-by Dave Gray

Whether it's your first year playing fantasy football or you're a seasoned veteran, there's one demon that you must slay in order to be successful on draft day: Homerism. It's an elusive disorder that can strike even the most knowledgeable football fans.

	ho·mer·ism (hmr- zm) n.
		A mental disorder caused by blind loyalty that retards logical reasoning.

Flashback to my first fantasy draft ever, the beginning of the 2000 season. Many of the players in my league were inexperienced, as was I, but one of the guys stood out as the moron. The reason? Homerism. Even then, I knew that I couldn't fairly and accurately rate Dolphins players, so I didn't. I avoided drafting a single Fin. But, our friend, let's call him "Homer", drafted several of them, all too early. Mare flew off the board in the sixth round. And when Homer was done drafting Miami players, he selected ex-Dolphins, like Stanley Pritchett, then fullback for the Eagles, with absolutely no fantasy value. Granted, the guy was a complete idiot, but there was a lesson to be learned: when you're sitting down to draft your team, take off your aqua and orange glasses or you'll finish the season black and blue. Homer didn't even win one game that year.

Sadly, Homer isn't alone. I've seen it in other leagues since then with other teams. And although not to such a degree, I've even been guilty of it myself. I had a thing for Chris Chambers last year, and overpaid to get him.

I'd like to think that I've learned my lesson, so this year, I'm trying to find a compromise between drafting Dolphins too early, and not drafting them at all. I'm doing this by taking extra care when valuing Dolphins players on my various cheatsheets, and being certain not to overvalue anyone. I plan to accomplish this by letting someone else do all the work for me.

The internet is an endless pool of information for fantasy geeks, so it's easy to find ordered lists for every position from a variety of sources. Sometimes they are expert rankings based on projections, sometimes they're average mock draft orders, but they're always less biased than you are. Chances are that there's another Dolphins fan drafting with you. Let them make the mistakes. After reviewing the data from some of my favorite sites, I've come up with a list of Miami Dolphins that you might be tempted to jump on when your pick comes around, and an objective look at them. My data is based on a 10 team yardage and TD league with 16 players on a team, starting a QB, RB, 2 WR, Flex (RB or WR), TE, K, and Defense. Even if your league differs a bit, the idea is still the same.

Quarterback:
Jay Fiedler - Jay Fiedler probably shouldn't be on your fantasy team this year, unless you plan on taking three quarterbacks. He's no better than the 20th QB, from a draft perspective. He is a starter and may be a good bye week fill in if the match-up is right, but don't overpay. Jay should go somewhere around the 12th round.

Brian Griese - Some believe that Griese will eventually get the chance to start and will never look back. That's fine, as long as they don't consider drafting him. He's a former Pro-Bowler and he's capable of lighting up the football field. Don't let this cloud your head. He has no place on your fantasy roster. Pass him up.

Running Back:
Ricky Williams - Ricky is the most valuable Dolphin by far. He led the league in rushing last year and there's no real reason to believe that he won't do well again this year. Most rank him in the top 3, some as high as #1. Fan or no fan, Williams is an acceptable first round pick.

Travis Minor - It's sometimes a good idea to grab the backup of a stud running back, in the off chance he goes down. This strategy only works when the backup RB has great potential or is in a very run-friendly system. Such is not the case with the Minor and the Dolphins. If Ricky were to go down, Minor may make a decent free agency grab, but he's not worth a roster spot in the meantime.

Wide Receiver:
Chris Chambers - Chambers has what it takes to be a big playmaker in the NFL, but the system he's in isn't pass-heavy, and he's yet to line up alongside a serious threat to compliment him. However, the fact that he's a number one receiver warrants fantasy consideration. Chambers will make a good 3rd receiver, to be played on bye weeks or when the match-up favors him.

Derrius Thompson - The ex-Redskin is having good practices and fans think that he may be the secret weapon this year. While we all hope this is true, don't buy into the hype. With Ricky and Chambers to share touches with, don't expect Thompson to bring the fantasy world to its knees. Let him slide on by.

Tight End:
Randy McMichael - The Georgia rookie started off hot last year, but his numbers cooled off as soon as Fiedler went down. Norv Turner has a history of utilizing the TE, especially in the red zone. McMichael should be the starting TE on a fantasy team this year, but be careful not to overpay. After the elite few tight ends at the top, there is a huge drop off. Pick him up no earlier than the 9th round.

Kicker:
Olindo Mare - If you have to overvalue someone, Mare is a good candidate. Since a kicker's fantasy performance is based on so many things out of his control, they're nearly impossible to rank. While experts rank him somewhere around #10 among place kickers, Mare is consistent and reliable for the most part, and will be as good a choice as any if he's still there with your last pick.

Defense / Special Teams:
Dolphins DT - The addition of former pro-bowlers Junior Seau and Sammy Knight to an already stud unit gets Dolphins fans excited. Be careful with this. Like kicker, defense is very difficult to predict. It's a pretty safe bet that the Fins' Defense will be good this year, but not worth paying too much for. Most have them ranked second, just behind the super-bowl champion Bucs. Fight off the urge to jump the gun, and draft the Dolphins DT in the 9th round or later.

This may all seem like a no-brainer, but you'd be surprised what Homerism can do to you. It comes without warning and spreads rampantly. With proper precautions, though, it can be prevented. Remember: Think clearly and don't overvalue players you like. On the flip side, don't undervalue players you don't like, which means if there's value at the pick, you might even have to draft a stinkin' Jet.

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