You can make or break your fantasy football season by how well you play the waiver wire. It usually takes a keen eye and a fair amount of research but it sure doesn’t hurt to have lady luck around either. Here is an example of what I talking about.

I’ve had some good fantasy football teams over the years but in the 1999 two waiver wire pick-ups turned a season with a gloomy outlook into one of my best seasons ever.

During the week leading up to opening day, I was scrambling for a RB after one of my top picks went down in the preseason. I was picking up pretty much anyone who might start. One of those backs, a very unknown Stephan Davis who was playing for the Washington that year, would put up 1400 yards and a very impressive 17 TD’s. I didn’t start him the first week, when he put up two and hundred, but in week two I did. He never came out of my line-up again.

If that weren’t enough, I also picked up another unknown straight out of the Arena Football League; QB Kurt Warner of the St. Louis Rams. He went from having 4 completions for 39 yards the previous year to throwing 325 for 4353 yards through the air with 41 touchdowns to boot.

How’s that for a few waiver wire pickups? It was a great season and I nearly went undefeated with only 2 losses (one of which was the Super Bowl).

What I learned that year (and what you should keep in mind as well) is how important the waiver wire is. Not only is it important during the regular season but even in the pre-season. Also, keep in mind that no matter how good you think your draft is you should always keep one eye on the waiver wire. Remember this bit of advise and you could find a stud or two that will make dominating your league effortless.

For those of you who have experienced success using this simple strategy, don’t be shy, tell us; what was your best waiver wire pick-up ever?