How to Dominate Your Fantasy Football Draft

Only those who've been through the ordeal know the intensity involved in a fantasy league draft. Whether it's regular drafting or an auction, you need to be prepared to make the right decision under pressure. While picking the elite players is always a no-brainer, it's what you do with the rest of your picks that could potentially have your fellow teams kicking themselves later on. Here are several, often overlooked, ways to dominate your fantasy football draft.

First and foremost, do your statistics research. There's no better advantage than knowledge. Print out lists of the top players for each position, as well as possible sleepers. If you have trouble remembering them all, just list the starting players for each team. Every team has a go-to wide receiver and running back and many are forgotten. For example, those who did their research for 2009 would have realized that Cedric Benson (RB Cincinnati Bengals), who did nothing for most of 2008, quietly rushed for nearly 400 yards in his last three games -- and seen a possible breakout season coming. 

Aside from prior year performances, follow the real NFL draft and make note of the rookies. Don't just listen to the hype. Try to figure out who has the best chance of starting. The most valuable rookies tend to be running backs. Although the 2009 season was unusually quiet, who could forget the effect first-year running backs Matt Forte (Chicago Bears) and Chris Johnson (Tennessee Titans) had just one year before? Every year there are several rookies who turn out to be worthy of one of your picks. 

Once things are underway, be aware of what positions other teams are drafting. As always seems to happen, when one or two teams draft a certain position, a slew of others will follow suit, desperate to snag one of the supposedly better players before it's too late. Don't fall into this trap. Instead, head in the opposite direction. 
For instance, if your league is going all out for tight ends, go for a decent back-up running back while no one is thinking about it. Imagine how happy you'd be if, in 2009, you hadn't chased down Jason Witten (TE, Cowboys) but had gone for for Ricky Williams (RB, Miami Dolphins) instead. So what if you're the only one who ended up with a no-name tight end? The chances are pretty good that a breakout, such as Vernon Davis (TE, San Francisco 49ers), will go un-drafted and be waiting for you on the waiver wire.

Finally, never choose a kicker or defense until the last two rounds, and never draft more than one of each. Why? First, although some kickers are generally better than others, there are plenty to choose from. Not to mention, they usually start getting dropped once the bye weeks roll around anyway. 

Defenses have more upside, but are harder to predict. In 2009, the top two fantasy defenses were the San Francisco 49ers and the New Orleans Saints; considering their performances the year before, it's almost guaranteed they were undrafted in your league when the season began. Again, use up those bench spots for potential sleepers and rookies. 

After the dust has settled, if you don't feel you did as well as you'd hoped, don't sweat it. In reality, the fantasy football draft does not make or break anyone's season. In fact, a lot of successful teams are the ones that feel they've blown their initial picks so they have no problems taking risks on free-agents. 
Try to create the right balance. Focus on picking up the absolute, sure-fire studs in the first few rounds, but after that, feel free to take some chances. Your league mates will be a lot more impressed if you bring home the trophy on the back of Ray Rice (RB, Baltimore Ravens) instead of Peyton Manning (QB, Indianapolis Colts). And isn't that what it's all about?