Fantasy buzz: Jets' changes benefit Connor; Raanta stays hot for Coyotes

All season long, NHL.com's fantasy hockey staff will have you covered with daily lineup news, production trends and injury notes from around the League. We will identify how these developments affect fantasy owners in year-long (Yahoo) and daily (DraftKings) formats.

MORE FANTASY COVERAGE:
DFS picks for Feb. 16
|
Daily projected lineups

Connor moved back to Jets top line

The Winnipeg Jets have rearranged their forward group yet again, this time with rookie Kyle Connor rejoining center Mark Scheifele and right wing Blake Wheeler on the top line at practice Thursday.
Connor (LW, 15 percent owned, 207th in Yahoo) played frequently with Scheifele and Wheeler at even strength and on the power play prior to Scheifele's upper-body injury Dec. 27, but has played mostly in the bottom six since Scheifele returned Feb. 9. Forward Mathieu Perreault (C/LW, 26 percent, 157th in Yahoo) and rookie Jack Roslovic (C, 1 percent) move to a line with center Bryan Little (C, 26 percent), and Winnipeg's third line features Andrew Copp (C/LW, fewer than 1 percent) centering valuable fantasy wings Patrik Laine (63rd) and Nikolaj Ehlers (88th).
The Jets, who rank sixth in goals per game (3.18) and third in power-play percentage (23.2), play the eighth of 10 straight home games against the Colorado Avalanche on Friday (8 p.m. ET; TSN3, ALT, NHL.TV).
Despite inconsistent usage, Connor (W, $5,100 in DraftKings) has remained fantasy-relevant over the past 14 games, totaling 10 points (five goals, five assists), a plus-2, two power-play points and 30 shots on goal. He ranks sixth among rookies in points per game (0.69) and fourth in goals (18) behind Brock Boeser (VAN; 27), Yanni Gourde (TBL; 22) and Alex DeBrincat (CHI; 21). Connor is easily stackable with Scheifele (C, $7,100) or Wheeler (W, $6,900). It's also worth noting Connor has also seen time on the first power-play unit with Scheifele, Wheeler, Laine and defenseman Dustin Byfuglien ($5,300) over the past three games.

Raanta stays hot for Coyotes, ownership remains low

Arizona Coyotes goaltender Antti Raanta is quietly making a push for greater fantasy ownership after stopping 34 of 36 shots faced in a 5-2 win against the Montreal Canadiens on Thursday.
Raanta (26 percent owned; average draft position: 163.8) outperformed preseason first-round fantasy pick Carey Price (ADP: 5.9) of the Canadiens and moved up to 179th in Yahoo based on standard-category performance. Since Jan. 1, Raanta is 6-3-4 with a .931 save percentage. Raanta has a .925 SV% at home, where Arizona plays its next six games, three against non-contenders in the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday, Vancouver Canucks on Feb. 25 and Ottawa Senators on March 3.
Raanta, in the final year of his contract, appears poised for a strong finish after missing time with multiple injuries earlier in the season. He remains a candidate to be moved before the NHL Trade Deadline on Feb. 26, but has proven he is worth owning even if he remains with the Coyotes. Key defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson (32 games) and Jakob Chychrun (28 games) have each been limited because of injuries but have now been in the lineup together for more than a month.
---
Check out DraftKings.com to play 1-Day Fantasy Hockey today. Entering is quick and simple: sign up for one free entry with first deposit (min $5) into a $3 1-Day Fantasy Hockey contest and set your lineup, catch the games and win!
For entertainment purposes only. Winning a contest on DraftKings depends on knowledge and exercise of skill. Available to play for free. Not a gambling website. See www.ncrg.org for information regarding responsible gaming. Must be at least 18 years or older. Higher age limits may apply in some states. Residents of AL, AZ, GA, HI, ID, IA, LA, MT, NV and WA not eligible to play in paid contests. Offered in IL and TX pending litigation. Void where prohibited. See www.draftkings.com/help/terms for details.