In a perfect world, most people wouldn’t have had their draft by now. I understand that life gets busy and it is hard to get people together for two hours but they should be done as close to week one as possible. That is when the picture is about as clear as it gets for depth charts and also because of injury. I had a friend a few years ago lose two of his top three picks to injury before the season started. That could have been prevented if they didn’t hold the draft before preseason. Just wait to draft. It makes life easier. 

When you are doing your drafts these next few weeks, I've got some do's and don'ts that will help have a leg up on the competition.

Knowing your leagues rules. 

Yes, this has to be brought up. There is a difference between standard and PPR. Does your league have a QB or TE premium? Are you playing with two QB’s? Suddenly, quarterback is the most important thing over anything else. Pay attention. There is also the need to know how waivers work, when the playoffs start, the format, and so on. Just take a minute to check it out. It could affect how you want to draft. 

There is not one certain way to win your league.

Drafting running backs with the first two rounds or grabbing a tight end early will not guarantee you winning your league. Fantasy football in general has changed a lot and will continue to do so. I use to be a heavy RB early and wait for a QB later kind of guy. Quarterbacks have started to get more valuable(especially the mobile ones) and workhorse running backs have gotten scarce. So when you see the Twitter thread with the guy promising that if you draft Travis Kelce in the first round that you'll win your league, that isn’t the only way to win. We want the best players obviously but there are multiple ways to end up in first place. I do like getting a tight end early if the price is right these days but when doing so, you are missing out on a premium wide receiver or running back more than likely. Unless you are a unicorn, you aren't going to get a top guy at each position. There is many ways to win which leads to my next point.

Take what the draft gives you. 

People will go into a draft with one plan and one plan only. It sounds great and all until the person before you ruins the plan and now you are on the clock scratching your head. It’s easy to say I’m going to draft a running back in the first two rounds or I’m doing a running back and a wide receiver. What if someone falls to you that you didn’t think was going to be there? Are you not drafting them now because of your plan? Being able to zig when others zag is critical, especially as the draft goes on. That is why I recommend doing some mock drafts or even getting into some bestball drafts to help. You don’t want to get caught with your pants down when its your pick. 

The bye week myth.

People will draft and make it a priority to not draft guys with the same bye week. Not that it would happen but if you had the chance to draft Jonathan Taylor and Christian McCaffrey back to back but found out they had the same bye week, would you? Come on now. I’d rather lose a week and win the league than worry about the bye week. The only time really this would come up as an issue is if you draft a backup quarterback with the same bye week which defeats the purpose. Not near as big of a deal as people make it out to be. 

In the early rounds, safe is better than upside. 

It’s been said before that the early players in your draft are the foundation to the house that you are building. There is no need to get wild and take on a bunch of risk early. A few years ago, Antonio Brown went to the Raiders and was projected as a first round pick. Rumblings of his demise were running around and the added risk of him going to a new team made the pick iffy. He ended up getting released by Oakland and never played a down for them. The juice wasn't worth the squeeze in that case but there were people out there who still stood behind him being a first round pick and ended up getting burned. In the later rounds, shoot for the sky. You aren’t winning your league with players who consistently get six points each week. When it comes to the first two to three rounds, remember we are building the foundation, not decorating the house.

Wait for defenses and kickers.

Someone in your league will draft a defense about five rounds before the draft is over and send everyone into a frenzy. Most of you realize that you end up using the waiver wire most week and play defenses by matchups. Just wait until the last two rounds and get your defense/kicker. If you are in a good fantasy league, you wouldn't be playing with a kicker to begin with but that's just me.

If you feel good about a player later in the draft but worried they might not be there when you come back the next round? Go get your guy. 

You don’t always have to follow the rules or follow the projections. Especially later on in the draft. Obviously, you don’t need to reach for them three rounds early but if it’s cutting close, get em. This is where you can take your shots on guys instead of having to play it safe with high floor but low ceiling guys. Also, if you went wide receiver heavy and are in need of a running back, it makes sense to get the running back instead of having to wait for the draft to come back to you and be left with nothing.

Be aware of your surroundings. 

When possible, it is nice to see how other teams are being drafted around you. If you see the guy after you has drafted three running backs with his first three picks, what do you think he is going to draft next? A receiver more than likely. If you feel like receiver is a little thin for awhile after, you might need to entertain the idea of getting one. 

You see someone takes a quarterback and what happens next? They all start flying off the board. Sometimes you need to hold steady and not reach for one because value is falling your way elsewhere. On the other hand though, if quarterbacks are getting thin, maybe its time to go get yours. Just keep an eye on things when available.

Handcuffing your running back.

This one is controversial to some but I am someone who will try my best to handcuff my star running back if I have one. For some, this isn’t necessary but for top end guys like JT, CMC, Dalvin, and so on, I think handcuffing can make life a little easier. Alexander Mattison is a great example to why handcuffing works for those who have owned Dalvin Cook over the years. It’s not always the case but if you ask me, I’m a handcuff guy. Also, if you have the handcuff to someone else's top running back and they go down, not only do they lose but you gain from it. It's not always a necessity but it is something I do and believe in.

If you are in multiple leagues, you have to mix it up a little bit.

It is very easy to have tunnel vision on players and end up drafting similar teams over and over. If it hits, that's great. If you draft similar teams over and over and two star players get injured, you’re screwed not only in that league but all of the other ones you have as well. There will be guys you love and guys you aren’t going to entertain the thought of. A perfect example is last year when I was heavy on Raheem Mostert. He looks phenomenal until he gets hurt four plays in and I lose him on most teams I have. Thankfully, I survived but if every team looks the same, just beware of the risk that is involved. Just make sure you have a little variance. 

I can’t guarantee you winning your league with these thoughts but I can keep you away from being in a dress as punishment for being last in your league. Do your research, be prepared, don’t drink and draft, and have fun.