Week Eleven Waiver Wire Pickups Nov 12, 2008 | More

We're going to start winding down the weekly waiver wire story, in fact, this will probably be the last of the season.  Most leagues have closed down their waiver wire for the season, or are about to in the next couple of weeks.  Many thanks to everyone for reading this season, hopefully you were able to find some diamonds in the rough in your league in a timely manner.  As always, your comments, even though I couldn't always respond to all of them, were read and welcome.  Thanks again. 

This week, instead of talking about individual players, we're going to just give out some general advice.  It's always tough as the season goes on to figure out which players to talk about here that might be available in your league, and to be honest, there weren't that many "out of left field" performances this past week.  Much of what I'll mention here isn't anything new, but ideas that are worth mentioning again as a reminder. 

We'll start off this week's discussion talking about the quarterback position.  As has been discussed previously, I like to carry three quarterbacks on my fantasy roster that will be playing in NFL games.  If you are in a playoff run, you don't want to be stuck without someone to start at this position.  As this season has gone on, it has become increasingly difficult to possess three NFL starters, so you might need to get creative for your third option.  If your guy is Peyton Manning, go out there and get Jim Sorgi.  Ben Roethlisberger your man, then grab Byron Leftwich. 

Or if you've been struggling all season to keep guys healthy, don't be afraid to make guys like Ryan Fitzpatrick or even Tyler Thigpen the third QB on your team.  The key is to make sure you have someone that is going to be playing in an NFL game on your roster.  If you have to dump your fourth RB or fifth WR from your roster to make room, then do so.  Plan for the worst, hope for the best. 

Runningback and Wide Out are going to be tougher to strengthen at this time of the year.  Hopefully you have already established a rotation and backup plans.  Now that the bye weeks are complete, it probably isn't necessary to continue to bulk up at these positions.  If you do find yourself with an abundance of "starting" type fantasy players, look around the league and see if you can make a 2-for-1 trade to a team that is struggling for starters. 

Two options at tight end and kicker are a must heading into the post-waiver wire period of the season.  Again, as with the quarterback position, you don't want to be putting an automatic zero in your starting lineup if your starter goes down.  Yes, kickers have been known to get hurt, Boy Scout motto, Be Prepared. 

Finally, to the defense, at this point in the season you either have the one defense that you are happy to start every week, or you are an owner that plays the defensive matchup game every week.  In either case, check out the opponents your defense will be up against and act accordingly.  If you are playing the matchup game and can afford to carry two defenses, then do so.