It is another week where the options to stream defensemen in fantasy hockey are scarce, but I have still found some players who will hit multiple categories and do well for you given the remaining games before the break and recent success. Here are the top d-men to grab off the waiver wire this week.
Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Defensemen to Target for Week 18
Artem Zub, Ottawa Senators
Artem Zub is not normally a name you would see among defensemen recommend picking up but he has his moments. He hasn’t been completely unproductive offensively in his career and he has found a groove in which he is chipping in offensively. For how long remains to be seen. But before it ends, he is an option that also hits and blocks shots as he is more defensively-minded.
Zub plays with Jake Sanderson who has been red hot, so he is also getting in on some of the action. Especially with Nick Jensen out, Zub is being relied upon pretty heavily. He has recorded four assists in the last four games and while not being on either of the power-play units, recorded a power-play point two games ago. The veteran is on the top penalty-killing unit and does a great job blocking shots there. The Ottawa Senators have games against the Tampa Bay Lightning again and then the Florida Panthers before the break. Zub isn’t the top option, but he is an option.
Tony DeAngelo, New York Islanders
Tony DeAngelo was playing in Russia for most of this season until he decided to make his return to North America and the NHL. The New York Islanders signed him and threw him right into the fire as he’s averaged 25 minutes per game over the five games he has played to this point. Since returning to the NHL, he has one goal and three points but is shooting a fair amount and blocking a lot of shots.
DeAngelo is on the top pairing due to Noah Dobson, Ryan Pulock, Scott Mayfield, and Mike Reilly all being injured. It seems as though the Islanders haven’t needed any of them and DeAngelo and Alexander Romanov have taken on a huge task, helping the team win seven in a row before just having that streak snapped. The team plays two more times before the break against the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild.
Adam Pelech, New York Islanders
Like DeAngelo and Romanov, Adam Pelech has also benefited from so many bodies being banged up on the back end for the Islanders. He has played a good amount, but not necessarily a ton like the other two. Regardless, the veteran is still producing and contributing as he has assists in six of the past eight games, is shooting more, and is regularly hitting and blocking shots as he normally does. As I noted above, the Islanders still have two more games to play this week.
Related: Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Week 18 Forward Streams
Grab these defensemen while you can to get a couple of games in before the end of the week and go into the break with an advantage over your opponents. Check back in two weeks after the 4 Nations Face-Off for more of the top streaming options on defense.
