TYLER WAGNER

It’s that time of year again and your friends have convinced you to join their fantasy football league. Whether you came in last place and were the laughing stock of your friend group or this is your first year playing, you’ve come to the right place to learn how to properly draft a fantasy football team.

The first thing to ask yourself is what exactly is a fantasy football league. When you own a fantasy football team, you have the full control to draft, trade and manage that team however you want. You select a team of players entirely of your choice and watch them perform every week; some teams will thrive and others will crash and burn.

The rules can vary immensely from league to league — rules such as the amount of quarterbacks or running backs on each team or whether your league decides to play with kickers on the roster. In some leagues, the rules for scoring can vary for how many points are earned for touchdowns or yards gained.

This is why it is important to talk to your commissioner and ask him the basic rules of your league. Last of all — and maybe the most important rule of fantasy football — is to draft with your head, not with your heart. Just because you are a big Pittsburgh Steelers fan doesn’t mean that you should be drafting Ben Roethlisberger in the second round!

When draft day comes around, you need to be prepared. Print off a draft cheat sheet from any website that will provide you with the projected top players at each position. No cheat sheet will be perfect, but most will be pretty close. Just make sure it’s an updated cheat sheet.

Now that you’ve got your cheat sheet, look online for injuries and suspensions that may affect the players you were thinking about drafting. Some key players to remember that are out are receiver Jordy Nelson of the Green Bay Packers (torn ACL), running back Le’veon Bell of the Pittsburgh Steelers (drug suspension), receiver Kelvin Benjamin of the Carolina Panthers (torn ACL) and the suspension of quarterback Tom Brady of the reigning Super Bowl champion New England Patriots (Deflategate).

Every year there’s always some players that you just simply don’t want on your fantasy team. They can be players that are easily injured and can be a risky pick, such as running back Arian Foster of the Houston Texans. There will also be players that just don’t produce enough on a consistent basis, such as running back Doug Martin of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Make sure you’re doing research on who the experts think could be sleeper picks this year. Sleepers are players that you take in the later rounds, but end up being some of the most important and high-scoring players on your team. Sleeper picks make the difference between a good team and a team that ends up being a league champion.

Some players to keep an eye on this year are receiver John Brown of the Arizona Cardinals, receiver Sammy Watkins of the Buffalo Bills and running back Darren Sproles of the Philadelphia Eagles. Keep in mind, just because these guys are sleeper picks doesn’t mean that you should pick them in in the third round. Wait until a later round and see the quality of players that are being selected, then make a judgement call and select one of these guys.

Using these basic tips will allow you to save some face in your fantasy football league and even gives you a chance to win some games and compete for the coveted title of fantasy football champion. Good luck!

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Image: Jeremy Britz/Graphics Editor