Believe it or not, the fantasy season is rapidly approaching the end. It’s almost playoff time. Start managing like it.

If you’re near the bottom of the standings or on the outside looking in at the playoff picture, make some moves. But don’t be reckless. Be sensible.

There are two routes for acquiring players: trades and waivers. Utilize both. If you decide to take the trade route, then you need to think about week-by-week performances, taking into consideration late-season production. Who can you rely on when it matters most, Week 14 and later? You can’t rely on teams coasting through the end of the season with playoff berths already wrapped up (Falcons and Texans). If the team has nothing to play for, the players don’t play.

Example: Don’t trade for Roddy White. Excellent receiver, yes, but come fantasy playoff time, he’s on the bench drinking Gatorade and chatting with Julio Jones (don’t trade for him, either) about the Saturday night Atlanta bar scene. He’ll be having a great time. You’ll be losing.

An infinitely wiser decision would be to trade for players in the NFC East and NFC North. Percy Harvin, Aaron Rodgers, Brandon Marshall and others will be fighting to the bitter end for the division title, so their effort will be at top level. Perfect for fantasy production. Leech off that effort for a title of your own.

On the waiver wire, the players to look for are those with high ceilings. A Michael Bush-type player — someone who bruises defenses and gets goal-line touchdowns — isn’t the player you want at this time of the season. They’re solid but not special. Instead, you want game breakers. You want a speedster running back who’s just now realizing his potential. You want the big-play receiver who’s moved up the depth chart and now gets eight targets a game. You want 25-point potential players. These two players bring that type of promise.

Jacquizz Rodgers (running back, Falcons, 11.4 percent owned in ESPN leagues) — Michael Turner is done. Completely done. Turner the Burner and I go way back (2010), so I’ve had a hard time coming to terms with it. In fact, I’ve been in denial. But it’s true. He hit that devastating “30 years of age” threshold for running backs and lost all his talent. A running back over 30 is like a horse with a broken leg.

Rodgers is the young stallion who is waiting in the stable for trainers to clear Turner’s broken-down body off the track. The Falcons haven’t let him run free yet, as evidenced by his zero rushing touchdowns this year, but Rodgers has all the tools. And they’ll let him run soon enough. How do I know? See “don’t trade for Falcons” section above. Just when Turner hits the bench to rest for the postseason, Rodgers finally gets his chance to shoulder the load of the Atlanta backfield. I’m expecting a monster performance from him in the final weeks of the season.

Danario Alexander (wide receiver, Chargers, 0.1 percent owned) — Alexander has a long history of knee troubles, which led to him being a free agent for a large portion of this season. But midway through October, he signed with the Chargers. Then he began working his way up the depth chart. Now, he’s the No. 2 receiver in San Diego and the No. 1 target of quarterback Phillip Rivers. And to finally prove his return to fantasy prominence, he caught five passes for 134 yards and one touchdown last week. 

Someone in your league is going to take a chance on Alexander. Make sure it is you.

Jack is a senior in LAS. He can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JCassidy10.