Second Helpings - Week 3 Waiver Wire Pickups

Analyzing the best streaming options, schedule advantages, and advanced metrics in Week 3 of the Fantasy Hockey season.

By Jeff Stacks · October 10, 2026 · Updated October 10, 2026

FANTASY ROUNDUP HOCKEY DASHBOARD

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, and it's exactly why we built the new Fantasy Roundup Hockey Dashboard.

Start with the Lineup tab. It helps you set your best lineup every night. If one of your guys goes down, it'll move him to IR and show you the best pickup for the open spot. From there, the Waivers tab ranks every available player for the week with the Light Nights, line assignments and powerplay deployment already built in. My picks are tagged too, so you can see who I like at a glance.

Next, head over to the Matchup tab for your odds against this week's opponent. There we offer the Optimize Matchup tool. This shows you the best streamers to help your team that week, and maximize your chances.

The Standings tab is where you'll see your projected stats and your odds of making the playoffs.

Click on any player's name in the NHL Dashboard and it will pull up their player card. This card is our custom design to make sure your players are always looking sharp. The cards include ratings, advanced stats ranked against that player's own position, and the lines and powerplay units they're skating on right now.

And now, for the best part. If you're sick of setting an alarm to beat your fellow Fantasy Hockey Managers to a player, the Automated Waiver Tool lets you schedule your claims ahead of time and makes them for you. The Queue All button in this article can line up four of my recommended picks for the overnight waiver run in one click. Follow a pick and we'll let you know when that player is available in your league. Every Tuesday we'll email you the picks that are still sitting on your waiver wire.

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

[Click here to open the Hockey Dashboard](/nhl-roundup?tab=home). If you're signed in, it'll take you straight to your overview. If you're not, it'll walk you through how everything works.

INTRODUCTION

Happy Thanksgiving weekend to my fellow Canadians! For everyone else, happy Saturday.

Week 3 opens on Thanksgiving Monday with a 1 p.m. ET matinee in Buffalo, as the Florida Panthers visit the Sabres. Turkey, stuffing and a Light Night. I can't think of a better holiday combo.

Week 2 went a whole lot better for my picks than the Week 1 disaster did. One Jet took off, one Jet banged his way through every Light Night, and one Jet... well, the voodoo got me again. More on that in a second.

You'll notice a lot of familiar names this week. Jack Quinn was my Forward pick in the final week of last season. Zayne Parekh was my Defenceman in Week 1. Ben Kindel, Kris Letang and Jeremy Lauzon have all made appearances in here too. Some of those picks worked out and some didn't, but every one of them has earned a second look. The prices have dropped, and in a few cases the deployment has gotten a whole lot better. Welcome to Second Helpings.

Before we dig in, I want to say thank you to everyone who left feedback on Reddit. I heard you. The most common note was that there's too much reading, and that's fair. Not everyone has time to get through every word before making their claims. So I'm converting these articles into a more short-form format. Starting soon, you'll get my quick picks right at the top, and if you want the full breakdown on a player, you'll be able to click on that pick and dig into the details. The changes aren't quite ready yet, but they should be in place for the Week 4 article. Bear with me for one more full-length edition.

Quick reminder that every advanced stat in this article is powered by my model, Stacked Analytics, at [stackedanalytics.app](https://stackedanalytics.app). Thank you to everyone who has sent feedback on the preview so far. Please keep it coming.

Alright, let's see how the Jet Stream did.

WEEK 2 ROUNDUP

WEEK 3 PREVIEW

Week 3 runs from Monday, October 12, 2026 to Sunday, October 18, 2026. There are 50 games in total, and it might be the most lopsided schedule we'll see all season.

Monday (3 games), Wednesday (2 games), Friday (2 games) and Sunday (2 games) are all Light Nights. That's just nine games across four nights. Tuesday is the opposite extreme, with all 32 teams in action for 16 games. Thursday (11 games) and Saturday (14 games) are heavy too.

Here's what that means for you. On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, just about everyone plays, and your bench is going to be crowded. On Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday, there are so few games that some of your lineup spots will sit empty unless you stream into them. That's where your streamers earn their keep.

One more quirk: every team that plays on Monday also plays on Tuesday. That's six back-to-backs right out of the gate, so expect backup goalies to get some starts early in the week. Keep that in mind when you're setting your goalies on Monday.

Yahoo rostered percentages are still heavily fluctuating this early in the season. All the percentages in this article were pulled on October 10, 2026, so double check them before you make your claims.

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 the week. 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).

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).

As always, every advanced stat in this article is powered by Stacked Analytics. The stats are rates per 60 minutes, and each player is ranked against their own position, so the stats can be compared apples to apples. Four or five games still isn't enough of a sample to trust, so the stat cards are still from the full 2025-2026 season, all situations. There's one exception this week: T.J. Hughes has no NHL numbers from last season, so his card uses his first four games of 2026-2027. I'll also point out early-season numbers in the write-ups where they tell a story.

Line and powerplay deployment comes from each team's most recent game, along with the beat reporters' practice reports since.

SUPER SCHEDULES

That changes how you should use your adds. In a normal week, a streamer has to beat out your regulars for a lineup spot. This week, some of your roster will be sitting on those four nights so a streamer who plays on one is almost guaranteed to slot in. Every add you make should be aimed at a Light Night. Don't waste one on a player whose games all land on Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, because he'll be fighting your regulars for a spot on the nights everyone plays.

Monday is the easy one to cover, with six teams in action. Wednesday, Friday and Sunday are where your plan comes into play. A Wild player covers Monday and Sunday, and an Avalanche player covers Wednesday and Friday. That's all four Light Nights with just two moves, and the Wild throw in two heavy-night games on top.

If you'd rather build it one night at a time, here's how my picks line up:

- MON - Jack Quinn, Jake Allen, Yakov Trenin, Jeremy Lauzon, Trevor Connelly - WED - T.J. Hughes - FRI - T.J. Hughes, Ben Kindel, Kris Letang, Sergei Murashov (if he gets the start) - SUN - Yakov Trenin, Zayne Parekh

Timing matters too. Get your Monday claims in over the weekend so they clear before Buffalo's 1 p.m. ET matinee. Then save your remaining adds for Wednesday, Friday and Sunday players. If you're using the Automated Waiver Tool, you can queue the whole week now and let it handle the timing for you.

On the other side, sixteen teams have zero Light Nights in Week 3, including Winnipeg, Philadelphia, Edmonton and the Rangers. The Los Angeles Kings are the worst of the bunch, with just two games and neither on a Light Night. If you're holding a streamer from any of those teams, they're the first players I'd drop for one of the options below.

WAIVER WHIPLASH

Jack Quinn

Make way for the Mighty Quinn.

Jack Quinn is my favourite Forward add for Week 3. If you were with me at the end of last season, you might remember him as my Week 24 Forward pick, when he was riding a heater on the second line and the top powerplay unit. Cut to seven months later, his deployment is even better.

Quinn finished 2025-2026 with 20 goals and 51 points in 82 games, with 191 shots on net and 11 powerplay points. He did that averaging about 15:30 a night. Through four games this season, he's up to almost 20 minutes a night. That's the kind of jump I'm looking for that turns a decent streamer into a must-add.

In Buffalo's last game, Quinn skated on the top line with Zach Benson and Noah Ostlund. He was on the top powerplay unit with Tage Thompson, Josh Norris, Benson and Ostlund. A 16% rostered winger on the top line and PP1 doesn't come around very often.

The schedule locked in this pick for me. The Sabres open Week 3 with Monday's matinee at home against Florida, a Light Night, and then play Tuesday in Montreal, Thursday in Toronto and Saturday in Montreal again. That's four games with one Light Night, with an opponent slate on the softer side this week.

His individual numbers are why I'm confident in this pick. Last season, Quinn ranked 41st among all forwards in Shots/60 and 47th in iCF/60. He was ranked 67th in ixG/60 and 68th in iSCF/60 to back that up. He shoots a lot, and he shoots from good spots. His On-Ice numbers were solid too, landing in a decent spot in SF/60, xGF/60 and SCF/60.

Another thing that makes me even more excited about Quinn is his PDO. It was 1.036 last season, one of the highest among forwards. This tells me some of last year's points came with a little luck. This season however, it's swung the other way. Quinn has two goals and 12 shots through four games, with his PDO sitting at .907. The shots are there but the bounces haven't been, and usually that evens itself out over time. I want you holding him when that day comes, and hopefully that's this week.

If you'd rather get a piece of Pittsburgh, take a look at Ben Kindel. Remember him? He was my Week 23 Deeper Darling last season, and I called him a "pretty bland" pickup the following week. Well, Kindel is the one who took Chinakhov's spot on the Penguins' top powerplay unit, alongside Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Erik Karlsson and Rickard Rakell. He has two goals, two assists and 12 shots through four games, and his 2.10 ixG/60 ranks 13th among all forwards this season. The Penguins only play three times in Week 3, but Friday in Colorado is a Light Night and he's only 14% rostered. Love it when a little flavour is introduced to a recipe.

Zayne Parekh

Zayne's World, Part Two. Party on.

Yes, I know. Parekh was my Week 1 Defenceman, and last week I told you to cut him loose faster than your morning constitutional. I stand by that. Calgary only had two games in Week 2, both on heavy nights, and there were countless better options for that roster spot, just look at Sean Walker (holy heater!). But a lot can change in a week, and a lot has changed for Zayne.

First, the deployment. Parekh started the season on the third pair with Jake Middleton. In Calgary's last game, the two of them skated as the Flames' top pair, and Parekh is still quarterbacking the top powerplay unit with Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee, Matt Coronato and Matvei Gridin. He's averaging over 19 minutes a night this season, up from 17 last year.

Second, the shots. Parekh has eight shots, six PIMs and a powerplay assist through four games, and his early-season underlying numbers are ridiculous. Among all defencemen this season, he ranks 5th in iCF/60, 8th in ixG/60 and 12th in iSCF/60. So why only one point? His PDO is 0.843, one of the lowest of any defenceman in the league. He's doing everything right and getting nothing for it, and that's exactly the kind of player I want to buy before the bounces start bouncing.

Third, the price. Parekh was 39% rostered when I picked him in Week 1. He's down to 29% now, meaning plenty of managers bailed after Calgary's rough start. Go pick up those pieces.

Calgary's schedule is pretty decent in Week 3 as well. Of course, you may not have space for Parekh on Tuesday in Anaheim, but grabbing him for Thursday in Vegas and keeping him until Sunday at home against Carolina is a solid strategy. Pair him with a Wild or an Avalanche streamer and you've got the week covered.

His underlying numbers from last season tell the same story. Among all defencemen, Parekh ranked 18th in iSCF/60, 23rd in ixG/60 and 24th in iCF/60, all in the Elite tier, and his OISH% was the 12th lowest of any defenceman. The puck just wouldn't go in for him last year, and that trend has continued into this season. Eventually, that levee will break.

If you'd rather go with a safer veteran, Kris Letang in Pittsburgh is the pick. He's on the second powerplay unit behind Erik Karlsson, but he has three assists and 14 shots through five games, and his 8.56 Shots/60 ranks 8th among all defencemen so far. Letang was an Honourable Mention at 13% rostered last week, and he's already up to 30%, so don't wait too long.

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, 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.

Jake Allen

Every toolbox needs an Allen key. It's not flashy, but when you need it, nothing else fits.

Jake Allen is my Goalie pick for Week 3, and yes, this one is about starts again. Third time's the charm, right?

The Devils have four games in Week 3. The Monday Light Night at home against Ottawa, Tuesday in Detroit, Thursday at home against the Rangers and Saturday in Washington. Allen has started two of New Jersey's three games so far. The one he didn't start went VERY badly for Nico Daws, who gave up six goals to the Islanders on October 3rd. The Monday-Tuesday back-to-back means Daws will likely get one of those, but I expect Allen to start the other three. That's the most projected starts of any goalie under 40% rostered this week.

Allen's start to the season has been shaky. He's 1-1 with a 3.47 GAA and a .877 SV%, including a five-goal loss to Utah on Tuesday. But last season, Allen quietly put together a very respectable year. He went 17-17-2 with a 2.74 GAA and a .903 SV% in 37 games, and he ranked 13th out of 70 goalies in GSAx/60 and 20th in SV%, both in the High tier. His high-danger numbers were closer to average, ranking 36th in HDGSAx/60 and 41st in HDSV%. That's not a goalie who's going to steal games on his own, but it is one who probably doesn't usually lose them for you, either.

I've learned my lesson from Jarry and Skinner, so here's my honest pitch: I don't know if Allen will be great this week, but what I do know is that three starts gives you more darts to throw than anyone else at this price.

If you'd rather go with the analytics play, look at Sergei Murashov in Pittsburgh. He's in a tandem with Arturs Silovs, but he's been fantastic in his two starts, including 43 saves on 45 shots in an overtime loss in Columbus last night. Among all goalies this season, he ranks 8th in SV%, 9th in HDGSAx/60 and 10th in GSAx/60, albeit with an extremely small sample size. The Penguins play Tuesday in Chicago, then have a Friday-Saturday back-to-back in Colorado and Vegas, so I expect him to get two of their three starts, including possibly Friday's Light Night. He's 30% rostered.

BANGER BEASTS

Yakov Trenin

Watch out for the Choo-Choo Trenin!

If you play in a banger league, Week 3 has the cleanest answer we've seen yet. Yakov Trenin threw 413 hits in 82 games last season. That's over five hits a game, and his 22.75 Hits/60 ranked 7th among all forwards. He added 39 blocks and 38 PIMs on top of that, along with six goals and 17 assists.

He hasn't slowed down, either. Trenin has 16 hits through four games this season, and he's playing on Minnesota's fourth line with Michael McCarron and Nico Sturm, as well as on the top penalty kill unit.

What makes him my pick is the schedule. The Wild have the best schedule in the league in Week 3, with four games and two Light Nights: Monday at home against Vegas, Tuesday in Winnipeg, Thursday at home against St. Louis and Sunday at home against Columbus. If Trenin hits at his usual pace, you could be looking at 16 to 20 hits for the week, and half his games land on nights when your other bangers are sitting on the bench.

Fair warning, his other numbers aren't pretty. Trenin's On-Ice and individual stats sit in the Low tier pretty much across the board, and he doesn't play on the powerplay. You're not adding him for points though, I hope. You're adding him to bang bodies and win a category, and he has the ability to do that all by himself.

If you need a defenceman instead, Jeremy Lauzon in Vegas is your guy. He was an Honourable Mention back in Week 1 and he's picked up right where he left off. Lauzon had 251 hits, 97 blocks and 89 PIMs in 68 games last season, and he already has 21 hits and six blocks through five games this year. His Hits/60 ranks 4th among all defencemen so far, after ranking 3rd last season. The Golden Knights have four games in Week 3, starting Monday's Light Night in Minnesota, and he's 14% rostered.

DEEPER DARLINGS

T.J. Hughes

No, not that Hughes. Not that one either. Or that one.

T.J. Hughes is my Deeper Darlings pick for Week 3, and he might be the most interesting player in this article. He has no NHL numbers from last season, so I'm working with just four games of data, but what a four games it has been.

Hughes is on Colorado's third line with Jaden Schwartz and Fedor Svechkov, but here's the part that matters. In the Avalanche's last game on Thursday in Calgary, he was on the top powerplay unit with Nathan MacKinnon, Martin Necas, Cale Makar and Nazem Kadri. A 3% rostered winger on a PP1 with MacKinnon and Makar is the deepest of deep league dreams come true.

He's been letting it fly. Hughes has an assist and 11 shots through four games, including six shots in Calgary. Among all forwards this season, he ranks 9th in iSCF/60, 23rd in iCF/60 and 34th in Shots/60, all in the Elite tier.

Not only that, the schedule fits, too. Colorado plays Tuesday in Dallas, then hosts Dallas on Wednesday and Pittsburgh on Friday. Two of those three games are on Light Nights, which ties Minnesota for the most in Week 3.

There are two things to keep in mind. First, four games is a tiny sample and his card could look very different in two weeks. Second, Colorado's opponents are some of the toughest of anyone's this week. These include two faceoffs against division rivals, the Dallas Stars. I'd still take a PP1 winger with two Light Nights at 3% rostered every time.

His IPP of 20.0 is pretty funny. Colorado has been scoring while he's on the ice, as his OISH% is one of the highest among forwards, but he's only been in on one of those goals. Once he starts cashing in on his own chances though, the points should follow.

If you'd rather ride Vegas' volume, look at Trevor Connelly. He's 1% rostered, on the third line with Tomas Hertl, and on the Golden Knights' top powerplay unit with Jack Eichel, Mark Stone, Hertl and Mitch Marner. He played over six minutes on the powerplay in Vegas' last game. Among all forwards this season, he ranks 15th in xA1/60, 15th in SCF/60 and 17th in xGF/60. Vegas has four games in Week 3, with a Light Night on Monday in Minnesota.

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.

If you're following any of my picks, the Hockey Dashboard will let you know when they hit your waiver wire.

Remember to hit up [stackedanalytics.app](https://stackedanalytics.app) to check the underlying metrics for all your favourite players. I only have a Preview Mode available to the public, but I would really appreciate any and all critiques as the model is still under construction.

Next week, I'll give you the full Week 3 Roundup, and we'll find out whether these second helpings were worth going back for. Please, hold me to it.

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.

Happy Thanksgiving to my fellow Canadians. Good luck, and stay stacking!