As you know, I encourage fantasy players to try different formats. PPR, IDP, team quarterbacks, dynasty, it doesn’t really matter. If you only stick with what you like, you might never find something you’ll love. So if you have the time, money, and energy, give a different league a try.

But whatever you do, do not combine your draft preparations. If you try to cut corners like that, you’ll end up with mediocre teams across all formats.

You don’t need me to tell you that a PPR draft will look different than a basic scoring draft. And quarterbacks will be more valuable in a league where every team starts two of them, or awards six points per touchdown pass versus four. And if tight ends aren’t mandatory, that cuts down on the number of them you even want to consider. This is all fantasy 101, right?

Problem is, the final exam for fantasy 101 usually includes preparing for all leagues at the same time, then grabbing a separate cheat sheet for each type of draft and calling it a day. And if that’s how you plan to do it, you’re probably going to flunk, unless you drop out in the middle of the season.

We all use cheat sheets, but the best players merely use them as guides. They mix expert opinion with their own research, a few hunches, and the experience they’ve accumulated over the years. Add in a serving or two of luck, and you have the makings of a champion. And that’s what most players try to do with their main league. But if a scoring system is a little different for another league, some players simply use the same information. After all, who cares if you get a point for every 20 passing yards or 25? Or if a fumble costs you one or two points? Or if you have to draft a certain number of players at each position? Those aren’t big changes. You can get by with the same basic prep.

And that’s true, if “getting by” is your goal. But the more a format varies from what you consider normal, the more it will cost you. So, like I mentioned earlier, many players will grab a specialized cheat sheet and adjust accordingly.

That might work for a few rounds. But when you get to the middle of your draft, where championship puzzle pieces are selected, you’ll just have that list to go on. You won’t have the research, hunches and everything else that goes along with a solid draft. And unless Lady Luck is sitting next to you all night long, it’s going to show during the season. Anybody can read names off a list someone else made. But not anybody will win a league.

So what am I saying? That you have to do separate, thorough research for every league you plan to join? Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. My first leagues were all PPR, and I didn’t play with basic scoring systems until about 10 years later. I knew it was different, but I had updated cheat sheets so I knew I’d be fine.

Was I fine? Well, I didn’t embarrass myself. But I wasn’t a real contender, either. I took the right players early in the draft, but blew it when it came to depth. If I didn’t find gems on the waiver wire, it was only a matter of time until injuries, bye weeks and miscalculations on draft day usually did me in. It wasn’t until I took on a separate mindset for each scoring format that I became competitive. Yes, it took more time, and I had to hit reset on my basic assumptions when it came to selecting players. But eventually, I was able to deviate from the cheatsheet with my own hunches and research.

Sometimes I was wrong. But other times I was right, and it carried me to victory. And it never would have happened if I didn’t take pay close attention to the nuances of each format. There is no one-size-fits-all draft prep. If you join a league with a different twist on fantasy football, you need to devote the time to preparing for it.

Sometimes we think of joining new leagues as simply a function of having the money, or the time to manage lineups each week. But you need to add in the draft prep time, which can be significant.

You can still play if you choose not to do it, of course. They’ll take your entry fee with a smile. But if you want to make a run at the title, you owe it to yourself to commit to the time demands in August, instead of just thinking about September and beyond. Please consider that variable as you choose your leagues over the next month.

And if that means you play in fewer leagues, that’s okay, too. But the more time you put into preparing for each league, the more you’ll get out of them.

Do you do different prep for different formats, or do you just tweak your normal routine? How has it worked for you? Share your thoughts below.