Rookie Mistakes

Here are a few helpful hints when heading to your Fantasy Football Draft.

• Bring the Depth Charts! NFL teams carry large rosters. Know who the starters are! I'll post a separate piece on each position.


• Don't get sucked into the hype about last year's Heisman Trophy winners. It doesn't guarantee a starting position this year!


• Know who's injured. A mild preseason injury isn't serious. A torn ACL is a season-ender. Don't count on your fellow owners to let you know before you say, "Final answer!" Many will, but it's also a competition and they're not obligated.


• Know who's suspended. You read about player notoriety in the headlines all the time. Now you need to pay attention. For example, this year Wide Receive Donte Stallworth has already been suspended for the year because of his March 14th DUI Manslaughter conviction.


• Know who's throwing to whom. A great wide receiver who moves to a new team, new offense and rookie quarterback may not be pulling down all the yards, receptions or touchdowns like he did in years past.


• Don't get carried away with your home team. When I first started, all I knew were the local heroes. Stockpiling all players from one team screams rookie, and rarely does anyone any good. However, refusing to draft certain players based on personal choice is fine. I'd select Marc Bulger's backup before picking Michael Vick. Just sayin'.


• Avoid the Committees! Just like at the office, committees can mean trouble in Fantasy. I mean Running Back by committee. You want the RB on a team where he gets the majority of carries on the field (for the yardage) and into the end zone (for the TDs). Nothing stings more than watching your guy carry the ball 59 yards and some other tank running it in for the big score.

And, yes, I'm speaking from experience on all of these. ;-)
~Mike