The waiver wire is a great place to find hidden gems that will help your fantasy hockey team in the short term and sometimes the long term as well. You have likely already taken advantage of this through the first 12 weeks of the NHL season. Regardless, there will still be strong options on the waiver wire at forward that we will look at. Even if it is only for a few games, these players are worth adding to help your team out. This is the place where you can find good options to take advantage of before anyone else in your league does.
Fantasy Hockey Waiver Wire: Forwards to Consider for Week 13
Alex Kerfoot, Arizona Coyotes
The Arizona Coyotes are doing well this season, but the attention has been on their goaltending. This team can score though. One forward who has been picking up his game significantly is Alex Kerfoot, and it helps that he is now centering the top line. While hanging around the middle six for most of the season, Kerfoot now benefits from playing in between Clayton Keller and Nick Schmaltz.
The Coyotes play three times this week, but it isn’t necessarily against weak opponents. This top line will drive play either way. Kerfoot has been hovering around 19-21 minutes per game and has two goals and seven points in his last six games. He’ll add to his value by shooting, hitting, and blocking shots, but is on the power play as well. He has three power-play points in his last four games.
Philipp Kurashev, Chicago Blackhawks
Philipp Kurashev is up to 22 points in 29 games and is starting to break out. He has been given a great chance to play a lot and build himself up on the Chicago Blackhawks’ top line. That means playing beside Connor Bedard. In Kurashev’s last four games, he has one goal and four assists, three coming on the power play.
While Kurashev is performing well and providing fantasy value in almost all aspects, he is definitely worth a look as long as he is also on the top line. I don’t see many other players who can or should take his spot this season anyway. The Blackhawks might not be a great team, but all teams have to score. This will come from the top line beside Bedard. It helps that the Blackhawks play four times this week, more than most teams.
Marcus Johansson, Minnesota Wild
Kirill Kaprizov and Mats Zuccarello are currently out with injuries, so Marcus Johansson has had to step up big-time. He is now on the top line and producing points once again. This is something he has struggled to do at a high rate this season. Not only is he getting big minutes, he also finds himself on the top line. With three games this week against weaker opponents, I like his chances of continuing his production.
Although he has four goals and 20 points on the season, he has two goals and five points in his last three games. Beyond that, he has three goals and eight points in his previous seven games. He is shooting more now and picking up points on the power play. While Zuccarello is still considered week-to-week and Kaprizov is an unknown, Johansson is a great option to provide fantasy value.
Related: Fantasy Hockey Week 13 Goalie Streams – 01/01/24
Players that may seem like great waiver wire pickups could fade quickly, while others could turn out to be great for a long time. These three players appear to be strong options in Week 13 of the fantasy hockey season among those who should be available. Take advantage before it is too late and make sure to check in with us next week for more strong options.