After you join up, the first major hurdle you will encounter is the draft. The draft is like Fantasy Football Christmas. You’re never sure what you’re going to get out of it, but it’s full of potentially good presents. The keys to drafting well are doing your homework (you don’t want to be the one who drafted an injured RB in the first round, do you?) and knowing what you want with each pick. Be sure to check out what kind of league you’re in, the number of position players you play each week, and the rules for scoring.

Now it’s time to make up a cheat sheet, probably the most important piece of draft day equipment. A fantasy owner without his cheat sheet is about as likely to win a championship as the 49ers in 2006. The cheat sheet is a ranking of the players that you are going to draft. A few tips for your cheat sheet and your draft:

• It’s probably a good idea to browse some “expert” rankings, but don’t rely solely on these, do your own research and you will know just as much as the experts.

• Don’t draft all your favorite players; as much as you love them, you have to put the good of your fantasy team first. Plus hopefully when your fantasy team down your favorite team and players will have a great week, and vice versa and you will feel better about football in general.

• Have a strategy and stick to it. Make your draft plan and don’t second-guess. That will only lead to holes in your team. Follow the cheat sheet you made and remember if things go wrong you can always make trades later.

• Draft a running back, and a good one, right away. Running backs can be overrated in fantasy football, but they can also carry a team to victory. They are the cornerstones of any fantasy team.

• Pay attention to which players other owners pick. First it’s good to gauge what kind of players you have with the rest of the owners in your league, so you know what you are up against during the season. Also, start formulating trade possibilities now, so you can be ready when one of your players goes down during the season (more on trading later).

• It’s not that important to pick up every position player as soon as possible. There will still be kickers left in the late rounds, but backup RBs will be gone. Look for depth especially in the RB, QB and WR spots.

• Don’t draft several starters from one team. You want several players to be independent on your roster. If you draft Drew Bledsoe, T.O., and Julius Jones and the Cowboys are playing a good secondary like the Ravens, all three may have off days (they could also both have amazing days when they play a team like the Texans, but is it really worth it?). You may be able to weather it, but if you have more than two skill players from the same team in your starting lineup, the likelihood of pulling off a victory after a bad week for the Dallas offense is slim.

• Finally, don’t fall asleep in the late rounds of the draft! This is where you can pickup insurance for the stars you grabbed in the beginning, and possibly wind up with some surprise starters. If you find your Tom Brady in the late rounds, your draft skills will be the talk of the league. Take a chance on an injured player who is returning, or pick a player who had a down year, but might be on the comeback trail. This is your chance to capitalize on a high-risk, high-reward prospect.

So now that the draft is over, what do you do with all of these players? It’s time to start checking out match-ups and teams, and strategizing when you start each of your players. With this I suggest sticking with your gut feelings and taking some risks in the first few weeks. You can always recover from a slow start as statistical trends become more apparent as the season progresses. Since most seasons are only 13 weeks in length, you establish a good idea of your starters by weeks 4-5.

Here are a couple things to keep in mind:

• If players you expected to put up big numbers are not performing at the start of the season, relax. Don’t always jump into a trade. You could regret it when the same player comes on strong as the season progresses.

• Keep bye weeks in mind and make sure you have appropriate back-ups in place for those weeks.

• Look for players to acquire off waivers, even if you just pick them up for one week. One big game from a player you snatched off waivers can be the difference between a win and a loss—or even a spot in the playoffs.

• Can’t forget injuries, they can make or break a fantasy team, just as they can an actual NFL team. Make sure you keep your eye on the status of your players as well as those you may be looking to acquire off waivers or trades.

• And, most importantly, keep managing, looking at stats, and updated on league activity. Just because the draft is over doesn’t mean your work is done. Don’t forget to throw around a little trash talk as well, because a victory isn’t nearly as sweet if you don’t savor it every chance you get.

Another huge part of the regular season is making trades—something many fantasy owners are scared to pursue because of the potential for a deal to backfire. Making deals can be one of the most valuable tools an owner has in his arsenal. Trades are big news for everyone in the league. Like almost everything in fantasy football, trades are all about looking at the numbers. Some things to keep in mind when approaching a trade:

• Don’t dive into something because it looks good in the surface. Really look at who you are getting, what teams they are playing, and their health status.

• Avoid the hype. Often a player has one good week, and everyone jumps on his fantasy bandwagon. One good week does not mean he will have many more good weeks. Take that first good week as an indicator—someone to keep your eye on. Perhaps wait until he has a less spectacular week and trade a lesser player for him.

As for the playoffs, if you make it there I doubt you still need this many pointers on how to play fantasy football, so just stick to what you have been doing the entire season. At times, fantasy football is about luck, but the beauty of the game is you can make some luck for yourself. Keep your eyes and ears open, take some risks and crunch the numbers. Before you know it, your team will become more important than your family for 17 weeks. You better prepare to make up for it in advance!