Fantasy forwards: Pickups for championship round

The fantasy head-to-head championship round is upon us, so let's cut to the chase. You've worked all season for this; now, first and foremost, stick with the foundation of your roster that got you to this point.
That said, make sure to maximize your waiver wire pickups in the final week or two of the regular season, depending on your league's championship format and rules. If desperate times call for desperate measures, be mindful of games in hand and the latest line trends as you pick apart your roster.

Here are five forwards who are becoming late fantasy gems based on recent production, category coverage and/or lineup placement.
Jamie McGinn, LW/RW, Anaheim Ducks
Games remaining: 7 (3 more this week) -- vs. CGY, vs. VAN, vs. DAL, vs. WPG, at LAK, at COL, at WSH
McGinn, traded from the Buffalo Sabres to the Ducks prior to the 2016 NHL Trade Deadline, has points in six of his past seven games, totaling five goals, two assists, a plus-1, seven penalty minutes, three power-play points, 18 SOG and 19 hits in that span. He's playing left wing on a line with Rickard Rakell and Corey Perry, and has seen his ownership rise from 11 to 23 percent in the past two days. The power-play usage among a deep forward arsenal is key, so grab McGinn while you still can -- especially ahead of a four-game homestand.
Victor Rask, C, Carolina Hurricanes
Games remaining: 6 (3 this week) -- at NYI, vs. NYR, vs. CBJ, at BOS, vs. MTL, at FLA
Rask has risen to 138th in Yahoo's latest performance-based rankings after a stretch of four goals in three games with 14 SOG in the span. I pinpointed him as a potential beneficiary of the Eric Staal trade, and he has been centering Jeff Skinner most often since the transaction. His power-play goal against the New Jersey Devils on Sunday marked his 17th power-play point of the season, tied for the Hurricanes lead.

Teuvo Teravainen, LW, Chicago Blackhawks
Games remaining: 6 (3 this week) -- at MIN, at WPG, vs. BOS, vs. ARI, vs. STL, at CBJ
Line changes always matter in fantasy hockey, even this late in the season. Teravainen (LW, 12 percent owned) centered Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin in the absence of injured Artem Anisimov (lower body) on Sunday, scoring a goal on three SOG. Teravainen, who has played well this season in a third-line role, has points in four of his past five games and goals in consecutive games. His fantasy upside skyrockets alongside the NHL's top scorer and rookie point leader.
Sam Reinhart, C, Buffalo Sabres
Games remaining: 6 (3 more this week) -- at PIT, vs. TOR, at NYR, at NJD, vs. CBJ, at NYI
Reinhart is flourishing alongside fellow rookie Jack Eichel and should be penciled in as a fantasy breakout candidate for next season. He's readily available (8 percent owned) and worth adding in fantasy for Buffalo's six remaining games. He has 12 points in 13 games this month (T-23rd in NHL) and scored another goal Monday, his 22nd of the season (tied for third among rookies). The center-only eligibility is not ideal considering he has been playing wing, but you'd still be smart to work Reinhart into your lineup down the stretch.
Troy Brouwer, RW, St. Louis Blues
Games remaining: 6 (3 this week) -- vs. COL, vs. BOS, at COL, vs. ARI, at CHI, vs. WSH
Another player who covers multiple categories is Brouwer, who has latched on with red-hot Paul Stastny (C, 27 percent owned) in a second-line role of late. Stastny has multipoint outings in five of his past seven games, and Brouwer has eight points (three goals, five assists), a plus-6, 17 PIMs, two power-play points and 23 SOG in 11 games since March 1.
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TRENDING UP
Mikko Koivu, Minnesota Wild
Zach Parise suddenly snapped out of his season-long funk in a huge way with points in three straight games, including a hat trick March 24 and another multigoal game March 26. His high shot volume is finally translating to points, and nobody is happier to reap the benefits than Koivu (C, 50 percent owned). Koivu has one goal, four assists, three PPP and three SOG in his past three games and has joined the top 75 forwards in my latest rankings. The resurgence of Parise and Koivu have the Wild closing in on a Stanley Cup Playoff spot despite a coaching change in mid-February.
TRENDING DOWN
Jarome Iginla, RW, Colorado Avalanche
With Nathan MacKinnon (has missed past four games) and Matt Duchene (has missed past five) injured, Iginla's fantasy stock has fallen off. He has not scored a goal since March 1 (11-game drought) and has one assist, a minus-3 and 12 SOG in five games since the injury bug started to bite the contending Avalanche. Iginla (61 percent owned) is still being held onto in many leagues because of name value and category coverage, but is on the third line of late and his minus-21 for the season has proved costly.
KEEP AN EYE ON
Chris Stewart, LW/RW, Anaheim Ducks
Stewart has returned from injury and rejoined Ryan Getzlaf on the opposite wing of Brandon Pirri (C/LW/RW, 10 percent owned). He has been quiet in his first two games back with no points, two SOG and five hits, but carries upside in multicategory formats with low ownership. He has eight goals, 10 assists and strong totals in PIMs (69) and hits (65) through 49 games this season. One monster night from this category cog could be the difference in your championship round.
WORTH NOTING
-- After missing three weeks because of an eye injury sustained March 3, Nikolaj Ehlers (LW/RW, 11 percent owned) is back on the top line for the Winnipeg Jets with Mark Scheifele and Blake Wheeler. He scored a goal in his second game back Saturday and is a plus-4 in three games since his return. He posted five SOG and a plus-1 Monday and has three more games left to play this week -- all at home. Ehlers has had ups and downs as a rookie, but has been most effective when in a top-six role and even had a hat trick Jan. 26. Scheifele (C, 66 percent owned) has become a must-own center in all formats with 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in his past 15 games, tied for the second-most points in the NHL since Feb. 29.
-- If your league counts each of the remaining two weeks of the regular season, the New York Islanders have the most games remaining (eight), including a League-high five in the final week.

TOP 100 FANTASY FORWARDS

These rankings indicate fantasy expectations for the rest of the season. Value is quantified by line combinations, power-play usage, past performance and overall upside in standard Yahoo categories (goals, assists, plus/minus, penalty minutes, power-play points and shots on goal.

1. Patrick Kane, C/RW, CHI
2. Alex Ovechkin, LW/RW, WSH
3. Jamie Benn, LW, DAL
4. Sidney Crosby, C, PIT
5. Joe Pavelski, C/LW/RW, SJS
6. Joe Thornton, C, SJS (+1)
7. Vladimir Tarasenko, RW, STL (+1)
8. Patrice Bergeron, C, BOS (+1)
9. Evgeny Kuznetsov, C/LW, WSH (-3)
10. Claude Giroux, C/RW, PHI (+1)
11. Steven Stamkos, C, TBL (+1)
12. Nicklas Backstrom, C, WSH
13. Wayne Simmonds, LW/RW, PHI (+4)
14. Anze Kopitar, C, LAK (-4)
15. Daniel Sedin, LW, VAN (-2)
16. Johnny Gaudreau, LW, CGY (DTD)
17. Ryan Getzlaf, C, ANA (+1)
18. Corey Perry, RW, ANA (+3)
19. Brad Marchand, LW, BOS (DTD)
20. Filip Forsberg, C/LW/RW, NSH (+4)
21. Blake Wheeler, RW, WPG (+5)
22. James Neal, LW/RW, NSH (+5)
23. Taylor Hall, C/LW, EDM (-1)
24. Nikita Kucherov, RW, TBL (DTD)
25. Jason Spezza, C, DAL
26. John Tavares, C, NYI (-4)
27. Ryan Johansen, C/RW, NSH (+1)
28. Phil Kessel, RW, PIT (+11)
29. Artemi Panarin, LW, CHI (-6)
30. Tyler Toffoli, C/LW/RW, LAK (+7)
31. Connor McDavid, C, EDM (-1)
32. Max Pacioretty, LW, MTL
33. Jonathan Toews, C, CHI (-4)
34. Derick Brassard, C, NYR (+6)
35. Patrick Sharp, C/LW/RW, DAL (-2)
36. Jaromir Jagr, RW, FLA (+2)
37. Nathan MacKinnon, C/RW, COL (DTD)
38. Patric Hornqvist, RW, PIT (-2)
39. Gabriel Landeskog, LW, COL (+2)
40. Jeff Carter, C/RW, LAK (+2)
41. Justin Williams, RW, WSH (+3)
42. Aleksander Barkov, C, FLA (+1)
43. Jakub Voracek, LW/RW, PHI (-9)
44. Loui Eriksson, LW/RW, BOS (+2)
45. Zach Parise, LW, MIN (+6)
46. Jonathan Huberdeau, C/LW, FLA (+1)
47. David Krejci, C, BOS (-2)
48. Ryan Kesler, C/RW, ANA
49. Jussi Jokinen, C/LW/RW, FLA (+8)
50. Kyle Palmieri, LW/RW, NJD (+6)
51. T.J. Oshie, C/RW, WSH (-1)
52. Kyle Okposo, RW, NYI (+2)
53. Brayden Schenn, C/LW, PHI (+8)
54. Pavel Datsyuk, C/LW, DET (-5)
55. Andrew Ladd, LW, CHI
56. Jack Eichel, C, BUF (-3)
57. Sean Monahan, C, CGY (+6)
58. Milan Lucic, LW, LAK (+2)
59. Henrik Zetterberg, C/LW, DET (-7)
60. Tyler Johnson, C, TBL (-2)
61. Alexander Steen, C/LW, STL (NR - INJ.)
62. Vincent Trocheck, C/RW, FLA (+7)
63. Matt Duchene, C/LW, COL (DTD)
64. Ryan O'Reilly, C/LW/RW, BUF (-2)
65. Shane Doan, LW/RW, ARI (DTD)
66. Mark Scheifele, C, WPG (+7)
67. Mike Hoffman, C/LW, OTT
68. Mats Zuccarello, LW/RW, NYR
69. Boone Jenner, C/RW, CBJ (+12)
70. Dylan Larkin, C/LW, DET (-6)
71. Tomas Hertl, C/LW, SJS (+1)
72. David Backes, C/RW, STL (+3)
73. Henrik Sedin, C, VAN (-8)
74. Scott Hartnell, LW, CBJ (-4)
75. Mikko Koivu, C, MIN (+12)
76. Mark Stone, RW, OTT
77. Evander Kane, LW, BUF (DTD)
78. Max Domi, C/LW, ARI (+11)
79. Chris Kunitz, LW, PIT (-1)
80. Marian Hossa, RW, CHI (-14)
81. Bobby Ryan, LW/RW, OTT (-4)
82. Eric Staal, C/LW, NYR (-3)
83. Logan Couture, C/LW, SJS (-9)
84. Brandon Saad, LW/RW, CBJ
85. Rick Nash, LW/RW, NYR (-5)
86. Mike Ribeiro, C, NSH
87. Jeff Skinner, LW/RW, CAR (+4)
88. Cam Atkinson, RW, CBJ (+3)
89. Reilly Smith, LW/RW, FLA (+3)
90. Alex Galchenyuk, C/LW, MTL (-2)
91. Ondrej Palat, LW, TBL (+5)
92. Andre Burakovsky, LW, WSH (-10)
93. Justin Abdelkader, LW/RW, DET (-3)
94. Mikkel Boedker, LW/RW, COL
95. Jaden Schwartz, LW, STL (-10)
96. Jordan Eberle, RW, EDM (+1)
97. Brandon Dubinsky, C/LW, CBJ (-2)
98. Adam Henrique, C/LW, NJD
99. Victor Rask, C, CAR (NEW)
100. Nazem Kadri, C, TOR (NEW)

Just missed: Derek Stepan (C, NYR), Martin Hanzal (C, ARI), Craig Smith (C/RW, NSH), Rickard Rakell (C, ANA), Jakob Silfverberg (LW/RW, ANA), Paul Stastny (C, STL), Jamie McGinn (LW/RW, ANA), Frans Nielsen (C, NYI), Jordan Staal (C/LW, CAR), Sean Couturier (C, PHI)

Dropped out: Jarome Iginla (RW, COL), Tomas Tatar (LW/RW, DET), Cody Eakin (C, DAL)

Key injuries: Tyler Seguin (C/RW, DAL), Evgeni Malkin (C/RW, PIT), David Perron (LW/RW, ANA), Brendan Gallagher (RW, MTL), Mike Cammalleri (C/LW, NJD), Mathieu Perreault (C/LW, WPG), Bryan Little (C/RW, WPG), Benoit Pouliot (LW, EDM), James van Riemsdyk (LW, TOR), Kyle Turris (C, OTT)