Starting the fantasy football season out with talent on your team can be a significant step towards that coveted championship. And one way to do that is to have a great draft. The closer it gets to September (and the start of the regular season) many fantasy football leagues have already completed their drafts. And while having a great draft is the first stepping stone to netting that championship, it probably won't be enough to bring home that trophy. So what is a key to a successful fantasy football season now that your draft is over? What is one of the things that you can do to improve your team? How can you work to make your team stand head and shoulders above the others in your league? Well there are a number of them, making good trades and knowing who to start and bench are just a few. But one of my favorites is the waiver wire. Successfully working the waiver wire throughout the season can be a vital element in increasing the depth and worth of your team. And it can help you turn your team from a good solid team into a league winning championship team.

Now, repeat after me - The waiver wire is my friend. The waiver wire is my friend. I cannot emphasize this enough. There are always each season, players that have not been drafted but go on to be solid fantasy talent. And conversely there are players that are valued in the draft, but end up falling very short of expectations. Fantasy studs will suffer season ending injuries and their backups will go on to great things. And I see it every year, having even been there myself, there are owners who grow impatient with the players on their team and drop them for someone else. You can significantly increase your team's value by watching the waiver wire and free agent lists closely.

Well, that is all well and good and every seasoned fantasy football player would probably agree with me. Here's where the tension lies though. How do you know how to play the waiver wire. Just picking up players coming off of what may have been their best game all season is not a good waiver wire strategy and will only lead to a roster spot on your team with a revolving door. What should you be watching for? Are there patterns out there and situations that you can exploit by playing the waiver wire? I believe that there are. And if you watch out for some of these, you can look back at your season and see that you effectively used the waiver wire to your advantage.

Touchdown Sharks

Watch for those touchdown sharks, the running backs that get put in for goal-line carries. If your league awards 6 points per touchdown, the addition of a touchdown shark can help your team and give you an additional running back to consider for use when your starters have bye weeks. Moe Williams and Stacey Mack are great examples of this from last year. This upcoming year, play close attention to the running back situations in Tampa Bay or Minneapolis, or Philadelphia, or Atlanta for just a few. I know that the words Running Back by Committee are enough to strike fear in the hearts of any veteran fantasy football player. But follow those situations closely and seek to identify the running back who is getting the touchdown carries. If that player is a free agent or on your waiver wire, pick him up. He could be a very valuable addition to your team especially during those weeks when your starters are on a bye.

Injury Backups

Watch for the replacements for players who have gone down to injury. Now sometimes they may be a great disappointment. The Indianapolis Colts' Ricky Williams is a great example of that from last year when he stepped into to replace Edgerrin James. But if you have the room on your roster, you may end up with a great deal. For as many busts, there are the others who have a great upside. Last year Marc Bulger was a great replacement for Kurt Warner, and fantasy owners who picked him up off of the waiver wire were greatly rewarded. Chad Pennington turned into a solid fantasy backup QB when he took over for Vinny Testaverde. Make it a point to be knowledgeable of the backups to the fantasy studs this year. What happens if Jeff Garcia and his back do not return to form? Watch to see if Tim Rattay gets playing time. What about Marshall Faulk? Is his knee going to hold up the whole year? Be smart and know when to act and pick up his backup if he is available.

Wide receivers moving into a #2 spot from the #3 spot

There will be wide receivers that over the course of the year begin to move up the depth charts of their teams. Maybe the #2 wide receiver is just not clicking with the quarterback and the quarterback begins to develop chemistry with his #3 wide receiver. Invariably that #3 receiver might move his way into the #2 spot. A great example of this from last year is Tai Streets who ended up doing quite well and helped out those owners who were smart enough to pick him up.

Rookies who begin the season slowly

Who is going to be this year's Clinton Portis or Jeremy Shockey? Both of those players started out last year very slowly and it took a while for them to develop and mature as players. Watching the rookies on your waiver wire can have tremendous upside. An impatient owner may just drop a rookie who is not living up to his expectations. Be ready to take advantage of his impatience. Is Onterrio Smith going to explode on the scene or will it take him a number of weeks to develop and mature? What about Charles Rogers in Detroit? Will he start to click with Joey Harrington? Watching these situations closely and then acting on them can provide your team with strength especially near the end of the season heading into your playoffs.

Offenses that give up points to whatever defense they are playing

Keep an eye out for offenses that are struggling with their offensive line and give up sacks and interceptions to the defenses playing them. Last year, the Houston Texans were a great example of this. No matter what defense was playing them, it was a great matchup on the defensive side. David Carr was sacked innumerable times, and while that was bad for David Carr it was great for fantasy owners who took advantage of the information. If your league gives points for sacks, and you don't have an elite defense on your team, this kind of information can be invaluable.

Players consistently improving in their position

The key here is consistent improvement. In order to effectively use the waiver wire you want to avoid players who have one great game and then go back to fantasy football snooze land and do nothing for the rest of the year. You want to be on the watch for those guys who are consistently improving and increasing their numbers week by week. Chad Johnson is a great example of this from last year. Watch these potential additions for a couple of weeks to see if it they are just a one-week wonder or if they actually have some staying power that can add depth to your team. And if someone else in your league grabs them before you are convinced that they are a valuable asset, don't fret. There will be more players throughout the season who will consistently improve and can help your team.

Players in positional battles

Watch for players who are battling the starter in their position. It could be at the beginning of the season they are not the starter, but as the weeks go on they gradually move into the starting position. Marcel Shipp was a great example of this last year. And really he has the potential of being in the same position this year. Will T.J. Duckett supplant Warrick Dunn this year? What will happen in Philadelphia now that Staley has returned? These are all important positional battles to keep abreast of, and they probably won't be decided by the beginning of the season.

In conclusion, effectively playing the waiver wire can be the difference between an average fantasy football season and a stellar one. So watch out for some of these situations while you are playing the waiver wire and it can provide significant depth and strength to your team.