Viva Murillo!

General preparations will help you across all your fantasy leagues. But it’s the league-specific preparations -- the kind most owners ignore -- that can give you an edge in each particular league.

While these areas might seem obvious, you can bet that most owners spend little (if any) time on them. Instead they prepare for the upcoming NFL season, and assume that their knowledge and hunches will carry them in each league. But each league is different, so it pays to focus on a few important aspects that make each one unique. Spend a little time on each one and you might be surprised how much it can help.

* Know the scoring system. It sounds silly, but owners who play in many leagues might get the nuances of each scoring system mixed up. Does this league give a point for 20 passing yards? Or is it 25? Do tight ends get an extra half-point per reception? Are all field-goals three points, or are the longer ones worth more? Is there a penalty for interceptions? If you attend several drafts in the span of a few days, take a few extra moments and make sure you understand how each setup affects your rankings.

* Know the league rules. As we all know, the waiver wire is a simple concept that can become very complex based on how a league handles it. Some are first-come first-serve while others go in reverse order. Some leagues allow them up until kickoff of each game but others cut it off after the first game of the week, regardless of what day that is.

Trades can also be handled very differently depending on the league setup. Some just allow whatever you want, others have a vote system and others have a committee or empower the commissioner to veto at their discretion. Complaining about it later -- even if you’re right about how silly it is -- won’t do you any good. It’s better to know ahead of time how it works.

* Know Your Fellow Owners. This is probably the most important aspect of preparing for an individual league. I’m lousy at poker, but all the professionals advise to read the players instead of just reading the cards. If you know your opponent’s tendencies, you can make better decisions.

I think the same holds true here. In some leagues, trades occur all the time. In others it’s harder than pulling teeth -- it’s like oral surgery trying to extract a player from a roster. In those leagues you can’t draft depth and just expect to use it to make up for weaknesses elsewhere in your lineup. That’s a great strategy -- for a different league. You might end up with a lot of talent sitting on your bench with nowhere to go.

You should also figure out where you stand with the other owners. Do a lot of them work together, or see each other socially? That allows for more trade discussions, so one e-mail on your part might not get a deal done. You also want to know how seriously they take the game. You might have a half-dozen hard-core owners and a few guys who just enjoy the camaraderie. That’s fine, but you should know who you’re talking to when making trade offers. Studying past owner habits can also reveal if quarterbacks tend to go earlier in the league, or if most owners follow a run on a certain position, or if everyone waits until the last two rounds to take a kicker or defense.

Finally, I think you should know where their loyalties lie. I live in Tampa, and I guarantee you that many drafts here will see guys like Antonio Bryant and Derrick Ward selected earlier than in other places. It’s not that the owners are inexperienced, but we’re inundated with Buccaneers media coverage. You can’t help but think you have some insight as to how things will shake out during the season, and people like to root for their players. But it’s like that in every city, so where you live could shape the draft or auction.

Now, sometimes there are exceptions. In one league, I know of two Steelers fans, one Eagles fan, one Saints fan, one Cowboys fan and one Giants fan. It’s all over the board. In another, half the league are Jaguars fans. If I like any of those players, I need to be willing to take them earlier than other drafts -- or be happy with guys that fall to me as a result. Either way, I know what to expect on that day.

You still have plenty of time to scout your favorite players and figure out who you like on draft day. But if you scout your league, you might be able to gain some insight that can help you as well.

You can reach Michael Murillo at vivamurillo@gmail.com.

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