2010 Fantasy Football Draft Advice: The Art of Being Patient

Last year, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers may have been one the best value players in the draft. Those who saw potential grabbed him between rounds four through seven, depending on how aggressive the draft was at the quarterback position.

He ended the season a top tier fantasy QB. His draft status this year is lofty and he will be gone by the end of the second round in 99 percent of drafts.

And while others are planning their strategy around Rodgers, others will be banking on someone leaving behind a chance to pick up Ray Rice or Frank Gore in the first round.

You will be one of those people, because patience is what the fantasy football draft is all about.

Learn to pass up on your favorite player in favor of the one that is a member of a top five offense capable of racking up the points.

Make sure you spot the sleepers. And definitely don't overdraft them. They're sleepers because they look likely (read: it could happen, but no one is sure) to have a big season.

Analyze the risk/reward factors. There are players who may have lower ceilings than Peyton Manning or Tom Brady, but many will have solid base numbers that come close to their better-known peers.

Bank on feature backs, who provide solid numbers every week. Draft the best two you can get in the first two rounds.

Let others do the reaching. That is, watch while others fumble through their draft sheets, seeing if they can wing grabbing rookie receiver Dez Bryant in fifth round, because they've "got a good feeling about him."

As for rookies in general, only grab them as a major value selection. Only Chargers running back Ryan Matthews seems to be in a position to live up to the talk.

Drafting Bills running back CJ Spiller, for example, above round nine will likely leave you missing out on a strong No. 2 receiver in exchange for a player that is keeping experts guessing about his actual value.

If you're salivating over getting a particular player and it's not a top five running back, chances are that you've read a little bit too much about how "he's going to be a true fantasy force this year and you will have the ultimate steal if you get him early."

Watching that top-ranked receiver fall into your lap because other drafters can't pass up the top guy on their favorite team leads to pure draft day elation.

It's all about drafting at the position you've been given.

You draft the best player you can get at the time. If a big name falls to you, pick him up. If he's projected at ten spots past where you currently are drafting, don't reach down the ladder. Let someone else get him. You'll grab someone with a higher ceiling on a better offense.

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