Defensemen to stream each week are just as important as the other positions as in many leagues that are more than just points, they provide hits and blocks as additional upside. At this point in the week, you can still take advantage of some key players on the waiver wire to give you the edge in your fantasy hockey pool in what should be the final week of the regular season or playoffs.
Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Defensemen to Target for Week 23
Justin Faulk, St. Louis Blues
Justin Faulk has been as hot as the St. Louis Blues, who are 8-1-1 in their last 10 games ahead of Tuesday’s slate of games. With Colton Parayko out, he has been playing an even larger role and has a defensive spot on the better power-play unit on lock. The veteran has two goals and nine points in his last seven games and has recorded at least a point in six of those games. Four of those points have also come on the power play.
Faulk is good for a penalty every couple of games and will shoot, hit, and block better than the average defenseman. This makes him valuable even if he isn’t producing offensively. It doesn’t seem like he’s prepared to slow down in the midst of a playoff hunt for the Blues either. St. Louis still plays the Nashville Predators and Colorado Avalanche to close out this week, but Faulk is more than worth adding for now and for the rest of the season.
Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils
The New Jersey Devils have been struggling since the team lost Jack Hughes and Dougie Hamilton, but the loss off the latter to injury opened up the door offensively once again for Luke Hughes, whose ice time has been at a very high level, he is on the top pairing, and is back to being the number one d-man on the very good power play of the Devils.
Hughes has been the beneficiary of that top power play already as he has one goal and nine points as well as five points on the power play in his last 10 games. He’s not excellent in physical play and doesn’t shoot a ton, but as a defenseman, he still blocks shots. Hughes is definitely someone to look at if you need points and a power-play defenseman off of the waiver wire for instant results. The Devils match up against the Chicago Blackhawks, Winnipeg Jets, and Minnesota Wild for the remainder of the week.
Tony DeAngelo, New York Islanders
The New York Islanders have had a late-season surge and gotten themselves right back into the mix for the final playoff spot in the East. With that, they have been scoring and winning while Tony DeAngelo has been a fairly big part of that by racking up the points. He has regularly been a name that comes up as a streamer option throughout the season and hasn’t disappointed.
Even now with Noah Dobson back and playing well, there has been enough to go around as DeAngelo has points in three consecutive games and six assists in the last five games. On top of that, a point has come on the power play, he shoots when he can, and adds some hits and blocks to the mix. DeAngelo is playing on the top pairing and is still on the top power-play unit. The Islanders close out this week with three more games against the Vancouver Canucks, Tampa Bay Lightning, and Carolina Hurricanes, so that extra game will help.
Related: Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Week 23 Forward Streams
These defensemen have been hot and have a good chance of staying hot as options on the number one power plays and players receiving lots of ice time. Good luck in this important week of fantasy hockey and we hope to see you back next week for more of the best options to stream.