Let's take a look at Seven Deadly Sin fantasy football owners committ and how you can avoid them:

Sin #1: Failure to use a Value Based Draft List.  The first sin cast every year by fantasy football enthusiast is not using a value-based draft system.  Many of the smartest fantasy football owners I know will take to the draft each year a "cheat sheet" from one of the many fantasy football magazines out on the market today.  It's not that these magazine "cheat sheets" are wrong.  There are many fantasy football magazines on the newstands that provide an invaluable amount of information.  These magazine "cheat sheets" are just not tailored for your league.  Plus, most draft lists are created in April and May before pubication, not in August when most leagues hold their draft.  By using a value-based draft list you are creating a customized list specific to your league and its scoring system.  The power of a value-based draft sheet is amazing!  It eliminates the question of who to take each round of the draft, and automatically tells you who is the best available player remaining on the board.  It all comes down to point differential.  This is the basis of value-based drafting.  You want to draft players that can outscore other players at the same position. 

Sin #2: Failure to use the Waiver Wire.  If you commit this sin you deserve to be struck by  lightening! This is the number one post-draft reason Championships are lost.  It's inevitable that players get hurt, benched, or underachieve.  In order to succeed in fantasy football you have to accept this fact and be able to plan for it.  How do you do this? Simply put, "Use the Waiver Wire!"  Every year there are always players that come up from the fantasy depths and are snatched off waivers.  The teams that consistently monitor the waiver wire WIN more games...period.

Sin #3: Starting Players against Strong Defenses.  When applying this rule, Draft Champs in no way recommends sitting your stud players against any team.  This rule should be applied to the average players on your team.  If you have two equal caliber players and are undecided on which one to start by all means start the player against the weaker defense.  This is just playing the odds.  Stack the odds in your favor and in return you are creating a greater potential of scoring more points.  After all, in order to win you just need to score more points than your opponent.  Isn't this the goal of fantasy football?! When it comes down to it, no one is going to care with what players you beat them with...they just know that they got beat!

Sin #4: Falling asleep late in the draft.  How many of you witness this every year in your draft?  Some owners just don't pay too much attention to the second half of the draft after they have filled their "starting roster." These types of owners then tend to draft back-ups at TE, K, and Defense.  This is ridiculous!  Instead they should be drafting depth at QB, RB, and WR.  These are the position players that get more chances, or "touches", which equals more opportunity to score more points.  Don't fall prey to this sin, the later rounds are where champsionships are made.  So draft key players in the late rounds to back-up your starters.  When you are past the midpoint in the draft take a look at your starting roster and determine which players would damage your hopes of a championship if they were to get injured.  Then purchase you insurance policy by drafting a quality back-up for those positions.  Again, remember injuries are inevitalbe.  You need a contigency plan for injuries and bye weeks.  I don't know why I get so worked up about this...by having owners like this in your league it just leaves more options when it comes your turn to pick in the draft.

Sin #5: Drafting Kickers and Defense too early.  By drafting kickers and defenses, especially kickers, too early you are crushing your chances of a Championship Season.  Use the middle rounds to back-up your starters and deepen your bench.  Wait until at least the 10th round of your draft before you select a defense.  Note that there is not a huge difference between the No. 1 and No. 10 kicker in the league in terms of points scored.  Remember you want "value" with each pick in the draft.  Even if you wait until the last two rounds of your draft to choose a kicker and/or defense and it doesn't pan out, you can always find adequate replacement on the waiver wire.

Sin #6: Failing to have a Contigency Plan.  We touched on this idea briefly in Sins #2 & #4.  Here we will discuss in-season team management.  When the draft is over, and your league mates are drooling over your roster, thanks to our value-based draft guide, your work is not done.  No team is guaranteed a championship season based on the draft alone.  Although, a great draft will put you two steps ahead of the other owner's in your league before the season even starts.  There are too many variables over the course of a season to just stick with your draft day roster for the entire season.  Watch the waiver wire to pick up that emerging player on a "hot" streak to boltser your roster, or use him as trade bait for a player who has a soft schedule during your league's playoff weeks.  Draft Champs recommends evaluating your team at the halfway point of your league's regular season.  To learn more see Draft Champs Mid-Season Contigency Plan.

Sin#7: Getting caught up in the Rookie Hype. Don't believe the rooke hype!  Every year there is talk of some rookie that impresses the coaching staffs.  Remember fantasy football is a short season to the playoffs and you do not have the luxury to nurture a rookie along the way.  Even in keeper leagues I would not gamble on a rookie in the early rounds of a draft.  These rookies are pushed to the forefront by management and coaches before they have even played a down in the NFL. Draft Champs feels this rookie hype is to justify the huge contracts these 1st and 2nd round rookies receive.  At least with veteran players you know what you're getting.  Of course there are always exceptions to the rule.  But by and far, NFL players spend a good part of their rookie year learning the complex systems in the NFL.