Week seventeen in fantasy hockey is starting, and some players are emerging as must-own players in many leagues. Finding players on the waiver wire is essential to winning a fantasy hockey, and for replacing injured players, either for the short-team or long run. Let’s take a look at which players you should be targeting on the waiver wire this week

Cam Talbot | New York Rangers | Yahoo! Ownership—40%

Talbot became a must-add player last week when the Rangers announced Henrik Lundqvist would be out about four weeks with a neck injury. The undrafted goaltender has a 5-5-2 record this season along with a 2.28 goals against average (GAA) and a .918 save percentage (SV%). The 27-year-old will see the majority of the starts and should help fantasy owners who are desperate for a starting goalie. It’s a short-term solution, but in deeper-format leagues starting goalies are non-existent. Pick him up now if he’s still available.

Who I’d drop for him: Petr Mrazek (41%)

Antoine Vermette | Arizona Coyotes | Yahoo! Ownership—24%

It might be because Vermette plays in Arizona, but the 32-year-old just doesn’t seem to get the love he deserves from fantasy owners. The Quebec native has 34 points (12G, 22A) in 54 games with a minus-15 rating and 78 shots on goal (SOG). His plus/minus is definitely something to worry about, but Vermette is second on the team in scoring behind Keith Yandle and has six power play goals so far this season. The second round pick in 2000 isn’t averaging a lot of shots, but he’s a pass-first playmaker and should continue to produce for the Coyotes on the top line with Shane Doan and Tobias Rieder. The speculation is Vermette is going to get traded before the trade deadline, so expect him to get every chance possible to put up some points to increase his value. He’s definitely worth adding in leagues that don’t take the plus/minus stat into consideration.

Who I’d drop for him: Kris Versteeg (25%), Matt Moulson (30%), Jonathan Drouin (42%)

Chris Stewart | Bufalo Sabres | Yahoo! Ownership—8%

Stewart is starting to find his game down the stretch and that’s good news for fantasy owners. The Toronto, Ontario native has 21 points (9G, 12A,) in 52 games with a minus-30 rating and 94 SOG. His point total may not look great, but he has managed to rack up 11 of those points in the last 15 games. He’s found his way onto the top line with Tyler Ennis and Latvia sensation Zemgus Girgenson, and that definitely means an increase in scoring. The 27-year-old has a plus/minus that is impossible to swallow in leagues that take it into consideration, and the Sabres still have an offense that ranks dead last in the league. But for fantasy owners who need some scoring, Stewart can get the job done. The expectation is the 1^st overall pick in 2006 will be traded at the deadline, and he’s not a first-line winger on any other team but in Buffalo, so this makes him a short-term solution until then and nothing more. I would add him until he gets traded and look for other options after that.

Who I’d drop for him: Andrew Shaw (13%), Alexander Semin (32%), Antoine Roussel (19%)

Players to Watch:

Fantasy hockey season is in full swing and these players could be on the rise/decline in the next few weeks

Trending up:

David Desharnais | Montreal Canadiens | Yahoo! Ownership—14%

Marcus Johansson | Washington Capitals | Yahoo! Ownership—17%

Alexander Burrows | Vancouver Canucks| Yahoo! Ownership—7%

Trending Down:

Taylor Hall | Edmonton Oilers | Yahoo! Ownership—93%

Radim Vrbata | Vancouver Canucks | Yahoo! Ownership—79%

Evander Kane | Winnipeg Jets | Yahoo! Ownership—53%