Fantasy Football Week 2: Why It's Crucial to Trust Your Stars

One of the biggest quandaries for fantasy football fanatics each and every year is whether to continue starting your stars when they struggle or go with an alternate until they get back on track.

In my estimation, at least half of fantasy owners end up clinically insane by the end of the year because of this very brain buster.

But when it comes to proven stars, you live and die with them, because oftentimes waiting for them to get back on track results in you missing out on some huge weeks.

For example, there were some murmurings last season when Tennessee Titans star running back Chris Johnson ran for a total of 58 yards in back-to-back games against the Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars. What did he do the next game? Exploded for 111 yards rushing and a touchdown, as well as catching eight balls for 68 yards against the Indianapolis Colts.

Don't get me wrong, there are some exceptions out there, particularly when it comes to stars limited by injury. But more often than not, with a proven star, the numbers come around sooner or later, and starting that hot pickup is riskier than continuing to start your star.

Specifically in competitive leagues, you need difference-makers, players who not only can put up reasonable numbers but have the ability to virtually win the matchup single-handedly for you in any given week.

The last two seasons, I found this out the hard way. If you have so much confidence in a player to pick him early, you don't all of a sudden flip-flop at the first sign of trouble. In two leagues I went the other direction in the playoffs, and in both leagues I lost.

The lesson of the story?

Trust your stars in most cases, because not starting them has the potential to backfire on you in ways you could have never dreamed.

There's nothing worse than being that guy who sat his star for a waiver-wire pickup only to find out he would have won with his benched star.