Fantasy Football leagues have grown exponentially since their inception, and the 2009 season is looking like a killer. With competition heating up, the real fantasy football players will need to seize every advantage they can to make it to the finals. Here’s a short list of the fantasy football sites I’ll be logging onto this season for insider tips, management assistance and predicting competitors’ strategies.

FanHandle.com

What separates this website from the rest of the fantasy football prediction tools is that all the content and stats are generated by you. Personally, I’ve lost too much money buying into predictions from websites that do not work. Who knows how they’re compiling their information, and who knows how many thousands of other fantasy football players are reviewing that same information. With FanHandle, I can gauge my team before the games and adjust the line-up accordingly to get that win.

And here’s a tip to get you further on FanHandle.com. Finding the lowest margin of error for Points-Per-Touch and the lowest margin of error for Touches does not necessarily generate the lowest margin of error for Points. To get the most points, try moving the sliders away from the top. I’ve squeezed out some extra yardage from a half of a dozen players that way.

RapidDraft.com

Drafting my team has always been one of my favorite aspects of fantasy football games, but this site takes the cake for letting me pick my draft number. I’ve spent hours thinking up strategies for the draft only to get the #2 spot, and consequently, three or four players that I wanted. Personally, my favorite draft number is the #12 spot, but to each his own.

Another feature of Rapid Draft that I appreciate is the mock draft. Every website has different controls when it comes to drafts, and when it’s your turn at the podium, nothing is worse then fumbling through the keystrokes and mouse-clicks and watching that clock tick down to zero. With a mock draft, you get the opportunity to learn how to use the Rapid Remote quickly and easily. The interface is pretty user-friendly, but there are still features of it that are worth exploring off-the-clock (like Q Players and the Draft Board).

LeagueSafe.com

It’s not a strategy website, but it’s certainly helpful when it comes to paying for your leagues. League Safe functions similar to Paypal, but it’s designed specifically for fantasy football sites. Hence, no more calls or emails from commissioners asking for a check when you know that you already paid for your membership. And unlike Paypal, the site is free to use and doesn’t take a percentage off the top.

BrunoBoys.net

This site has a lot of great podcasts and articles from fantasy sports experts. Mike Whooley, Marc Caviglia, and Kyle Smith know what’s going on in online football, and they’ve made more than a few predictions in the past that have panned out. I listen to these guys on my way home from work, and depending on what they say, I have changed my roster, re-entered a draft, or even benched a player in my lineup before kickoff.

TheFantasyConsultant.com

I discovered this website after seeing one of their videos on YouTube. The fee to access to their software is reasonable ($24.99 for the season), and the player profiles include a lot of details that you can’t find anywhere else. I tend to use the website more as a general guideline than a black-and-white playbook. Regardless, it’s a keeper for the educational tools alone.

Of course there are a wide variety of fantasy football tools available these days, everyone has a list of favorites. The most important thing to remember is to find free tools that are reliable and paid tools that are worth the investment. Figure out what tools and strategies work for you and use them to dominate your league.