Are we starting to see the Juraj Slafkovsky breakout?

Special to Yahoo Sports

The year 2024 will soon be upon us. Time to reflect on the past 12 months and remember what’s been done and what never got accomplished. Fantasy can be a mix of both events in that there’s always something to do and someone to pick up, but a game doesn’t always end up the way you want it to. So it feels like you didn’t get anything accomplished.

Depending on how your leagues are going, you may either be looking to tweak or completely rebuild. I’d recommend against the latter unless there’s really no hope the rest of this season. Various injuries and sudden slumps could take out most of your roster, but you can always improve your team piece-by-piece and slowly return to a semblance of a normal lineup.

That’s where this column can help. One player can truly make a difference. Multiple successful additions could push you into playoff contention. And with a New Year comes the promise of repeats in this column. Doesn’t that sound exciting?

(Rostered rates as of Dec. 29)

Forwards

Mason McTavish, Anaheim Ducks (Yahoo: 54%)

We’re going slightly over the 50% threshold with McTavish as he’s someone you should get right away. He probably got lost in the shuffle after missing a couple of weeks with an upper-body injury, but he came back last Thursday and recorded three assists on Wednesday. McTavish may appear as the No. 2 center on the Ducks’ depth chart, yet he’s on the top power play and providing nearly a point-per-game pace on a squad that’s almost back to full health. And with Anaheim starting a five-game homestand Friday with a couple weaker defensive opponents, expect some of the bigger names to take advantage.

Trevor Zegras, Anaheim Ducks (Yahoo: 42%)

Might as well go right back to the same team since Zegras also recently returned from a significant layoff and…