While drafting smartly and managing the waiver wire are keys to fantasy success, few owners lift up a trophy at season’s end without dealing some trades and making gutsy calls along the way.

So whether you are coasting to the playoffs or have been way out since week 10, the logic is always to basically play .500 football and get a chance at a championship with your team.

Real life NFL players who disappoint statistically are “busts” and those who exceed expectations were either draft bargains or great pick-ups by savvy owners.

Either way, fantasy football is huge right now.

In fact, according to website forbes.com, 32 million Americans spend $467 per person in leagues they join and about $15 billion in total playing.

I am guilty by association because out of the three leagues me and my other football fanatics are in three-fourths of the pot of money is over $5,000.

It starts in the pre-season, after you pay the dues for your respective leagues, that you can begin to imagine building the perfect team.

Currently, I play in a Yahoo and nfl.com league.

The Yahoo league is a PPR (points per reception) league and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown leads my group of players not named Tom Brady.

Brady, who I drafted in the sixth round, was a great bargain because as of Aug. 14, 2015, Brady was battling his suspension from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell over “Deflategate,” and many owners passed up on him because of his uncertainty.

And in a league where Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning are underperforming in real life and were taken before I picked Brady, I honestly feel good about my chances of winning money this year.

I have won money before, but it was baby money compared to today because I was barely getting my feet wet.

Now I am a veteran, a pro.

I lick my chops every Sunday fantasizing about how my players will play out the weekend.

I read blogs from writers who work for the NFL Network and NBC on Fantasy Live so I know I am not the only one who is crazy.

The money is easy if you know what you are doing, but there is always a side of caution.

When playing, always check your league settings to see how the points are distributed.

For example, if you play in a league where quarterbacks can get a lot of points for touchdowns thrown, then draft that quarterback early — the Brady over Brown draft debate “on who is number one” if you will.

But, if the situation calls for points being handed out like candy for every reception, then you do the latter.

I drafted Brown with my 1st overall pick, and got lucky with Brady.

It is my one-two punch that will probably win me some money that I will use for college and my family.

After all, I have to pay for tuition next semester at San Francisco State University.

We all have our own opinions about players and how we think a fantasy team is built for success, which is why fantasy football is so fun and worth every penny.

Whether you stacked on running backs with the first two picks, or wide receivers, you know how you want your team to look and feel good about it each and every week.

That is why millions of Americans play fantasy football, sometimes even for free (do they still make those leagues?).

Good balance equals some money in most cases with a little bit of knowledge, and mostly pure luck.

Cheers to the rest of your fantasy season.