Welcome back all! We're right in the thick of things with fantasy playoffs going on, it's a delicate balance right now of fantasy hockey and those out there who are also in fantasy baseball starting up. For now, we have to find a way to get one week closer to a championship and that means navigating the schedule that's ahead of us the rest of the week and into next.

The Immediate Fix (Grab this guy and use him for the next several days)

Jake Neighbours, LW, St. Louis Blues (Rostered in 14% of ESPN leagues, 41% Fantrax, 25% Yahoo) – So I wanted to give you all an Immediate Fix on a club that plays both Saturday and Sunday this weekend, or maybe even Friday-Sunday, really combination of two games I could. Our options were Buffalo, who I'm guessing doesn't have much that's desirable on your waiver wire, and Anaheim, who I will never recommend to you guys this season. So that lead me to my next scientific discovery: let's stack against the Sharks!

If you play DFS like I do, this has been a strategy since mid-February or possibly earlier. I've always said that even bad teams usually come out of the gate in a game looking alright for about the first six minutes or so before there's a weak goal or a couple quick penalties and before you know it the game is out of reach before first intermission. This is not the case for this San Jose club. We want to find someone on the Blues, and I'm going with our guy Jake Neighbours.    

Neighbours has been good lately on a club that I'll actually say was a pleasant surprise to where I had them pegged this season. He right now has seven points in his last seven games played and is on the Blues top even-strength and power-play lines. He's going to be in a great matchup and if you're in a playoff battle, he may just be the option that puts you ahead.

The Building Block (Buy now, sit back and enjoy the production)

Mattias Ekholm, D, Edmonton Oilers (Rostered in 28% of ESPN leagues, 70% Fantrax, 65% Yahoo) – I thought that last season, Mattias Ekholm was going to be the piece that really propelled the Oilers to a Cup Final just by his ability to move the puck up ice or pin the defense in their own zone long enough on a rush. Maybe this is when it all comes together, but I also think there's a nice fantasy advantage here.

Ekholm has been excellent lately with seven points in his last five games played and he's also shooting the puck more with 19 shots in his last five games. All season-long defensive players on waiver wires have been a dime a dozen, but if you can add Ekholm here he might bring enough offensively to warrant the add. The matchup he'll be in this week is great as the Oilers faceoff against the Ducks, and next week the Oilers are one of the clubs that will play four times.  

I get it if you are strapped for add/drops this late in your matchup. Totally understandable. But if you need a player next week, he still is a viable option. I will say that this is a player that caught my eye on ESPN where his roster numbers were significantly lower, but if he is available over on Fantrax or Yahoo, he still makes a terrific add.

The Odd Man Out (His short-term value is cause for concern)

Tristan Jarry, G, Pittsburgh Penguins (Rostered in 77% of ESPN leagues, 96% Fantrax, 85% Yahoo) – I rostered Tristan Jarry in my main league this season. Without looking at all, I'll give you all his stat line from his last start. Four goals off 28 shots, and saddled with the loss. Okay so I was close, it was four goals allowed but off 16 shots. I'm going to be honest here, I think he’s getting left out to dry more often than not, but the numbers are what they are.

What's also pushing me for Jarry's Odd-Man Out is that the Penguins are right back to giving the starter's net to Alex Nedeljkovic, who has started in five of the Penguins' last six games. This is a frustrating situation as this is the last place we'd want to be navigating goaltenders come playoffs, but there is some relief. Pittsburgh will be on a back-to-back next Monday and Tuesday so if you're rostering Jarry we can assume that he is going to get one of those starts in net.

The Anchors (They’ll do nothing but disappoint even over the long haul)

Valeri Nichushkin, RW, Colorado Avalanche (Rostered in 87% of ESPN leagues, 70%, Fantrax, 56% Yahoo) – I had a player in mind here for our Anchor, but was before I saw that Valeri Nischuskin was listed "out" for Thursday's matchup against the…line, line…Rangers! That's the one.

Start with the bad, end with the good. Nichushkin is on the shelf with a lower-body injury and it couldn't have come at a worse time for fantasy players that were looking to add him back to their lineup for playoffs. Lucky for us, the Avalanche did list him as Out early enough to where we can navigate what we're going to do moving forward here, but this is still not ideal.

It’s that time of year where players are going to miss a game here or there so we have to stay on top of things as best we can. Scratches right before lock happen, as unfortunate as they are, but at least here we had some warning. If you decide to throw Nichushkin on IR, that's a good idea but I would not outright drop him just yet. There's still a chance he comes back for Saturday's game or sometime next week.  

Love ‘Em (These squads are sure to pay dividends in the coming days)

This period runs through April 29 – April 10

NY Islanders – Sadly I don't think the Isles are going to have enough time to make a playoff run here, which is tough because this is when their schedule really started to get favorable. They will see Blue Jackets and Blackhawks upcoming.

NY Rangers – The Rangers became the first team to clinch a playoff spot, but they are still a Love 'Em this week. New York has a full schedule and given their one of those teams with plenty of players in fantasy.  

Minnesota – The Wild are an up and down club at times, but they'll see Ottawa and Chicago on the horizon. That alone makes them a Love 'Em in my book.

Leave ‘Em (These squads will leave fantasy owners sorely disappointed in the short term)

Chicago – There's a couple seven-day stretches coming up where the Hawks will be in action only twice. I mean, it's two game and it's the Hawks. Leave 'Em.   

Vegas – The Knights are only on the schedule twice next week and given how many players they have on fantasy rosters, it will make for a difficult time for filling out a roster.

Dallas – No one club really stood out for the third spot this week, but I'm going to go with Dallas here. This club is loaded with talent for sure, but they play just one game during weekdays next week.

*For continued fantasy news and notes, follow me on Twitter @ndySanz.