When it comes time to play fantasy football, one of the most critical ingredients to victory is orchestrating a good draft. While it is true that in order to win you will have to tweak your lineup every week depending on who is playing well, the players that you have available to work with will often determine the course of your season. In order to draft the players needed to win, you need to keep in mind a number of factors, such as which players to draft first, who you will take if the player you intended to draft is snapped up before your turn, and what positions your team needs most.

Here are some other important maxims to remember when selecting your fantasy football team:

• Look for running backs – The point-scoring structure in most leagues favors elite running backs, so if you have the chance to draft one first, do so.
• Avoid rookie players – While this NFL season saw a number of prominent rookies making huge impacts on their respective teams, that is not always the case. Try to avoid unproven players, as even great athletes often take a couple of seasons in the league to reach their full potential.
• Know your contracts – Pro athletes on the final year of their contract must perform well to raise their stock for a new contract or free agency, so try to find players on their contract year, as they have an extra incentive to perform.
• Watch out for that ACL – Players that are injury-prone should be avoided at all costs, as they could end up being a potentially wasted pick. Also try to avoid players that are just returning after recovering from a previous season-ending injury.
• Don’t rely solely on hometown favorites – While you may be a dedicated follower of your local football team, trying to draft a large number of local players is often not a winning strategy.

Now that you know how to pick a team, you can draft your choices with confidence, and perhaps even host your draft right in your apartment in Alachua, FL. Fantasy football is only one of a number of exciting things you can do at One 51 Place. To learn more about the many luxury amenities available at our apartment community, contact us today by filling out the contact us form on this website or by calling our leasing office.