Championship fantasy football teams need their share of star quarterbacks and running backs.

But so many owners forget about drafting and obtaining star wide receivers, and it costs them the chances to be really good.

Trophy-winning, rub-it-in-every-other-owners-face, trash-talking and kiss-my-rear-end good.

So now I’m here to help you navigate the world of fantasy WR’s and why you must draft them high, and get the right ones.

I am in a 12-team dynasty keeper league that continues to be the rage of friends and co-workers. We keep 17 players each year, and draft five before the season begins. This allows the savy owner to build their franchise without concerns of losing their rookie, double-secret pickup in Week 17.

When I started out, my receivers weren’t very good. My first receivers (in 2001) were Laveranues Coles, Antonio Freeman, Todd Pinkston, Santana Moss, Darnay Scott, Dez White, Ed McCaffrey and Terance Mathis. While have eight WRs when you have a 22-man roster? Exactly. I was decent back then, but didn’t win the title. My starters (Coles, Moss and McCaffrey) were good enough because I had Corey Dillon, Curtis Martin, and Anthony Thomas (in Chicago).

As the year’s went by, I could never get over the top. I came close, but never quite had enough. As my RBs aged and retired, I filled in with rookie RBs, but my QBs (Drew Brees, Donovan McNabb) seemed to play well enough to keep me in the hunt for a championship.

My first decision was to look at the teams that were putting up big numbers from week to week. My surprise: great WR play.

No one can win without two solid wideouts, no matter how you look at it…(well, having Peyton Manning and LaDainian Tomlinson could help…)

First, I picked up a number of WRs through trades and waiver wires in 2004 (Plaxico Burress, Andre Johnson, and TJ Houshmandzadeh). I used those players to enhance other parts of my team.

I went after my first big WR deal, obtaining Reggie Wayne in 2005, who is one of my franchise pillars today. He was first WR that really broke out and could be used each week, along with Burress. That stabilized my WR so I could focus on RB and QB. But I still couldn’t win in the playoffs.

2006 was a turn point year. I traded Bress away for a first round pick, which landed me Jay Cutler, who is now my starter. More importantly, I grabbed Mike Furrey and Leon Washington…those moves allowed me to make my biggest deal yet.

With my eyes on getting another big WR to fill the WR/RB flex role, since I only had Brandon Jacobs and Corey Dillon, I went out in 2007 and obtained Terrell Owens using Furrey and Washington as main center pieces.

Later in the season, I finally dealt my first pick ever McNabb to a rival for Brandon Marshall. And now I knew that I had enough to win.

And the rest is history.

Last year, I went on to win the league championship. I had four amazing receivers (Wayne, Burress, Owens and Brandon Marshall). Remember when I had eight okay ones in 2001? The difference is that now I can use the other four roster slots on sleeper RBs that could become stars at any moment (aka Ryan Grant).

Even though I traded Burress this year to get RB Kevin Smith, I realize that receivers are really the key to any elite fantasy football team. There are too many backs-by-committee, so having solid starting WRs is the only way to guarantee points on the board.

Owens and Wayne are going to give you around 100 yards and a touchdown each week. You can’t expect that out of your RBs.

My advice is to draft at least one stud receiver, and then trade for another. Identify the best receivers by looking at scoring trends, comparing height vs red zone touchdowns, and injuries in their career. Then go after those wideouts you feel could start every week, no matter who they play.

Even in traditional leagues, you can draft one, and obtain the other. It’s picking smartly that give you leverage. Grab that backup QB to the superstar in Round 18. Take the sleeper RB with your last pick.

Those choices might open the door to that big name wideout that could equal championships for many years to come.