Draft day is here. Or it's tomorrow. Or, God forbid, it's in two hours and you're reading this in the parking lot. Either way, breathe. I've got you.

MSN ran a list of 10 last-minute draft tips (these MSN pieces are usually syndicated from Yahoo Sports, for what it's worth). From where I sit I can only vouch for two of them: know your rules, and don't fall in love with your bench. Those two are worth your time, so let's start there. Everything after is me, not the list.

First, know your rules. I mean it. Is it PPR? Half PPR? Superflex? How many bench spots? You'd be shocked how many people draft like it's standard scoring then spend September confused about why their zero-catch running back isn't cooking. Read the settings before you read another ranking. Least fun tip, most important one. Learn it now instead of the hard way.

Second, don't fall in love with your bench. This one hits home. The way I think about it, your bench is a lifeboat, not a shrine to your favorite guys. Every year I watch someone roster four upside rookies they're emotionally attached to while their starting lineup has a hole you could drive a truck through. Hold your bench to the same standard as your starters: if the upside never shows up, move on.

Okay. That's the list. Now here's my own cheat sheet, eight things I'd tell you over a beer before the clock starts:

Know your league mates. If the guy picking before you is a known Raiders homer, factor that in. Homers reach, and reaches push real value to you.

Don't draft a kicker or defense early. You knew I'd say this. It's my whole thing. Those are last round and streaming spots, and I will die on this hill surrounded by late-round lottery tickets.

Have a plan for byes but don't obsess. A clean bye week distribution is nice. Tanking your draft board to get it is not.

Reach for YOUR guy. This is the fun one. The whole point of fantasy is caring about players. Taking your guy one round early is a tax on joy and it's usually worth paying. I've said it before, I love fantasy for the humans, not the spreadsheet.

Stay flexible. If the run on running backs starts and you're on the clock, don't take a wide receiver out of spite. Adapt. The board tells you what to do, you just have to listen.

Don't panic-draft. I've watched this sink more leagues than anything else. When the clock's ticking and your queue evaporates, take the best available player, not the name you recognize from a commercial.

And print your tiers or have them open. Tiers beat ranked lists every single time because they show you where the value cliffs are, so you know exactly when to spend a pick and when you can wait. Straight up the most underused tool in fantasy.

Now go draft. Take your guy, skip the kicker until the last round, and remember there's almost always someone usable lurking on waivers if you stay patient and keep watching.