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Alex Killorn tops list of pickups ahead of playoffs

Alex Killorn tops list of pickups ahead of playoffs

Special to Yahoo Sports

In head-to-head fantasy matchups, every week is tough. The talent gap between opponents may be wide, but anyone can beat anyone over a seven-day stretch with a few hot streaks, a couple lucky breaks, and/or some unplanned injuries.

And no lead is safe. You could be up 20-plus points on Friday and end up crashing out after some players decide they’re done for the weekend.

As there’s no surefire protection against future underachievement or absences, some of the following recommendations can at least help based on recent form and positioning:

Forwards

Alex Killorn, Tampa Bay Lightning (41% rostered)

When Killorn was originally discussed back in November, it was implied his scoring success was mainly due to him lining up with Steven Stamkos. While that’s sometimes true, the two have split at five-on-five the last few weeks, and all Killorn has done is post 13 points over 14 games to go with 30 shots. After a spell away from Tampa’s top power play, he’s back there and has chipped in with three points since the start of the month. As someone involved in all situations and on pace to record his first 60-plus-point campaign, Killorn should not be available in roughly 60 percent of leagues.

T.J. Oshie, Washington Capitals (42% rostered)

Washington has been decimated by injuries all season, so it’s good to see the main forwards together again. The club has recently been rather anemic on offense with only 34 goals across 13 contests, though a few up front have still benefited. For his part, Oshie has registered seven points, 33 shots and 24 hits and managed his first PPP since Jan. 5 on Wednesday. Not skating with either Evgeny Kuznetsov or Nicklas Backstrom as an even-strength center may not be ideal, but Oshie still joins forces with them — and some guy named Alex Ovechkin — on the Caps’ first man-advantage.

Ryan Hartman, Minnesota Wild (38% rostered)

Hartman received a boost when he was reunited with Kirill Kaprizov, which resulted in four goals, four assists, 30 shots, 13 blocks and 10 hits across 10 appearances. The star winger was sidelined and is scheduled to miss another two weeks, but that didn’t stop Hartman from racking up a pair of helpers at San Jose on Saturday and a PPG, PPA and shorthanded tally against St. Louis on Wednesday. You might want to get him on your roster before someone else beats you to all that cross-category production.

Jakub Vrána, St. Louis Blues (26% rostered)

The fit just wasn’t there in Detroit,…

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