1. NFL Draft - The months from February to April are filled with NFL Draft information. Some of the best steals on Draft Day can be rookies. Edgerrin James, Jamal Lewis, Randy Moss, and Anthony Thomas all had huge rookie seasons. Rookies can also burn you, as Michael Bennett owners will tell you. NFL draft preparation is quite involved. It starts by scouting the college players as you watch the Bowl and College All-Star games. You also have information all over the Internet about how each player did at the week of practice before the All-Star games. Sometimes the practices are more important the game play. Next, each player works out at the combines in February and March. Players have moved up full rounds by a good combine. Combine information can be found on the web as well. Sites like ESPN, Sportsline, NFL.com, etc all have the information on the combines. Do not expect to be an expert on every player just by watching the college football games. There are just too many players to watch. The best idea is to either pick up Mel Kiper's Draft report or Pro Football Weekly's Draft Preview. You try to get as much information on the draft and the players as possible. Of course, you must watch all 7 rounds of the draft.
   
   
2. Free Agency - The draft is just step one in the long process of Fantasy Football preparation. Free Agency has totally changed the way Fantasy Football preparation is done. NFL teams use to keep 80-90% of their roster intact from year to year. Then came along Free Agency. Keeping up with what players go to what teams can be a full time job. The Internet has made this a lot easier though. Not only will you need to know that Michael Pittman is now playing for Tampa Bay, but you need to know who is blocking for him, throwing to him, etc. Even the coaching changes can have a major effect on a player's value. What I like to do is keep a depth chart of each team and update it as the movement happens. It makes life a lot easier when you decide to do your rankings.
   
   
3. Drafting - I really believe doing as many fantasy drafts as possible is essential for success in Fantasy Football. They do not all have to be real leagues. You can do all mock drafts if you do not have time to take on the leagues. Some people do not see the need for doing additional drafts but it is like studying for a final exam. You have to know what round certain players are going in a draft. This is the way to build the best team. An owner in his first fantasy draft of the year may grab Derrick Mason in round three. If he had done some previous mock drafts, he would have known that he could have nabbed Mason in late round four or round five. This would have allowed him to grab Aaron Brooks in round three and still get Derrick Mason as well. It is like buying a television set at one store for $400 when you could have had it for $300 down the street at Best Buy. If you want to build the best team, you must know what round you can get your players at.
   
   
4. Rankings - Everyone does their Fantasy Football rankings differently. Some owners will use someone else's rankings (a Fantasy Football Website, a Magazine or even a Friend). This is definitely something I do not suggest doing. The first problem is generally they are not ranking the players off of your scoring system. Add into the fact that the rankings are based on their opinions so you gambling they know what they are talking about. Some owners will create their own rankings. They will base them off of projections they see on the Internet. My suggestion is to not only use your own rankings, but to base them off of your own projections. This forces you to research every player. You will know all the statistics of every player for the last 5 years. You will also know exactly how much better Randy Moss will be than Terry Glenn because you have the exact numbers to back it up. You will update the projections as the offseason goes along. Projections will make doing your own rankings at each position so much easier since the numbers are right in front of you.
   
   

• QB: Shaun King Tampa Bay
  You can call me crazy on this one, but I feel this is King's chance to shine. He is third on the depth chart, but Gruden has stated this will be an open competition. King played great in last year's preseason, but had little opportunity to win the job with Brad Johnson being the anointed starter in 2001. I believe King will get every opportunity to win this job and expect him to do so. Remember, King's mobility gives him an advantage in Gruden's West Coast offense. Keep your eye on this situation this summer.
  
  
• RB: Troy Hambrick Dallas
  When picking a sleeper at running back you have to look at opportunity. Selecting a sleeper like Trung Canidate or Travis Minor is futile most of the time (unless you own Faulk or Williams of course) because the only way he becomes the starter is through injury. You have to look at a talented player that has a shot to overtake the starting role, which is the case with Hambrick. Hambrick did a fantastic job of filling in for Emmitt Smith in 2001. He averaged 5.1 yards a carry and had a couple of very nice games. He gained 107 yards on 10 carries against Philadelphia and 127 yards on 20 carries against Atlanta. Factor in Emmitt's age and you have a nice sleeper on your hands.
  
  
• WR: Chad Johnson CIN
  The position that seems to have the most sleepers every year is Wide Receiver. Chad Johnson could very well be the next in line. I loved Johnson coming out of college. At the Senior Bowl in 2001, Johnson was very impressive. He got drafted into a situation where he was unfortunately buried on the depth chart behind Peter Warrick and Darnay Scott. Cincinnati is at the point where every job is open (except number 28's in backfield). Chad Johnson has nice speed (he runs a 4.45 in the 40), good hands and great body control. He also seems very motivated this off-season to gain a starting job. He has put on 15 pounds of muscle, but has not lost any speed at all (It has been said he may be even faster this year). If Warrick or Scott do not impressive this preseason, do not be surprised to see Chad Johnson in the starting lineup on opening day.
  
  
• TE: Alge Crumpler Atlanta
  Crumpler was a rookie that shared time with veteran Reggie Kelly at the Tight End spot in 2001. He still managed to have 25 catches for 330 receiving yards. He is capable of so much more. He is a huge target is very soft hands. With the lack of Wide Receivers in Atlanta, Crumpler could end up being Michael Vick's new best friend. Young Quarterbacks tend to use Tight ends as their security blankets. Do not be surprised to see get at least 40 catches in 2002.

Just a Little Bitz

1. As I mentioned earlier, drafts can be vital to your own draft day. Along with doing mock drafts, you can be helped by studying some drafts by very experienced Fantasy Owners. Here are two leagues with drafts that are already underway:
   
   FanEx Analysis Draft
   Beyond the Battlefield
   
   
2. A year ago I got trashed by a reader for the fact I predicted in an article that Eddie George would be a bust in 2001. I stated in the article George was due for an injury. The reader seemed like a Titan's fan that was a little defensive. I am going to take a U-Turn this year and state Eddie George will be one of the comeback players in 2002. I wonder if that Titan's fan was more steamed over the fact that George had a bad year or the fact that I was actually right.
   
   
3. I am a little baffled by Elvis Grbac's retirement. He stated that he did not want to move his family again. If this truly was the case than why did he not accept Baltimore's last offer. I would tend to think that playing for Millions would be better than retiring and getting nothing. It makes you wonder if Grbac's reasons were more than just not wanting to move his family. Maybe he even lost the confidence to lead a football team anymore.
   
   
4. In my observation of the Detroit Lion's management in the last year and a half, I am totally baffled. I live in Michigan, but I am not a Lion's fan (born and raised in Buffalo, NY). They keep making moves that show their lack of experience in both the Coaching and General Manager position. The first move was trading for Ty Detmer right before the regular season opened last year. If you do not have your quarterbacks set by late in the preseason, you are in real trouble. Batch got benched by week two and Detmer showed the world why he should have been the one on the bench. Their most recent questionable move was when they cut their best wide receiver in Johnnie Morton. They could have easily not signed Schroeder or Hakim and kept Morton. Someone needs to remind Millen that speed may kill, but you have to catch the ball first. Something Az-Zahir Hakim cannot do.
   
   
5. Maybe I am the only one, but I think Trent Dilfer will have a good season. A lot of people still remember him for the quarterback that was in Tampa Bay. There are certain quarterbacks that take time figure it all out. We cannot expect every quarterback to pick it up as fast as Peyton Manning. Sometimes with age comes the maturity and wisdom a player needs to succeed in the NFL. I believe this has happened to Dilfer. It is not only the fact he wins, but also how he wins. He knows where and when to throw the ball because of the experience he possesses now. He has seen almost everything a defense can throw at him so he is more prepared than in his youth. Just remember that Rich Gannon, Vinny Testeverde, and Doug Flutie all seemed to be better quarterbacks in their thirties.
   

:: comments to tim ludwig