Fantasy Football 2011: 5 Faux Pas You Absolutely Must Avoid

With the first game of the 2011 season now in the books fantasy football season is officially underway, and every team in every league still has championship aspirations and dreams of hoisting their league's trophy, winning prize money, and talking copious amounts of smack to their league mates about the dominant season their team just turned in.

However, as much fun as fantasy football can be it can also be incredibly maddening, and it only takes a few missteps to turn a promising fantasy football campaign into the equivalent of a 16 week long trip to the dentist.

Here are a few simple tips that you can follow that should help you avoid these missteps and keep your season from turning from enjoyable to excruciating.

1. Don't Overthink

This is especially true in the first few weeks of the season, as much can change in the NFL from year to year, and what looks like a great matchup on paper going in can turn out in hindsight to be a real stinker.

You may think that Cleveland Browns wide receiver Mohammed Massaquoi is a sneaky sleeper play against the Cincinnati Bengals and their mediocre pass defense, and be less than enamored with Dallas Cowboys wideout Miles Austin's Week 1 tilt with Darrelle Revis and the Jets, but you drafted Austin in the fifth round and Massaquoi in the 23rd for a reason.

Matchups are important, and become more so as the season progresses, but don't shoot yourself in the foot by getting cute out of the gate.

2. Don't Panic

OK, if you drafted Peyton Manning of the Indianapolis Colts as your starting fantasy quarterback and don't have much of a backup option it may be time to panic a little, but all is not lost!

Hit the waiver wire and grab Kerry Collins, or Colt McCoy of the Cleveland Browns, or Rex Grossman of the Washington Redskins, and if that doesn't work hit the waiver wire again. Or, swing a trade and deal some of that depth you stacked up at running back during your fantasy league's draft to acquire a starter.

Hyperventilating because one of your star players goes down with an injury early in the year isn't going to put that player's meniscus back together, and it's not going to get your fantasy squad any closer to being back in contention.

3. Don't Be Afraid to "Undersell"

One of the most common misconceptions among many fantasy football players is the belief that they have to "win" a trade, that the player they acquire has to be "better" than the one they give up, and that's why in some leagues very few trades happen.

Value is relative in fantasy football, and it's all right to let the other owner think he got the better end of the deal if it fills a need for your fantasy squad, so if you have a glaring hole at running back and wide receivers coming out your wazoo dealing Vincent Jackson of the San Diego Chargers for Tim Hightower of the Washington Redskins may not be as crazy as it looks.

Your fellow owners may bag on you, and the trade may improve the other guy's team a bit more than you'd like, but what does it matter how good his team is if yours stinks?

4. Don't Be Inactive

Nothing can jack up a fantasy league more quickly than a team that doesn't submit a starting lineup, or starts injured players, or rolls Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden out there on his bye week, as it can spoil the competitive balance of the entire league.

Yes, it blows that your team is 2-7, but you owe it to the other owners in your fantasy football league to submit a weekly lineup and make sure it's populated by players that are, you know, playing.

Otherwise, at best you likely won't be invited back to the league next season, and at worst your league mates may show up at your door with pitchforks and torches.

5. Don't Forget

That fantasy football is supposed to be FUN.

An excruciating one point loss, or watching your star running back tear an ACL, or losing to a team that you should by all rights have beaten because Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Luke McCown has the best game of his life can make you want to throw your laptop out the window, but the sun will come up tomorrow

And besides, you just bought that laptop.

Change your team name every week to something that mocks your opponent's mother, let your dog pick your fantasy starters, or do a shot of tequila every time one of your players scores a touchdown (if you're over 21). Whatever you do, just enjoy yourself, and remember that no matter how dire things may seem...

There's always next season.