We’re in the final stretch of the season. With only a few weeks left, fantasy owners are looking for players who can help carry their team into the playoffs. The waiver wire becomes more and more important this time of year, and finding players with good fantasy value from now till the end of the season becomes even harder. Let’s take a look at which players you should be targeting on the waiver wire this week.

Andrew Hammond | Ottawa Senators | Yahoo! Ownership—8%

If you were to ask me two weeks ago who Andrew Hammond was, I would have had no clue. The 27-year-old rookie has been stellar filling in for both Craig Anderson (hand) and Robin Lehner (concussion), and should continue to see the majority of the starts for Ottawa moving forward. Goaltending depth is almost impossible to find at this stage of the season, and even though the B.C native isn’t a long-term solution, Hammond has proven he can play with the big boys. The Senators have a tough schedule this week—playing Anaheim, Los Angeles, and San Jose—but for fantasy owners it comes down to which goalie on the waiver wire has the best chance of picking up a win every game. That’s Hammond. Add him with confidence this week until either Lehner or Anderson comes back from injury.

Who I’d drop for him: Jhonas Enroth (32%), Darcy Kuemper (28%)

Nail Yakupov | Edmonton Oilers | Yahoo! Ownership—32%

I promise you all I have not forgotten to take my meds. Yakupov has been a disaster all year, and yes I’ve encouraged you all season to drop him. But ever since the Oilers acquired Derek Roy back in December, the 21-year-old has been a different player.

Here is Yakupov’s production over the last few months:

The transformation has been remarkable. His plus/minus will continue to be a problem, but the Oilers are a terrible team so we can’t blame him for that. Fantasy owners may have already given up on him, but if he continues to produce at this pace (0.81 Pts/G), then he deserves to be on your roster. Add him now before others start to take notice.

Who I’d drop for him: Joffery Lupul (41%), Evgeny Kuznetsov (38%), Johan Franzen (44%).

Zack Kassian | Vancouver Canucks | Yahoo! Ownership—3%

It hasn’t been an easy season for Kassian to say the least. The 24-year-old missed five games back in November due to a lower body injury and the entire month of December because of a finger injury. The 13^th overall pick in 2009 is healthy again, and coach Vigneault has decided to put Kassian on the top line with Daniel Sedin and Henrik Sedin. So far the results have been good for the power winger—scoring six goals in eight games in February—and as long as he continues to play on the top line, expect the points to keep coming.

Who I’d drop for him: Ales Hensky (20%), Alexander Semin (32%), Matt Moulson (30%).

Players to Watch:

Fantasy hockey season is coming down to the wire, and these players could be on the rise/decline in the next few weeks.

Trending up:

Nino Niederreiter | Minnesota Wild | Yahoo! Ownership—14%

Nathan Beaulieu | Montreal Canadiens | Yahoo! Ownership—1%

Alex Killorn | Tampa Bay Lightning | Yahoo! Ownership—8%

Trending down:

Phil Kessel | Toronto Maple Leafs | Yahoo! Ownership—99%

Chris Kunitz | Pittsburgh Penguins | Yahoo! Ownership– 98%

Ryan Kesler | Anaheim Ducks | Yahoo! Ownership—93%