Draft day is like the final exam of fantasy sports. So what if they come at the beginning of the semester, er, season. And there’s one lesson we all have learned about final exams: It’s never as easy when you try to cram the night before. Doing your homework well in advance helps significantly.

With that in mind, here’s the first of six entries that will address the best fantasy options team by team. We’ll list players on each NFL squad worthy of starting spots and who should be backups on your fantasy roster — QBs, RBs and WRs. We’ll also rate the low-impact positions — TE, PK, DEF. We start, for no particular reason, with the AFC East.

Starters: WR Lee Evans, RB Marshawn Lynch

Backup: J.P. Losman

Comments: Losman could be in for a breakout year. He looked much more comfortable late last season. His maturation should help boost Evans’ numbers and make him a more consistent WR option. The trade of Willis McGahee left open the feature RB position, which seems secure in the hands of rookie Marshawn Lynch.

TE: Robert Royal is listed as the starter. No one here should garner significant interest at this point.

PK: Rian Lindell is a solid kicker with good range. The only setback is the rough winter weather by the lake.

DEF: Middle of the pack.

Starters: RB Ronnie Brown, WR Chris Chambers

Backups: QB Trent Green, WR Marty Booker, WR, Ted Ginn Jr.

Comments: Brown is the only rock-solid starter, and should be considered a late-first/early-second-round selection. Chambers is more of a mystery. He can catch anything, but he has to have a QB who can get him the ball. Green should be able to do that. Still, in two-WR leagues, you may want to stash Chambers on the bench until he shows some consistency. On three-WR leagues, don’t be afraid to start him right away.

TE: No more underperforming Randy McMichael. Green threw a lot of his Kansas City TE, Tony Gonzalez. He won’t have anything close to that in South Beach. But it’s worth keeping an eye on David Martin, or backup Justin Peele. If either appears to be making strides once camp begins, consider them in the late rounds.

PK: Jay Feely arrives from the Giants. He’s got a strong leg. Given opportunities, he can score. No kicker deserves mid-round consideration, but some foolish owners always do so anyway. Once rounds 12-15 approach, feely is as good as any of the options remaining.

DEF: Were a top-10 DEF last season, but they’re getting older. Addition of Ginn on special teams could make up for the decline of fantasy points on defense.

Starters: QB Tom Brady, RB Laurence Maroney, WR Randy Moss, TE Ben Watson

Backups: WR Donte Stallworth, WR Wes Welker

Comments: Don’t be surprised to see Stallworth, if he can stay healthy, outscore Moss on the fantasy circuit. Maroney could have a monster year. And Brady is the No. 4 QB option out there — behind Peyton Manning, Carson Palmer and Drew Brees.

TE: Watson is a solid second-tier TE. If you end up having to skip the TE slot until the late-middle rounds, he’s a decent option.

PK: Second-year kicker Stephen Gostkowski gets plenty of chances and has shown he’s capable of turning them into fantasy points.

DEF: Ranks in the top 5-7. Problem is, someone will draft them way too soon. Don’t dip into the DEF/ST well just because a few other owners are in rounds 8-10. Wait until 12-15.

Starter: RB Thomas Jones

Backups: QB Chad Pennington, WR Laveranues Coles, WR Jerricho Cotchery

Comments: Addition of Jones clears up a muddled backfield situation that was a fantasy mess last season. Coles could perform well enough to start in deep leagues with three-WR and/or flex positions. Some might argue that RB Leon Washington, or even Cedric Houston, could be a decent sleeper on the bench. However, both these guys were on the squad last year and did virtually nothing from a fantasy perspective. No reason to think they’ll get any better with what will likely be fewer carries. Maybe Washington turns into a third-down or long-yardage back, but we don’t see a worthwhile upside.

TE: Chris Baker is still waiting to become an integral part of the offense. We’re waiting, too.

PK: Mike Nugent was reliable last season, and showed some distant. Another very solid late-round kicker.

DEF: Drafted for defense early, but don’t count on rookies. Otherwise, unit looks similar to last year’s bottom-third squad.

dloftis@nypost.com