Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks – Week 16 (2026)
January 17, 2026
Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire Picks – Week 16 (Jan 19–25, 2026)
Week 16 is another slate where the edge isn’t “who has 4 games” — it’s who has 4 games you can actually start.
The schedule is fairly balanced, but there are two slates that matter most:
- Wednesday (6 games)
- Sunday (6 games)
If you stream into those two off-nights, you’ll get real leverage without wasting adds on bench games.
This week is about:
- Off-night leverage
- Startable games (not bench games)
- Using schedule shape to win matchups
The schedule reality (what actually matters)
Here’s the exact slate map for Week 16:
- Mon (Jan 19): 10 games (heavy)
- Tue (Jan 20): 8 games (mid-heavy)
- Wed (Jan 21): 6 games (light)
- Thu (Jan 22): 8 games (mid-heavy)
- Fri (Jan 23): 8 games (mid-heavy)
- Sat (Jan 24): 9 games (heavy)
- Sun (Jan 25): 6 games (light)
Translation:
This week isn’t about avoiding one mega-trap slate — it’s about building around the two clean leverage nights (Wed/Sun) and making sure your streams land on startable nights.
Quick Jumpstart (attack the light slates)
The off-night targets: Wed / Sun
Wed (6 games): ANA, CGY, COL, DET, NYI, PHI, PIT, SEA, TOR, UTM, VAN, WSH
Sun (6 games): ANA, CGY, CHI, COL, FLA, NJD, OTT, PIT, SEA, TOR, VAN, VGK
If a team shows up on BOTH Wednesday and Sunday, it becomes a priority stream target immediately.
The only thing we’re chasing: startable volume
Tier 0 — The perfect schedule shape (hit BOTH off-nights)
These teams appear on both leverage slates (Wed + Sun):
- Anaheim (ANA) — 4 GP (Wed / Sun)
- Calgary (CGY) — 4 GP (Wed / Sun)
- Colorado (COL) — 4 GP (Wed / Sun)
- Pittsburgh (PIT) — 4 GP (Wed / Sun)
- Seattle (SEA) — 4 GP (Wed / Sun)
- Toronto (TOR) — 4 GP (Wed / Sun)
- Vancouver (VAN) — 4 GP (Wed / Sun)
This is the core streaming edge for Week 16.
Tier 1 — Strong schedule shape (hit ONE off-night)
Wednesday-only:
- Detroit (DET) — 3 GP
- New York Islanders (NYI) — 3 GP
- Philadelphia (PHI) — 3 GP
- Washington (WSH) — 4 GP
Sunday-only:
- Chicago (CHI) — 4 GP
- Florida (FLA) — 4 GP
- New Jersey (NJD) — 4 GP
- Ottawa (OTT) — 4 GP
- Vegas (VGK) — 4 GP
Tier 2 — Volume without off-night leverage
These teams do not play on Wednesday or Sunday:
BOS, BUF, CAR, CBJ, DAL, EDM, MIN, MTL, NSH, NYR, SJS, STL, TBL, WPG, LAK
They can still work in specific cases, but most streams from these teams land on bench-risk nights.
The only true schedule fades
- Los Angeles (LAK) — 2 games
- Utah (UTM) — 2 games
Player Pickups
Anaheim Ducks
D Jacob Trouba — Trouba should already be rostered in most banger leagues, but if he’s somehow available, he’s a priority add. He’s averaging just under two shots, two hits, and two blocks per game, providing true across-the-board category coverage.
C Mason McTavish — McTavish is averaging over half a point per game while contributing more than two shots and around one hit per night.
RW Bennett Sennecke — Despite slowing slightly of late, Sennecke is still averaging over 0.75 points per game with around two shots per night.
D Radko Gudas — One of the best pure banger options available, averaging over 3.5 hits, around 1.75 blocks, and strong penalty minute upside.
C/LW/RW Mikael Granlund — Granlund offers valuable triple eligibility, averaging over two shots per game and nearly 0.7 points per night.
LW Chris Kreider — Kreider continues to provide steady value with over half a point per game, nearly two shots per night, and strong power-play efficiency.
Calgary Flames
C/LW/RW Blake Coleman (IR) — Coleman is currently on IR, but worth monitoring if he returns. When healthy, he averages nearly half a point, over 2.5 shots, around 2.5 hits, and contributes penalty minutes.
C/LW Jonathan Huberdeau — Huberdeau is averaging just over half a point per game with lower shot volume (~1.5 shots per night). An option if you need some secondary scoring.
C Mikael Backlund — Backlund is producing steadily, averaging over half a point per game and nearly 2.5 shots per night.
RW Matt Coronato — Coronato is averaging almost 2.5 shots and over half a point per game.
RW Adam Klapka — A banger-league specialist, averaging over 1.5 PIM and more than 3.5 hits per game.
Colorado Avalanche
D Brent Burns — Burns is averaging nearly half a point, over two shots, and more than one block per night.
D Josh Manson — A strong multi-category defenseman, averaging ~1.5 shots, nearly 2.5 hits, around 1.5 blocks, and over one penalty minute per game.
D Sam Malinski — Malinski averages nearly half an assist per game, ~1.7 shots, and over one block per night.
C/LW Ross Colton — Colton offers a useful blend of shots and hits with occasional offensive upside.
Pittsburgh Penguins
D Kris Letang — With Erik Karlsson on IR, Letang has moved up to PP1. He’s averaging over half a point, more than 1.5 shots, nearly 1.5 hits, and over one block per game.
LW/RW Anthony Mantha — Mantha is averaging over half a point per game, nearly two shots, and has seen intermittent power-play usage.
Seattle Kraken
C/LW Jared McCann — McCann is averaging around 0.8 points per game with over 2.5 shots per night.
C Matty Beniers — Beniers is averaging around 0.65 points per game with nearly two shots per outing.
RW Jordan Eberle — Eberle is averaging almost 2.5 shots and just under 0.7 points per game.
LW/RW Eeli Tolvanen — Tolvanen brings strong peripherals, averaging over 2.5 hits, over one block, and ~0.6 points per game.
D Adam Larsson — Larsson is averaging over one shot, nearly 1.5 hits, and more than two blocks per game.
Toronto Maple Leafs
D Oliver Ekman-Larsson — Ekman-Larsson is averaging ~0.6 points per game, nearly 1.5 shots, over one hit per night, with occasional power-play usage.
D Jake McCabe — McCabe averages nearly 1.5 hits and over 2.5 blocks per game.
LW Bobby McMann — McMann is averaging over half a point, around two shots, and over two hits per game.
D Simon Benoit — Benoit averages over 2.5 hits and around 1.5 blocks, with some PIM upside.
Vancouver Canucks
LW/RW Brock Boeser — Boeser is averaging nearly half a point, over two shots per night, and sees strong power-play deployment.
LW/RW Jake DeBrusk — DeBrusk is averaging nearly three shots per game with almost half a point per night.
LW Evander Kane — Kane provides classic banger value with ~2.5 shots, over 1.5 hits, over one penalty minute, and nearly half a point per game.
RW Conor Garland — Garland is averaging over two shots and more than 0.6 points per game.
D Tyler Myers — Myers rounds out categories with over one shot, more than one hit, and nearly two blocks per game.
How to build your Week 16 stream plan
- Start with Tier 0 schedules
- Prioritize Wed/Sun startability
- Avoid 2-game teams unless necessary
- Let schedule shape drive your adds
Closing Notes
- Wed (6) and Sun (6) are the leverage slates
- Seven teams hit both off-nights
- No 5-game teams
- LAK and UTM are the only true fades
Want the fastest edge? Use our Rankings and Optimizer tools to preview off-night fit before you add.
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