Fantasy Football: Strategies to Win

Drafting a fantasy football team is often like Christmas morning for most avid NFL fantasy players. It's a day that many players spend countless hours preparing for. When that day finally comes, the excitement begins! However, there is one downside to drafts, which is the draft order. Quite often, the draft order is set randomly. If you are the lucky one to get the top pick in the first round, then you automatically have an edge over your competition, as you will most likely end up with fantasy phenom, Mr. Tomlinson! If you are unlucky and end up with the last pick, you will still end up with a decent player, but not having a stud like L.T. to rely on can make the championship journey a bumpy one.

If you are one that gets discouraged by the draft order, then have no fear. There is a new trend in fantasy football that is starting to take off. It's the "one and done" method. In these new formats, every league member is allowed to pick ANY player they want. There is no draft order. Is there a catch? Of course there's a catch. The catch is that you can only play each guy once. So if you start L.T. in week one, that's it. He'll never score points for you again after week 1. It is an interesting format that really tests the strategic powers of fantasy gurus.

So if you sign up for one of these leagues, keep these tips in mind:

-Don't be impatient. It's a marathon, not a sprint, so don't feel like you have to use up all the top players in the first 3 or 4 weeks. If you start off the season with a low score in week 1, then don't be discouraged. Chances are, the people that kicked your butt in week 1 are the same people that used up all of their studs.

-Study the preseason. Check up on who did not play much during preseason. Sometimes this means nothing, but other times it does. Tomlinson, for example, never plays a single down in preseason. During the '07 season, he got off to a very slow start in the first couple of weeks. But once he got warmed up, he was like his old self again and made all of his owners smile all the way to the bank. So, if the guy hasn't played at all in preseason, you may want to wait a little while before using him. Let him get warmed up. It should be worth the wait.

-Study the matchups carefully. Don't use a stud quarterback in a road game against a stingy defense. Wait until he has a home game against a weak pass defense.

-Study the injury reports carefully. Remember, you can only use each guy ONCE per season, so make sure you get your money's worth. If you are picking a guy that is on the bubble from being "questionable," then wait a couple more weeks to use him. Don't waste anybody . . . more specifically, don't waste a fantasy stud.

-Be patient, but not TOO patient. You don't need to use guys like Tony Romo and Tom Brady early in the season, but at the same time, you must remember who these guys play for. They play for extremely good teams, meaning that they may not have much to play for at the end of the season. So if you wait until week 17 to use Romo, you may have waited too long. By that time, the Dallas Cowboys may have already clinched home field advantage for the playoffs . . . and Brad Johnson may be the starting quarterback in their meaningless last game.

-Don't stuff your eggs in one basket. In other words, if you are using Tony Romo during week 2, then don't use Terrell Owens, Marion Barber and Jason Witten at the same time. Sure, this way may guarantee you points, but the chances of every single one of these players having a huge day on the same week are slim. You need to maximize your opportunity for high scores. Using a bunch of players on the same team fails more than it succeeds.

-Pray to God. Fantasy football is one of the frustrating games known to man! You need all the help you can get!