1. (Fantasy Only) Never, ever, draft your star QB in the first pick (its better to not draft a star QB ever). Your QB plays a less significant role than you may think. Star QB's usually demand a $15m+ salary. Draft a lower rated QB and let him improve through the year. You can end up having an amazing QB, that costs you nothing.
2. O-Line is essential. You may overlook the offensive line cause none of them are real famous, or on advertisements. But with a bad O-Line, you will lose every game you go into.
3. Build a specific offense, not your whole offense. Determine in the beginning what type of offense you will have. Trying to get the best possible offensive players will hurt you. Having two good WR's, a good RB, an extraordinary TE, and a terrible O-Line, will kill you. If you want a good running game, get the best O-Line you can, and a decent RB.
If you want a good passing game, get a decent O-Line, decent QB, and great WR's, etc. Build your offense in sections, not as a whole.
4. Don't over do it with punters and kickers. If you follow this guide, you won't need them too often.
5. Try to get a fast and tough QB for second string. If your offense just can't get anything done. Bringing out your runningback of a QB can help.

1. Defense wins championships. If you are starting a franchise with the actual roster (non franchise), go with a team with a great defense. If you are doing fantasy draft, get the best defense you can. If the other team can't score, it takes a lot of pressure off of your offense.
2. When it comes to Linerbackers and Defensive Ends, go for speed. Don't focus on their other stats too much. 90+ speed = sacks.
3. Focus on your secondary as much as possible. It's okay to give up some running yards. But when your secondary fails, that means big passing plays, which means you lose.
4. If you can, get a combination of huge, and then speedy on your D-Line. Stuffing the run forces the pass, and then your secondary stops the pass then and there.
5. Try to draft good Defensive Backs, they are great weapons and can make good plays if used correctly.

1. Draft young, this is the most important part of the draft. If you go for star players, you will fail. Cause in most cases, Star players are experienced. Experience = time in the NFL. If you are drafting over 30 just because they are stars, you won't get anywhere. In NFL franchise mode, you have to deal with retirements, players come and go. So draft young players who you will 10+ years of playing time out of before they retire.
2. Draft bad players with potential for seven year contracts. I know it sounds dumb, but here's the thing. If you go and draft a star RB for $10m a year, guess what, you have to deal with Salary Cap. If you draft a RB with an overall of say, 62, for 800k. By the 5/6th year, his overall could be 80+, and you are still spending nothing on him.
3. Keep it balanced. Just cause you see that you can draft a QB with an overall of 92, doesn't mean you should. If you spend 50m+ on a couple of 90 overall players, then the Salary Cap catches up to you, and then the rest of your team has an overall of 70. If you balance it out, you can get players 75-85 overall, and improve them.
4. Draft first round picks, and trade them for what you need. No matter there position, people go crazy over first round picks. So if you have a first round punter, and need an RB, put your punter on the trading block. People see "1st Round", and give you a great RB.
5. Draft players with good skills other than their position. What this means is, try to find a HB who can throw like a QB for example. These players will help in trick plays, and when a star player is injured.

Okay so this is the most important and essential part of the franchise. Where most of the decisions and judgement calls will be made.
1. Sim the preseason, the preseason won't do anything for you in the long run. Unless you just really want the full experience, its a waste of time.
2. Decide if you sim the regular season. You can sim 2-3 games and see how you do. If you win majority of them, simming is fine. Otherwise, player through the regular season.
3. See what you need to improve on with your team, trade off players you don't need to improve your weak sections.
4. Re-order the depth chart based on who you are playing. If your next opponent has a bad D-Line, get your best O-Line and your best RB to destroy with the running game. If they have a bad secondary, get your fastest receivers on first string, etc.
5. Never sim more than one game at a time, if you start to lose consistently take over yourself.
6. If you make it to the play-offs, DO NOT SIM ANY OF THE PLAY-OFF GAMES THAT YOU ARE IN. Crazily enough, you play better than the CPU controlling your team does. You have a lot better chance winning if you play rather than the CPU does it for you.

So you got to the Super Bowl, good job! But you have to be careful here, it could all end.
1. Figure out the teams weaknesses and strengths, use their weaknesses against them as well as you can, and prepare for their strengths to the best of your ability.
2. Re-order your depth chart to emphasize the best part of your offense and defense, balance is not needed here. Just the best of what you got.
3. Stick with running or passing. You can go for the running route or passing route, but don't try to do both, it will hurt you in the end.
4. Make sure you get your second string ready, injuries may happen. Not having any plan once your star QB is injured will end up in a loss.