Believe it or not; that magical time of year is indeed upon us. Fantasy football season is here, or at least it is time to begin preparation for the upcoming draft season. The National Football League has declared Aug. 21 as the official National Fantasy Football Draft Day. Which means we are just weeks away from the big day. I always begin my preparations in April following the NFL Draft. I just finished my first set of power rankings for all positions and believe me, I know it will change a dozen times between now and my first draft in late August.

So, if you are new to fantasy football, welcome to the wildest, stressful, joyful, dramatic, addictive ride for the next several months. Also, I am here to help you prepare for the craziness. I hope you know what you got into. Working the waiver wire on Wednesday nights, setting lineups before 6 a.m. when the international games hit, following injury reports all week, bye week blues and other weekly roadblocks that will occur.

One step at a time. Over the next several weeks I will try to assist you with some advice and helpful tips leading up to your draft. This week we will focus on what to expect on draft day.

Some people go into their draft with confidence and others go in completely blind. My goal is to make sure you go in with confidence. There is nothing worse than that one (sometimes multiple) person who holds up the draft when it is their turn to pick. I have seen it so many times where it will be their pick and they have no clue who to take or even worse try and take a player who was previously taken moments or even rounds before. Do not be that person. I go into my draft with my rankings for each position and cross off each player as they are taken. I usually take about 15-30 seconds for each pick. Another helpful tip is to know the draft room. For example, if you know the person who is drafting behind you is a Ravens fan, you must realize that they will probably reach and swoop up Lamar Jackson early. If you want him, swoop him up first because he will not last long.

Be sure to know your league rules even before agreeing to joining the league. Nothing more frustrating than joining a league and then being blindsided by some sideways trade or rule that will come up during the middle of the season. I have fallen victim to this far too often. Nip it in the bud early. Do not allow anything to slip through the cracks. As a commissioner it is your responsibility to make sure all rules are stated on draft day as well. I always hand out a print out of all the league rules on draft day.

Next week I will go over more helpful tips. I have been playing fantasy football for over two decades and have won a total of 11 championships.