Christmas is just around the corner and that means the season of fantasy giving and receiving is upon us. This week we take a look at a few players who have found themselves in a fantasy actionable position as their team has taken an injury hit, while at the same time we take a look at some brand names that need to be grouped in with the “lump of coal” lot and should be considered for the chopping block.

Buy

Gustav Nyquist (DET – LW, RW)
Detroit’s young talent Anthony Mantha was recently put on the IR and is expected to miss 4-6 weeks dating back to December 2nd as he broke his hand during a fight. This created an opportunity for the Red Wings to switch things up a bit and get Nyquist into the mix. He has been promoted to the top line, playing with Dylan Larkin and Justin Abdelkader. So far the move has paid dividends for both the team and for fantasy owners as he’s registered four goals and eight points. With dual wing eligibility and the prospect of him seeing top line minutes for the foreseeable future, he’s a worthy edition until the situation tells another story.

Vincent Trocheck (FLA – C)
Vincent Trocheck has missed a lot of ice time this year to an ankle fracture that required surgery to repair. In fact, he told the media not too long ago that he would lace up the skates now if it weren’t for his, “stupid cast.” So it sounds like his head is already in the game and he’s ready to get back out there. Last year he played a full 82 games and during that time he came up with 31 goals and 44 assists. Those are very nice numbers and he’s more than likely available being 49% owned in Yahoo! leagues. There hasn’t been a solid update since December 3rd so keep an eye on his status but he’s currently registered on the IR and should be stashed if you have either the IR position or a spare bench spot.

Sam Reinhart (BUF – C/RW)
The Buffalo Sabres went on a very nice ten game winning streak not too long ago, only to find themselves recently breaking a five-game losing streak. Funnily enough, Reinhart has picked up the pace for the Sabres during the skid and has found the back of the net five times while dishing out five helpers since November 27th. The talent has always been there and he seems to be finding his rhythm. The other intangible that must be recognized is that he’s playing on the wing to Jack Eichel and opposite Jeff Skinner who are both solid so far this year. He’s seeing minutes on the top power-play unit who also happens to employ the pass-happy Rasmus Ristolainen in the rear. Give him a long look if you need help on the wing.

Sell

Jonathan Quick (LA – G)
We’re not going to get too far into the narrative as to why Quick is putting up the numbers he is. If you follow hockey, you know the L.A. Kings either are or simply playing like hot garbage. Their roster is aging and the team is a shell of its former self. Quick has already been under the knife this year to repair a torn meniscus so his durability is questionable. He has two young goalies behind him that will no doubt start to see more time as the season moves along and the Kings get left behind in the standings, not to mention that the team in front of him, both offensively and defensively do not look good. He has a putrid .890 save percentage and 3.22 goals against average so far. If you can sell him to a believer or name brand buyer. Do it. If not, then jump off the ship and grab another tender off the wire and stream. You can’t do much worse at this point and it would be shrewd/risky to wait for him (I highly emphasize the term “wait”) to show a solid performance then get rid of him for a bit higher than he currently is. He looks more and more like a 2018 fade.

Patric Hornqvist (PIT – RW)
Patric Hornqvist used to be a reliable staple on the wing for fantasy owners. Playing on the same line as Sidney Crosby or Evgeni Malkin will give tremendous upside to most players with talent. The Penguins are getting on the years and Hornqvist hasn’t been holding up all that well. Now, he does have 12 goals and 7 assists so far this year so that’s not too bad but they have other talents that can be utilized on the wings and are performing better. He’s also been known to sustain injury (he’s currently out with an upper-body injury). His age is showing and if the possibility of playing with Crosby and Malkin are removed, it doesn’t leave much to be desired. Another reason that gave him value was the fact that he would throw his body around and log hits quite nicely but it looks like he’ll have to start taking it a bit easier if he wants to play. Being 67% owned in Yahoo! leagues is too much and owners should be looking elsewhere for RW production. If you have an IR position there’s no harm in keeping him there and seeing if he comes out of the gates hot. If not, drop him and grab someone like *cough* Sam Reinhart.

Jeremy Farr is a correspondent at FantasyPros. For more from Jeremy, check out his archive.