Welcome back everyone! We have American Thanksgiving week on the horizon, and I often refer to that week as a "sprint", we're going to have loaded slates four times next week with one light day and one day of no games, so it's going to feel like a quick week of fantasy hockey. Let's try to set the table here as we move into Thanksgiving week…I just realized that's a pun.

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Karel Vejmelka, G, Utah Hockey Club (Rostered in 1% of ESPN leagues, 22% Fantrax, 7% Yahoo) – Utah Starting goaltender Connor Ingram has been placed on IR and will miss a minimum of three games, and that includes a back-to-back this weekend for Utah, along with a short Tuesday slate (two games), at minimum. This may be a chance to get some points in net while Ingram is out.  

I can't think of Karel Vejmelka without thinking about the time he had a 46-shot shutout against Colorado. Those who play DFS remember. He's a goaltender I've rostered at times last season, and I think the spot makes sense here coming up for Utah. Ideally, we'd love to see him start on Sunday against the Leafs for exposure on a slate with fewer games, but on the road in Pittsburgh on Saturday is likely and of course the better matchup.    

This is an add that makes sense in the short-term here until we know when Ingram is slated to come back in. In leagues where you play two goaltenders, this might make some sense and a unique way to get points in net. For DFS, I'll see you all on the Vejmelka front lines.   

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Kiefer Sherwood, LW/RW, Vancouver Canucks (Rostered in 16% of ESPN leagues, 40% Fantrax, 34% Yahoo) – Anyone else have a Sherwood stick growing up? Kiefer Sherwood is a player that I was slow on in my league, but there's a chance he may be able to help your squad here going forward.

This guy is a fantasy dream, he hits a ton (113 on the season) and is now on the Vancouver top line with three points in his last three games played. Not only did he recently post a double-digit hit total in a single game for the third time this season, but he also had seven SOG in the Canucks last matchup against the Rangers. I have to give a shout too to the Canucks schedule next week, with them in action four times, two of which are on "light" days. As long as he's seeing top six time at even strength and decent power play exposure (around two minutes), he's a player that I like going forward here.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Nazem Kadri, C, Calgary Flames (Rostered in 76% of ESPN leagues, 80% Fantrax, 52% Yahoo) – Nazem Kadri was one of those players that projected high in fantasy, but went undrafted maybe longer than he should have. He's a player that still holds value in fantasy but in his current role I have some concern.

Kadri is currently listed on the Flames third line and second power play unit, not ideal for fantasy but if anything, it maybe opens the door for softer matchups. One of the things that's been overlooked this season is the Flames record of 10-6-3, with a home record of 7-0-3. His ice time has fluctuated some going from over 22 minutes a night to down under 16 minutes at times and that can be difficult for fantasy managers. The way I would play it would be if you're in a larger league with big rosters, you play him. For smaller leagues I think he's only a must start if you don't have anyone else at the center position on that given night, as there may be better options currently available.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Ryan O'Reilly, C, Nashville Predators (Rostered in 65% of ESPN leagues, 76%, Fantrax, 48% Yahoo) – The roster numbers for Ryan O'Reilly on ESPN have sunk lower and lower as the season has gone along and coming off a 3-0 shutout vs Seattle, I think RoR might be our Anchor for this week.

Regardless of whatever prediction you had for the Predators coming in, I'd think it would have to be better than where the club currently stands? For O'Reilly he has one point in the Preds last seven games and I'm having trouble telling if this is just a "more unlucky than good" situation, or if this is the way things look to stand the rest of the regular season. He's a player that I've liked going back to his days in Buffalo and given the spot on the power play and skating alongside Filip Forsberg, I thought this would be a nice sleeper in fantasy but so far this has not been the case. If you need O'Reilly upcoming here for the week, I think that's viable to keep him, but there's likely value at the center position on waivers right now in most leagues.   

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

This period runs through November 21^st – December 1^st  

Seattle – Here's all you need to know: Next week Seattle plays the Ducks twice and San Jose twice. That's maybe eight points sitting out there for this Kraken club.

Winnipeg – Winnipeg grades out well and that's just by number of games with a road back-to-back this week and four games on the road next week. Still, that's a lot of Connor Hellebuyck action along with the Winnipeg top line in DFS.

Florida – The Panthers might have a tougher schedule but it's the home ice that I like for them, with four out of their next five games at home.  

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Toronto – Light schedule this week, light schedule next week. The Leafs are a stay away for now, but this is a good chance for them to get healthy as we continue on throughout the season. The club with the most back-to-backs getting some rest is nice, but for now they're a stay away.    

Pittsburgh – The Pens are a mess right now and are unfortunately a Leave 'Em as well. They're only in action three times next week up against clubs with a better record than them…and one of those clubs is Boston.  

Buffalo – While in the short term here, Buffalo has a back-to-back against the Ducks and Sharks, their long-term outlook is rough. They'll have meetings against Minnesota, Vancouver, Colorado, and Winnipeg all on the horizon.

*For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.