We consumed our turkey and popped our champagne bottles. The Christmas tree may linger, but it's just there as a reminder of the work ahead – the clean-up after all of the holiday fun.

Just because life is returning to normal now that the holidays are in our rearview mirrors doesn't mean we can't have a little fun though. For example, you get the return of the weekly waiver wire pickups piece. That's right, we're back to help you win your fantasy hockey matchup this week.

Just a reminder in case anyone's forgotten or if you're new to the series: The players I choose for this exercise are usually rostered in less than half of all Fantrax leagues. We'll make exceptions here and there – spoiler alert – but you'll just have to accept it.

We want to avoid the Buffalo Sabres, Ottawa Senators, and San Jose Sharks this week. They only have two games on the schedule apiece. Conversely, there are seven clubs with four matchups, and the rest with a healthy three-game set ahead.

Usually, we’ll hone in on four or five options to consider. This time around we’ll check in on more than twice that amount in a more quick-hit fashion.