Nothing sends you scrambling for the Maalox faster than wondering if your star will play when you need him most. 

This is especially confounding when you're past the midway point of the season, vying for a playoff spot, and you spend most of your Sunday morning wondering how many snaps Jimmy Graham will see and if you can risk inserting him into your lineup.

The conservative fantasy football owner will more than likely go to the waiver wire and grab a free agent, not risking the agony of starting your star and watching him sit, costing your team a victory and, potentially, a shot at that glorious Fantasy Bowl title.

My fantasy football team is called the Gamblers, so in keeping with the tradition of the name, I'll most likely play Graham, who is suffering from plantar fasciitis.

Let the nightmare begin.

Don't miss Mark Barnes' fantasy football novel, The League: A New Game, just .99 on your Kindle reader.