This week's group leans toward players whose value is driven by usage rather than luck. Whether it is a proven scorer waiting for the percentages to correct, a two-way center taking on extra responsibility, a rookie winger holding a premium role while injuries stack up, or a forechecking forward turning heavy minutes into real fantasy weight, the theme is opportunity. All five of these players are either in roles that already work or in situations where the deployment is too strong to ignore. These are the windows you act on before the numbers fully catch up.

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 27, 2025 (does not include Friday games).

Carter Verhaeghe, Florida Panthers (52%, F)

Verhaeghe's start has been quieter than his usual pace, but the usage and volume are exactly where they need to be. Through 24 games he sits at 4 goals, 12 assists, 16 points with 57 shots on goal, and the shooting percentage is sitting at only 7 percent. That is well below the range he has lived in for years, which means there is clear room for correction. Even with the slow finishing, Florida continues to rely on him in all the right places. He is playing about 18 minutes a night, getting close to three minutes on the top power play, and holding steady top nine deployment no matter how the lines shift. His recent game log shows the underlying rhythm that keeps him valuable: points in three straight, two multipoint efforts, and shot totals that rarely fall below two or three per game.

Nothing in the profile looks out of place. This is the same Verhaeghe who regularly pushes toward 55 to 60 points with strong shot volume and streaks of hot finishing once the percentages swing back toward normal.

Takeaway: Verhaeghe is a buy before the bounce player. Low shooting luck paired with stable PP1 usage and strong shot production gives him a safe floor and a real chance at a scoring run. This is a pickup in both points leagues and multicat formats if he is still available.

Anthony Cirelli, Tampa Bay Lightning (37%, C)

Cirelli is quietly stacking the kind of start that usually flies under the radar in shallow leagues. Through 20 games he has 9 goals, 8 assists, 17 points, a strong plus-14, and 31 shots, all while taking a huge chunk of Tampa's draws with 48.7 percent on 155 faceoffs. The shooting percentage at 29 percent is hot and will cool off, but the context matters: he is locked into a top line role with elite wingers, getting about 18 minutes a night, and around 1:49 on the power play. The game log shows exactly what you want to see from a usage bump, regular multipoint nights, steady shot totals, and consistent deployment in all situations. When Brayden Point returns, Cirelli likely settles back into a line two, power play two lane, but that still means centering quality wingers on a dangerous top six that plays high event hockey even with a banged up blue line.

Takeaway: Cirelli is a strong add in multicat and deeper points formats while he is riding this extended top line run, and his role should remain useful even after the inevitable shuffle when Point is back. The combination of faceoffs, solid peripherals, and stable minutes on a good offense gives him a safer floor than his name value usually suggests.

Braeden Bowman, Vegas Golden Knights (18%, F)

Bowman is exactly the kind of short-term opportunity play you want when injuries start piling up. Through 9 games he has 4 goals, 3 assists, 7 points with 19 shots, and he is doing that on 17:12 per night with a very healthy 3:06 on the power play. The game log backs it up: regular PP2 usage, multiple games over three minutes on the man advantage, and long stretches riding shotgun with Jack Eichel and Ivan Barbashev on line one. The shooting percentage at 21.1 is clearly hot and will not hold, and the peripherals are light outside of the shots, only one hit and five blocks so far. What matters is that Vegas, thinned out by injuries, is choosing him as one of the players to keep in offensive situations, and his AHL track record as a scorer lines up with what we are seeing in this first look.

Takeaway: Bowman is a classic "ride it while it lasts" streamer with real upside in points and shots while he is glued to Eichel and holding PP2. In standard multicat he is more of a schedule and deployment play because the hits are not there yet, but in deeper formats and keeper leagues he is worth a proactive add. Once Vegas gets healthy his role might shrink fast, so this is a window you treat as short term but very usable.

Emil Heineman, New York Islanders (42%, F)

Heineman has gone from random depth name in Montreal to a real fantasy piece on Long Island. Through 25 games he has 10 goals, 6 assists, 16 points with 50 shots and 89 hits in only 15:10 a night. The two big changes are role and usage. He is living in the top six next to Bo Horvat with a steady mix of Jonathan Drouin, Kyle Palmieri, and even some Mathew Barzal, and he is holding PP2 at about a minute and a half per game. The game log shows exactly what you want to see if you are thinking about adding him: frequent four to seven shot attempts, regular six plus hit nights, and a scoring pace that has not fallen off after his early heater. The shooting percentage is high at 20 percent, so the exact goal pace will cool off, but the volume of hits and the move from ten sheltered minutes in Montreal to a real middle six role in New York give him a much higher floor than he had last year.

Takeaway: Heineman is a very clean add for multicat formats, especially if you need goals and hits in the same roster spot. Top six usage, PP2 time, and a physical forechecking style that shows up every night make him more than a streaky scorer. In shallower points leagues you can treat him as a hot hand with some regression risk because of the shooting clip, but in banger formats he has the exact profile that sticks even when the puck stops going in.

Radko Gudas, Anaheim Ducks (23%, D)

Gudas is back in the lineup and doing exactly what you want from him. Through 13 games he has 1 goal, 2 assists, 3 points with 45 hits and 27 blocks in just over 16 minutes a night, almost all of it in a third pair and PK heavy role. The recent game log is very on brand. Multiple nights with 5 to 7 hits, 3 to 4 blocks, and ice time that climbs into the high teens whenever Anaheim is stuck killing penalties. There is nothing on the power play here and the shot volume is modest, but that is not why you roster him. You pick up Gudas because he drags your hit and block categories up almost by himself while staying on the ice enough to avoid being a total anchor in plus minus.

Takeaway: Gudas is a classic multicat plug. If you are chasing hits and blocks, especially in deeper formats, he is an easy add now that he is healthy and back on PK1. The offense will stay thin, so he fits best on teams that already have points covered and just need a nasty peripherals booster who can swing weekly matchups in banger categories.