A Few Do's Brett Martin, Fantasy Football Guest Writer Jun 25, 2008 | More

¨ Read, read and read some more.   Opinions are strongly encouraged and the closer the player's relationship is to the giver of that opinion, the better.   I primarily read local papers on the web throughout training camps. Insightful information is available about how players are performing, what coaches think of certain players and how they are being utilized, from the player's or coach's perspective.   The top players at each position have value that is well documented but for the remaining players, this information can be the difference in correctly assessing what value a potential breakout/sleeper/flyer/under-rated player should be given.   Many titles are won because of the contribution of players who seemingly come out of nowhere to make a huge fantasy impact.    

¨ Learn your league's scoring system.   This can never be overstated.   In a re-draft league I participate in, one of the owners pointed out that our scoring system needs adjustment because the top kickers outscore many of the running backs.   What he fails to fully consider is that we only start 1 kicker but start as many as 4 running backs.   Given that configuration, it makes sense that the top kicker's scoring might be a little higher than a majority of the running backs.     While his point is valid, the difference is negligible when you consider that the kicker is only one of ten starters.    I'll let him draft the top kicker from last season while I draft running backs to help defend my title.

¨ Know which player's are heading to free agency .   Lists are available on the web every year of players who are in the last year of their contracts.   Let this list influence your thinking because ultimately these guys have more incentive to play harder than the next guy.   Will that translate into better numbers? Who knows but at least it won't be due to a lack of effort.   I read a quote from Steven Jackson recently that essentially admitted to this way of thinking.   Granted, he's already a stud but his acknowledgement of his contract status and his desire to get a big payday might have bumped him up my board a couple of spots.

¨ Check out a fantasy football message board .   They're all over the web and despite the downside of inappropriate posting behavior, you can find out good information about players in a timely fashion.   A simple search or a post starting with a question about a player or team will get the discussion flowing and then you can decide what is useful and what is colored by homerism.   With a little effort, you'll soon get a sense of which fans have a thoughtful perspective on a team or player.

¨ Last but certainly not least, have fun .   Most of us engage in fantasy football as a healthy diversion from the other responsibilities we have in life.   Of course we all want to do well, win trophies and earn some extra spending money but if you're not having fun in the process, you're missing the point.