Fantasy Football Championships are Won on the Waiver Wires

When I first started playing fantasy football one of my opponents was fond of saying that fantasy football drafts were important but that fantasy football championships were won with waiver wire claims. At first I didn't know what he meant but it didn't take me long to figure it out. How many times do you draft players who just don't work out? For whatever reason, including injuries, they will have bad years and not live up to your expectations.

But every year players available on the waiver wires emerge and help lead fantasy owners smart enough or lucky enough to claim them to Fantasy Football Championships.  Wes Welker, Ryan Grant and Vincent Jackson are just three players in recent years who were avaialble in almost all leagues on the waiver wires and helped teams to championships.

A few years ago in one of my leagues my team was struggling especially at the QB and WR positions. I was 3-5 and in danger of not making the playoffs. In desperation I claimed both Kerry Collins and Jerry Porter of the Oakland Raiders and plugged them into my lineup. Collins went on a tear and started putting up 300 yard games with lots of TD's and many of them were to Porter. I never lost another game that season and won that league's Super Bowl Championship.

Fantasy football drafts are important but paying attention to the waiver wires and making great waiver wire pickups during the season is arguably just as important. Just as they do every fantasy football season, waiver wire pickups are going to lead some fantasy owners right to Super Bowl Championships in their fantasy football leagues this season.