If you are only armed with a Big Board and/or cheat sheet when drafting it is likely that you will not get the most out of your fantasy draft. Below I will tell you how to do that. When I refer to when a player has been taken it is the average of Yahoo drafts.

QUARTERBACKS: Look, if you're in love with Peyton take him as high as #2 overall although I think you will kick yourself when several RBs really explode and his numbers fall a little back to Earth. The logic with grabbing him early is that this season the RB class is a little deeper while the QB class is him and everyone else. Culpepper and McNabb have question marks that in my mind kick them easily out of the first round.

Since Daunte is being selected at #7 it is probably not in your best interest to target him unless he falls to you around the #11-#13 pick. As for McNabb, this is a good season to let someone else have the risk of him getting hurt, not having Owens (or TO not playing up to par) or the title killer of sitting in the FFL playoffs. At #12 overall he is being taken way too soon. Folks grabbing Green at #24 are overpaying badly, especially with Favre a more affordable #31. Personally I would rather have two strong RB and a great WR at that point in my draft than either of those guys.

That leaves me endorsing Bulger (going #43) and Brady (#38) as the ones you should be keping your eyes peeled for because both could drop to rounds 4-6. Vick (#47) is an intriguing player and if he takes a free fall you might take a shot, but you really need to follow him up with a guy like Collins (#78) or Brooks (#96) who are going way too late. If you aren't able to snare Manning, Bulger or Brady those two guys are very affordable optoins. Avoid Brees (#54) for fear of one year wonder status and Hasselbeck (#72) because his receivers aren't very good.

RUNNING BACKS: You can pretty much follow the Big Board in the opening round, taking the top player available (or Peyton Manning if you are picking #4 or later) before you really have to think. With your second pick you want to feel out the situation based on the availability of Moss, Culpepper, Holt and Owens plus how solid you are about your first RB pick and where you are in the order. If you know that your third pick will yield an RB who is on my top 25 Big Board it is not a bad idea to go after one of those players with your second pick.

Players who are falling more than I think they should are Dominack Davis (#15) Green (#18) Portis (#19) Julius Jones (#24 Rudi Johnson (#25) and especially Kevin Jones (#31). Keep that in mind when you are pondering a dip into the QB or WR pool with your second pick. It might even make sense to draft a guy like Chad Johnson, Harrison, Horn or even Gates/Gonzalez just because of where you can select a quality RB2 in a field like this.

One really amazing drop is Westbrook (#57) who people are undervaluing terribly and for a third back you will want to target Bell (#58) for the tremendous upside. The big steal is Jordan (#64) who I would trust in my RB2 spot, but is going late in the sixth round which is insane. Later in the draft don't hesitate to get good value by taking one of the rookies or questionable starters (i.e. Brown/Henry in Tennessee) to stockpile backs. Borderline wide receivers have much less value than potential boom feature backs. Let someone else grab six receivers and you be the guy that takes 4 or 5 rushers.

WIDE RECEIVERS: Again, this is a season where you will want to consider taking a pop at a good receiver possibly before grabbing two running backs because you are likely to get away with it given the talent pool. I think Randy Moss (#7) is being taken too high and I'd be inclined to go after him at the end of round 1 or whenever my second pick came if he was available. Harrison (#14) is going way too high given his age and surrounding players who could cut into his production. A great value is Holt (#20) who I would even consider taking as high as my first pick. He is consistently outstanding and in his prime. Owens (#21) is dipping badly if you are willing to take the risk and Chad Johnson (#23) is a good player to swipe up before he slides into the third round.

Some guys who are going too soon are Jackson (#40) Boldin (#40) Bennett (#43) and Chambers (#46) while I would much prefer having Clayton (#46) Burleson (#48) Coles (#50) Roy Williams (#53) or Steve Smith (#53) later on. A guy not getting much respect is Mason (#67) because he is going to Baltimore, but don't let that deter you and Lelie (#76) is another guy who can give you WR3 starter ability in the seventh round or later. Evans (#84) also falls into that category as he ascends to the #1 role in Buffalo.

Rather than chew up more than one or possibly two backup spots at receiver in the draft (unless your league drafts more than the standard 15) you should be keeping an eagle on on the opening weekend for guys who catch 5+ passes (forget the yards, we want looks) as possible pickups. You should always be trying to swindle other owners into 2 for 1 deals where you improve your starting lineup while opening roster spots for players to take a chance on.

TIGHT END: I usually don't advocate taking a tight end early on for any reason. This year is unique in that even though there are a few very productive guys on the table Gonzalez is still the main threat. Going at #25 is not a terribly unreasonable spot, but I would not select Gates (#27) as high as he is being taken because you'd be counting on him to score another 13 times. I think Witten (#50) can even be taken sooner depending on what you have done with your first few picks and how much of a run you anticipate coming on the position.

Shockey (#53) Heap (#59) and McMichael (#69) are risks at those draft positions while Eric Johnson (#81) could be someone you can "steal" in the middle rounds. Crumpler (#55) is probably the one you most want to keep your eye out for and if you don't get him look several rounds later at Clark (#91) Graham (#92) or one of the best values in the form of Wiggins (#111). Miller (#130) is a great backup to target with nothing to lose, as are Putzier (#132) or Pollard (#130).

KICKERS: Brandon Dunce-ston, err Funston thinks Vinatieri (#63) is going way too soon, but that isn't necessarily true. He is reliable and consistent enough for you to forget about the position entirely, a nice luxury to have. Vanderjagt (#74) and Elam (#84) are in that same class really while I really wouldn't risk Akers (#75) or Carney (#83) because of the Philly "sit the starters" situation and the Saints being inconsistent. It's too high. Give me Janikowski (#103) later on by far or even Stover (#98) who won't drop in every league. Longwell (#111) is another fantasy stud not being given his due.

Like any other position, if you feel like you are set in other positions and want to grab a quality kicker with your seventh pick do it. I'm more comfortable waiting until the ninth round or so, but it depends on the flow of the draft. You don't want to get caught behind a serious run at the position that leaves you with a player who gives you a bye week jam or who you really didn't want.

DEFENSE: Baltimore (#44) is going too soon on average, but they dipped in a league I drafted so keep an eye on them anyway. Atlanta (#71) and Carolina (#86) are going way too high. New England (#79) and Pittsburgh (#81) are good but not great options while Philadelphia (#86) can be a nice pick if you back them up with someone to potentially start in the playoffs or trade them before that danger surfaces.

Tampa Bay (#92) is a sleeper as far as I'm concerned and the Jets (#100) can be had very late yet play in a rugged, defensive division. Dallas (#114) and Minnesota (#120) added enough parts to be dangerous as a backup unit while Denver (#115) is going too late.

OVERALL: Again, this is a season where at least 15, if not 20 running backs could have very solid campaigns. As such you have a little bit of flexibility with your opening two or three picks to dip into the upper end of other positions. Still you should not wait past round 4 under any circumstances to fill your starting two rushers. Where quarterback is concerned you really just want to wait for a good value when it comes to your turn. If you feel like you are reaching go somewhere else even if you wind up waiting into the sixth round or so.

You will also want to keep an eye on what other managers are doing to fill their starting lineups. If everyone else has a starting quarterback they are less likely to get a backup before looking elsewhere so it would be a good time to match them by sticking with the WR, reserve RB or TE picks. When it looks like there will be a run on kicker or defense is when you should be seeing if you can grab one of them that you covet in a good spot.

In the end, value is the key word. Don't reach for players and also don't wait too long for players that you really want. If you wind up taking a guy four or five positions too soon as opposed to losing him so be it.

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that's my take