Lyon's Roar - Week 18 Waiver Wire Pickups

Analyzing the best streaming options, schedule advantages, and advanced metrics in Week 18 of the Fantasy Hockey season.

By Jeff Stacks · January 31, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026

Before I begin, I want to ask my readers a question: Do you want to play hard? Or do you want to play smart?

If your answer was both, you’d be correct. That’s usually the best way to win. But if you’re sick of having to set an alarm to get a player before your fellow Fantasy Hockey Managers do, try the Fantasy Roundup Automated Waiver Tool.

It allows you to add every player mentioned in this article on a schedule, so you can forget about having to set an alarm when you want to make a claim.

All you have to do is sign in to your Fantasy Roundup account — or sign up if you haven’t already — and sync your league. There’s a button here to login and see which player is available. There will also be a button before every player’s write-up to select them in the Fantasy Roundup Automated Waiver Tool and get to those players before everyone else.

In addition to the Automated Waiver Tool, the Fantasy Roundup development team has incorporated it into an all-encompassing Hockey Dashboard where you can edit your rosters, add and drop players, plan your schedule, view your matchups, and more!

On top of all that, they’ve also been working hand-in-hand with myself to develop the Fantasy Roundup Trade Analyzer. This analyzer will take a look at your trades, incorporate sustainability factors, and ultimately tell you whether or not your trade is positive, negative, or even neutral, based on a variety of advanced metrics. Go check it out after signing in!

Now you’re all logged in, I want to jump right into the action in Week 18.

Week 18 is the weirdest one yet. Occurring over an entire four week span, the week begins with four games from February 2, 2026 to February 5, 2026, and ends with five games from February 25, 2026 to March 1, 2026. With the NHL players going on their lengthy Olympic break in between the two shortened weeks, its going to tough to ensure you’re streaming at maximum efficiency. In that case, I’ll be here to help.

Prior to diving deeper into these picks, lets take a look at my picks from Week 18.

WEEK 17 ROUNDUP

Overall my picks from Week 17 were pretty average, save for one major exception; Charlie Coyle.

Charlie Coyle was all that I expected and more. Despite the Blue Jackets' scheduled game on January 26, 2026 against the Los Angeles Kings being cancelled due to a record snowfall in Columbus, Coyle performed above and beyond expectations. Racking up five goals, four assists and two powerplay points, along with eight shots, 26 faceoff wins and five hits, Coyle could be considered a mainstay on your roster if he retains his PP1 deployment. Based on his performance in Week 17, I don't see him losing that any time soon.

My next best pick was Anton Forsberg. While also falling victim to the Columbus snow storm game cancellation, Forsberg performed incredibly well in his one game against the Detroit Red Wings. Earning a big Win for the Kings,while also putting up exceptional goaltender raw stats in a 1.00 GAA and a 0.964 SV%. Unfortunately Jim Hiller is insistent on playing Team Canada’s backup Darcy Kuemper despite his struggles, but definitely keep on the lookout for Forsberg in Week 20 with two B2B games, and Week 21 with one B2B game.

Damon Severson was about average. As he is primarily the defensive backing for Jackets superstar Zach Werenski to go play up the ice, I wasn’t expecting a profound point production output from the steady Severson. He did provide three shots and two hits in the two games he played, but I’ll probably be looking for more offensive options on the blueline in my upcoming Waiver Wire articles.

Garnet Hathaway was healthy-scratched for two out of the three games played since January 24th, but he brought the bangs on January 29th. Hathaway had a huge seven hits, three blocks and two PIMs in the one game he played where the Philadelphia Flyers lost 6-3 to the Buffalo Sabres.

Bobby Brink was dreadful in Week 17. I definitely expected way more out of last week’s Deeper Darlings pick. He may have been my worst choice in that category since beginning to write for Fantasy Roundup in Week 10. Its surprising, because he didn’t lose any deployment being on the third line and top powerplay unit, but he didn’t register a single shot in over 47 minutes of ice time. Can’t score if you don’t shoot.

While Week 17 was better, I still strive to bring sure-fire bets when writing these articles. I think I have some much better options to pick from going into Week 18.

WEEK 18 PREVIEW

Week 18 is essentially a bookend for the Olympic break. All NHL games stop on February 6, 2026 and resume on February 25, 2026. What’s great about Week 18 is there are tons of streamers to pick from with five teams having six games.

The three best schedules are held by the Buffalo Sabres, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers, each having six games and three light nights. The Sabres have the most accessible schedule, adding one borderline night to their three light nights.

The next two best are the Washington Capitals and the New York Islanders, each having at least six games and two light nights.

Following those, the Vegas Golden Knights and the Utah Mammoth also have a decent schedule with at least five games and two light nights each.

You can feasibly roster numerous different streamers at various times next week, but remember to save your adds. You may find your rosters are full on certain days and could use a couple extra players at the tail end of the week.

SECTION INTRODUCTION

Included at the end of this article is a legend which has definitions for several advanced statistics I’ll be using to evaluate players, and any other fantasy hockey-specific terms or jargon I may use.

Most Yahoo leagues allow four player adds per week. The players you can pick up with these adds are generally called “streamers”. In this article I’ll be outlining my five favourite streamer players for Week 18. One forward, one defenceman, one goalie, one “banger”, and one deeper league target.

The first section is headlined “SUPER SCHEDULES”, where I’m going to list all the NHL teams with a preferable schedule.

In the second section called “WAIVER WHIPLASH”, I’ll list my favourite Forward, Defenceman, and Goalie under 40% rostered in the standard Yahoo Head-to-Head (HTH) format.

The third section I’ve labeled “BANGER BEASTS”. This will highlight my favourite player overall for those managers in banger formats, which have additional stats: Blocks (BLK), and Penalties in Minutes (PIM), combined with Hits (HIT) mentioned previously.

The final section is entitled “DEEPER DARLINGS”, where I’ll identify an underrated player rostered under 10%, for managers in leagues with 12 teams or more (also called deep leagues).

Advanced stats are provided courtesy of Natural Stattrick and Money Puck.

Heavy nights have more than eight games. Light nights have less than eight games. Borderline nights have an even eight games. There are four light nights and one borderline night in Week 18.

Light nights are highlighted in green. Borderline nights are highlighted in yellow. Heavy nights are highlighted in red.

Start the week with a player from one of the Sabres, Penguins, Panthers, Capitals or Islanders, then finish off the week with a player from the Golden Knights or the Mammoth. Drop any Boston Bruins player you have on your roster that isn’t on the top powerplay, as they only have three games in Week 18.

Stay flexible with your streaming slots and track ownership trends to grab these adds. This approach should help you maximize categories and production throughout the week without major roster headaches.

WAIVER WHIPLASH

Anders Lee

I'm very excited about my Forward pick in Week 18. I expect big things from New York Islanders Captain Anders Lee, as his underlying metrics have been stellar over the past five games.

The veteran power forward is anchoring the third line since Bo Horvat drew back in the lineup after a lengthy injury absence. However, he is currently listed on first powerplay unit, which should bring lots of potential upside.

With the Islanders boasting a heavy six-game, two light night slate in Week 18 and several favorable matchups, I project Lee to have above-average production in points, shots, and hits.

Over his last five games, Lee has been on a bit of a cold spell, with only one assist to show for his raw point totals. In that stretch he fired 11 shots on goal, so expect high shot volume from the big-bodied winger. I imagine Lee would also look to add to his season totals of 11 goals and 18 assists through 54 games, with the Islanders currently holding strong to third-place in the Metropolitan Division.

Lee's underlying numbers have been screaming at me, indicating positive regression and elite individual involvement. Over the past five, he ranks 1st in ixG, 1st in iSCF and 22nd in iCF. These incredible numbers highlight his ability to generate high-danger chances and drive shot volume individually.

His on-ice metrics further support this, with an elite ranking in SCF% at 12th among all forwards, and 21st in CF%. These indicate the team dominates possession and chance creation when Lee is on the ice. His low OISH% and average PDO suggest bad shooting luck, setting the stage for increased point production if his deployment holds and he keeps shooting the biscuit.

Lee's solid peripheral categories keep his floor safe, and his shot volume and powerplay deployment should allow him to put points on the board as well.

Tony DeAngelo

My selection process for my weekly picks involves comparing many players and determining which one has the best deployment along with the best advanced stats. Powerplay points are the most difficult category to succeed in, so I combine as much knowledge as I can to come up with a successful pick.

Tony DeAngelo brings BOTH good deployment, and elite advanced stats. DeAngelo remains low-owned at just 11% rostered on the Yahoo platform, giving you an opportunity to grab an incredibly underrated player. While he may not be the flashiest name, DeAngelo is quietly driving elite underlying possession and chance creation on an Islanders squad tied for second place in the Metro Division. With DeAngelo deployed on PP1 and paired at even-strength with Adam Pelech, Tony is being given an opportunity that emphasizes good offensive zone time.

In his past five games, DeAngelo has shown strongly, tallying a powerplay goal and an assist with elite shot volume for any player, let alone a Defenceman. His 4.2 shots per game is an amazing rate, which should contribute in adding to his season totals of 4 goals and 19 assists in 54 games.

When I was reviewing my picks, DeAngelo's advanced stats were shockingly good, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to highlight this stud. His On-Ice metrics are exceptional, ranking 1st in CF%, 1st in SF%, 2nd in SCF% and 6th in xGF%, indicating elite sustainability and deployment.

Individually, DeAngelo also shines, ranking 3rd in iCF, 8th in iSCF and 14th in ixG among all Defencemen. His OISH% and PDO are both low, suggesting impending positive regression with how often he shoots the puck.

The Islanders' have a heavy schedule in Week 18, so this volume should help DeAngelo excel for your Fantasy squad if his PP1 deployment holds. The Islanders' offense has been finding its rhythm lately, and if that continues DeAngelo could be a very underrated waiver pickup to deliver steady value and upside in Week 18.

GOALIE SIDEBAR

The NHL goalie is quite possibly the most unpredictable position in all of sports. While there are some studs in the NHL, all goalies are fallible. Goalies are voodoo, as they say.

Considering this, I am not here to recommend a goalie for any particular reason other than they could have a good schedule, or they could be on a good team, or I just like the way they play and think they have potential to produce good numbers.

Take anything I say about goalies with a grain of salt, but know I have done research into them and I am recommending in good faith.

Alex Lyon

How about the Buffalo Sabres? The laughing stock of the NHL for over a decade, with a NHL-record 14-year absence from the postseason, the Sabres seem to have finally figured out how to play good hockey. For whatever reason, the Sabres turned a corner after firing their previous GM Kevyn Adams and hiring former longtime Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen on December 15, 2025.

Since the executive change, they have a phenomenal record of 17-4 and currently sit tied for third in the Atlantic Division. Their playoff position is nowhere near safe in that division, but it is incredible the turnaround the Sabres have had this season.

Backstopping the majority of that success has been goaltender Alex Lyon. Signing with the Sabres on a 2-year deal July 1, 2025, the former Red Wing netminder has been a spectacular addition for a long-struggling Buffalo team. In 24 games this season, the 33-year old Lyon holds a record of 13-6-3, rocking a 2.62 GAA and a 0.914 SV%. These numbers put him 4th among all goaltender in SV% and 18th in GAA. I don't hold much value in GAA as its more reflective of a team stat, but it seems all Buffalo really needed to succeed was some competent goaltending.

In his most recent outings, Lyon has been dominant. His best performance was a 26-save shutout, 5-0 win over the New York Islanders on January 24, 2026, followed by an equally strong performance against the Kings on January 29, 2026, putting up 37 saves out of 38 shots.

Currently on a streak of 10 straight wins, he's posted elite underlying numbers to back up his on-ice play. His advanced metrics have him ranked 6th in GSAx/60, 6th in GAA>X, 7th in SV%>X, 8th in GSAx and 8th in WAR. This shows he's consistently outperforming expectations and saving goals well-above what models predict.

With Buffalo being the highest-volume schedule in Week 18, grab Alex Lyon as soon as you can. With Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen going down with an injury in a game against the Toronto Maple Leafs on January 27, 2026, Lyon has an unexpected range of games where he should continue to excel with strong play.

Grab him right now while you still can and he's rostered under 40%, because he will get scooped up quickly. I would also recommend you consider him for one of your playoff goalies, as Buffalo has a relatively favourable schedule beginning on March 16, 2026.

BANGER BEASTS

Jeremy Lauzon

One of the most prolific banger legends on Defence, Jeremy Lauzon's name still echoes through the halls of the 2023-24 Fantasy Hockey season. He is feared. He is respected. He is smash.

I think I've rostered Lauzon on at least one of my teams every season since 2023. He helped me win a Championship that season, and I've always looked for him ever since. Unfortunately, because of his record-setting hits that year with the Nashville Predators, his Average Draft Position (ADP) is often much too high for me to justify drafting him as early as he goes now. Remember kids, always draft for skill, and fix your peripherals later.

While Lauzon does not bring much in terms of skill, he absolutely delivers on a consistent basis in the hits and blocks categories. Despite his hit record being broken last season by another banger icon in Kiefer Sherwood, Lauzon has never let that stop him from destroying anyone and everyone who dares cross his blue line.

With a hit rate of 3.7 per game (!), you will likely never lose against your opponent in hits rostering Lauzon in any capacity. I traded for him earlier this season when he was injured, and never looked back. Since he returned, I have not been beaten in hits.

In Week 18, Lauzon should be especially valuable. The Vegas Golden Knights have five games, three light nights and one borderline night, so you should not have any issue slotting this monster into your lineup.

If he's available, Lauzon is a must-roster in any banger league. He could also be a really attractive trade chip as well. The Golden Knights don't have a great playoff schedule, so if you're prepping for a deep run, consider moving Lauzon in a package to make an upgrade.

Either way you shake it, go get Lauzon before Week 18 so you can guarantee at least one category win.

DEEPER DARLINGS

Barrett Hayton

Barrett Hayton may not set the world on fire in Week 18, but nobody can say he doesn't have the opportunity to. With the Utah Mammoth having five games, two light nights and one borderline night, the former 2018 5th overall pick should be able to snag some points for you with pure volume alone. Add to the fact he's centering the Mammoth's first powerplay unit, Hayton should be able to give you some moderate production playing with Utah's best skaters.

Its taken a while for Hayton to get to this position in his NHL career. Going full-time with the Arizona Coyotes in the 2022-23 season, Hayton has mostly played a middle-six role, but has played that role well. Since the Coyotes were relocated to Utah, Hayton has been promoted to a more eminent offensive role.

Hitting a career-high in points last year at 46 in 82 games, with only 15 coming on the powerplay, this season was an expected breakout year for Barrett. Currently he's only on a 28-point pace, but has also only recently been slotted on the Mammoth's first powerplay unit. This should help him get a point production boost to finish the season.

In his last five games, Hayton has had quite the point burst. Notching two goals and two assists with one powerplay point in that span, he's been showing Mammoth Head Coach André Tourigny he made the right decision giving him time to play with Utah's superstars with the man-advantage.

His underlying metrics are notably promising, ranking 2nd in ixG and 24th in xGF% among all forwards. This indicates his recent uptick in production is sustainable, further reinforced by his lower OISH% and PDO.

With a high amount of volume playing on Utah's second line and PP1, go grab Hayton for a chance at an underrated gem in Week 18.

NEXT WEEK PREVIEW

As mentioned at the beginning, all these players listed can be scheduled with the Fantasy Roundup Automated Waiver Tool when you sign in to your account, sync your league, and work with the Hockey Dashboard. Do your sleep a favor; work smarter, not harder, and get that edge over your league mates.

The new Fantasy Roundup Hockey Dashboard allows you to view your team, make adjustments to your roster positions, view your matchup, make adds and drops natively, without ever having to go to the Yahoo platform. There’s now also a Mobile version of the site.

This week, we added a Trade Analyzer to the Hockey Dashboard. Frankly, it is the most robust trade analyzer I’ve ever used. Running a few mock trades, and the Fantasy Roundup Trade Analyzer will provide a trade recommendation similar to what you're used to, but will also break down why a trade could be positive or negative to your team, explaining sustainability, strength of schedule, line assignments, powerplay deployment and more.

Over the next couple weeks I’ll be working on more specialty articles. I’m going to address the Quinn Hughes trade as well as the other big NHL trades that happened before the Olympic break.

Speaking of the Olympics, I plan on looking into some fantasy angles on players that attend the Olympics, and ones that spend their two weeks off in Cancun.

Finally I’ll be releasing an article focusing on preparing for the Fantasy Hockey Trade Deadline. My deadline is on February 25, 2026, but yours could be a week (or two) later depending on your league settings. I’ll take a look at as many buy-low and sell-high options as I can investigate.

Big reminder to go to the comment section and tell me how your picks did this week. We would love to hear feedback from our readers and how we can make ourselves better.

Good luck, and stay stacking!