The Fantasy Reality: Time to step it up

RandBall, we need to step up our game. The boss says we're getting fan mail, readers are hounding us for lineup advice, pilots are zipping past MSP at 35,000 feet because they just can't stop reading the veracious advice and hilarity and forget to deploy the landing gear.

For the record, we here at Fantasy Reality Headquarters do not support the reading of this material while piloting commercial airliners. For those of you on startribune.com who happen to be enjoying this on your cockpit laptop at the moment, please LOG OFF AND FLY THE AIRPLANE. ... Cockpit Laptop: Good band name, by the way.

What can we do for our fans? How can we improve their lives, or at least their fantasy football lineups?

Michael Rand: Not only a good band name, but a good fantasy football team name? After all, coming up with fantasy football names is to the 2000s what coming up with band names was to the 1990s. But I digress. We can improve their fantasy lives ... er, their fantasy football lives, by helping them get "playoff-ready." What does that mean? Well, you might feel like you're cruising along in your league with a comfortable trip to the playoffs well in hand. But that doesn't mean you should be complacent. Conversely, even a team that is 3-4 or 2-5 right now can be dangerous with a couple of forward-looking trades or waiver pickups. Did you know, for instance, that Arizona plays Detroit and St. Louis in weeks 15 and 16? A Cardinal or two wouldn't hurt in your fantasy season's two biggest weeks. Any specific players you would target, good sir?

Carr: It seems to be the year of mediocre guys and their matchups. Forget trying to trade for another owner's top player. Instead try to pick up a solid No. 2 WR or RB who has a soft late-season schedule. And this year the guys I have my eye on happen to be players that often sit on that maddening start him/sit him fence every week. Those Cardinals you mentioned, Reggie Bush, Jay Cutler, Philip Rivers, Greg Jennings, Thomas Jones -- I don't love any of those guys, but if I can trade some depth for one or two of them, park them on my bench until Week 13 and then get rich off their weak schedules, I'll do it. I'm not playing the matchups every week, but it sure is nice when you're looking at Week 13 or 14, a must-win week, and your No. 2 RB is home vs. the Lions or Rams.

Rand: I'd load up on Texans if I could, too. Weeks 13-16: Jacksonville, Seattle, St. Louis, Miami. Not the worst teams, but certainly a nice stretch for a dangerous offense. If you can make a play for Owen Daniels or Steve Slaton -- with the latter making some owners grumpy but still a player who has shown decent production and could be due for some huge games -- do it.

Carr: Here's a sleeper: Frank Gore. 'Member him? Grab him before he gets back on track, and then start him against soft defenses in Week 13 (Seattle) and the biggie, 16, when the Niners play host to Detroit. Who not to trade for? DeAngelo Williams. Here's his 14-16: at New England, Vikings, at Giants. Lots of pain there. Hey, speaking of pain, how's the hammy?

Rand: You're only the 1,000th person to ask. Thanks. Answer: good enough to run for 100 yards and two TDs against the Lions. Otherwise, pretty much useless.