Fantasy mailbag: Sleeper candidates for rest of 2017-18 season

Every week this season, NHL.com will answer your fantasy mailbag questions. Whether you're in a year-long league or play DFS, we'll answer the most relevant questions based on Yahoo transaction trends, DraftKings value and any other developments (production, lineup, injuries) around the League. Send your questions to @NHLJensen.

@steveheals: Any sleepers for the rest of the season?
There are many circumstances and metrics to consider when identifying fantasy sleepers for the rest of the season. These factors include but are not limited to lineup placement, injury absences and implications, points per 60 minutes and low shooting percentages.
Thus, there are plenty of sleeper candidates with low ownership in season-long Yahoo leagues. Other factors, such as line changes, spikes in power-play usage, injuries or returning players could also impact sleeper candidacy.
Readily available forwards with low shooting percentages and at least 70 shots on goal:Max Domi (LW, ARI; 3.4 percent shooting), Alexander Steen (C/LW/RW, STL; 3.9), Charles Hudon (LW, MTL; 4.7), Derek Stepan (C, ARI; 6.1), Timo Meier (LW/RW, SJS; 6.5), Nico Hischier (C, NJD; 6.6), Kyle Okposo (RW, BUF; 6.8), Alex Galchenyuk (C/LW, 9.2)
Sleeper forwards in terms of points per 60 minutes: Mathieu Perreault (C/LW, WPG; 3.85), David Perron (LW/RW, VGK; 3.39), Kevin Fiala (LW/RW, NSH; 3.26), Alex Kerfoot (C/RW, COL; 2.94), Danton Heinen (C/LW/RW, BOS; 2.86), Pavel Buchnevich (LW/RW, NYR; 2.80), Alex DeBrincat (RW, CHI; 2.74), Oliver Bjorkstrand (RW, CBJ; 2.64)
Sleeper defensemen in terms of points per 60 minutes:Colin Miller (VGK; 1.87), Noah Hanifin (CAR; 1.82), Shea Theodore (VGK; 1.72), Tim Heed (SJS; 1.49), Hampus Lindholm (ANA; 1.24), Josh Morrissey (WPG; 1.18), Gustav Forsling (CHI; 1.08), Esa Lindell (DAL; 1.06), Ryan Pulock (NYI; 0.98)
Lineup placement: Pierre-Luc Dubois (C/LW, CBJ), Tomas Hertl (C/LW/RW, SJS), Jesse Puljujarvi (RW, EDM), Nico Hischier (C, NJD), Jakob Silfverberg (LW/RW, ANA), Nick Schmaltz (C/LW, CHI), Bryan Little (C, WPG)
Readily available players who are now healthy after lengthy injury absences: Kyle Palmieri (RW, NJD; 48% in Yahoo); Andre Burakovsky (LW/RW, WSH; 34%); Charlie Coyle (C/RW, MIN; 20%); Marcus Johansson (LW, NJD; 29%); Andrej Sekera (D, EDM; 8%)
Well-known players worth stashing on injured reserve: Zach Parise, LW, MIN (40% in Yahoo), Ryan Kesler, C, ANA (56%), Jeff Carter, C, LAK (63%), Justin Schultz, D, PIT (61%), Ryan Ellis, D, NSH (44%), Oscar Klefbom, D, EDM (49%)
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What's going on with Cam Fowler? Drop him?
Fowler (49 percent owned in Yahoo) has been limited to 24 of Anaheim's 36 games because of a knee injury but is still worth your patience in standard leagues because he's averaging 24:02 per game, 2:40 on the power play. He has remained on Anaheim's first power-play unit when healthy, a group that has been ravaged by injuries to its top skaters and is still awaiting the return of center Ryan Kesler and right wing Corey Perry. Brandon Montour has come back down to earth over his past 13 games (no goals, four assists) and Hampus Lindholm is trending up after scoring a hat trick at the New York Islanders on Thursday. I would still rank Anaheim's defensemen as follows for standard fantasy leagues: Montour, Fowler, Lindholm and Josh Manson.

@Shane\\Vail: Jakob Silfverberg or Kyle Palmieri? G/A only
Palmieri is the safer bet of the two, but each is an intriguing forward to consider adding over the second half of the season. Silfverberg has nine goals on 92 shots on goal, plenty of Stanley Cup Playoff success and should benefit from the eventual return of center Ryan Kesler. Palmieri is playing on the top line with Taylor Hall and Nico Hischier in two games since returning for the New Jersey Devils and has been productive when healthy with more than three SOG per game. Silfverberg has never scored 50 points in a single season, and Palmieri finished 70th and 49th in Yahoo based on standard-category performance over the past two seasons for New Jersey with at least 53 points in each. Palmieri has more power-play points (six) in 15 games than Silfverberg (four) has in 31. Unlike Silfverberg, Palmieri is a fixture on the first power-play unit when his team is at full strength.
@bibbobolypse: Will Zach Parise do anything when he's back? Considering stashing him from the wire.
Parise (40 percent owned) has become an injury liability in recent seasons, but he still has a chance to be a productive fantasy player down the stretch once he returns. The Minnesota Wild have yet to have their entire lineup healthy at once this season, and they remain one of the deepest teams in the NHL even without having Parise for a single game. If you have an empty injured reserve or IR+ spot, I would stash Parise in fantasy. He had his least-productive season since joining the Wild last season (0.61 points per game), and that was still a 50-point pace over 82 games. He has been skating in recent days, and fantasy owners can expect him to play alongside usual linemates Eric Staal and Charlie Coyle once he returns.
@Shane\\Vail: Esa Lindell, Jeff Petry or Dmitry Orlov? Goals/Assists only.
Petry is a quality streaming option with Shea Weber sidelined and Orlov has been productive at even strength lately, but Lindell has the highest ceiling of this bunch. He plays on the top pair with John Klingberg, one of the highest-scoring defensemen in the League, and has the best points-per-60 average (1.06) of these three defensemen. He has also seen time on a power-play unit with Jamie Benn and Tyler Seguin recently.

@CueBall\26: Is Matt Murray going to turn it around?
Remain patient if you have Matt Murray, and try to buy low on him if you need goalie help at a discount. The Pittsburgh Penguins should still make the Stanley Cup Playoffs out of the ultra-competitive Metropolitan Division. They are still without one of their top defensemen, Justin Schultz (lower body), and Murray has already shown signs of improvement with nine goals allowed in four games (2-2-0, .919 save percentage) since returning from injury. His season peripherals have been tarnished by his 11 goals allowed over the first two games of the season, but he's 13-9-0 with a .916 SV% in his next 23 games. It's almost unthinkable that the Penguins are still last in the NHL in 5-on-5 shooting (5.2) and save percentage (.905) through 36 games, but that leaves a ton of room for improvement.
@stone\advil: Every time I consider selling high on Jakub Voracek, he has another great game. Is there anyway this is sustainable? Would you move him for someone like Leon Draisaitl?
Voracek's linemates (Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier) are way too strong to move him for Draisaitl given how little lineup stability the Edmonton Oilers have had and how they are playing Draisaitl mostly away from Connor McDavid. Voracek is fifth overall in Yahoo because of his elite shot (120), assist (34) and PPP totals (16). He also has room for improvement with a low shooting percentage (6.7). Voracek had 81 points (22 goals, 59 assists) in 82 games with the Flyers in 2014-15, so this performance is absolutely sustainable. If you're looking to sell high on Voracek, he has earned you the chance to aim higher than Draisaitl.
@ColbyTomlinson: William Karlsson or Pierre-Luc Dubois rest of the way?
We have likely seen Karlsson at peak fantasy value, and Dubois is playing and producing more often on the power play since finding chemistry with Artemi Panarin and Josh Anderson on the Columbus Blue Jackets top line. Dubois has 12 points (five goals, seven assists) and four power-play points over his past 13 games and is a high-upside addition at 20 percent owned with dual eligibility in Yahoo (C/LW). Karlsson has slowed down with two points over his past seven games.

@tristan_vncvr: Noah Hanifin is producing and Justin Faulk is not. Is there a chance Hanifin surpasses Faulk in value for rest of season? His advanced stats are impressive among D-men.
Faulk is a glaring bounce-back candidate for the rest of the season because of his high shot volume (92) and frequent first power-play usage (3:11 per game). But Hanifin (242nd in Yahoo) has outperformed Faulk (272nd) in Yahoo based on standard-category performance. Hanifin has 15 even-strength points, tied for eighth among defensemen, and ranks ninth in points per 60 minutes (1.82; minimum 30 games). Faulk has three even-strength points (five on power play). Hanifin warrants ownership in deeper leagues and deserves more power-play time (1:58). But until there's a changing of the guard on the first power-play unit, you have to value Faulk higher for the rest of the season.