Every year when August comes around, the fun of summer is taken from the hearts of young children everywhere, as school commences and summer ends. Yet these poor souls find refuge in something else, a bright spot in a time of trouble. Fantasy football is our savior, a knight in shining armor that descends from above to fill the hearts of men, women, and children all around the world. Yet the game is not for everyone, and for those of you who are new or maybe just bad at Fantasy Football, Talon writers Nate LeRoy and Potter Seibels are here for you.

Here are our Top 5 players per position:

QB: Cam Newton, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Andrew Luck, Ben Roethlisberger

RB: Adrian Peterson, Todd Gurley, David Johnson, Ezekiel Elliot, Devonta Freeman

WR: Antonio Brown, Odell Beckham Jr., Julio Jones, DeAndre Hopkins, Allen Robinson

TE: Rob Gronkowski, Greg Olsen, Jordan Reed, Delanie Walker, Coby Fleener

D/ST: Seattle, Denver, Carolina, Houston, Kansas City

Kicker: Stephen Gostkowski, Steven Hauschka, Dan Bailey, Adam Vinatieri, Mason Crosby

Sleepers by each Position:

Sleeper picks are where leagues are won or lost, when there seems to be close to no talent left on the draft board. Some of last year’s sleeper picks are featured as the top five players at their own respective position, with Devonta Freeman, David Johnson, and Jordan Reed all ranked outside of the top 20 at their own position last year, and finished within the top three scorers for the season. Some of the typical sleepers are players behind injury-prone athletes, or players who back-up suspended players.

QB: Tom Brady- Despite his four game suspension, Tom Brady is still one of the top fantasy quarterbacks, and drafting him as an 8th round pick is one of the smarter moves to be made.

RB: Duke Johnson Jr.- A running back on a team with an iffy quarterback situation is always a smart move, as teams without a strong QB are likely to run the ball at least 60% of their plays per game. With the Browns’ continuously terrible QB situation and a  strong offensive line, Duke Johnson Jr. is likely to build on his stellar rookie season with a top-ten year.

WR: Josh Gordon- Although he is also suspended for the first four games of the season for repeated marijuana usage, Gordon remains the sole target on the Browns’ offense. His speed out wide along with his punt and kick returning skills place him in the discussion of elite wideouts, as long as he restricts the hits to the football field and not the bong.

TE: Clive Walford- The Oakland tight end is the third target on a high-volume offense featuring Derek Carr under the helm, one of the best young guns the NFL has. In a point per reception league, Walford is a fantastic backup tight end with potential to become a week to week starter for the playoff push.

Draft Strategy- Fantasy football is all about getting the best players in positions in which their lacking, especially RB and WR. A common draft strategy is to spend the first five rounds drafting running backs and wide receivers, with the exception of Gronk going in the second or third round. Leave QBs until at least the seventh round, as the difference between drafting the third overall QB and the fifteenth is only 30 points per season, split by the 13 weeks, totaling to only 2.3 points a week, virtually a non-existent difference. For the sake of everyone who considers fantasy football an actual game, do NOT touch the defense or kicker list until at least the 10th round of the draft, as anything else simply disrespects the other position players.

Best of luck to you and your team this year.