It was going to be Aaron Jones. It really was. I could feel it. Of course, I had that feeling about Wayne Gallman, too. And Tarik Cohen. And Thomas Rawls and Eddie Lacy, and then Eddie Lacy and Thomas Rawls. Or was it the other way around?

It doesn't matter. None of them are going to save your season. This week's waiver wire darling probably won't, either. But you still have to pick them up.

With all the injuries we've seen this year, I understand why you have to go fishing in the muddy waters of your league's waiver wire. You could go there right now and pick up an entire all-star team, except they all have IR next to their names. IR, all-star; it sounds similar, doesn't it?

But they're not similar. Instead, they're a touchdown here, a decent run there, maybe a few receptions in the spotlight of garbage time. And then weeks of nothing, or not enough to make a real difference.

You might need to win most of your remaining games to make the playoffs. Maybe you need to win all of them. Or maybe you have a nice record, but nobody fears your injury-riddled team anymore. You'll probably qualify for the post-season, and then what? One and done? Hope Lady Luck decides to punish someone else for a change?

Going to the waiver wire is the sensible thing to do. A guy doesn't have to mimic David Johnson. They just have to be better than whoever is at the end of your bench. Lots of guys are worth a pickup.

Unfortunately, we often add a little to it. We read articles about all the potential they showed in the preseason (yes, I'm rolling my eyes and typing at the same time). We see some pretty good numbers the previous week. Maybe circumstances are giving him a real opportunity. Maybe a soft defense is coming to town. Maybe triple-digit yards and double-digit points are in your future after all. It's almost a sure thing when you think about it. This kid is the real deal.

Then reality hits. No deal.

It happens over and over. I'm not criticizing doing what you can to improve the team, and taking long shots if that's the only shot you have. It's really about the expectations that balloon over the course of the week, so by Saturday night you can't wait to unleash this beast on your opponent.

It happens to all of us. I escaped with a win last week because of one play by Kenyan Drake. If it doesn't happen, I take a loss when I needed a win. I was so ready to start him, I bumped Emmanuel Sanders out of my lineup. Get the flex outta here, Emmanuel!

So I got a reprieve this week. But what do I really have? Not a substitute for Ezekiel Elliott, that's for sure. Will Jamaal Williams be any better? Will he even be as good? I doubt it. But I've learned my lesson. I'm not doing that again.

Please, allow me to clarify. The lesson I learned isn't to work the waiver wire. I'm submitting my claims like everybody else. What I'm not going to do is let myself get wrapped up in the hype, so I actually think I have gold in my lineup, when it's really just something cheap and shiny. I'm not going to think about a guy like Alvin Kamara, who is winning games for my opponents. Or Devin Funchess, or Vernon Davis or Jared Goff or a bunch of players who are productive and (depending on your league) might have been sitting there for weeks. If I find one, great. But you won't catch me daydreaming about stats that haven't occurred, or potential that hasn't been realized.

Personally, I blame Deshaun Watson. I picked him up and knew I had a playmaker. It was the kind of move that defines a championship season. I took a weakness and made it a strength in one week. I had to double-check the stats to make sure they were accurate.

And then he was gone. He's been gone for a couple weeks now, and he's still the best waiver pickup I've had this year. He's the highest-scoring player on my waiver wire right now. Maybe I should pick him up just to reminisce and think about what could have been.

I won't, of course. I need the spot for Williams, or Samaje Perine or whoever else I end up with this week. And I'm going to stay focused and not pretend I have more than I do. But if a Kamara can be a difference-maker, why not a Samaje, or an Ekeler or an Elijah?

I'm doing it again. Now that I think about it, maybe that's part of the fun of fantasy football. Either way, I hope you find your Kamara this week. Good luck.

Do you have big expectations for your waiver pickups? Do you try to convince yourself you have something special? Anybody look like magic this week? Share your thoughts below.