1) Waiver wire

A) Being the first one to pick up top players that somehow went undrafted. This is very important, as the pre-rank system that alot of people use is easy to overlook good players ranked high if you don't think about them, or do go through the lists.

B) Grabbing rookies, players on hot streaks or a break out season, or a player who is just now getting some PT. There are several players each year that will give you out of this world fantasy points, when they are merely a no-body at that point in their career. Ride them out, gather as many points as you can.

C) Some idiot drops a great player without realizing how good they are or how much trade value they had. Pick him up immediately, and laugh at their regret when they are putting up great numbers for your team that is now climbing the standings or hopefully even running away with 1st place.

2) Drafting

A) I've never done a live draft, but I try each year and something always goes wrong. A live draft is a little easier but its important not to over draft or give up in the end and not pay much attention

B) Pre-ranking is a hard thing to do because you have no idea what other people are drafting. Pre rank as many players as you possibly can. If not, you'll end up getting players by default towards the end that make little to no sense, and you have a few players on your team that are basically worthless. I've found that relying heavily on pitching or hitting is a great philosphy.

3) Trading

A) Trading is 3rd because its so hard to trade. If you're lucky enough to have a league that is active then its alot more fun. I do trades most of the time out of boredom, but its not always the smart thing to do. Unless if you can bank on someones stupidity then trading doesn't do a whole lot, and luck comes into play. Injuries, cold streaks, etc. can ruin a trade that favored you in the long run.

B) Trade a surplus for a weakness. This always helps out your team, but don't over pay too much for a weakness. There is usually a team out there that your strengths & weaknesses match reversed and it fits out well.

C) Big name players. Rookie fantasy players have a tendency to trade for big name players. If you have a popular player, might as well get more than what he is worth. It's sometimes easy to trade for great fantasy players that are almost unknown to the general public.

What do you guys do to win? (If you wish to reveal your fantasy 'secrets')