This week's list leans toward players stepping into meaningful roles rather than riding short-term spikes. Whether it's a returning forward walking straight into a top-six opening, a center gaining traction with heavier usage, a defender inheriting PP1 out of necessity, or a young winger carving out room on an elite offense, the thread is the same, fantasy value follows opportunity. These five names all have deployment worth acting on before the window tightens.

Data Sources:

Player Data From Natural Stat Trick

Yahoo roster percentages via Frozen Tools.

Line combinations and power-play deployment via Daily Faceoff and Frozen Tools.

All information current as of November 13th, 2025.

Winnipeg Jets — Cole Perfetti (40%, F)

Perfetti is finally back, and the timing lines up with a real opportunity. With Nikolaj Ehlers gone in free agency, the Jets have left a meaningful scoring seat open in the top six—and Perfetti is the natural fit. His first three games back haven't popped on the scoresheet (0 G, 1 A), but the usage tells the real story: 17–18 minutes a night, PP1 deployment between three and five minutes per game, and steady L2 shifts in a role built for playmaking touches. Even in quiet box scores, he's been involved—multiple games with solid PPTOI, scattered hits, and enough shot attempts to show he's not easing in passively.

The Jets are a strong offensive environment again this year, and this specific spot—the one Ehlers previously held—has produced fantasy value for years. Perfetti stepping into it healthy and undisputed is the important part. Winnipeg has a softer stretch coming too (CGY, CBJ, MIN, CAR), which makes this a low-risk window to get ahead of any scoring bump.

Takeaway: The numbers don't look loud yet, but the usage is exactly what matters. PP1 + L2 on a good offensive roster is a recipe that usually pays off once the touches stabilize. Treat Perfetti as an early buy-before-the-stats-catch-up add in both points formats and deeper multicat leagues. This role has room to grow, and he's finally slotted where managers hoped he would be last season.

Boston Bruins — Pavel Zacha (45%, C)

Zacha is quietly doing exactly what you want from a middle-round center with premium deployment. Through 19 games he's at 5 G, 10 A, 15 P (0.79 P/GP) with 8 PPP, 30 SOG, 21 hits, and 11 blocks on 17:50 a night and a healthy 3:30 PPTOI. He's locked into PP1 and centering L2, with recent runs between Viktor Arvidsson and Alex Steeves, and he's winning draws at a solid 53%. Casey Mittelstadt being out only reinforces his current role: Zacha is the steady pivot they're leaning on in all situations, and the game log shows consistent special-teams work rather than the on/off PP usage that dragged him down in past seasons.

Takeaway: This is a stable, repeatable profile, not a random heater. PP1 + L2, strong faceoff share, and just enough hits/blocks make Zacha a very reliable hold in most formats. In shallower leagues he's a nice consolidation add at center; in deeper leagues, you treat him as a low-drama 60–65-point pivot with strong power-play upside while Mittelstadt is out and he's glued to prime Bruins usage.

Columbus Blue Jackets — Adam Fantilli (39%, C)

Fantilli looks a lot more like the NCAA buzz version of himself right now. Through 17 games he's at 5 G, 7 A, 12 P (0.71 P/GP) with 42 SOG, 18 hits, and 10 blocks on 16:48 a night. The deployment is finally matching the talent: L2 at even strength and a bump to PP1, with his recent game log showing 19–23 minutes, heavy shot nights (3–5 SOG), and multiple multi-point performances on the western swing. The faceoff numbers are trending up (52.3% overall), and he's driving play in different combinations with Boone Jenner, Kent Johnson, Kirill Marchenko, etc., instead of being stapled to purely defensive usage. The wild part is that he's done this with just a single power-play point so far—his production has been mostly 5-on-5 driven, which leaves real room for growth if PP1 settles in.

Takeaway: This is a  "bet on trajectory, not boxscore totals" spot. PP1 + L2, ~2.5 SOG/g, and rising TOI scream breakout runway, especially with a schedule that includes NYR, MTL, WPG, TOR, and DET in quick succession. In competitive leagues, Fantilli should be treated as a rising hold with legit upside into that 55–60-point, multi-cat-support range; in shallower formats, he's exactly the type of center you add now before the power-play numbers catch up.

Buffalo Sabres — Bowen Byram (11%, D)

This is the kind of temporary promotion that can matter for weeks. With Rasmus Dahlin out, Byram has stepped straight onto PP1 while holding his usual heavy even-strength workload. Through 17 games he sits at 2 G, 5 A, 7 P with 22 SOG, 13 hits, and 23 blocks in 22:10 per night, and his power-play usage has spiked to 2:10 per game—peaking over five minutes on the top unit in Buffalo. The profile is exactly what you want from a streaming defenseman: 1.3 SOG/g, over a block per game, and enough mobility to cash in when he's the one walking the blue line on a talented Buffalo PP. The game log shows the floor clearly—20+ minutes almost every night, steady secondary stats—even when the points aren't there.

Takeaway: While Dahlin is out, Byram is a "add now, sort it out later" play. PP1 + L2 on a team with real offensive upside makes him a multi-cat helper with legit short-term scoring juice. In shallow leagues he's a strong streamer with the upside to stick; in deeper formats he's a clear hold for as long as he's running the top unit.

Colorado Avalanche — Gavin Brindley (0%, F)

Brindley is the early "if this hits, you'll wish you grabbed him for free" name. The counting stats are modest so far—4 G, 3 A, 7 P in 16 games with 20 SOG, 16 hits, and 4 blocks on just 9:22 a night—but the context is what matters. He's getting L2 looks on the highest-powered offense in the league and has already rotated through meaningful linemates like Brock Nelson and Ross Colton. He's also seeing secondary PP time (PP2), even if it hasn't translated into points yet. The 20% shooting screams small-sample hot, but the combination of pace, work rate, and trust in a limited role is exactly how these guys earn more ice over the first half.

Takeaway: In standard redraft leagues, Brindley is more of a watchlist name than a must-add—the TOI is still too low to bank on week to week. In deeper formats and especially dynasty, he's the kind of cheap swing you make now: L2 + PP2 in this offense is a lane to real upside if the minutes climb into the 13–15 range. If you've got a bench slot to play with, stash him before the deployment and production catch up to the underlying opportunity.