Fantasy Football Tips

I play in a highly competive fantasy football league. The last three years I've finished 1, 2 and 1 respectively and last year also won first in another public Yahoo! league. So, naturally, I'm always being asked for drafting tips. Well, I may regret this, but here they are:

• Draft RBs on teams that score alot - Obvious, but many times forgotten in the heat of the draft. Touchdowns are king in most leagues so a RB on this type of team will benefit from this.
• Draft WRs on teams that pass alot - The WR position is one that can really set you apart from the pack because there are not many receivers that are consistent. Drafting a receiver on a team that passes alot (Colts, Bengals, Rams, Cardinals) will strenghten your teams consistency from week to week.
• Draft single committe RBs - We all hate the RBBC teams such as the Jaguars, Cowboys Vikings, Saints because things are so up and down from week to week. A back that gets most of the carries is also going to get most of the rushing TDs. He'll also get alot of receptions just because he's in the game most of the time.
• Draft RBs that get receptions - Last year Steven Jackson was the 2nd leading receiver on the Rams. A RB that can catch is almost like having an extra player on your team. This is huge!
• Don't draft alot of players that play in cold climates - This is important, especially late in the season when things matter and the weather is getting colder. A game played outside in the snow or freezing weather does one thing....slows the game down. It's hard to catch, run, pivot...just about everything. It's hard for a players to put up good fantasy numbers when they are playing in the cold. Most of these games are like 10-7 games so that's never good for fantasy points.
• Take risks - If you risk pays off....your a champion. Last year I took Randy Moss early, that didn't pay off. The year before I took T.O. when he went to the Cowboys and everyone was skeptical...that did payoff, he had a great year. If you risk doesn't work out, no worries, I believe there is always a player you can grab off the free agency that can fill that gap. You just may need to wait and watch the injury report closely. Last year I got Ladell Betts mid-season and he put my team above everyone else.

Hope that helps. Its worked for me for years.

Three RB Sleeper Picks - these are guys I think you'll get later then the first or maybe second round that could have breakout years.

1. Travis Henry - I wouldn't be surprised if he gained 1800 yards this year. It's the first time that Denver has had just one back taking most of the carries. Last time that happened was Reuben Droughns later in 2004...he dominated, but wasn't a dominating back, just a product of the great Denver O-Line.
2. Cedric Benson - With the absence of Thomas Jones (Jets) Benson could benefit greatly. He'll get all the carries. Rex isn't gonna break any passing records, so Benson will be relied upon a bunch. Besides, the Bears are a notorious running team. Benson could be this years Frank Gore. You heard it here.
3. Edgerrin James - This could be the top sleeper of the year. Many think he's too old because of just one bad season on a team with no offensive line. Edge just turned 30 and don't forget he rushed for 1500 yards just 2 years ago and did rush for 1159 last year on a horrible team. Edge really picked it up later last year and the Cardinals have a new coach, more experienced QB, great recievers (that will open things up) and are focusing on their offensive line. Russ Grimm is the offensive line coach and the cards drafted OL Levi Brown in the first round.

Stayed tuned for more sleeper picks from other positions over the coming days.