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a "reach" - taken too early - in the fourth round. So, as much as you want a "sleeper" - a player under the radar that could exceed expectations - you must look at your player board or "cheat sheet" to evaluate all of the players that will obviously be taken, then grab your sleeper, thereby maximizing your player value in every round.

Probability: Every team will suffer injuries over the course of the season, but as much as possible you should minimize this risk especially in the early rounds of the draft. Once you have a field of starting players, typically a QB, 2 RB's, 2-3 WR's and a TE, you can start to take chances, but make every one of them worthwhile.

FREE AGENTS / WAIVER CLAIMS: Tying in to the draft discussion above, towards the end of the draft, look for players - rookies, veterans returning from injury - that could have tremendous upside if things go well. The question to ask yourself in the late round picks is whether a given player will be available on the Free Agent wire if you do not take him; if so, you need to dig deeper and look elsewhere.

If the draft is where you build the foundation of your team, the weekly waiver claims is where you conduct structural maintenance - without this, your team will not succeed and prosper. Many leagues have first waiver wire runs late Tuesday night, with free agent pick-ups continuing from there until games begin the following week. When you rank your players for these claims, your first priority is to ask whether, if you get this player, you will start or consider starting him in the following week - this should focus your priority in setting your claims. Many leagues allow waiver claims in reverse order of league standings. If this is the case and you are hopefully near the top of your league, you MUST make your moves one week (or more) ahead of when they may become fruitful. So, just before rosters are locked for the upcoming week, find your most expendable player - this should become more difficult as the season continues as you continue to upgrade your roster - and pick up a potential starter a week early; by the time selecting that player becomes obvious, you will lose your opportunity to acquire him.

INFORMATION SOURCES: Sift through all of the media - websites, weekly and preseason periodicals - pick two of each that you trust for timeliness, completeness and ease of information gathering, know these well and use them all year. During the off-season, your goal is to stay abreast of developments, know which players are potential starters for next season and build your rankings right up to the day of your draft.

DAY OF THE DRAFT: Condense your rankings to at most two sheets, have your own blank sheet to fill in selections, find a place where you can spread out your sheets, but are isolated from the rest of the owners and, although it should go without saying, DO NOT DRINK AND DRAFT. The picks that you make in the late rounds may be the ones that win your league - you will be in the same league for decades or more, the same owners will make the same mistakes in a drunken stupor every season.

Good luck, enjoy yourselves and more later....

Learn more about this author, Pete Smits.
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