Optimism. Confidence. Tragedy. Hopelessness. For fantasy football players, this cycle of emotions is far too familiar. Year after year, the typical fantasy owner is hardwired to come into the season expecting an embarrassment of riches, only to be crushed by countless injuries, upsets and in some cases, unimaginable misfortunes. Despite this, fans jump right back on this emotional roller coaster; no matter how many times they ride it, the steep drops still manage to catch them off guard. The first half of the 2016-17 NFL season has certainly lived up to these standards, leaving countless owners who once boasted seemingly unbeatable teams finding themselves at the bottom on their league standings. Maybe you are one of these people. If so, I’m here to tell you that not all hope is lost. The fantasy season is a marathon, not a sprint, and regardless of your record, if you can push the right buttons and pull the right strings, you’ll be right back into the mix before you know it. So, before you jump the gun and call your season a wrap, here are some tips that will shift the balance of power in your league, and set you up for playoff prosperity.

• Understand your situation

I get it: your team is great. In fact, you believe that it is one of the best in your league, and if it weren’t for the fantasy gods being against your success, you’d be at the top of your standings. If this player didn’t get hurt, and this player didn’t drop that pass, and that player’s big play didn’t get called back because of a penalty, you wouldn’t be in this situation. However, the first step in turning your season around is to take a step back, and realize the true value of your team. The sooner you understand that the likes of Mark Ingram (9.8 PPG via ESPN Standard Scoring) and Alshon Jeffery (7.7 PPG) are not the fantasy weapons of old, then the sooner you can move away from mediocrity and toward success. These big-name, low-production players are the perfect trading tools, for there is usually at least one owner in every league who will take a chance on one of them, allowing you to make trades that will revive and refresh your roster.

• Acquire handcuffs

A mere eight weeks into the season, there have been an overwhelming amount of major injuries to some of the top fantasy picks, including Adrian Peterson, Eddie Lacy, Sammy Watkins and Keenan Allen. Injuries are the most powerful factor in any fantasy league, and being able to withstand sudden blows to your roster should be a fantasy owner’s main objective. Therefore, it is vital for you to have your most productive players’ “handcuffs,” or backups, to ensure that no matter what happens, you will still have a team full of players guaranteed to get action. Some notable running back handcuffs that you should make it a priority to acquire are Andre Ellington, Mike Gillislee, Alfred Morris, Devontae Booker and DeAngelo Williams. As for wide receivers, focus on players such as Sterling Shepard, Mohamed Sanu, Brandon LaFell and Sammie Coates.

• Plan accordingly

In the second half of the season, the majority of NFL teams have their bye week, leaving many players unavailable for those periods. Being unaware of these bye weeks is a huge problem that many owners have, and planning your roster ahead of time to take advantage of these weeks can lead you to making some huge upsets against opponents who you would’ve lost to otherwise. Therefore, when making trades or picking up players off of the waiver wire, take into account when that player’s bye week is, so you won’t be caught off guard or stuck with no solutions. At this point in the season, players from teams like Seattle, Minnesota, or Dallas have increased values due to their bye weeks being over, while weeks nine, ten and eleven will see a host of effective players inactive.

• Trust your gut

You can follow all of these steps flawlessly, but in the end, success in fantasy football comes down to pure luck. No matter how marvelous your trades are, or how deep your lineup is, or how dominant you are on the waiver wire, without some good fortune, your fantasy woes will continue. Frankly, that’s what makes fantasy football the unique, enthralling, and exhilarating pastime that it is. The best advice I could give you to be triumphant in the back-end of the 2016-17 NFL season is to trust your gut. Whenever there is a tough decision to be made, do what your first instinct tells you. This way, if things don’t go your way, you’ll be able to accept defeat without regret, and move on. Good luck!