10 last-minute fantasy football draft tips, from knowing the rules to not falling in love with your bench

No big introduction needed today. It's the biggest fantasy football draft weekend of the year. Let's get you ready. If you're looking for my key takeaways from drafting each position, head here .

These are standard every year, but they're worth repeating:

The first thing you need to do is thoroughly audit your league settings. I know this isn't always the most fun thing to do — often the league constitutions are dry and a little arduous to sort through. But you gotta know the rules.

Shortly after that, take note of the league calendar and cadences. Take all the free agent deadline settings and put them in your calendar. Everyone has a dynamic and complicated life these days. "Oh, I'll remember that" is no longer a realistic concept. Routine and organization are always your friend.

Make a draft plan, sure, but set it in pencil. You want to be ready to pounce on surprise opportunities at the draft table. I'm always looking to get as much value as I can on that day, with the eye of balancing my roster later.

Constantly be filling your queue during the draft process. You should have key players ready to go if needed, and you also want to be covered if you get bumped offline during the draft. A pad of scrap paper to the side can also be helpful.

I like to play fantasy football with a microscope, not a telescope. Let's focus on what's in front of us. Let's try to win the opening 4-5 week segment. The NFL is such a snow globe league, it's usually a mistake to look too far ahead.

I'm not the type to insure my running backs in August, but I'll likely shift that idea around midseason — when my winning scenarios are more defined and league backup situations are clearer as well. Roster construction takes on a much different shape in the second half of the year.

7. Trade season offers chance to improve

Don't sweat the bye weeks when they arrive in October. Bye week season is trading season, a good opportunity to self-scout your roster and start making some moves that fit your immediate (or long-term) needs. Fantasy trades rarely happen in early September because managers still love their teams. A poker game doesn't really start until a few players get stuck, and the same idea carries over to fantasy football.

I know they will find me soon enough. Injury optimism is rarely your friend in fantasy football. A hurt player might need a "prove-it" week or two before you feel confident starting him. Perhaps they'll be on a limited snap count when they return. The picture often takes too long to develop. New Orleans rookie WR Jordyn Tyson, for one example, is basically off my board. I'm not waiting two-plus months.

The bottom part of your roster is your churn zone, where you should be regularly considering free-agent moves. It's usually a mistake to fall in love with the bottom of your bench. Pickup information we gain in the actual season is usually worth more than speculative and theoretical information that we consider all summer. Remember the lesson of the Monty Hall Problem — once more information becomes available to us, it's usually a good idea to change course, since we're making an information based on additional knowledge.

Just play the Week 1 schedule with defenses, then stream. The Chargers (hosting Arizona) and Jaguars (hosting Cleveland) look good for the opener.

If you had an early draft, it likely made sense to avoid drafting a defense or kicker, with the idea that you'd get one more shot at an impactful field player. But when you draft close to the season, you might as well fill your roster.

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