Defensemen aren’t all that easy to come by in fantasy hockey. A lot of the time they are forgotten in the draft and you end up with a weaker group hoping for some to be steals. Whether that’s the case or not, you are here looking for someone to stream for the remainder of this week and we have you covered with three options. Someone might just be useful for this week, but any one of these players could be a difference-maker for longer than that as well. Here’s a look at three defensemen to target from your fantasy hockey waiver wire in Week 6.
Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Defensemen to Target for Week 6
Bowen Byram, Buffalo Sabres
Bowen Byram isn’t thought of as the top defenseman on the Buffalo Sabres considering there are a lot of talented young defensemen on the team including Rasmus Dahlin, Owen Power, and Mattias Samuelsson, but Byram can get hot. He has some very nice offensive talent and was a high pick in the draft not too long ago. When healthy, he is proving that he’s a major player on the top pairing in Buffalo.
Byram already has three goals and 10 points in 16 games. He had three goals and nine points in 18 games after coming over to Buffalo last season and his career high is 11 goals and 29 points. He should be able to surge by those numbers set last season by the way he is playing this season.
The 22-year-old is on the second power-play unit and also has two goals and six points in the last six games. He won’t be that much of a difference maker in every stat category, but he does enough all around to contribute and be worth looking at to add. The Sabres still match up against the St. Louis Blues and Philadelphia Flyers this week.
Ryker Evans, Seattle Kraken
The Seattle Kraken are fortunate that Ryker Evans was ready to step up for a larger role when Vince Dunn went down. The 22-year-old has three goals and eight points in 15 games ahead of Tuesday’s matchup with the Columbus Blue Jackets but is also playing on the top pairing with Adam Larsson. This streaming option will only last so long, but since Dunn isn’t expected back for a little while longer, you can take advantage of a talented defenseman with an opportunity to succeed.
Evans gets second-unit power-play time and has already scored a goal on the man advantage this season, but he typically logs around 20 minutes per night. He has three points in the last six games and adds some value in hitting and blocking shots despite not doing either a very large amount. If you are looking for potential and three more games this week, Evans is a solid target. The Kraken still play the Chicago Blackhawks, New York Islanders, and New York Rangers this week.
Colton Parayko, St. Louis Blues
The St. Louis Blues’ number-one defenseman this season has been Colton Parayko. He is finally stepping up overall to fill that spot and it’s better late than never. He may not be a true number-one defenseman like some of the elite players around the league, but he leads the Blues in ice time and is contributing at both ends of the ice.
Parayko has four goals and nine points in 15 games. His career highs are 10 goals and 35 points through an entire season, so the big d-man is well on his way. He is shooting a little more than in recent seasons and still delivering lots of hits and blocking tons of shots. The 31-year-old has three goals and four points in his last four games as well. To close out this week, the Blues still play three more times against the Buffalo Sabres, Boston Bruins, and Carolina Hurricanes.
Related: Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Week 6 Forward Streams
Defensemen are harder to come by and are picked up quicker than forwards because of that. Don’t wait and jump on who’s hot or who has potential before they really get going or prove how consistent they can be this season in fantasy hockey.