It’s that time of year where we can all escape our mundane lives and become football team owners for 16 weeks. Here are some tips to live by and some players you to both avoid and target during your draft and managing season.

5 Fantasy Tips

5) Draft your star running back’s backup. It happens every year. Priest Holmes in 2005. Clinton Portis in 2006. A premier running back goes down. What do you do if your #1 pick is sidelined? If you had Larry Johnson in 2005 and Ladell Betts in 2006, you wouldn’t have missed a beat. It doesn’t matter how many bench spots your league may provide; always store away your star’s backup whether it be via a late draft pick or an immediate waiver wire pickup. Imagine being without a running back and providing your opponent with an automatic starter. So if you’re lucky to land LaDainian Tomlinson, make sure you’re packing Michael Turner.

4) Make use of “spot” defense playing. Most defenses are subject to volatile performance. If you don’t draft a Chicago or Baltimore defense, you can always grab a defense off waivers playing a weak offense. Plan ahead and research what defense is playing what offense two, three, four weeks down the road.

3) Don’t draft a quarterback too early. There are two quarterbacks worthy of a high draft pick: Peyton Manning and Carson Palmer. After they are gone, don’t panic because you don’t have a quarterback. If you playing in a 10 or 12 team league, there are plenty of solid quarterbacks to go around. If one of your opponents drafts two quarterbacks early, than that is just plain stupid. If you have a choice between a top ranked receiver and Tom Brady, take the receiver and draft a Jon Kitna or J.P. Losman in subsequent rounds.

2) Try to draft a full time running back. The running back platoon is being seen more and more these days. And nothing is more frustrating than having one back get all the yards and one get all the goal line carries and touchdowns. Having two full time running backs on your team is nearly impossible, but you want at least one. Some names include LT, Frank Gore, Rudi Johnson, Larry Johnson, Steven Jackson, and Joseph Addai.

1) Be on top of things. The great thing about football is that over 90% of the games are played in one day. Devote your time to know the latest injuries and the breakout sleepers so you can be the first to the waiver wire. Spend a few minutes a day reading the latest news, so you can be sure you are putting the best team out there every week.

Top 5 Overrated:

5. Cedric Benson—Offense is not the Bears’ game. He is the starting running back by default, but really has not proven anything in the past 2 years.

4. Lamont Jordan—Did any Raider give you any offensive production whatsoever last year? Not even worthy of a bench spot in my book.

3. Vince Young—Yes, he probably has the best running game of all quarterbacks, but he’s still very immature. Don’t mess with the Madden curse.

2. Clinton Portis—I can’t stand constantly worrying about the health of a top position player. Choosing him presents a big risk for your team.

1. Brandon Jacobs—You can’t replace Tiki Barber, so don’t even try. It’s going to be asking an awful lot to have Jacobs go from a short yardage/goal line carrier to an every down back. A running back with a linebacker’s build is not necessarily a good thing. And he doesn’t exactly have a poised and collected quarterback to work with.

Top 5 Underrated:

5. Reggie Wayne—He may not be Peyton’s #1 receiver, but he could be a solid #1 receiver on your team. Set a career high in yards last year (1310), only 56 less than Marvin Harrison, who at 34 years may be showing signs of slowing down. Wayne, at 28 years, is hitting the prime of his career.

4. Jon Kitna—He has one of the most talented receivers in the game in Roy Williams and the number #2 overall draft pick wide receiver Calvin Johnson. With the running game of Detroit iffy with the Kevin Jones/Tatum Bell platoon, Kitna could easily throw 25 to 30 TDs this season.

3. Reggie Bush—Projected to go in the second round of many drafts, but worthy of a first round pick. If you have the last pick in your draft, snag Reggie Bush and another top running back and you will be set. Many forget his performance in the second half where he racked up 788 all purpose yards and 8 touchdowns in the final 8 games. Never mind that he shares the workload with Deuce McCallister, he can be explosive when he has the ball and will likely be involved in some capacity on every play.

2. Antonio Gates—Just like Peyton’s the undisputed #1 quarterback, Gates is the #1 tight end by far. Production out of the tight end position is scarce, but it can give your team a tremendous edge. (Remember that Marques Colston lost his TE eligibility.) Don’t be afraid to draft him in the early third round and then have your wide receivers fall into place.

1. Jay Cutler—Be very high on the sophomore class (Bush, Matt Leinart, & Cutler) this year. With a solid QB rating of 88.5 in his rookie year, he can only improve in 2007. I’d take him over Tony Romo or even Matt Hasselbeck any day.

One last thing, I’ve done live drafts and I’ve done electronic drafts and a live draft is so much more fun. Yelling our picks, hearing the frustration of a coveted player getting taken, and getting greasy food on your draft papers is what it’s all about. Many sports bars, such as Hooters, welcome and offer special accommodations for football drafts.