NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Defensemen Pickups Jan. 7 - Top Targets Include Wild's Brodin, Penguins' Grzelcyk

On every game day this season, THN Fantasy will highlight players and goalies for fantasy managers to stream or roster for the rest of the season. The recommended players and goalies can be used in standard fantasy leagues or for daily fantasy games.

Cam Fowler, STL at MIN (44% rostered)

Fowler's drawing attention in fantasy lately and for good reason - he's scored three goals and four points in his past three games. His goal-scoring pace won't last, but note he's playing L1 and PP1 and rejuvenated his career with the Blues. The Wild PK is atrocious, ranking 29th in the league at just 71.4 percent.

Jackson LaCombe, ANA vs. CGY (22% rostered)

LaCombe's scored a goal in consecutive games and further cements himself as the Ducks' top option on their blue line. He's scored five of his 16 points on the season over the past two weeks. The only drawback is LaCombe doesn't shoot the puck very often for an offensive defenseman, but at least offers some occasional hits and blocks.

Oliver Ekman-Larsson, TOR at PHI (19% rostered)

Morgan Rielly's still the better play if you're looking for a Leafs defenseman, but it's worth noting Ekman-Larsson recently snapped a 31-game goal drought and now has scored three points in his past five games. This is the second game of a home-and-home series and perhaps his hot streak can continue; Ekman-Larsson provides a little bit of everything, but I also like this matchup because Auston Matthews is back and the Flyers goaltending is particularly weak. Ekman-Larsson trailed only Rielly in total ice time among Leafs defenseman and split the power play time fairly evenly. They'll both surely log a lot of minutes again with Jake McCabe placed on IR.

Jonas Brodin, MIN vs. STL (7% rostered)

Brodin is logging big minutes for the Wild with Jared Spurgeon out of the lineup, playing over 27 minutes in each of their past two games on the road. Brodin's not usually a scorer but he's been putting up the points rapidly with two goals and four assists in his past six games. Even if he doesn't score, Brodin has registered at least a shot and a block or hit during that span.

Matt Grzelcyk, PIT vs. CLB (7% rostered)

Grzelcyk has recorded four assists in his past five games and since December has racked up 11 points in 15 games. Despite playing PP2 and putting a limited number of shots on net, he's been more productive than Kris Letang and just as productive as Erik Karlsson. The Pens and Jackets are two teams with very good offenses and poor defenses, which means this has a high probability of being a high-scoring game.

Ty Smith, CAR at TB (2% rostered)

The Hurricanes are stubbornly sticking with Smith as their PP1 QB, and that's fine. Smith is available in virtually all leagues, and doesn't seem to be in danger of ceding minutes to Brent Burns. In fact, Smith played 15:08 in his most recent game, his highest total since his season debut, and also registered a season-high four shots on goal. It's possible Smith is getting more comfortable in his role, and note the Lightning have lost four in a row.

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