Every week, we'll mine the waiver wire for lesser-owned assets to help your squad, whether you favor dynasty or the redraft format, and we'll also toss in some tips for DFS players out there. Finally, we will look at some former go-to fantasy assets who might be overvalued -- either in the short or long term -- for one reason or another.
Forwards
David Perron, LW, St. Louis Blues (20.3 percent rostered in ESPN leagues): Good things have come only in sporadic bunches for Perron for some time now, which is why this run of four goals and two assists in a span of seven games merits note. Tucked in on a top-six line with Alexander Steen and center Ryan O'Reilly, the 30-year-old is in position to further dent the scoresheet through the Blues' next three home contests, versus the Sabres, Rangers, and Penguins. In addition to his possible usefulness as a streaming option in deeper leagues, Perron sports potential value in DFS play as well -- that is, until he predictably cools off again.
Kasperi Kapanen, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs (14.6 percent): The latest line shuffle in Toronto sees Kapanen holding down his spot on Auston Matthews' right, with fellow winger William Nylander shifted to the left. It's from that position that the 22-year-old scored both the opener (assisted by Matthews and Morgan Rielly) as well as the overtime winner in Saturday's 5-4 victory over the Red Wings. This kid is fast and he can score. Skating with Matthews, the sophomore forward is a legit scoring threat every moment he's on the ice. He should be spoken for in a significantly greater percentage of both redraft and dynasty/keeper leagues than his current rostered percentage indicates.
Ondrej Palat, LW, Tampa Bay Lightning (3.3 percent): After missing a full month with a lower-body injury, Palat appears to finally be back in the swing of things with four goals and three assists in his past seven games. A spot on Tampa Bay's top line and power play suggests a further spool-up in production is in order. When healthy -- admittedly a concern of late -- Palat has averaged 0.7 points per game in his NHL career.
Paul Byron, C/LW, Montreal Canadiens (2.7 percent): A recent run of three goals in five games is earning Byron a spot on Montreal's top line with Max Domi and Jonathan Drouin, supplanting Andrew Shaw. After losing all of November to a lower-body injury, the diminutive forward is evidently getting back into the productive swing. Any fantasy manger with a roster hole to plug in deeper leagues might take advantage of Byron's streaky disposition and his current favorable position in the Canadiens' lineup.
J.T. Compher, LW/C, Colorado Avalanche (1.2 percent): A fresh fixture on Colorado's top power play, Compher has three points in his last two games, including one assist with the extra skater. The Avalanche's second-line center is also averaging close to 20 minutes of ice-time per game. After losing half of October and most of November to a concussion, the promising second-round draft pick from 2013 is on pace for a breakout sophomore campaign with nine goals and six assists in 21 games. He's worth a thought in deeper leagues.
Alex Iafallo, C/LW, Los Angeles (0.3 percent): Skating on the top Kings line and power play with Anze Kopitar and Dustin Brown, Iafallo is riding a seven-game point streak (nine points in total), including a goal in each of his past four contests. The 25-year-old is also averaging around 19 minutes per game through the month of December. Right now, he has tremendous use in deeper leagues.
Defensemen
Jared Spurgeon, Minnesota Wild (48.4 percent): The unfortunate injury suffered by defenseman Matt Dumba (ruptured pectoral muscle) means a significant uptick in ice-time and responsibility for Spurgeon. Skating on the team's top pair and No. 1 power play with Ryan Suter, the 29-year-old has averaged nearly 28 minutes per game over his past four contests. The points will come. If available, add Spurgeon in deeper leagues as soon as you can. Dumba is estimated to be out until late March, at a minimum.
Nick Leddy, New York Islanders (11.9 percent): He's starting to look like his old productive self. Leddy now has three power-play assists in his five most-recent games. That's more like it. Coming off three-consecutive 40-plus point seasons, the 2009 first-rounder is due to rebound this fresh calendar year, at least as long as the 27-year-old remains the anchor of the Islanders' top special teams unit with Mathew Barzal.
Goaltenders
Laurent Brossoit, Winnipeg Jets (15.0 percent): Playing second-fiddle to Connor Hellebuyck, Brossoit has generally been "money" for the Jets this season when offered the chance, running up a 8-1-1 record and .939 save percentage. He's seen more action of late, starting four games so far this December -- all wins. Whenever he's between the pipes, the 25-year-old sports value as both a DFS option and a streaming candidate.
Carter Hart, Philadelphia Flyers (9.3 percent): After two super showings against the Red Wings and Predators in his first two NHL appearances, Philadelphia's 20-year-old prospect sparkled a bit less in Saturday's 4-3 loss to the Blue Jackets. Still, we're more excited about Hart's ceiling, compared to that of Michal Neuvirth or, once he's eventually recovered, Brian Elliott. For now, the 2016 second-round draft pick serves as an enticing DFS option, when the matchup makes sense. He also merits early investment in deeper dynasty leagues.
Lowered expectations
Dougie Hamilton, D, Carolina Hurricanes (89.3 percent): It isn't going well. Following his off-season trade from Calgary, Hamilton has just 10 points with his new club (minus-13), including only one assist this month (Dec. 5). No longer a consideration with the extra skater, he logged a season-low 15:41 of ice-time versus Boston just before the break. It's hard to believe this is the same blue-liner who racked up 17 goals and 27 assists with the Flames only last year. Shelve Hamilton if possible, even though a turnaround still isn't out of the question. Add fellow Carolina defenseman Justin Faulk (16.4 percent) instead. Anchoring the Hurricanes' top power play, Faulk has four points in five games.