Calgary Flames v Washington Capitals — Best NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire picks for Week 11

Best NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire picks for Week 11 ft. Yegor Sharangovich

Modified Dec 18, 2023 19:34 GMT

By the 30-game mark of the season, most NHL fantasy managers either love or dislike their place in the standings and will spend hours researching players to help shake things up.

Despite your record, you can either play to win or be a spoiler, so let's look at a handful of skaters you can add to your lineup to help you get through the next seven days.

Whether you have your sights set on other players or like our options, you should know that only two teams have four contests this week: the Detroit Red Wings and the Minnesota Wild. Meanwhile, the other 30 teams will skate three more times before the holiday break.

Week 11 NHL Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Pickups

1) Yegor Sharangovich - Calgary Flames (32% rostered)

Even though the Calgary Flames are 2-4-2 in December, that hasn't slowed Yegor Sharangovich, who has rocketed up the team's scoring list with nine points in his last eight games. Moreover, he's collected at least one point in every game this month except a contest against the Minnesota Wild.

Additionally, Sharangovich has at least one goal in his last five games, tied with Steven Stamkos, Auston Matthews, and Brock Boeser for most lamplighters last week. After a slow start, with just 10 points in his first 20 games, it appeared the Flames lost the trade that brought him to town from the New Jersey Devils in the summer.

However, during his recent hot streak, Sharangovich has finally found his game with his new team and is on pace to break his career highs in goals and points just 31 games into the season.

2) Martin Jones - Toronto Maple Leafs (26% rostered)

Last week, the Toronto Maple Leafs recalled Martin Jones to the NHL, hoping the veteran netminder could help keep the team afloat while Joseph Woll recovered from injury.

Despite being the backup behind Ilya Samsonov, Jones has impressed in limited action, including a 7-0 shutout win over the Pittsburgh Penguins. Statistically, he's 3-0-0 with a 1.85 goals-against average (GAA) and a .949 save percentage (SV%).

After not being rostered at all and ranking at just 1% last week, NHL fantasy managers are hoping for the opportunity to pick up Jones while he's winning. Considering he's backstopping a top team in the league, there's a chance he gets most of the starts if he keeps the puck out of the net.

3) Joey Daccord - Seattle Kraken (22% rostered)

The Seattle Kraken is another team struggling with goaltender injuries. Unfortunately, Phillip Grubauer was recently listed as week-to-week with a lower-body ailment, leaving the starting duties to Joey Daccord.

So far, in 2023–24, Daccord is just 5-5-7 in 18 games, with a respectable 2.57 GAA and .908 SV% despite playing for the 26th-ranked Kraken. Further complicating matters for the team's netminders is their overall goal differential of minus-18, the sixth-worst total in the league.

Whether an NHL fantasy manager is missing a starter or wants to stash Daccord in case he heats up, he could be picked up for a favorable matchup. Either way, acquiring him can come as a risk that some may be forced to take since he will get most of the starts moving forward.

4) Gabriel Vilardi - Winnipeg Jets (39% rostered)

Despite being a promising young player who netted 20 goals last year with the Los Angeles Kings, the team traded Gabriel Vilardi to the Winnipeg Jets over the summer. Although he had three quiet games to begin his tenure in Canada, with one point, he went down with a sprained ACL on Oct. 17.

After missing almost two months of hockey, Vilardi returned to the lineup on Nov. 30 and is producing at a point-per-game pace with four goals and four assists in eight games. However, here is further context regarding these statistics for NHL fantasy managers.

Upon returning, Vilardi had a single assist in the first four games as he adjusted to game action again. But in his last four games, he's netted four goals and three assists, including a four-point night against the Kings on Wednesday.

Even though he is still learning the Jets' system, this past week may be only a sign of things to come for the 24-year-old.