Crunch time is upon us. Most owners in Head-to-Head Fantasy leagues are either starting their playoffs this week or are in the final week before a two-period run for their league's championship.

It has been a strange season for yours truly. In our CBS SportsLine.com Experts League, Senior Fantasy Writers Eric Mack and David Gonos did the department proud by each winning their division and earning first-round byes. This left Senior Engineer Louis Miller in the three-hole, as he capped off a tremendous season. Senior Engineer Lyle Skolnick locked up the fourth-seed and will face Team Dobish in the first-round of the playoffs. Hockey producer Erin Brown hung on and earned the final seed and will look to slay the Miller machine in opening-round play.

Luckily, I fared a little better in my keeper league this season. I have played with some buddies in Detroit for several years and I am thirsty for the trophy after two subpar seasons sandwiched around the lockout. We keep nine players each season and this was a collectively good year for the assortment of Vincent Lecavalier, Brad Richards, Marc Savard at center, Dany Heatley at wing, Rob Blake (ok, he stunk), Mathieu Schneider, Shea Weber and Marek Zidlicky on defense and Roberto Luongo in net. I've had several of these players for years with the exception of Weber. It has been a nice corps and I earned a first-round bye in my league this season.

So how are your teams doing and who has been the key pickup for you along the way? I'm curious to hear from some of you and will post some replies in an upcoming issue of In the Crease.

A couple of key contributors for me have been Jonathan Cheechoo via trade before the deadline for Corey Perry and a draft pick, as well as Brian Campbell to strengthen my defense. That worked out well considering Cam Janssen gave me heart failure by knocking out steady blueline contributor Tomas Kaberle.

So it's never too late to make late season pickups, especially if one of your regulars has suddenly gone cold or has a clouded future due to injury.

Here are six players we feel can help your Fantasy squad in the final handful of scoring periods:

Brad Boyes, C, STL: Who would have thought that a deal to the lowly Blues would suddenly spark this surprise rookie performer from last season? He has been red hot lately for his new club, posting two goals and eight points with a plus-4 rating in six games since coming over in a trade from the Bruins.

Scottie Upshall, W, PHI: Another player who has benefited going from a contender to also-ran is Upshall. He has scored two-game winning goals for the Flyers since being acquired as part of the Peter Forsberg trade and is seeing considerable time on the power play. One might even argue he has been just as good, if not better, than Forsberg has been for the Preds.

Darcy Tucker, W, TOR: Tucker is finally healthy again, the Maple Leafs are desperate for a playoff spot and he has a long-term contract in tow. His mental makeup is great for the stretch run and his physical skills improve by the day as he builds his stamina back up.

Eric Brewer, D, STL: Brewer seems to be playing relaxed hockey now that the NHL trading deadline has passed. His name was bandied about quite a bit, but he remains in the Gateway City. He has a goal and seven points over his past seven games, by far his most productive stretch of the season.

Alexei Zhitnik, D, ATL: Zhitnik moved down from Philadelphia to Atlanta and is suddenly a must-start in most Fantasy leagues again. He has eight assists and a plus-7 rating in seven games with the Thrashers. Not many available defensemen are putting up those numbers.

Ed Belfour, G, FLA: The Eagle has been on an upward turn for quite a while with the Panthers. Skeptical Fantasy owners have slowly been re-discovering the veteran and he has not disappointed, as the Panthers are smack dab in the middle of the playoff hunt. Adding to Belfour's appeal is the fact that backup Alex Auld is now done for the season due to knee surgery.

Here are six players we feel can be more useful on the waiver wire or someone else's team for the rest of the regular season:

Anze Kopitar, C, LA: Disclaimer – do not drop Kopitar if your league allows keepers. However, it was announced that Kopitar is battling a back injury and is expected to be sidelined at least another two weeks. It is conceivable that the Kings will officially announce they are shutting him down, as there is no reason to risk aggravating the injury for one of their building blocks for the future.

Marek Svatos, W, COL: It's not bad enough that Svatos has pulled a disappearing act for his owners from the scoresheet most nights, but now he is struggling with a groin injury for those who stuck it out and kept him all season. It has been a nightmare season for the sophomore and it is time to finally cut bait.

Petr Sykora, W, EDM: When Ryan Smyth was traded to the Islanders at the deadline, he took the offense and all of the life out of the Edmonton Oilers. We've all scored as many points as Sykora in the past nine games and our even rating is much better than his minus-7 during the span. Can you imagine starting yourself in a Fantasy league being the more prudent move?

Frantisek Kaberle, D, CAR: Kaberle has not exactly lit the world on fire like we hoped after returning from shoulder surgery. He has just two goals and an assist in 15 games. What's worse, G Cam Ward might be sidelined for a while with a leg injury. The goaltender's injury might mean a hit in the plus/minus category.

Jaroslav Spacek, D, BUF: Spacek is nearing a return from a broken left hand, but it is uncertain how effective he will be. Time is running out for the Buffalo defenseman to help out his Fantasy owners and you might want to go another way for the stretch run.

Jaroslav Halak, G, MON: Coach Guy Carbonneau has certainly cooled on Halak and there is talk he might be returned to Hamilton of the AHL shortly. Michael Leighton, picked up on waivers at the trade deadline from Philadelphia, has dressed as the backup to David Aebischer recently. To make matters worse for Halak, Cristobal Huet (hamstring surgery) is expected to practice on Tuesday to see if he can contribute anything to the team. Is it time to drop Halak? We say yes.

You can e-mail your Fantasy Hockey questions to DMFantasyPucks@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Fantasy Hockey in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.