Fantasy Football 2013: What You Need to Know Before Ranking Your Draft Board

NFL preseason has officially begun, and that can only mean one thing: Get your fantasy football draft boards out and start ranking the players.

However, before you finalize your draft board, there are a few things you need to know for the 2013 fantasy football season if you do not want to be the laughingstock of your league.

Maurice Jones-Drew's Health

Before the 2012 season, Maurice Jones-Drew was a lock to be one of the first running backs off fantasy draft boards. From 2009 to 2011 he ran for at least 1,300 yards each season and scored 34 touchdowns.

After only playing in six games last year due to a foot injury, fantasy football owners are starting to question whether MJD will still be effective. Not only is he coming off an injury, but look at the Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback situation—or lack thereof. Blaine Gabbert or Chad Henne? Really?

It seems like everything is stacked up against Jones-Drew.

However, I wouldn't count MJD out just yet. He is entering a contract year and appears to be 100 percent for the 2013 season. Everyone knows that in a contract year running backs put forth their best effort, as it is most likely their last shot to cash in on one more big contract.

Make sure to check on Jones-Drew's health throughout preseason. If everything goes as planned, he is definitely a top-10 fantasy running back and is guaranteed at least 20 to 25 touches per game.

Steven Jackson's Role in the Atlanta Falcons Offense

How exactly are the Atlanta Falcons going to use Steven Jackson this year? Are they going to use his full skill set and let him be a third-down back, or are they still going to try to incorporate Jacquizz Rodgers?

Fantasy football owners should watch the Falcons offense closely throughout the preseason, because this will prove whether Jackson will be a top-10 running back or just your average No. 2 fantasy back. Jackson has shown in the past he can be not only an elite runner, but also one of the better pass catchers out of the backfield. In 2006 with the St. Louis Rams, he not only ran for over 1,500 yards and 13 touchdowns, he also caught 90 passes for over 800 yards and three TDs.

If Jackson is heavily used in the passing game, lock him in as having a breakout year. If not, you are looking at Michael Turner 2.0.

Is Robert Griffin III 100 Percent Healthy?

Perhaps the biggest offseason story we've followed has been Robert Griffin III's rehab from knee surgery. Will he return to 100 percent at the start of the season?

Before his injury, RG3 was one of the most dominant players in the NFL. Whether he was throwing or running, every week he was putting up huge fantasy numbers. What fantasy football owners are not sure of now is if RG3 should be used the same this year.

Is Mike Shanahan still going to let him run the ball as much as he did last year, or is he going to make RG3 more of a pocket passer to protect his knee? If healthy and used the same way as he was last year, there is a great chance RG3 could be a top-five fantasy football quarterback.

The only problem is no one will know until Week 1 of the regular season, since RG3 will be held out of preseason games. This makes it difficult to draft him in the early rounds.

Who Is the New York Giants' Starting Running Back?

All signs seem to point to David Wilson being the starting running back for the New York Giants in 2013, but fantasy football owners need to make sure that he is going to be a workhorse.

Are the Giants going to let him replace Ahmad Bradshaw and give Wilson at least 250 carries this season, or will they use a running back by committee with Wilson and Andre Brown?

If Wilson gets the majority of the carries, then expect him to be one of the breakout fantasy football players of 2013. If not, then you are looking at the second coming of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart: two talented running backs who have very little fantasy value because of their lack of touches.

Who Is Going to Be Tom Brady's No. 2 Receiver?

No Wes Welker or Aaron Hernandez, and now it looks like Rob Gronkowski may end up missing the first six games of the season.

Does anyone know who Tom Brady can throw to this season besides Danny Amendola? 

Right now it appears the rookie Aaron Dobson is going to be lining up as the New England Patriots No. 2 receiver, but it is not certain yet. One thing that is certain, though, is that whoever wins this job is going to have significant fantasy football value.

Brady can turn a no-name receiver into a star immediately. You think there was ever a chance Deion Branch would win Super Bowl MVP without a quarterback like Brady?

Also, one cannot be so sure Amendola is going to stay healthy. In his last two seasons, Amendola has only played 12 games, so it's likely that a receiver like Dobson could become Brady's top receiving target in 2013.