Skater Stream for Week 13
Hot Skaters to Target on Waivers for Fantasy Hockey
We had a short week 12 due to the three-day holiday break from December 24th-26th. As a result of the wonky week, some leagues, especially in Yahoo formats, waived the “three-start” minimum for goalies. As expected, fantasy hockey managers who didn’t understand the rules had a field day on the Fantasy Hockey Subreddit, as some lost to other managers in goalie categories, even though they didn’t hit that three-start benchmark.
Thankfully, we have a more traditional schedule in Week 13, though there will only be one game on New Year’s Day. Here’s a summary of games, matchups, and which teams fare the best on a fantasy hockey end in Week 13 via Thomas Nestico of TJ Stats (subscribe to his Patreon if you haven’t already).
With 2025 just a few days away, this may be a time for a roster reset for fantasy hockey managers who may have had lackluster performances in Week 12. Conversely, managers who like to stream may desire to hit the waiver wire to mix their roster up, especially if they have players on teams near the bottom of TJ Stats’ schedule rankings.
Thus, let’s examine four skaters that fantasy managers may consider streaming off waivers for Week 13 of the fantasy hockey season.
Quinton Byfield, C, LAK (37% rostered)
The 22-year-old center has been on a tear for the Kings in the last two weeks. He has six points in his previous five games, including four goals.
Over that six-game span, he averaged 1.00 PTS/G, 3.0 PTS/60, 2.5 SOG/G, and accumulated a +6 plus/minus. He also has a 50% IPP, 21.7% SH%, and 12.6% 5-on-5 SH% in that sample. Byfield’s performance is a big reason why the Kings have been one of the hottest teams in hockey recently (they are second in the Pacific with 47 points).
Granted, there’s no question that Byfield has been on a tremendous heater in the past two weeks. His SH% in his past six games is 9.9% higher than his season average, and despite being a PP1 skater, he hasn’t produced much in the power play recently (zero points in his last six games) or overall this year (2 PPP). His 63.6% secondary assist rate for the season is higher than expected, which demonstrates that he’s benefitting from primarily playing with Warren Foegele (who has 22 points this year) and Tanner Jeannot in the wake of Trevor Moore’s injury.
The SH% from the past six games will ultimately stabilize. However, Byfield is in a situation where he should continue to benefit on a fantasy scoring end, even when that SH% regresses.
His CF% this season is 53.7%, his PDO is 1020, and his OZ Start% is 52.1%. His IPP in the past six games is also a 2.7 improvement from his mark for the year. Thus, Byfield may be getting better at involving himself in scoring situations on the Kings’ second line in even-strength situations.
Byfield has demonstrated that he’s more than a dynasty or keeper league darling, especially since he was the second overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. Over the past week, he’s seen a tremendous wave in demand on Yahoo, as he was the most-added center in fantasy on Sunday.
Thus, fantasy managers who need help at the center should scoop Byfield as soon as possible since he may not be available on waivers for long, regardless of league size.
Jonathan Huberdeau, LW, CGY (39% rostered)
After scoring 30 goals and 115 points with the Florida Panthers during the 2021-2022 season, Huberdeau has struggled since moving north of the border to Alberta.
Over the past two seasons, the 31-year-old winger has scored 55 and 52 points, respectively. His PTS/G went from 1.44 in 2021-2022 to 0.70 in 2022-2023 and 0.64 in 2023-2024. Consequently, this draft season, fantasy expectations were much lower for Huberdeau, as Dobber ranked him 103rd in their Top 300 players rankings.
Huberdeau has bounced back a bit this season, though his days of being as elite as he was in 2021-2022 may be behind him.
His 15 goals in 36 games have already tied a career-high in Calgary. Additionally, his 0.75 PTS/G and 62-point 82-game pace are better than anything he has done in the past couple of seasons with the Flames.
Over the last two weeks, the Calgary winger has shown a form that isn’t too far removed from what he demonstrated with the Panthers three seasons ago.
He has collected four goals and six points in his previous six games, with two power-play points to boot. The SH% is insane at 30.8%, but it’s not far from his 23.4% SH% for the season. For context, his SH% was 8.4% last year and 11.9% the season before. Hence, it will come down eventually, though Huberdeau is certainly doing his part to ensure it won’t be anytime soon.
It appears that Huberdeau has been a key part of the Flames’ scoring over the past two weeks, as evidenced by his 85.7% IPP, 64.2% IPP, and 51.4% CF%. For the season, his 5-on-5 SH% of 10.1%, 64.2% OZ Start%, 65.9% IPP, and 51.1% CF% are all encouraging marks and don’t deviate too much from what he has produced in the past two weeks.
Hence, even though regression may be coming soon for Huberdeau, his involvement in the Flames’ attack is a big reason why fantasy managers should be comfortable streaming him, especially if he remains on a line with Nazem Kadri and Martin Pospisil. The only drawback with Huberdeau’s profile is his secondary assist% is low at 16.7%. When the SH% dries up, so will his overall fantasy points production.
The Flames face the Canucks, Utah, and Nashville this week in Calgary. Thus, it’s likely that Huberdeau will continue this hot streak in Week 13, making him a worthy pickup for now.
JJ Peterka, RW, BUF (32% rostered)
The Sabres are finally winning again. As a result, their players are looking much better for fantasy purposes, which couldn’t be said at the beginning of the month.
Peterka is one of those skaters from Buffalo whom fantasy managers should pick up off waivers, if available.
The 23-year-old German winger has eight points in his last seven games, which includes two goals and six assists. He also collected two PPPs and saw heavy time on the Sabres’ PP1 line, as evidenced by his 72.8% PP%.
In addition to averaging 1.14 PTS/G over the past two weeks, he is sporting a 15.4% SH%, a 61.5% IPP, a 10.7% 5-on-5 SH%, a 58.6% ZS%, and 51.9% CF%. The PDO is a bit low at 990, but his 4.0 PTS/60, 6.6 SOG/60, and 6.0 PPP/60 over the past seven games demonstrate the kind of fantasy potential Peterka sports both currently and in the long term.
For the season, Peterka’s 0.74 PTS/G and 61-point 82-game pace are an improvement from his 0.61 PTS/G and 50-point marks a season ago. He is finding more success with his shots, as his 13.9% SH% is 1.5% better than last year. Then again, he’s just getting more involved in the Sabres attack this year, as his 5-on-5 SH% is one percent higher, his OZ Start% is five percent higher, and his PP% is 16.4 % higher.
The 23-year-old German winger's scoring involvement has been growing. His IPP is only 57.8%, down eight from last year. His 51.9% CF% and 43.8% secondary assist% have also decreased considerably (1.5% and 10. %, respectively).
Therefore, his solid performance in those categories over the past two weeks could be a positive sign for Peterka and his outlook for the remainder of the season. That makes him an underrated streamer for Week 13, even with Buffalo’s demanding schedule against Dallas, Colorado, and Vegas on the road.
Cam Fowler, D, STL (22% rostered)
Not too long ago, I wrote about Fowler’s situation as a blue-liner in Anaheim to watch after the Ducks acquired Jacob Trouba from the Rangers.
Trade Spotlight: Trouba Goes to Anaheim
In some interesting NHL hot stove news today, the New York Rangers traded defenseman and captain Jacob Trouba to the Anaheim Ducks for Urho Vaakanainen and an Anaheim fourth-round pick.
He ended up being one worth watching, though he had to get traded to St. Louis to become more fantasy-relevant.
The Blues’ acquisition of Fowler was a little puzzling initially, especially since St. Louis already had Justin Faulk, Philip Broberg, and Colton Parayko on the blue line. However, Nick Leddy was placed on the IR, and Fowler has slid in as a first-line defenseman for St. Louis in both even-strength and power-play situations.
Fowler is paired with Parayko on St. Louis’ first blue line and serves as the Blues’ power-play quarterback, skating along with Dylan Holloway, Rob Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, and Pavel Buchnevich. The change of scenery and role in St. Louis has done wonders for Fowler in fantasy. He scored five points, one PPP, and averaged 0.71 PTS/G in his last seven games.
The 33-year-old Canadian defenseman remains more of a helper than a scorer with the Blues.
His 9.1% SH% over the past seven games is decent, but his SH% is only 3.4% for the season, down from 4.6% with Anaheim a year ago. He also has averaged 1.6 SOG/G, 4.1 SOG/60, and an 8.6% 5-on-5 SH% over the past two weeks. Hence, I am not sure Fowler should be a streaming target if fantasy managers only look for goals from defensemen on the wire (i.e., in roto or category leagues).
One metric worth watching is Fowler’s secondary assist%, which is 25%. That is considerably down from a year ago when it was 55.9% and even two seasons ago when it was 44.7%.
That low secondary assist% could be credited to lackluster pairings and performance in Anaheim. He has much more talent around him in St. Louis, and it’s paying off for Fowler, especially recently with his line movement.
In his past three games, he has had three assists and four points, and his minutes have been over the 21:00 TOI mark since December 17th. This demonstrates that Blues coach Jim Montgomery trusts Fowler and his ability to lead the Blues from the blue line in diverse ways.
St. Louis will have the marquee Winter Classic game at Wrigley Field on New Year’s Eve. They will also play Ottawa, coming off a game from the previous night, and Columbus on the road (the Blue Jackets have sketchy goaltending and defense).
A lot is in play for Fowler to continue to build his fantasy stock in Week 13 and sport a higher rostered percentage in leagues by next Sunday, especially in points formats where his profile shines even more.
Photo Credit: Jae C. Hong / Associated Press