Special to Yahoo Sports
Fantasy leagues have now moved into the semifinal playoffs in head-to-head leagues. Best of luck if you are contending for the trophy and good luck to everyone in roto leagues, as you are in the final two weeks of the regular season.
Let’s consider some injured and slumping players who are rostered in ample Yahoo leagues but could be easily dropped.
Andrei Svechnikov, RW, Carolina Hurricanes, (83% rostered)
Svechnikov has been in a horrible slump of late, with only two assists in his last nine games. He has moved down to the third line, alongside Jordan Staal and Jesper Fast, and while he currently remains on the top power-play unit, he has not produced. Svechnikov has 17 goals and 46 points in 54 games, but if you are not in a dynasty league (in which case I would hold onto him for next season, as he is still a real talent), I would look for someone else who is producing in the last two weeks of the regular season to help your team.
Frank Vatrano, LW, Anaheim Ducks, (80% rostered)
Vatrano has one assist in each of his last two games heading into action on Tuesday but had only one goal in his previous 10 games. Vatrano has 30 goals and 23 assists in 75 games this season, which is his best season in the NHL, crushing his previous best of 24 goals set in the 2018-19 campaign. The problem with holding on to Vatrano is that the Ducks are not scoring very much of late — only 21 times in their last 15 games — and that is not conducive to helping you out on your fantasy team.
K’Andre Miller, D, New York Rangers, (41% rostered)
Miller has gone pointless in his last seven games. He has eight goals, 21 assists, 140 hits and 110 blocked shots in 73 games this season, but he has only one assist on the power play. Miller had 43 points last season and was primed to make the leap into becoming a quality fantasy player, but he has taken a step back this season. As a result, you should look elsewhere the last two weeks of the season, especially in shallower leagues.
Jeremy Lauzon, D, Nashville Predators, (39% rostered)
If you are using the hits category, keep Lauzon on your roster, as he leads the NHL with a whopping 351 hits. If not, then I would suggest dropping Lauzon. He has only 14 points in 72 games with 92 shots on goal. He doesn’t receive any power play time, and while he is good with 90 PIM and 104 blocked shots, those categories aren’t so popular at this time.
He is a solid defenseman, but he doesn’t score enough to warrant a spot on your fantasy team.
Vitek Vanecek, G, San Jose Sharks, (38% rostered)
Vanecek has not played since Feb. 10 and was subsequently dealt by the Devils to San Jose at the trade deadline. He is out of action with a lower-body injury, and it is looking more and more likely he will not return this season. Even if he has a miraculous recovery, playing with the lowly Sharks — the worst team in the NHL — shouldn’t inspire you to hang onto the 28-year-old netminder.
