Fantasy Football Basics - Easy Ways to Build a Winning Fantasy Team

It's almost July, which means Fantasy Football season will be in full swing soon and plenty of work production will be lost as "owners" work on building the perfect team.

I don't spend much time working on my teams but do have relatively solid success each season now after learning from mistakes earlier in my fantasy career. From those mistakes, I have developed some guidelines that I stick with religiously and have seen the result of that unfold.

Rule 1 - Draft based on potential, not past success. One of the biggest mistakes people make is they look at a player's success from the previous year and naturally assume that'll mean they'll have a good year this year. But, you need to look at the big picture too.

For example, Peyton Manning had a great year at quarterback last year and should be able to do the same this season because he has just as much offensive talent surrounding him. Tony Romo, however, had a great last part of the season last year but is now playing under a new head coach and a first year offensive coordinator and may not be able to build on that success.

It works both ways too. Donovan McNabb let fantasy owners down last season after getting hurt. But, if he can stay healthy this year, he could be a steal for a team. Brett Favre put up average numbers with the Packers but he's playing behind a more experienced offensive line this year and, even though they didn't trade for Randy Moss, the team did add more talent at receiver.

Rule 2 - Know you're league rules. I like calling this one my Tiki Barber rule. Last season, the now retired Barber rushed for 1,662 yards with the Giants. If you play in a league that gives you points based on yardage, he would have been a good pick up. However, many leagues only give points for touchdowns. In those leagues, Barber's back up, Brandon Jacobs, who rushed for 9 touchdowns compared to Barber's 5, would have been the better fantasy player.

Rule 3 - Don't forget the kicker. I actually am a bit different than many of my fellow owners because I draft my kicker early; usually around the second or third round. I do this because, in leagues that only reward you for points scored, they are among the most reliable fantasy players. Kansas City Chiefs running back Larry Johnson averaged 7.1 points per game in my league. Chiefs' kicker Lawrence Tynes averaged just below that with 6.7 points.

Rule 4 - Defense wins championships. Again, this is a situation where you need to know your league rules but having the right defense can pay big dividends. Some leagues pay for turnovers others give points based on points the defense holds the opposing team to. I had a couple of weeks last year when having the Chicago Bears' defense was the difference maker.

Rule 5 - Pay attention to the bye weeks. Most fantasy leagues have you playing games against an opposing team on a weekly basis. It does you no good to have Manning, the Denver Broncos defense and Detroit Lions' receiver Roy Williams in Week 6 when they all have the week off. Try to get the best players from teams that don't all have the same bye-week and make sure you have quality backups those weeks they don't play.

Rule 6 -Avoid Rookies. The only exception to this might be a rookie half back that will be a starter on a good team since there's little adjustment for them to make. But, in general, rookie players receive more hype than they are worth; especially receivers and quarterbacks who will have to go through a big adjustment at the next level.

Rule 7- Most important, remember it's just a game. Unlike a real GM, you're not going to lose your job if your team sucks. You may, however, lose your real job if you obsess over it and don't do your real work. Make sure you have your priorities straight. This is also an important rule because I've seen too many fantasy owners fail because they were so obsessed with winning they would play it too safe and wouldn't take a shot on mediocre quarterback with the potential of a good season or a receiver who may or may not be suspended for violating league rules. Those of us who remember it's just a game are unafraid to take a risk and that does translate into wins.

Besides, if it's not fun, then why do it in the first place?