Fantasy Draft 101

The third week of the 2013-14 NFL preseason is officially in the books. This also marks the beginning of the busiest week for fantasy football drafts. Preseason game three is better known as the dress rehearsal. The only time all preseason that each team will play their starters (ie...the people you're looking to draft) into the third quarter. Position battles are also largely decided by then, so waiting until this week gives everyone the most information possible heading into their draft.

If this is your first time participating in fantasy football, or you're looking to break out of the cellar, then you're in luck. As a disclaimer, there are too many factors involved to predict championship success. But the following fantasy draft principles will, at the very least, have you in playoff contention as your season winds down.

Conservative early, risky late:

We all think we know our football, but the first few rounds of the draft is not the time to stoke your ego. Resist the temptation to deviate from the draft board provided by the hosting site. They are not only accurate, they also provide valuable statistics from the player's previous season. Make sure you get a qb in the first 4 rounds. Good qb's win games. Great qb's win playoff games. The top ten qb's are usually listed on the top ten of the qb draft board. The first few rounds is also not the time to show your loyalty to a friend, relative, colleague, or classmate that is listed waaaaaaaay down the bottom of the list. As I stated earlier, the draft board is pretty accurate....he'll be available later....trust me.

Once you've drafted your starting lineup (excluding the kicker...we'll discuss him shortly), then you can take chances on risky players (inconsistent, but dominate when they do perform) or rookies with no statistical data. This is also the time to take a flyer on that gut pick...the homer pick (player from your favorite team)...and yes...your friend, relative, colleague, or classmate.

Watch The Bye Weeks:

As you begin to build your reserve roster, make sure you factor the player's bye week.  The bye week is usually located in the far right corner of the player's stat box. This is often overlooked, but essential to surviving the dreaded bye week season. Regardless of a backup player's talent, he will be useless to your lineup if he's on bye the same week as your starter at that position. Spacing out your bye weeks will also help you navigate through the various injuries your players may fall subject to...and yes...there will be injuries.

Read The Rules:

This is especially crucial for participants of multiple leagues. Scoring is customized by the league owner, make sure you know what positions get what points. For example, return specialists...even the great ones...are virtually useless if your league does not score points for return yards. Points per reception (or not) will move certain players up or down your board as well.

Defense / Kicker:

If you do not land one of the 3 or 4 top tier defenses, then it's better to add depth elsewhere until the final picks of the draft. Your kicker should always be taken with the last pick. He's the kicker for goodness sake.

Good luck!   follow @plcolter