Playing the Waiver Wire: Week Seven

In order to win in any fantasy league, an owner must be able to use the waiver wire to his advantage. With that in mind, here we go...

Forwards

Ryan Clowe continues to be a force in all categories and should be added before it's too late. However if you need a winger and he's already gone, then take a look at Petr Sykora. After a very slow start, Sykora is turning it on and now has 11 points.

On top of that, his whole line is on fire. His center, Evgeni Malkin leads the league in scoring and LW Jordan Staal now has six points (five goals) in the last three games. What really makes it appealing is that Staal is only owned in 49 percent of leagues. He obviously can't continue quite this pace, but as long as he's on Malkin's line, he should be a strong fantasy force.

Joe Pavelski of San Jose is a nice addition in deeper leagues or for anyone who must have shots on goal. He is admittedly a streaky player but should continue to pot points at a reasonable clip, since he's seeing PP time regularly. Speaking of West Coast wingers, Chris Kunitz has been seeing time on the top line with the Ducks and recently picked up his second goal.

He's now up to 11 points and is free in over half of leagues. He is due to score 60 points or more this year. In the rejuvenated forward department, Lightning winger Mark Recchi has been on fire the past week or so, posting seven points in five games.

He has been seeing time on the PP in Tampa because of his excellent passing and this trend will likely continue. Another long-timer to keep an eye on is Pavel Demitra, who will soon be returning from injury. Demitra is one of Vancouver's only proven forwards and should start putting the puck in the net once he gets the rust off.

And if you must have a center, keep an eye peeled for Patrice Bergeron. Bergeron is owned in just 41 percent of leagues now and is certainly a worthwhile option. Chris Drury has been on a tear lately with five goals and an assist in the last four games.

He's on a team that appears to be clicking and may be able to continue his hot streak for a couple of weeks. If he's free in your league, give him a close look.

Defenseman

Marek Zidlicky now has six points in his last four games and is kicking in on the power play as well. While he obviously won't be able to maintain this pace, he will be experiencing a boost in value if and when Marian Gaborik comes back. While we're on the subject of veterans with new teams, what about Mathieu Schnieder?

Admittedly, Schnieder has been awful thus far and injured as of late but will be helpful to owners down the stretch. If you have an empty slot, feel free to grab and bench him for a while.

Schneider's teammate, Tobias Enstrom is gradually breaking out of an awful start and might be a nice fill in for the short term. Speaking of injuries, Mattias Ohlund has been battling through a finger injury recently and his numbers indicate his subpar health.

Even still, he will be a nice long-term addition for anyone thin on the blue line. Joni Pitkanen recently returned from injury and immediately resumed the role of top power play defenseman. If someone dropped him due to his hiatus, now is the chance to make a savvy pick up.

Rangers Defenseman Daniel Girardi continues to post gaudy numbers, now with two goals and 12 assists on the season. He also has five points on the power play and 34 shots on goal. He's still available in almost 40 percent of Yahoo leagues.

Dustin Byfuglien is also picking up the pace and enjoys dual eligibility at LW and Defense. He's overdue for a scoring spree and makes a nice No. 4 fantasy defenseman when healthy. Craig Rivet is another blueliner who is long overdue to break out in a big way. While he never will be a top scorer, he will contribute some penalty minutes and power play points.

Goalies

Brent Johnson has ostensibly taken over the starting job in Washington. Although he was injured this week and missed a couple games, rest assured that he will be making many starts in the near future. Manny Fernandez has put up surprisingly pleasant numbers and should be seeing respectable playing time, despite not being the No. 1 tender in Boston.

Islanders netminder Joey MacDonald recently posted back-to-back wins against the Senators and has knocked his GAA down to a respectable 2.88. He appears to be settling in nicely and is capable of holding down the fort until Rick DiPietro returns next month.