The fantasy football season is at its halfway mark, and with the trade deadline looming and injuries accumulating, it can be hard to give your team the best chance at a championship. Whether your team is sitting pretty at 8-1 or in last place at 2-7, you still have a shot to bring home a title. This article is here to help you on your journey.

Firstly, we need to lay out basic strategy. Here are some fundamental procedures that you should be doing weekly to give yourself a fighting chance:

• Only keep one defense and one kicker on your roster. Even if you LOVE Justin Tucker, nobody cares enough to pick him up if you drop him during his bye week. 

• You should be picking up and starting the best available defense on the waiver wire every week if they are better than the one on your roster.

• Always check the players tab on Tuesday to put in claims for players who are replacing recently injured starters or have consistently been getting a lot of carries/targets. If someone on your bench is projected to get less than 10 points (in Points Per Reception leagues), you should drop them.

• Final injury reports come out 90 minutes before each game. Check your roster in that time frame on Thursdays and Sundays to make sure your starters are all playing. If one of them isn’t, you can probably move them to the Injury Reserve (IR) slot and pick someone up if you want.

• Just because a player is projected to have more points doesn’t mean they are better. Projections are an opinion, and if a player has been doing great but has a hard matchup they will likely underperform. Make your own decisions on who to start!

I cannot emphasize enough how important the waiver wire is to winning fantasy football. I put in at least two claims a week, usually a defense and a player who has been getting the most targets. Even more under-utilized, though, is trading. If your team is struggling, or you really want to set yourself up for success in the playoffs, trading is essential.

There are two main trading strategies in fantasy football, and they depend on your team's standing. If you are currently near the top of your league, you will want to sell recently high-scoring players for ones that have easy matchups weeks 15-18. This will give you a big advantage when you get to the playoffs. Some players to sell are:

Tua Tagovailoa - QB - Currently a top 5 scoring quarterback, he is playing the top 3 defenses vs QBs the last three weeks of the season. 

Joe Mixon - RB - Coming off a great last two weeks, he has the 2nd hardest schedule among all Running Backs. If you can, trade him before his games get tougher.

Saquon Barkley - RB - One of the most injury prone in the game, he has the hardest playoff schedule. Though he has been good, you can trade him for a top-tier player with easy games.

DJ Moore - WR - Moore has overperformed recently and has the 5th hardest schedule of any receiver.

Terry McLaurin - WR - His fantasy points have been mostly from touchdowns the past few weeks, and his playoff schedule has two top 5 defenses in it.

Dallas Goedert - TE - Goedert was a top 5 tight end over the past few weeks but has by far the hardest TE playoff schedule, playing the 6th hardest Giants twice.

Players with the easiest playoff schedules are:

Dak Prescott - QB - Dak had a poor start to the season, but is picking up steam with the easiest playoff schedule of any quarterback.

Bijan Robinson - RB - His perceived value is at an all-time low, but he has the 4th easiest playoff schedule and great potential.

DK Metcalf - WR - He is getting unlucky with points, but receives plenty of targets. He also has the easiest playoff schedule of any receiver.

Zay Flowers -  WR - Coming off his worst week, he is worth trading for.

TJ Hockenson - TE - Though he has been playing well and may be costly to trade for, he plays both of the top 2 worst defenses vs Tight Ends in the fantasy playoff weeks.

If you are currently near the bottom of your league or jousting for position, you may want to trade one of your best overperforming players to get depth and value. You should target players in a position you are lacking in, that are currently underperforming with high volume, or that have easy schedules in the upcoming weeks. Some of these players are:

Jared Goff - QB - Surprisingly, Goff has been a top 3 QB multiple weeks this season. He has the best future schedule by far, and if you are really struggling at QB you should get him for cheap.

Jonathan Taylor - RB - Finally signed to a contract, Taylor is working his way back into a strong role. He also has a pretty easy schedule.

Josh Jacobs - RB - Despite mediocre fantasy output, Jacobs is getting much better each week, and his rest of season schedule is the easiest of any running back.

Marquise Brown - WR - His output will get better when his quarterback Kyler Murray comes back, and his easy schedule helps too.

Drake London - WR - London is top 10 in targets among receivers since week 4. He has the easiest remaining schedule of any receiver, so you should look for him at his current low value.

Dalton Kincaid - TE - Kinkaid is just a rookie, but has been a steady piece of the offense and has an easy schedule.

If you are looking for more guidance, there are great fantasy articles posted weekly by ESPN.com and FantasyPros on injuries and players. With that said, this article should act as a good baseline, and I hope that my strategic overview will propel you to a fantasy championship! Good luck, be smart, and have fun.