Frozen Fantasy: Do Whatever It Takes to Win

The season is winding down. Fantasy playoffs are upon us. Are you ready to do whatever it takes to win?

Even if it means dropping Zach Werenski?

I love Werenski. I own him in the Yahoo! Friends and Family League and long-standing keeper league. He has 20 goals overall and seven points in his last 10 games.

He's a stud. But he could be a liability.

As of Monday, the Blue Jackets have just 12 games left. No team has fewer games. Their schedule is one of the worst in the NHL. And they have just two games this coming week.

Two games. Gulp.

Playoffs mean tough decisions. So, yes, a guy like Werenski could really help you in a couple weeks' time. But what if you don't get there?

In the past, I have held onto guys like Werenski because of their future value. I thought two games from a stud were better than four games from a middle-class replacement.

And I lost.

Not again. In a sudden-death fantasy playoff period, there's no room for next week. Dig into the strength of schedule info in the link above. It's better to make decisions based on the best available data than to go by gut.

It might mean jettisoning a stud. Or a guy perceived to be a stud. Who cares? Someone else's focus on getting your drop might lose them the week.

And win you yours.

Tough decisions are easier to talk about than do. I'm talking about Werenski (and thinking about a couple other guys, too). Now I have to take my own advice and do whatever it takes to win.

Now let's take a look at who caught my eye this week.

Dustin Brown, RW, Los Angeles (29 percent Yahoo! owned) – Oh my – Brown looked like an absolute stud Saturday night. He recorded his sixth career hattie and added an assist. Yes, there's a load of mileage on Brown's body. But right now, he's upped the ante in a big way. He has seven points (four goals, three assists), 17 SOG and 17 hits in his last four games. I hope you picked him up after Evan Berofsky flagged him in his Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week piece on Thursday. I did!

Chris Driedger, G, Florida (9 percent Yahoo! owned) – Driedger channeled his best Bobby Lou on Saturday night. The Panthers retired Roberto Luongo's number and the ceremony could have easily overwhelmed the team. But they tore a strip off the Habs, with Driedger leading the way. He made 33 saves in a 4-1 win after stopping 26 in a tight 2-1 OT loss to the Bruins on Thursday. Florida can smell a wild card spot and the hot hand will reign in the blue paint. And that might just mean Driedger over Sergei Bobrovsky.

Yanni Gourde, LW/RW, Tampa Bay (12 percent Yahoo! owned) – Gourde has never been the same scorer he was as a rookie. But now that Steven Stamkos is hurt, the Bolts are juggling lines. Gourde isn't skating up the lineup (yet), but he is using the ice time he's been getting with much more effectiveness. Don't over-invest. But he does have nine points (three goals, six assists) in his last 12 games. That's valuable late in the season.

Tyson Jost, LW/C, Colorado (7 percent Yahoo! owned) – Maybe all the trade deadline talk about this guy being on the block lit a fire. Or maybe it's the big jump in his ice time. Whatever it was, Jost is finally looking like the offensive talent scouts saw on Draft Day. He has six points in six games heading into play on Sunday. That's a lot considering he managed just 14 in his first 58. I'm glad I held onto him in a couple of deep keeper leagues.

Dakota Mermis, D, New Jersey (0 percent Yahoo! owned) – Mermis is a 26-year-old journeyman defender currently living his dream. He's on the Devils' second pair and has four points - including his first NHL goal - in nine games. The offense won't continue, but the attitude will. Mermis has 19 hits, 16 blocked shots and 15 SOG in those nine games. He's a secondary stat beast, if your league counts those things.

Vladislav Namestnikov, LW/RW, Colorado (17 percent Yahoo! owned) – Namestnikov died and went to heaven at the trade deadline. He left behind a non-playoff team in one of the NHL's coldest cities and skated into Denver to play beside Nathan MacKinnon and Gabriel Landeskog. He's finally looking comfortable and has two goals in his last three games heading into Sunday night. It's a gut, but I just feel like he's about to take off. And the Avs have a great schedule going forward.

Cal Petersen, G, Los Angeles (4 percent Yahoo! owned) – I've talked about him before, so this will be quick. Petersen has started three of the Kings' last five starts and won them all. He gave up just five goals over that span. In spot starts, even a goalie from a slow-footed, rebuilding team can help.

Mike Reilly, D, Ottawa (2 percent Yahoo! owned) – Once upon a time, there was a defender named Mike Reilly. He was the most sought-after free agent in the NCAA. He had refused to ink with the Jackets - the team that had drafted him - so the Wild swooped in and nabbed him as a free agent. Well, that didn't work for him and neither did Montreal. But Ottawa feels different. Reilly has 12 points in 28 games. Nine of those have come on the power play. He's finally getting his opportunity, so he's on one of my squads now. Might as well be on yours, too.  

Cory Schneider, G, New Jersey (13 percent Yahoo! owned) – I don't trust his recent surge, but two wins in a row – including a shutout – can't be ignored. He and MacKenzie Blackwood look like they're in a straight platoon right now. That's reason enough to snap Schneider up. Add in his solid play of late and that's reason more.

Chris Tierney, C, Ottawa (3 percent Yahoo! owned) – Tierney ends up on this list at least once a season, mostly for those in leagues where pivots count as forwards. Center is too deep for him to be relevant at that position, other than to win face-offs. He gets lots of those. But right now, Tierney has seven points - including six assists - in his last seven games. Add that to 14 SOG and 57 FW, and there's plenty of value here.

Back to doing whatever it takes.

I'll wait a day to see if Eric Staal returns from his leave, but I need his faceoff wins. He'll be gone if he misses another game.

And yes, it's not lost of me that I told you to drop him earlier anyway. What goes around comes around. Tierney looks like a good alternative.

I get four player adds each week in the Friends and Family League. I shuffled two guys off Sunday afternoon to be ready for Monday. That's like six moves for next week. I might as well take advantage of my leftover moves this week.

Next on the block? Jacob Trouba and Matt Dumba. And maybe Miro Heiskanen.

I'm pulling every punch to win. I'm top seed on the consolation side. Winning still means something.

Until next week.