I have mentioned in previous articles about my fantasy football team last year, and I think it is really relevant for this year as well. Matthew Berry has a nice article for his Week 10 Love Hate about how some of us can sometimes fall into the trap of placing more value on a big name player than their performance. I drafted Ray Rice first in my money league this year, but did you know that Mike Tolbert currently has more fantasy points than Rice? There may be some combination in the running game for the Ravens that the offensive line is not creating any openings for Rice, and Rice may had been more injured than he let on, but something is just preventing him from being the runner we all know from years past. You can sit around and complain about how he was your first pick, but that isn’t going to make him score points. I luckily picked up Eddie Lacy after he was dropped when he had his concussion, and Lacy has started while Rice has sat on the bench. I also picked up Mike James two weeks ago, and I truly believe that championships can be won and lost on the waiver wire. If you have any member on your team like a Rice or Marques Colston, you don’t have any longer to see how they are going to do. You need to make some trades or creep on the waiver wire hardcore. Right now.
Here is the team I drafted last year
1.LeSean McCoy, Phi RB
2. Wes Welker, NE WR
3.Steven Jackson, StL RB
4. Michael Turner, Atl RB
5. Dez Bryant, Dal WR
6. Philip Rivers, SD QB
7. Jeremy Maclin, Phi WR
8. Peyton Hillis, KC RB
9. Jared Cook, Ten TE
10. Greg Little, Cle WR
11. Josh Freeman, TB QB
12. Seahawks D/ST D/ST
13. Jerod Mayo, NE LB
14. Matt Bryant, Atl K
15. Earl Thomas, Sea S
16. J.J. Watt, Hou DE
17. LeGarrette Blount, TB RB
18. Randy Moss, SF WR
Here is what my team looked like by the end of the season
QB- Colin Kaepernick, Josh Freeman
RB-Mikel Leshoure, LeSean McCoy, Knowshon Moreno, Steven Jackson, Michael Turner, Bryce Brown
WR- Wes Welker, Dez Bryant, Justin Blackmon, Kenny Britt
TE- Jermaine Gresham
D- Seattle
K- Shane Suisham
Of all those players, I drafted seven of them. My team started 0-4, and I ended up finishing the season 9-4 and making the semifinals. Sometimes, you just don’t draft a great team, but that is okay. You have the opportunity to slowly build your team backup from the waiver wire.
It is crunch time ladies and gentlemen. Go forth and build your dynasty.
Captain Jack
Categories: Fantasy Football, Fantasy Football Strategy
Your Fantasy Football Coach 
I agree with you 125% (I had to borrow 25% from a buddy!:)). In all seriousness, it’s a lesson most fantasy football players do not understand until they have a few years of experience playing. Your drafted team is one thing…but how you play the waiver wire dictates how your season ends a lot of times. It’s also a big reason why I came up with some games to teach players to get better at the waiver wire – because if you are truly good at that, your drafted team just doesn’t matter all that much in the end.
I heard a host on SiriusXM the other day say something along the lines of 70% of winning a fantasy football championships is about the team you draft and the other 30% is the waiver wire and trading, but that people either neglect or aren’t good at trades and the waiver wire and that costs them championships.