With the return of the NFL on Thursday, Sept. 7, comes the return of fantasy football season, back again to break some of our hearts while uplifting the few who are lucky enough to come out of their league as champions.
I’m usually just happy to go .500 on the season. If I’m really lucky, I might make it to at least the first round of the fantasy playoffs. Ferris State’s football season is also on the horizon with their first game of the year scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 9, on the road at Findlay. So, let’s pin some Bulldogs against some pros in the best way we can: compare their fantasy points throughout the season.
Like my predecessor before me, I’ll choose one quarterback, one running back, two wide receivers, a tight end, a defense/special teams and a kicker from different NFL rosters each week to compare them to Ferris State’s top players of the week.
For example, I may choose quarterback Jay Cutler of the Miami Dolphins to go up against Bulldog quarterback Reggie Bell in week one. Whichever athlete scores more fantasy points that week will be helping their team reach a score higher than their opponent’s combined score.
In the past, the Bulldog athletes have taken it to the NFL players. For example, in 2015’s season opener, former Torch Sports Editor Marshall Scheldt pinned Carolina Panther’s quarterback Cam Newton up against Bulldog quarterback Jason Vander Laan. Vander Laan took it to Newton in the points, gaining the Bulldog fantasy team 39 points to Newton’s 13 fantasy points for Scheldt’s team of the week.
With the 2017 season finally here, we’ll see if I am able to whip up fantasy teams well enough to beat the Bulldogs. It’s not going to be an easy task, as the Ferris State football program has been pegged as the number two team in the nation, according to preseason standings, but we’ll give it the old college try.
After I have used one professional player in my lineup, that player will be excluded from being on the fantasy roster again.
Stay tuned to see if this is the year that I finally create a fantasy team or two that can win. May the odds be ever in my favor.