Gentlemen and ladies, it’s one of the most wonderful times of the year – fantasy football drafting season.

Regular readers of this site know that I’m a bit obsessed with fantasy sports.  I’m the commissioner of a league called Iron Sheik involving ten of my buddies.  We’re now on our 7th year of playing together, and this football league represents our 23rd (we do baseball, football and basketball).  And simply put, I am really good at fantasy sports.  I’ve won four titles in the IS league with a fifth on the way (this year’s baseball) and have finished in the top three 10 times.  So while I may not be an "expert", this advice is as good as any you’ll find, I think.

But enough small talk – let’s get to the good shit.  First my general draft tips, then position-by-position breakdowns.

Draft Tips

1) Do your research.  This may seem obvious, but if you wing it, you’ll lose.  Sure, anyone with a fundamental knowledge of football can navigate through the first few rounds, but what happens in round 8 when you’re looking for a 3rd receiver and are deciding between Donte Stallworth and Mark Clayton? 

At the very least, visit the fantasy sections of ESPN, Yahoo, and CBS Sportsline to get a general idea of two things: what statistics players put up last year and where players are being drafting.  Yeah, odds are good that Peyton Manning will have around 30 TDs and he’s a high pick, but what about a guy like Phillip Rivers?  Where’s he being drafted in relation to John Kitna or Vince Young?

Go into the draft with some stuff printed out with last year’s stats.  That’ll give you a cheat sheet to look over during the draft.  Additionally, I like to highlight certain guys I like, making notes on the side.  Do whatever makes you comfortable, but you should have a little bit of paperwork to refer to during the draft and to keep you grounded.

2) Lie and manipulate.  If you are in a league with friends, constantly engage them in conversations before the draft.  Feel them out about their battle plans, who they like, etc and reciprocate with information that is entirely false.  The important thing is to be sincere and seem honest.  A good way to do this is by saying stuff like, "You know, I don’t even know if I should tell you this, but I think John Kitna is going to blow up this year" when you secretly think his shoulders going to detach from his body in Week 3.

Say you have the 6th pick in the first round, and your buddy has the 5th.  You really, really want Frank Gore, but think your buddy at 5 is going to take him.  The solution: talk up another player.  "Dude, I love Addai.  I love him in that Colts offense this year.  But c’mon – don’t take him, dude.  I’m calling dibbs on him."  More than likely, your buddy at 5 will take Addai, in the hopes of screwing you over, and you’ll get Gore.  Remember, the other owners in your league are just as soulless as you are, just much, much dumber.  The point is, NEVER show your true hand.  Flaunt your fake hand constantly.

3) Don’t panic, and start or stay off the waves.  Countless mistakes are made during the draft because the manager was panicking.  Don’t be like this.  As your pick comes back to you, be sure to have at least two choices ready.  This way, if the guy ahead of you takes the player you wanted, you don’t make a rash decision and end up taking a kicker in the 5th round.

A good deal of draft panic derives from position runs.  This happens when a number of players of the same position are selected in a row, causing owners to think, "Holy crap!  All the [QBs, WRs, TEs, etc] are going!  I have to get one now!"  The result is that they wind up with a not-as-good player, because they jumped on the wave too late.

My advice is to either stay off these or start them.  I usually stay off rather than start them, just because it’s easier.  But say you’re in the third round, and the guy a few picks before you takes Donovan McNabb.  Then the next guy takes Marc Bulger.  Then the next guy takes Vince Young or Matt Hasselbeck or someone.  Then it’s on.  You’ll see a flurry of managers selecting QBs that shouldn’t be selected.  In this situation, I would back off, take a RB or star WR, and wait a few rounds before taking a serviceable QB (Kitna, Cutler, etc).

Runs or waves most often happen late in the draft when people pick kickers or defenses.  I usually completely ignore these, preferring instead to take a third RB or another QB.  Which brings us to…

4) Fuck tight ends, kickers, and defenses.  Simply put, these don’t matter very much.  There’s something to be said for having Antonio Gates or Tony Gonzalez, but if you don’t get them in round 4 or 5, forget it.  In a 16 round draft, I won’t take these three positions until rounds 12-16.  And even then I don’t put much thought into it.  I’d rather pick up a different defense every week and draft a backup RB with starting potential than take the Pittsburgh defense in the 8th.

5) Know your enemy.  When you’re picking, it’s important to know who the managers around you already have on their teams.  For example, say you have the 8th pick in a 10 person league.  It’s the 3rd round, and you’re really looking for a QB, but you see that a nice WR has fallen to you.  Check to see who the 9th and 10th owners have.  If they already have a QB, take the WR with your 3rd round choice and then get the QB on the wrap in the 4th round, following the logic that if the guys picking after you already have a QB, they’re not going to take another one.  This knowledge is key.