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Drafting a big man can be every bit as haphazard and perilous for a fantasy owner as it is for an NBA general manager -- except for that nasty becoming-a-laughingstock-and-never-running-another-personnel-department-again potential. After all, if a fantasy owner screws up, he can start over a year later. If a GM drafts Frederic Weis ... well, you know the rest.

Luckily, you and I have a set of established stars and semi-established commodities to work with out of the gate. The keys, chiefly, are to understand your league's rules inside and out, know who qualifies at the position and avoid major pitfalls.

Any owner worth his salt knows that Shaquille O'Neal is an anchor in roto leagues -- a legitimate liability because of his poor durability and awful, high-frequency free-throw shooting. But Shaq -- even at his age, in his condition, and with his new second-banana status behind SG Dwyane Wade -- still has possible top-10 value at the position in performance/points formats.

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