By Jeff Paur
RealTime Fantasy Sports

Well, it is that time of year again. Yes, fantasy football is about to start. Fantasy drafts are fast approaching. So it is time to get ready.

In preparing for your draft, there are countless strategies to use. You can draft the best available, draft by position, draft a quarterback with your first pick (which changes the outlook of the rest of your draft) or use some other gimmick you came up with for the draft. Whatever you do, go with the plan and stick with it.

But there are some general rules to stick by no matter your strategy. So before you start preparing for your draft, here are some basic things you should keep in mind no matter what strategy you employ:

Draft details. This might sound like a lot of work, but it really isn't and can be a big benefit come draft day. If your league or online draft doesn't post a running draft round-by-round, we suggest charting out the draft as it happens. This way you have an idea of the positions taken around you. If you need a running back, but see that all the top guys are taken, you can wait to take a back a round or two later and maybe get a top-notch receiver instead. If you know what is going on around you, it can help decide for you if you want to take a quarterback or receiver with your next pick. Keep up with the trends.

Duh, running backs are premium. Unless you are a new fantasy football player, you know how important the running back position is for fantasy teams. Most of us so-called experts suggest taking running backs early and often. Leagues normally start two backs, so the top guys go very early and even the second and third tier guys are mostly gone by the middle rounds. A lot suggest taking running backs with your first two picks no matter what. We don't buy that strategy. You can handcuff your team a bit by reaching for some backs in certain rounds. But you do want to make sure you make it a priority to nab one of the top guys when you get a chance. You don't have to take a running back with the first pick, but you probably need to have someone on your roster before you head into the fourth round. If you don't, you are probably headed for a long season. The running back position is one you can't ignore.

Hello, good "bye". Please don't ignore bye weeks. There are many owners that ignore bye weeks come draft day. This can be a costly mistake that is easily avoidable. Make sure you are tracking the bye weeks of the players you are drafting. You don't want to stack your team with receivers that all have the same bye week. This will only cause you headaches down the road. Keep track of your byes!

Homer time. Please don't be a homer. We don't mind you taking a player or two from your home team or favorite team, but don't get out of control. Being a homer is a good way to ruin your draft. It isn't a bad thing to take a player or two from your favorite team, but getting seven or eight Bears will lead to disaster. And when taking a player from your favorite team, make sure you aren't reaching. Print out an average draft report to see where players are falling and draft accordingly. So in wrapping up, you can take a few players from your favorite team, but make sure they are picked in the right spot.

Injuries. It happens every year. Some guy in your draft takes a player that is out for the year, but that doesn't mean you have to be the one to do it. Keep up to date with the latest injuries. With all the fantasy information now available at your finger tips, keeping up with all the latest injuries is easier than ever. We aren't saying you should scour our notes every day (you really should, though - wink, wink), but check in at least once a week until the season starts to make sure you know who is hurt or coming back. It is never a good idea to waste a draft pick, especially on a player everyone else in your draft knows is hurt.

Know your league. Seems pretty simple, but know your league. Every league is setup different, so knowing all the ins and outs of your rules is very important towards having a successful draft and season. Make sure you take a look at the players and positions that scored big in your league last season. This is a good guide to use when ranking your players. For example, some leagues favor quarterbacks over running backs, so you will want to move up your quarterbacks some on your rankings in a league like that. Use our "Top Players" report to get an idea of what positions scored well in your league last season. This is a great tool to figure out what your scoring favors. The "Top Players" report is on your league home page.

Limit your rookies and sleepers. Sure, taking rookies and sleepers are the sexy thing to do. It is exciting to get players with upside and promise for the future. But loading your team with rookies and sleepers is a good way to land your team at the bottom of the standings. We aren't saying to stay completely away from rookies or sleepers, but be smart about it. More times than not, the owner that takes proven players with good track records finishes near the top of the standings.

Remember, most of the time, rookies and sleepers don't pan out. Don't get me wrong, you need to take some chances to win. There are guys like Eddie Royal out there that have huge rookie seasons and lead fantasy teams to the playoffs. But for every Eddie Royal, there are five Devin Thomas. Just be somewhat conservative when it comes to rookies and sleepers. Take a couple, but don't go overboard. It always seems the guy that fills his roster with a bunch of rookies and sleepers finishes near the bottom of the standings.

Player movement. Just like it is important to keep up with injuries, knowing the latest player movement will help come draft day. You'll want to know the Chiefs traded for Matt Cassel or T.J. Houshmandzadeh signed with the Seahawks. Both of these players see their fantasy value impacted with their new teams. Again, this doesn't mean you have to scour the site every day to make sure you didn't miss anything. Just make it a habit to check out the latest notes once a week or so before your draft - kind of like setting your lineup every week. It can make a difference come draft day. Players will get cut or signed right up until the season starts.

Rankings are your friend. We know it isn't easy, but ranking your players can be a lot of fun. It is a chance to put your blueprint on your team. You are the GM of your team and your roster should reflect this. Even though we put a lot of time and effort into our rankings for this Draft Guide, don't use the rankings as the absolute truth. And this won't hurt my feelings. Use my rankings or any rankings you get as a guide to come up with your own rankings. Remember, every league has different rules so tailor your rankings to your league. The rankings you get from our site or any other publication aren't necessarily setup for your league.

Anyway, just be sure to come into the draft with some sort of rankings. This makes it a lot easier when the bell rings and it is your pick. You don't want to be searching around or flipping through a magazine trying to decide whom to pick. This can get others in the league frustrated. Don't be that owner!

Run time. It happens every year. A run takes place at some point in your draft. Five tight ends will go in a round. But don't panic when a run on tight ends or kickers happen. Most instances, you are better off waiting and taking a player with more value rather than going with a mediocre player at a position that seems to be getting low. The tight end or kicker position is just as deep as some of the other positions. So what is the reason to reach for a player when you see five tight ends go off the board? You can still get a quality tight end later in your draft even though the top five are off the board. Don't overvalue positions because of runs. Following runs can lead to poor drafts. Sometimes you just have to stick to your guns.

Wait on kickers. Don't overvalue kickers. It is never a good idea to reach for a kicker too soon during your draft. Sure, guys like Rob Bironas and Nate Kaeding are nice to have. But there will always be players like Matt Prater and John Carney to come out of nowhere and have solid seasons. So instead of wasting a middle-round pick on a kicker, get better depth at key positions. The top kickers and average kickers have little point deferential between them from week to week. You can always find a useful kicker at the end of the draft or even on the waiver wire.