NHL Week 5 Streamers: Dawson Mercer's New Role in Winnipeg Leads a Week When Five Teams Play Four Games

Five NHL teams play four games during the fantasy week that starts Monday, Oct. 26: the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators and Winnipeg Jets, according to the FantraxHQ weekly schedule report. Seven teams play only twice: Colorado, Florida, the Rangers, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Tampa Bay and Vegas. In head-to-head leagues, that two-game gap is worth a full night of production at every roster spot, and it is where this week's streaming decisions start.

Here are the adds built around volume and role, from the teams with the busiest schedules.

The schedule edge

The table below shows the teams to target and avoid for streaming this week, per FantraxHQ.

A two-game week does not mean benching a star. Nathan MacKinnon or Nikita Kucherov still belong in lineups. It means not using a waiver slot on a depth player from those teams this week, and favoring four-game players for your flexible spots.

Dawson Mercer, Jets

Dawson Mercer is the top streaming forward of the week. Winnipeg acquired him from New Jersey in the Connor Hellebuyck trade last week, and he has practiced on a third line with Isak Rosen and Adam Lowry and on the second power-play unit, according to FantraxHQ. Winnipeg plays four games, two of them on lighter nights on the schedule, which matters in daily leagues with tight lineup slots.

Mercer is not a high-ceiling player: he had no goals and four assists with nine hits and eight blocked shots through his first 10 games this season, per RotoWire. But he averaged slightly over half a point per game in more than 400 games with the Devils, and a fresh start with a power-play role and four games is a reasonable short-term bet. He fits best in leagues that count hits and blocks.

Devon Levi, Oilers

Edmonton's goaltending situation has changed quickly this season. Frederik Andersen is not expected back until December at the earliest, Tristan Jarry struggled, and Devon Levi has taken the crease. Levi is a must-roster goalie on a team that scores this much, and with four games this week, he is a strong start in every format. He should already be rostered, but if he is available, he is the top goalie add of the week.

Jonas Johansson, Senators

Ottawa's Linus Ullmark is on injured reserve with a lower-body injury, and coach Travis Green has said he is expected to miss one to two weeks. That leaves the Ottawa crease to Samuel Ersson and Jonas Johansson, who won his Senators debut against the Rangers on Saturday. With four Ottawa games this week, both goalies are likely to start, and Johansson is a viable streamer in deeper leagues. Ottawa's offense, including Drake Batherson, who had a hat trick Saturday, and Tim Stutzle, gets a volume bump as well.

Arseny Gritsyuk, Devils

The other side of the Mercer trade is in New Jersey, where Arseny Gritsyuk is expected to take over Mercer's old role, according to FantraxHQ. New Jersey does not have a four-game week, but a role upgrade for a young forward is the kind of change that outlasts one week. He is a speculative add in deeper leagues.

Calgary and Los Angeles

Calgary and Los Angeles also play four games, and both are good sources of depth scoring and streaming defensemen. The best approach is to check which of their skaters are on the top power-play unit and favor those players, because power-play time is what turns a four-game week into a productive one.

Winnipeg's net

Winnipeg's goaltending is the other variable in a four-game week. Stuart Skinner has held the net since Hellebuyck's departure, and he made 19 saves in Sunday's 2-1 Heritage Classic loss to Montreal. Skinner is a usable volume starter this week, but the Jets' offense managed only one goal against Jacob Fowler, which limits his win chances on the nights Winnipeg's skaters cannot finish.

How to use a four-game week in daily leagues

In daily lineup leagues, the number of games matters less than the number of games you can actually start. Two of Winnipeg's four games fall on lighter nights, when fewer teams play, which makes Jets skaters easier to slot in. Plan your lineup slots night by night before adding a four-game player.

The Verdexed angle

Volume streaming works best when the added player has a defined role. Mercer's power-play unit, Levi's starting job and Johansson's opportunity while Ullmark is out are all roles, not hot streaks. A player who scores twice on a third line with no special teams time is not worth chasing just because his team plays four games.

For game-level context on these teams this week, check the NHL predictions page and the daily picks pieces published each morning, including /blog/nhl-picks-2026-10-26.

What to do this week

Add: Mercer in leagues that count hits and blocks, and Levi anywhere he is available.

Stream: Johansson in deeper leagues while Ullmark is out.

Speculate: Gritsyuk in deep leagues for his new role.

Avoid: Streaming depth players from the seven teams that play only twice.

Plan ahead: Check next week's schedule before dropping a player you added for volume. A four-game streamer who keeps his power-play role can be worth holding into a second week, while one who loses it should be cut as soon as his games run out.