Ok, ive been playing up front for my team for a while now and what i've learnt is this...
1. You have to stay tight. Show as little of yourself as you can to the other team... you're alot closer to them than your back players so you cannot afford to play as loose as a back player might get away with. I found the best way to gauge how tight i was playing was by thinking about where i got shot (if i did get shot of course) in my last game. If i got shot somewhere OTHER than my mask/marker/hopper/hand or maybe shoulder (while behind a bunker, if you get hit while moving thats another matter) i must have done something wrong... after all thats all i HAVE to show my opponent when i'm out of my bunker. if you're coming of the field with welts on your chest you're showing too much to the other team!
2. As a front player you should NOT be getting into long fire fights with a member of the other team. If you go through a hopper and get no elimination you're not in a good bunker. If you're not in a position that gives you an advantage over the guy you're going for (assuming he's at least as good at playing tight as you are) then its really a matter of luck as to who gets shot out first. Therefore what you need to do is...
3. MOVE! The further you get up the field the better the angle you have when shooting at the other team. By moving up the field you make it much harder for the other team to stay tight without revealing too much to you or your team mates, you cut down on the amount of bunker they have to hide behind making it much easier for them to slip up and give you a clean shot. Dont be afraid to move. Pick your moment and run like hell. When you get to your new bunker look to get your head up asap... that way the other team has less time to react to your new position and its more likely that when you do start laying down your paint one of them will be exposed giving you a greater chance of eliminating them quickly.
Thats my 3 main points... aside from that be sure to let your back guys know where you are. Once or twice ive ended up right down the tape without my team seeing my move only to have paint comming at me from my team mates who assumed i was on the other team!
Bunkering is something you have to be carefull with. Sure it can get you a quick elimination... but too many times ive seen players bunker the last player from the other team and get shot out themselves... sure the rest of the team can grab the flag, but a bit of carefull teamwork could have achieved the same thing without the loss of a player, and thus points.
Oh, and make sure you look good before you go on the field. Cos we all know the most important role of the front player is to look damn sexy while he runs back with the flag after single handedly eliminating the other team with his bad ass moves.