Fantasy football is back.

The owners have sent out their memos to all returnees from the previous season. Dues have been paid and the previous champ has been bragging all year about how unbeatable he is. It’s time to get ready for the draft.

Zeke Elliot or Todd Gurley? Could David Johnson be a dark house for the top pick. Leveon Bell has been holding out for a new contract and things are getting a little dicey in Pittsburgh. How high can Antonio Brown go? And is Alvin Kamara ready to lead your team as a sleeper pick from his unbelievable rookie season?

This fantasy season is very intriguing as if it isn’t right? The first round of this year’s draft is pretty cut and dry with maybe a few new names. More names are crawling up the draft board like Saints receiver Michael Thomas and his teammate from the above paragraph in Kamara.

There are multiple strategies to winning you can go RB-RB in the first two rounds, RB-WR, and maybe even WR-WR if you take Antonio Brown first and all the top tier RB’s are off the board.

Let’s say you select somewhere in the middle of your draft order in a twelve team league. The top three are off the board and of course Antonio Brown is gone as well. Where do you go from there? Saquon Barkley and Leonard Fournette are intriguing names or maybe you go OBJ or DeAndre Hopkins. The first round is always volume usage and whoever builds on yardage and stats. In this point in time it’s better to go running back. Barkley is believed to be ready to carry the load in New York and Alvin Kamara is ready to take the baton from Mark Ingram. Go ahead and take the proven commodity in Kamara. With Ingram suspended for four games, it’s a guaranteed lock he’ll see a heavy production this season. Drew Brees is still slinging the ball so you know the Saints offense will easily produce.

Always go for the big value and for sure production in the first round. You don’t have to be fancy just pick the logical pick. Save it for the fifth through ninth rounds.

You can wait on the decision to draft a quarterback in the fourth or even the fifth depending how your draft plays out. Rogers, Wilson, and Brady can wait go stack yourself on the runningback and receiver position. According to the ESPN fantasy website Keenan Allen had almost same amount of fantasy production as Tom Brady. Yes the positions are different but make sure you have enough ammo in the runningback and receiver positions before you splash on a quarterback. Philip Rivers is a considerable option in the later rounds with as much a QB1 as you can get without sacrificing your choice of playmakers.

Like every season comes with new players changing sceneries. Kirk Cousins is the prime candidate for such a case along with Jerrick Mckinnon and Jarvis Landry. When do you take a flyer on these guys. Mckinnon is a great option for a quality number two back as well as your flex player. Jarvis Landry is your steal in the mid rounds. Josh Gordon will take some time comeback so there will be plenty of looks coming Landry’s way in the beginning of the year. Cousins can be thought with same quarterback strategy in the draft. You don’t have to stress about it early. Make your selections thoughtfully and you’ll be stable.

There are two tight ends who have WR1 or WR2 value and they can have a significant impact sending your team deep in the playoffs. Gronk and Kelce have the ability to average fifteen points on your team. If they are available to you in the mid second consider them or even at the end of the third don’t even hesitate. These two players and throwing Ertz from the Eagles in to the mix will give you the equivalent of a WR1/RB2 in your lineup. Let’s say that one of your starting RB or WR is either out or on a bye week. This gives you enough flexibility to steal out a win during midseason which has important implications for playoff berths. Everything counts.

The more powerful your bench is the more opportunities you will receive in trades. For example you stocked your stable of runningbacks but maybe a little weak on your WR2 position. The waiver wire is uncertain and you don’t need to release a bench player for an inconsistent player. So what are your options? You have more leverage in this scenario. You can trade your third running back for that receiver you need and don’t have to break your line up.

Always set yourself up with the best outcome and consider the untradeable players you had at the end of the year if the right trade comes available. That one trade can give you wins down the road if you don’t know how to get over the hump. If you believe you don’t have the best team look for ways to improve it. Go small and work your way up.

That trophy is on the line, anyone can win it, why can’t it be you? It’s your year.