Tips for Fantasy Football Newbies, 2008 Fantasy Football Draft

So this is your first year playing fantasy football, and you are not really sure what to do at your league's draft. Have no fear. Follow the fantasy football tips below and you will be competitive with the best. And who knows. At the end of the season, with a bit of luck, you may even make it to your league's fantasy football super bowl.

1. Know Your Leagues Rules: Fantasy football has been around long enough that the rules have started to become pretty standard. But there are also lots of leagues that throw in special rules to spice things up a bit.

Some leagues draft individual defensive players, some don't require that you play a tight end. Some leagues score 6 points for a quarterback throwing a touchdown pass. Other leagues give only 3 or 4 points.

All of these variations in the rules will effect how you draft players in your fantasy draft. So make sure you read all the fine print in your leagues rules before you plan your draft. And adjust your draft priorities accordingly.

2. Running Back, Running Back and then.....another Running Back?: You will definitely want to draft running backs early. In most cases this means taking a running back in the first round and another in the second round. And to be safe you might even take another running back in the third round.

For the last 15 years in fantasy football drafts this has been an almost necessary strategy if you wanted to be competitive. In recent years the only exception to this has been Peyton Manning. He has usually been considered a solid second round or even late first round pick.

2008 is a little bit different. Both Randy Moss and Tom Brady will be considered solid first round picks. And there will also be additional quarterbacks and wide receivers taken in the second round. But those are exceptions to the rule. Despite the new for 2008 influx of quarterbacks and wide receivers into the first 2 rounds, running backs are still going to go fast and furious in the early going.

In almost all fantasy drafts all across the country 12 to 16 of the first 20 players drafted will be running backs. In past years that number was even higher. There are only a relatively small number of feature running backs available so get your 2 starting running backs early.

Fantasy football pros will sometimes buck this system but they take a risk that a later round running back will step up and play like a first rounder. If this is your first fantasy football draft taking a running back in the first round and another in the second round is still a very sound strategy.

3. Don't Be a Homer: I don't know if Homer Simpson ever played fantasy football but you don't want to be a homer at your fantasy draft. A 'homer' is someone who is in love with his or her hometown or favorite NFL team and drafts as many players from that team as they possibly can. Now there is nothing wrong with backing your favorite NFL team but if you want to have a great fantasy team don't be a homer.

Of course this does not mean to avoid your favorite teams players entirely but be objective in comparing those players with other teams players. If you are a New England Patriot fan drafting Tom Brady or Randy Moss early is a great idea. But if you are a Jets fan it is probably not a good idea to draft Brett Favre in the first round of your 2008 fantasy football draft.

4. Cheat Sheet: 'Be prepared' is more than just a Boy Scout slogan when it comes to fantasy football drafts. Before you go to your draft you need to have at least an updated cheat sheet ready to take to the draft.

A fantasy football cheat sheet is a one or two sheet list of all the top players that are likely to be drafted. The players are grouped by position and ranked from first on down. Good cheat sheets go about 50 deep in running backs and wide receivers, and 25 or so deep for quarterbacks, tight ends, defenses and kickers. Good ones also show the bye weeks for each player. You can find lots of free fantasy football cheat sheets on the Internet.

You can get one of those books or magazines about fantasy football but read it before you go to your draft. You won't have time to page through it during your draft. A cheat sheet is the perfect ticket for making fast draft decisions and tracking players already taken during your draft. Make sure it is up to date so you are not drafting players that are injured and out for the year.

As the draft progresses write on the cheat sheet everything that happens. Check off players that other teams take and circle players that you take. Note your player's bye weeks so you can field a solid line up every week. Draft for value and bye week fill-ins in the middle rounds.

5. Look For Draft Runs: A draft run is when a block of players at one playing position are drafted one right after the other. The first run, of course, will be on running backs in the first and second rounds. Then wide receivers will go in the late second and third rounds. These runs are expected and should not surprise anyone.

The first run that is unpredictable is the tight end run. Somewhere in the third to fifth rounds the first tight end will be taken. It will likely cause a panic run on tight ends. But don't panic. Take a top tight end in the fourth or fifth round if one is there. If not grab a good quarterback and added depth at running back and wide receiver for a few rounds before drafting your tight ends.

6. Drafting Rookies: It is rare for a rookie to make a huge impact his first year in the NFL. Adrian Peterson was an exception last year. But it is unlikely that another rookie will do the same thing in 2008. So your best bet is to not draft a rookie.

But if your heart is set on taking a certain rookie be aware that rookie running backs stand a much better chance of making a big impact their first year compared to rookie quarterbacks and receivers.

7. Kickers and Defenses: Did you know that the highest scoring players in the NFL are almost always kickers? So does that mean you should draft a kicker early in your draft? Nope. In fact it is usually a good idea to draft your kickers in the last 2 rounds of the draft.

This is because all of the top 10 to 15 kickers in the NFL score pretty much the same number of points on average over the course of a season. So there is almost always no value in taking a kicker before the last couple of rounds. Drafting for value is key to winning fantasy football.

The same is true to a lesser extent with defenses. Having a good defense is important in fantasy football but don't draft a defense until you are set at running back, quarterback and wide receiver.

8. Have Fun!!: Above all else, have fun at your fantasy football draft. It is, after all, a game about a game so have fun. Having fun and being a little lucky are just as much a part of fantasy football as strategy and knowledge.

Take running backs early, then wide receivers and quarterbacks. Draft defenses and kickers last. Fill in the middle picks with value picks to balance your team depth and bye week coverage. Have a great season and best of luck!