5, but is starting to see his fantasy production pick up. Girard has five assists, all on the power play, in his past five games and has provided category coverage with four SOG and seven blocked shots in the span. He is running the point on their first power-play unit with forwards Nathan MacKinnon, Mikko Rantanen, Gabriel Landeskog and Tyson Jost; Colorado ranks seventh in power-play percentage (21.2). With top defenseman Tyson Barrie expected to miss at least another few weeks with a hand injury, Girard is a great streaming option given his expanded role.
Ivan Provorov, PHI (54 percent):The Philadelphia Flyers defenseman scored his eighth goal of the season and had five SOG against the Buffalo Sabres on Sunday. He has a three-game point streak totaling three goals, two assists and 12 shots on goal. Provorov has six points in his past seven games and has 12 hits, 21 blocked shots and 27 SOG in the span; the blocked shots total gives him added value in DraftKings.

Others to consider: Cam Fowler, ANA (50 percent); Erik Johnson, COL (47 percent); Nate Schmidt, VGK (7 percent); Jordan Oesterle, CHI (5 percent)

GOALTENDER

Carter Hutton, STL (42 percent): The St. Louis Blues backup goaltender is stealing time from starter Jake Allen. Hutton had a shaky outing against the Washington Capitals on Sunday, allowing four goals on 33 shots faced, but had won his previous three starts, allowing a total of five goals. Hutton leads the NHL in goals against average (1.81) and save percentage (.941). Fantasy owners should consider rostering Hutton over some lower-tier starters, and Allen owners should handcuff him for the rest of the season.
Jonathan Bernier, COL (11 percent): The Colorado Avalanche goaltender was strong filling in for injured starter Semyon Varlamov this past week. Bernier won each of his three starts, stopping 89 of 93 shots faced. He has won four straight games and five of his past six. The Avalanche will be on their five-day break to start this week and Varlamov could return afterwards, but Bernier is a viable streaming option with the Avalanche having four games in eight days coming out of their break.

Others to consider: Tristan Jarry, PIT (20 percent); Malcolm Subban, VGK (29 percent); Anton Khudobin, BOS (17 percent)
GAMES THIS WEEK:
MOST: CHI, CAR, CGY, MIN (four each)
FEWEST: ANA, BOS, COL, NYI, NJD, MTL, LAK, DAL, SJS, NSH, PHI, VGK, STL (one each)
READ:
Complete list of bye weeks for 2017-18 season