Fantasy Hockey Opening Week: September 27, 2026 | FantasyLineups.com
Hockey is almost back, and the first week of the 2026-27 NHL season can set the tone for your fantasy hockey results. The regular season begins Tuesday, September 29, giving season-long managers and daily fantasy players a fresh set of lineup decisions to make.
Opening week is not just about choosing the biggest names. Roles can change quickly, starting goalies may not be announced until game day, and a favorable schedule can turn an overlooked player into a valuable short-term option. The best early decisions often come from identifying opportunity before it appears in the box score.
Before your first lineup locks, use this five-point checklist to evaluate player roles, special-teams usage, goalie availability, schedule strength and DFS upside. These checks can help you avoid preventable mistakes and make more informed fantasy hockey decisions throughout opening week.
1. Track NHL Line Combinations
A familiar name may not have the same role as last season. Review current NHL line combinations to see where players are skating and which linemates they are joining.
A winger promoted alongside a team’s top playmaker deserves attention, especially if the move also brings more ice time. For a player available on your waiver wire, a new top-six role could justify a closer look.
Treat preseason combinations as useful clues, but confirm that those roles carry into regular-season games. Start with our NHL starting lineups page and review our NHL player news, powered by RotoBaller for injury updates, lineup changes and player reports.
2. Monitor the First Power-Play Unit
Power-play deployment can quickly change a player’s fantasy outlook. Check which forwards and defensemen are receiving time on the first unit.
A defenseman directing the top power play may offer more scoring upside than a player who logs heavy even-strength minutes but sees limited special-teams work. Power-play assignments matter most in formats that reward goals, assists and power-play points.
Look for sustained usage rather than reacting to one practice. A single promotion is worth monitoring, but repeated work with the same group provides a stronger signal for fantasy hockey and DFS decisions.
3. Confirm the Starting Goalies
Do not assume a team’s best-known goalie will start every game. Check daily reports, especially when teams play on consecutive nights or rotate their goaltenders.
Check our free NHL starting-goalie page. Make it part of your pregame routine when checking goalie availability and preparing your lineups.
For DFS, an unconfirmed starter creates avoidable uncertainty. Review your platform’s lineup-lock rules and keep a replacement option available whenever possible. A confirmed goalie also helps you evaluate matchup quality, expected workload and win potential.
In season-long leagues, balance projected starts against matchup difficulty and your scoring settings. More appearances are not automatically better if your league heavily penalizes goals allowed, losses or poor save percentages.
4. Check the Schedule Before Adding a Player
In leagues with daily lineup changes, a useful waiver-wire addition still needs enough opportunities to enter your active lineup.
A player with three games on quieter nights may provide more value than someone with four games who would spend two of them on your bench. Before making a move, check positional eligibility, roster space, transaction limits and the team’s upcoming schedule.
During opening week, focus on usable games rather than the weekly total alone. Favor players whose schedules align with your lineup settings and available roster spots.
5. Review Scoring Rules and Build a DFS Strategy
Check how your format values shots, blocked shots, hits, faceoff wins and special-teams production. These categories can change which players deserve attention, particularly in leagues that reward more than goals and assists.
For DFS tournaments, consider pairing players who share an NHL line or power-play unit. A goal and its assists can benefit several roster spots at once, while correlated lineups may offer more upside when an entire scoring unit produces. However, stacking one team also increases the risk of a quiet night.
Your DFS strategy should account for matchup, projected ownership, salary, shot volume and expected ice time. During opening week, monitor those indicators alongside the box score. A player with no goals but a growing role, strong shot volume or increased power-play usage may deserve patience.
When you are ready to build, explore our NHL lineup optimizer and use your research to guide your selections.
Your Fantasy Hockey Opening-Week Checklist
Before setting your lineup, run through the details that can change a player’s value at the last minute. Confirm player availability, NHL line combinations, power-play assignments and starting goalies. Then review the schedule, scoring settings and contest rules to make sure your selections fit both your format and your available roster spots.
Visit FantasyLineups.com and check our free starting-goalie lineup page as you prepare for the new hockey season. A few minutes spent checking roles, deployment and availability can help you find better opportunities, avoid unnecessary risk and build a more informed fantasy hockey or DFS lineup.
