Fantasy Football Draft Advice: The Do's and Don'ts

I consider myself to be a seasoned veteran of fantasy football, having been involved with it for several years, and I have learned, sometimes the hard way, what to do and what not to do when it comes to drafting. 

Although I have made many mistakes, too many to share here in one story, I have learned from these mistakes and hope to pass on some of the things that I have learned to others so that they don’t make the same mistakes I have.  We should learn from one another's mistakes.

So, here are five tips that I feel that anyone preparing for their 2010 Fantasy Football Draft could use to make sure that they have the best draft that they possibly can and get on the right track towards winning their 2010 fantasy league championships.

1.  Don’t Draft Too Early

My rule is to never draft before August.  In fact, the later that you can draft, the better.  Why?  You never know if your star player is going to get hurt and either miss training camp and not be ready for the start of the season or get lost to injury all together for the entire season.  Don’t roll your dice too early because you could lose big time.  Wait as long as you can to draft your team.

2.  Don’t Underestimate the Value of a Kicker

A lot of people wait to take kickers until the last round or the second-to-last round and by that time most of the better kickers in the league could be gone.  A good kicker can, at times, average 10 to 16 points a game depending on which team he is on, so don’t underestimate their value.

3.  Using the “Best Player Available” Philosophy Can Bite You

I have had the honor of selecting either first or second in some of the drafts that I have been involved in (mostly those that are one-time deals on one of the major fantasy football websites) and even though there might be someone who is a sure thing or has the better stats, you (or anyone else) just can’t predict just how well that player is going to do.  It’s best to go with gut instinct with that first pick and not necessarily the guy who is the best player available.

4.  Last Year’s Success Doesn’t Mean This Year’s Success

Just because a guy was outstanding last year doesn’t necessarily mean he’s going to be big again this year.  Research those players carefully, taking into account the changes that there will be on their team in 2010.  If they have coaching changes, quarterback changes or a change in offensive (or defensive) philosophy, you may want to do a lot of research to see if that player is worth picking up.  It might save you some heartache in the long run.

5.  Don’t Forget Your Defense

I have seen people not select a defense in their fantasy football draft thinking they will pick up a defense after they get a better look at some of the lower-rated guys on their roster.  They end up picking up a lower-quality defense and pay the price over the course of the season.  Grab a good defense in the middle to later rounds.  It will pay dividends for you later on.

I hope that what I have said here will help people out when it comes to drafting their fantasy football teams in the next couple of months.  Remember to do your research because that research will pay off big time in the long run.  Doing that and following some of the advice here should help you have a solid fantasy football season.