Fantasy Football: 5 Moves to Save Your Season

We're entering the 10th week of the 2011 fantasy football campaign, which means that the doldrums of the bye weeks and drudgery of the "grind" is about to give way to the most exciting and maddening part of the regular season.

The stretch run.

Whether you're 8-2 and gearing up for the playoffs, 5-5 and scrambling to keep your hopes for a second season alive or 3-7 and wishing it was January already, here are a handful tips to keep your fantasy football championship hopes alive (or at least build on them for next year).

1. Sacrifice Depth for Upside

Drafting a fantasy football roster with adequate depth can be essential to a successful season, especially during the middle of the year, when both bye weeks and injuries take a toll on starting lineups.

However, only four teams will be taking one more week off in Week 11, so those fears have been alleviated somewhat, and if you can sacrifice some of that depth to acquire a "lottery ticket" type like Houston Texans running back Ben Tate (who would be a top 10 option should starter Arian Foster falter), then it's a gamble well worth taking.

2. Make That Big Splash Trade

In many fantasy football leagues, the trading deadline will come and go in the next week or so, so if you're going to swing a last-minute swap to improve your squad, now is the time to do it.

Whether it's dealing a trio of decent players to get that last piece of the puzzle you need such as Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Jeremy Maclin or dealing a high-end player such as Maclin to plug a few holes and keep your fading playoff aspirations alive, this isn't the time of the season to be conservative.

So make like Monty Hall, and go make a deal!

3. Handcuff Your Star Quarterback

A month ago it may have seemed like a waste of both a roster spot and waiver claim to secure the fantasy football services of Green Bay Packers backup quarterback Matt Flynn or fellow clipboard holder Shaun Hill of the Detroit Lions, as with any luck at all neither will see the field this season.

However, as I said earlier the roster depth and fifth running back that came in so handy earlier isn't as important later in the season, and should your starting signal-caller go down in the next few weeks, you'll be immeasurably glad to have grabbed a backup who has shown the ability to lead a prolific offense.

If you're starting Matt Hasselbeck though, no worries. Besides...

You have bigger problems.

4. Go for Broke When Setting Your Lineup

If your fantasy football team is sitting at 4-6 and two games out of playoff contention with four to play, then you've officially reached the point where you simply can't afford another loss, which means you have to wring every possible point out of your starting lineup, even if it means taking some significant risks in an attempt to do it.

It may seem a little daffy to consider starting running back Chris Ogbannaya of the Cleveland Browns over Brandon Jacobs of the New York Giants, but given that the former faces a St. Louis Rams team that's allowed the seventh most fantasy points per game to opposing running backs this year, while Jacobs squares off against a San Francisco 49ers squad that's allowed the second fewest, it's a risk that may be worth taking if you're desperate for a win.

5. Build for Next Year

This last tip is only of use to fantasy owners in keeper or dynasty formats, but just because you're out of contention in those types of fantasy football leagues doesn't mean your season is over.

The teams that are still in the hunt may well be much more focused on today than tomorrow, so don't be afraid to unload a player or two for draft picks that will help you assemble a much stronger team in 2012, especially older players or ones with uncertain futures.

This isn't to say that you should bail on Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, but if you can deal a player like Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson or wide receiver Mario Manningham of the New York Giants to a team looking to make a run in 2011 while strengthening your team for 2012, it's certainly worth exploring.