How to Win Your Fantasy Football League

Think about which players you want before drafting players. Concentrate on players who have great stats, as well as your favorites.^[1]

• Don't waste a penny on newsstand rankings. These are published in May and by the time your draft rolls around, they're as good as obsolete. Instead, peruse local newspaper sports sections during training camp: you'll find more injury updates than you know what to do with, and you'll find super-sleepers. For instance, for news on the Vikings, do a Google search for "Minneapolis" and "newspaper". You'll find the Star Tribune and Pioneer Press, both of which could be invaluable. For example, this method was used for drafting Nate Burleson, a truly worthy 4th WR find.
• Watch the runs. A run means, everyone starts drafting from the same position. For example, say you plan on taking your starting quarterback in round 4, and in round 3 there becomes a run on quarterbacks, alter your draft strategy and grab him then.
• Don't ever draft a defense or a kicker before you've filled most of your skill positions. Defense is basically luck of the draw and week to week match-ups. Consider drafting 16 defenses, that is, draft a moderate team, and then wait a week. Find out who is playing a team with a green quarterback or weak offense and then pick them up. You can find a ripe match-up every week.^[2]
• As for kickers, just grab a dome booter and you'll be fine.
• Find the contract kids. Every year players playing out the last year of their contract perform at much higher levels than their counterparts who've signed fat salary sheets.
• Read How to draft your fantasy football team.

Play for money. Even if you're playing in a league with friends only, the money aspect makes it much more fun and exciting. It doesn't need to be a lot, just a few dollars.

Trade down. If you have picked 3-5, trade down. You'll feel much better about taking two players back to back than you will seeing your favorites fly off the board every other pick.

• Wait a few weeks before dropping or trading away players you picked within the first 10 rounds of the draft and be patient with wide receivers who tend to post inconsistent numbers from week to week. Players suffering from an entire season's injury are an exception.^[3]

Do the math. Take your league scoring system, grab a calculator and a paper box score section. Find out if your league is skewed to quarterbacks or running backs. Chances are it's biased, even if the creator doesn't know it. If it creates parity under center, then hold off on your signal caller and go to the ground or vice versa. This is an unbelievably important task. There are even services online that will take your league scoring system and analyze it for you.

Keep off the same team, same division, or even player having same rest weeks. Don't let one weird game or one week take out four or five players. If you load up with Bengals and Ravens, and they play a game that goes low because of snow, you are dead. Essentially, keep your eggs in many different baskets.

Pick up free agents. Free agents are players who don't belong to any of your league's teams. Free agents become available on a Tuesday, on a first come, first served basis. Use your football news knowledge to claim good free agents. You'll need to drop a player or two to make room for them on your roster but it's worth it if you spot a good player.

• Trade with other teams to obtain key players to fill gaps in your roster. Be aware that trades need to be submitted to the commissioner before a set deadline, and they can be rejected sometimes.

Don't rest. The clincher is complacency. If you've got it, you're in trouble. Recognize when your draft is a bit of a crap shoot – the key is recognizing mistakes and acting on them, as well as being ahead of your opponents by knowing the players and game schedule well. If someone goes down early, log on and grab his back-up first. If someone busts out a big game or two, sign him up! Don't pass on the next Kurt Warner, Stephen Davis or even, Billy Volek.^[4]

• Follow the football news regularly. Take note of injuries and players who perform above or below expectations. Keep a constant eye on weekly match-ups.
• Sign up for an update service that keeps you on top of developments during the season. While these services vary greatly in quality, keep looking for a good one and use it; they're essential if you want to reach the playoffs.
• Grab running backs whose stats are on the upswing. Keep them on your roster as bargaining chips for trades: running backs are always in demand. A key to drafting running backs is making sure their offensive line is good. A great example is the Dallas Cowboy's O-line.

Watch the games regularly. Every Sunday and Monday, be sure to watch the games for enjoyment and to glean more valuable information.