Part Two of a look at Eastern Conference players trending up.

These days, many fantasy leagues allow in-season roster changes, most notably the ability to add and drop players. These signings from the pool of previously unowned players play a key role in the outcome of these leagues. Obviously, things rarely play out the way we envision at the draft in October. Unexpected players emerge and can help cover for our mistakes at the draft table.

Waiver wire additions are also a good way to take advantage of extreme shifts in player value that go beyond reason. For example, there are always guys that are normally solid fantasy assets but come out of the gate firing blanks. If this goes on for long enough, his owner may give up and send him packing. But at some point the numbers should correct themselves. If your timing is good you can scoop up a viable player in the middle of a hot streak.

With that said, the tracking of trends goes beyond the waiver wire. Higher-end players also go through their share of ups and downs. Their slumps will usually not result in them being released but they could become trade block fodder available at a discount rate. Sometimes owners simply forget how good the player can be and underestimate his true potential. The key is to set your team up to maximize production down the stretch regardless of what happened in the first half.

The goal here is to try to look beyond short hot streaks and find players that have improved their play in 2015, thus showing a more significant sample of improved play. Today will be part 2 of a list of players in the Eastern Conference that are trending up in 2015. Part 1 can be found here.

New York Islanders

Travis Hamonic (9 pts in 16 GP in 2015, 8 pts in 27 GP in 2014) – After a few years of not providing much at the offensive end of the ice, Hamonic  has shown glimpses in 2015 that he may have more to offer. A major factor in his recent offensive surge is an increase in power play time. Since January 6 he has averaged 1:47 per game on the man advantage after being used much more sparingly prior to that. As a result, four of Hamonic's nine points in 2015 were achieved on the power play. With the positive results you can expect to see him continue to get used similarly for at least the near future but keep in mind that he is not a natural point producer and probably will not sustain this production over the long haul.

Anders Lee (8 pts in 16 GP in 2015, 13 pts in 31 GP in 2014) – Lee was a logical choice to benefit from the absence of Kyle Okposo. He has logged 16 or more minutes in four of seven games since Okposo went down and has been spending a lot of time riding shotgun on the John Tavares line. While the overall season total still does not look pretty, his production in 2015 should make him relevant in some deeper leagues, not to mention his obvious multi-category appeal in leagues that count hits and shot on goal.

New York Rangers