By Trav Walker

The biggest nightmare in your fantasy season is to have one of your big time players suffer an injure and miss a large chuck of games from your season. The drafting part is pretty simple...you draft the best players. We all know that. But injuries are unpredictable and very frustrating. After the draft you check your team out and you are very impressed, but then two weeks in your #1 draft pick takes a big spill and is out for an unkown period of time. What do you do?

If you played last year you might understand what i'm talking about. Elton Brand was probably drafted in almost every league's first round. He played one game then missed the next 2 months with an injury. Suddenly, your key player is out and you have to put Vlade Divac at Center instead of your huge point getter. So you have to make the decisio--do you sit on Brand and wait for his return or do you trade him for what will probably a much lesser value because you take what you can get?

I think you wait on him. Remember, its all about the playoffs. If you are a decent fantasy player, one guy won't knock you out of contention. Put your star injured player at the bottom of your roster, forget about him and work on the rest of your team--always remembering that some player has to fill his role!!! Consider why I take this stance. Even Chris Webber who missed almost the entire season and played only about a month still put up 25 points and 10 boards when he played. In the playoffs that's what is going to make you a championship contending team, not trading him early on for 2 sixth man players who just use up your minutes! Don't freak out in November and December, always plan for the playoffs!!!