Football season is starting soon, which means that it is fantasy football draft season. If you are new to the world of fantasy football or just need some tips, this posts is here for you. Here are Mad Cal's top five tips for draft day.

1. Defense wins champoinships. You've probably heard this many times in the sports world and it is true in the fantasy world as well. Don't be afraid to draft a defense in the 2nd or 3rd round. Pick the defenses of teams with bad offenses (like the 49ers) so their defenses will be on the field more often and therefore will get more chances to make plays and rack up points for your team.

2. Kickers are key. Don't underestimate how many points a kicker can score for your team. In addition to field goals, they get a piece of every TD when they make the PAT kick. Remember, kickers are the ones who put the 'foot' in football. Make sure to have one by the 7th round.

3. Great tight ends kick butt. Most leagues start multiple RB's and WR's, but only one QB, TE, and K. That makes your starting QB's and TE's more important. With more teams playing some sort of Cover 2 defense, throwing to the tight ends over the middle has become a great way to gain big yards. Grabbing a good tight end in the first few rounds is a good strategy. Warning: Grabbing a good tight end after a few rounds may lead to lawsuits.

4. Get as many Heisman Trophy winners as you can. If they were the best player in all of college football, they must be pretty good, right? Current Heisman winners in the league are RB Reggie Bush, QB Matt Leinart, QB Carson Palmer, QB Chris Weinke, RB Ron Dayne, DB/WR Charles Woodson. RB Ricky Williams might be kind of a hazy pick. QB Jim Plunkett might be a good pick if the Raiders decide to sign the 60 year old to back up Jeff George.

5. Go for the hook up. This strategy refers to drafting a QB and WR from the same team, so when they hook up for a TD scoring pass, you get double the points. This works best with great QB's, like Brett Favre, Michael Vick, or Drew Bledsoe. The hook up strategy can and should be used with TE's as well. If possible, draft a QB, at least one of the WR's, and the starting TE from the same team.

If anyone from my league uses these tips, I will guarantee a good season. I should note that last year I finished 11th out of 11 and 8th out of 10th in my fantasy football leagues. I'm signed into 3 leagues so far this season.


One real sports thought: If so many people in the sports media are predicting that the team from Argentina can beat the collection of NBA talent in the FIBA Championships, why doesn't one loser NBA team make whatever-it-takes deals needed to get Manu and Nocioni, just clear off the rest of the roster and sign their countrymen as teammates? I'm sure even the minimum NBA wages are greater than whatever the South American league pays. I need to be a general manager of a professional sports team.