By Steve Kwan
Fantasy Sports 101

Aa – Active, or at least trying to stay active in your leagues. There is nothing worse than a 12-team league where eight teams have been abandoned by midseason.
 
Bb – Brett Favre; all personal opinions aside, Favre landing in New York changes the landscape for both the Jets and his former team, the Packers. 
 
Cc – Contract year. The “Contract-Year-Bump” is well-known in all fantasy sports, and football is no different. Players tend to perform when contracts are dangled in front of them.
 
Dd – Defense. Picking a whole unit is easy enough, but having a backup bench D is always a good idea, especially if you have a late pick to invest in an upside pick like Tampa Bay or Buffalo.
 
Ee – Easy, as in take it easy. There’s no need smash up your desk and bust a window after someone says your team “looks weak” and comments about your mother. It’s just a game.
 
Ff – Friction; animosity between players and their organizations can alter the fantasy landscape in a hurry. I give you Exhibit A: Terrell Owens and Exhibit B: Jeremy Shockey.
 
Gg – Guesswork. Not every player can have their value determined by an ESPN statistical equation that takes 972,493 attributes and divides them by 16. Go with your gut sometimes.
 
Hh – Handcuffs, as in complement stud RBs who have injury histories with their backups. Names like Ahmad Bradshaw and Kenny Watson come to mind in 2008.
 
Ii – Injuries, they’re bound to happen to at least one of your stars over the course of the season. Being active on the waiver wire will help offset these natural disasters.
 
Jj – Jackasses; each league will undoubtedly have one, and they’ll be the ones who talk trash while proposing ridiculous trade offers. Play smart and stay above the fray.
 
Kk – Kickers, the last position you should draft for your team. Listen up: Nick Folk is not worth a seventh round pick. You hear me?
 
Ll – Live Drafting: really, is there any other satisfactory way to do it? Even an old fashioned notebook pen-and-paper live draft is more exciting than waiting for autodraft results.
 
Mm – Mannings. The first family of Quarterbacks will most likely be a fixture in both fantasy headlines and real-life headlines for a long time, at least until Tom Brady’s son comes of age.
 
Nn – Never-ending; some things just seem to roll on year after year, from the consistency of players like Torry Holt to the never-ending disappointment Kyle Boller gives to Ravens fans.
 
Oo – Opinions; in a draft chat room, everyone has one or a dozen. Remember though, the dog who barks the loudest is almost never the smartest.
 
Pp – Passing yards. Some people like to point to yards as a barometer for a quarterback's upside. But, last time I checked nobody’s taking Jon Kitna over Derek Anderson.
 
Qq – Quarterback, the heart of a real-life offense, but second fiddle to running backs in terms of fantasy value. Tip for 2008: Get a top-10 QB, or you might be in trouble.
 
Rr – Running Backs, the heart of any successful fantasy team. They're the most reliable sources of yardage and scores, and they're available in large numbers.  
 
Ss – Sleepers, and you know they’re out there. From Selvin Young to Aaron Rodgers to maybe even Joe Flacco, boom-or-bust picks abound in fantasy football.
 
Tt – Touchdowns. If the fundamental fact that these are what you're searching for in fantasy football, maybe it's best for you to find another hobby.
 
Uu – Ugly weather; it actually does make a fantasy impact if a team is playing in snow or on a waterlogged field.
 
Vv – Vulture, be one because every season dumb owners will ditch studs and stars who might have started slowly. Their stupidity is your gain.
 
Ww – Waiver Wire; how many people picked up Derek Anderson and/or Ryan Grant last year and rode them all the way to their fantasy playoffs?
 
Xx – X-factor, also known as the “It” that a star has. Adrian Peterson had “it." Whom out of rookies Darren McFadden, Jonathan Stewart, and Rashard Mendenhall will have “it?”
 
Yy - Youth, unlike some other sports, first-rounders in the NFL are usually held in high regard in fantasyland. Look for Stewart and McFadden to lead the freshman contingent.
 
Zz – Zzzzzz….. mmm… uh oh… its 12:50 already and I’ve overslept my draft… Don’t let that happen to you.