If you don’t abide by this rule, you could find yourself miserable and struggling to win games for most of the season. Know Your Players and Do Your ResearchRemember, ESPN and the Monday-morning stat sheets can be extremely misleading when you wake up the next day. This is where actually watching the games, as many games as possible, will prepare you for now and the future. If you know the game in a way in which your opponents don’t, you can see things developing years before they actually happen.Perfect example I was in a 10-team keeper league, and each team could protect a total of three players This league went on for 10 years, starting in ‘92. It was never out of character for me to draft a rookie in the first round of any draft, when most people didn’t really know who these rookies were.To make a long story short, in the first round with the seventh overall selection, LaDainian Tomlinson remained on the board in his rookie season. Needless to say, I drafted him and went on to win the championship that year. How did I know about LT? First off, I know the game like I know the back of my hand, and I draft potential and talent the minute I get the opportunity.I could also give you an entire chapter on how my wife and I set up a 52” and two, 27” televisions in our basement in the mid-'90s. I know that was a little extreme, but it ended up saving us money anyway because we went to a local sports restaurant every Sunday, where we spent at least $50 per week.My point is this, do whatever it takes to get an edge on your opponents.

Watch college games on Saturday, read quality material (about five percent of the material out there), make your own judgments, become a visionary (FanProphet), and always look for the up-and-coming player.If you want that edge, become a guru of the game get your hands on as much information and material as possible, sort through it all, and use it to your advantage. Talk Players DownTalking players down is a fine art that takes plenty of patience, trust, and respect from your fellow peers. If they don’t respect your opinion or your genius, this will never work. Either you have these qualities, or you better get them because to me, it’s the fun in fantasy football and the element that will help you win titles year in and year out.Here’s how it goes...You’re in a league with a group of friends, so you consistently begin talking fantasy football sometime around mid-June. You have no clue which selection you will draw in August, but you assume the worst and therefore, you begin talking players down.

You’re nothing more than a salesperson selling the idea of why (example) you believe LT will not have a good season. You build a case, you begin mentioning names like Willis McGahee, Laurence Maroney, etc., and why you believe they are the up and comings and why LT is on his way out.For example, Tomlinson is on a franchise that just recently changed coaches, he’s on a team that‘s never consistently won, QB Phillip Rivers is only in his third year as a starter, why teams will play eight in the box, San Diego has no wide receivers, Tomlinson is on the downside of his career...and to top it all off, you also make a case as to why Marty Schottenheimer was a great coach, and it’s the only reason why Tomlinson had previous success.This may be a bit of a stretch, but you get the idea. You will ultimately force your opponents to second guess themselves while consistently making mistakes.Sell the idea. Consistent audio advertising is the most influential thing known to man If you hear it enough, you’re going to buy it.