Fantasy: 5 moves you need to make (Week 3)
Every Monday, theScore will be rolling out a weekly fantasy hockey column: Five moves you need to make. Ownership percentages (as of Oct. 21) and position eligibility are courtesy of Yahoo.
Pick up Juuse SarosTeam: Predators
Position: G
Ownership: 53 percent
It may already be too late, but Saros needs to be added in all leagues, regardless of your goaltending situation. Predators starting netminder Pekka Rinne left Friday's game after colliding with teammate Kevin Fiala and was placed on injured reserve.
It's unclear how long Rinne will be out, but Saros immediately becomes a top-10 fantasy goalie in his absence. He was already one of the league's best backups and has arguably the NHL's best defense in front of him.
If Saros shines he could earn himself a more consistent workload once Rinne returns. The 23-year-old is the club's goalie of the future, which could be as early as next year given Rinne's expiring contract.
Add Josh Morrissey
Jason Halstead / Getty Images Sport / GettyTeam: Jets
Position: D
Ownership: 34 percent
After recording just 20 and 26 points over his first two NHL seasons, Morrissey has jumped out to a hot start, tallying seven points through eight contests.
While his 0.88 points-per-game mark is unsustainable over the course of a full season, Morrissey could continue to steadily pile up points considering he's replaced Dustin Byfuglien as the point man on the Jets' top power-play unit. It's unclear how long he'll hang on to this role, but his spot is likely safe as long as Winnipeg continues to excel with the man advantage.
Morrissey doesn't have a booming shot like Byfuglien, but he's a superb skater with great vision and will rack up assists as long as Blake Wheeler, Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, and Kyle Connor continue to work their magic on the power play.
Furthermore, the Jets are one of five teams with four games this week.
Buy low on Steven StamkosTeam: Lightning
Position: C
Ownership: 100 percent
Stamkos is off to a slow start, as he has just one goal and a pair of helpers in seven games. However, the Lightning captain has 21 shots - including 13 in his last three games - giving him a shooting percentage of just 4.8 (11.9 percent lower than his career mark prior to 2018-19).
Stamkos' owner may be frustrated with his slow start and might be willing to move him on the cheap. The fact that Stamkos is playing away from Nikita Kucherov can be a selling point, but in all likelihood, the two stars will wind up on the same line sooner rather than later.
Moreover, Stamkos has been playing right wing alongside Brayden Point, so gaining RW eligibility would only add to his value.
Sell high on Nicklas Backstrom
Patrick Smith / Getty Images Sport / GettyTeam: Capitals
Position: C
Ownership: 96 percent
Backstrom is off to a strong start with 10 points through his first seven games, but it may be smart to trade him as soon as possible. Of his 10 points, only three have been at even strength, with the remaining seven coming with the man advantage. As good as the Capitals' power play is, it's not going to operate at 38.5 percent all season long.
To keep up his pace, Backstrom is going to have to start producing at even strength, and that may be difficult considering Evgeny Kuznetsov has supplanted him as Alex Ovechkin's centerman.
One trade worth exploring would be Backstrom in exchange for the aforementioned Stamkos straight up.
Take a flier on Kailer YamamotoTeam: Oilers
Position: RW
Ownership: Six percent
Yamamoto has replaced the injured Ty Rattie on the Oilers' top line alongside Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins. It's a glorious opportunity for the rookie, to say the least.
In deeper leagues, he may turn out to be a mainstay on your team if he can stick with McDavid, but even in standard-sized leagues he still makes for a solid streaming option considering the Oilers play four times this week.
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