2024-25 Fantasy Hockey Week 14 Primer And Pickups: Rossi, Drouin, Kane Lighting It Up; Askarov Shutting It Down

There's a huge Saturday coming up with 30 teams in action, and that's about as packed as it will get since there are no days where all 32 teams will play. There are plenty of weekend back-to-backs to take note of - Golden Knights, Stars, Wild, Lightning, Senators, Kraken, Penguins, Ducks - and a few teams are on lengthy road trips - Stars, Canucks, Oilers - or homestands - Penguins, Jets, Utah, Red Wings, Flyers.

As we approach the halfway mark of the season, it's become increasingly difficult to find hidden gems on the waiver wire. Right now, we're looking for some potential second-half turnarounds, such as Quinton Byfield or Filip Forsberg, or maybe selling high on first-half wonders, such as Martin Necas.

Games remaining will be something to consider; entering Sunday's matchups, the Lightning have the most games remaining with 45, while the Bruins, Devils and Sharks have the fewest remaining with 40. Given that the Bruins are usually in action on the busy nights - Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays - I find the fantasy values of their players a little less appealing. It's something to keep in mind even if you're banking on them making the playoffs again after a brutal start.

Schedule

Pick players from teams at the top of the schedule matrix to maximize games and matchups. Green is good. Red is bad. All advanced stats courtesy naturalstatrick.com. All positions and rostered percentages are courtesy of Yahoo Fantasy. Points percentages are as of Saturday.

Season-long adds

(< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Bryan Rust, RW, Penguins (48% rostered)

After a three-game drought, Rust notched points in consecutive games and he has plenty of value as the top right winger next to Sidney Crosby on both the power play and at even strength.

Quinton Byfield, C/LW/RW, Kings (41% rostered)

I'm taking a risk putting Byfield as a long-term hold because there's a chance he regresses back to his early-season production. However, I can't help but notice the ice time - over 20 minutes per game lately - and the scoring binge. I think we just needed to be a little more patient for his breakout to happen, and think the increased shot volume is a very good sign.

Marco Rossi, C, Wild (33% rostered)

Rossi scored three points against the Preds, four assists against the Canes, holds down L1 - I've been saying he's their long-term 1C over Joel Eriksson Ek forever - and yet he's rostered in only one-third of Yahoo leagues. C'mon, guys.

Dmitri Voronkov, LW, Blue Jackets (30% rostered)

Admittedly, I didn't quite see this coming. I thought Voronkov looked fine last season and had mixed feelings going into this season because on a team that was going to lose a lot of games, he might feel even more homesick. Instead, the Jackets are not losing a lot and their offense is really good. Voronkov's their top left winger and scoring goals at a rapid rate; he'll slow down, but I think he easily puts up 30 goals this season - he's halfway there - and that makes him worth rostering in deeper leagues.

Jonathan Drouin, LW, Avalanche (26% rostered)

Obviously, when Drouin's playing L1/PP1 with Nathan MacKinnon, he should be rostered all season. He puts up points at a very high rate despite the lack of shooting volume. The big risk is, of course, Drouin's health.

Mid-term holds

(< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Patrick Kane, RW, Red Wings (46% rostered)

Kane is flourishing under Todd McLellan, who now has three goals and seven points in his past four games. New coach bump or was Kane just leaving his best stuff for the second half of the season? Regardless, Kane's fantasy value is quickly rising. Managers who dropped him earlier this season (such as myself) can start thinking about picking him up again. At even strength, Kane's not dominant, but he's been very productive on the power play.

Dylan Holloway, C/LW, Blues (44% rostered)
Brayden Schenn, C/LW, Blues (21% rostered)

We can throw Schenn into the conversation as well since they play together at both even strength on L2 and on PP2. Holloway, though, has more offensive upside and he has scored four goals and six points in his past six games. He's streaky, but I like the upcoming matchups against the Ducks and Jackets on home ice.

Pierre-Luc Dubois, C/LW, Capitals (27% rostered)

Unspectacular but consistent, and that's probably the best version of Dubois. He doesn't score goals - he barely shoots, actually - but he's racking up the assists on a very good team. In multi-category leagues that count faceoffs, Dubois' underrated.

Jason Zucker, LW, Sabres (24% rostered)

The upside is the Sabres are scoring again, with Zucker playing left wing on the top line with Dylan Cozens and Tage Thompson. At his best, Zucker's a goal-scoring, hitting machine, and he's on a four-game goal streak playing plenty of minutes. Few offer the same kind of goals and hits upside as Zucker when he's on his game.

Cam Fowler, D, Blues (42% rostered)

Not many PP1 QB's are available at this time of the season, but Fowler has excelled with the Blues. He no longer has to drive the bus in Anaheim, but instead has a more suitable role on a top-four committee in St. Louis. He's playing L1 with Colton Parayko and quarterbacking the power play, and it seems like neither Parayko, the injured Justin Faulk nor underachieving prospect Scott Perunovich will be a threat to take the job.

Jackson LaCombe, D, Ducks (19% rostered)

Fowler's departure opened the competition on the Ducks PP, and it's LaCombe who's holding that spot right now. It can be feel like a flavor-of-the-month type of situation, so I'm not sure if LaCombe has a lot of ROS value, but he's certainly ahead of both Olen Zellweger and Pavel Mintyukov right now. The Ducks' problem is that they have too many of the same thing - talented young 'D' - which is prone to an unpredictable rotation, and therefore unpredictable fantasy values.

Karel Vejmelka, G, Utah (45% rostered)

I wouldn't fret so much over Utah's recent slide. They are a streaky team, but Vejmelka offers good volume and he's slightly above league average when it comes to quality starts, per hockey-reference.com. Upcoming matchups on Jan. 10-11 against the Sharks and Islanders at home are intriguing streaming options.

Jonathan Quick, G, Rangers (26% rostered)

Blowout losses such as the one to the Caps, 7-4, is a good reason why managers should shy away from Quick. While he's been generally very good, the Rangers don't look like they're snapping out of their funk anytime soon. In right matchup, Quick can be a good option, but other than volume, he's not the nightly reliable option he once was.

Yaroslav Askarov, G, Sharks (16% rostered)

It was a little surprising to see the Sharks give Askarov consecutive starts, but if you've watched him play recently, it's a no-brainer. On every night, he gives the Sharks their best chance to win, and it's in the best interests of their long-term plan to give Askarov the reps over Alexandar Georgiev or Vitek Vanecek, veteran goalies who are likely moving onto new teams this off-season.

I'd like to see the Sharks commit to Askarov - either publicly naming him the starter or giving him the bulk of the starts - before I put him in season-long, must-roster status, but Askarov's off to a great start and offers excellent upside in saves and save percentage. In leagues that are thin on goalies on the wire, Askarov's worth the risk.

Alex Lyon, G, Red Wings (11% rostered)

I think Cam Talbot is still a threat to Lyon's playing time, but Lyon seems to be ahead on the depth chart with three straight wins and only six goals allowed. McLellan's new coach bump is in full effect and there's a string of very winnable games coming against the Sens, Hawks and Kraken.

Short-term streamers

(< 50% rostered on Yahoo)

Lukas Dostal, G, Ducks (47% rostered)

There's a timeshare in Anaheim but no doubt Dostal is their goalie of the future. The Ducks have had some impressive wins lately - Oilers, Devils among them - and I think Dostal will have some streaming value in Week 14 against the Flames, Blues and Flyers.

Jakub Dobes, G, Canadiens (8% rostered)

There's no denying the results: A shutout win in his NHL debut and allowing just one goal on 23 shots against a high-powered Avs offense. Dobes has been far better than expected after replacing Cayden Primeau, and with each start will earn the Habs' confidence and also give Sam Montembeault a break now and then. Goalies are unpredictable and who knows when Dobes' hot streak will end but, in the meantime, he may be well worth the gamble for managers who like to take big risks. There's little to no chance Dobes supplants Montembeault as the starter, but there's less pressure to play Montembeault in both back-to-back games.

Honorable mention:

Logan Cooley, C, Utah (49% rostered)
Matthew Knies, LW, Maple Leafs (44% rostered)
Conor Garland, RW, Canucks (41% rostered)
Troy Terry, C/RW, Ducks (38% rostered)
William Eklund, LW, Sharks (16% rostered)
Warren Foegele, LW/RW, Kings (13% rostered)
Victor Olofsson, LW/RW, Golden Knights (9% rostered)

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