WATCH ABOVE: With the NFL season is set to begin, fantasy football is in high gear, even for CFL players. Global’s Lisa MacGregor reports.
CALGARY – Hours are spent planning and researching to make a championship team. A ‘fantasy team’ that is.
It might be a ‘fantasy’ league but in reality, owners treat it like a serious business in their quest to win, especially owners like the Calgary Stampeders who know a thing or two about winning.
It fact, the Stamps locker room is full of fantasy owners and they’re sitting down together for a mock draft in their own fantasy league. Invite only, and most players already have a personal team name.
“My name’s ‘big play’, because [I’m always] making all the big plays because I’m big play Ray,” said Stamps defensive back Keon Raymond.
Charleston Hughes’ went back to his roots for his team’s name.
“Stamp machine. Because I play for the Stampeders and I’m a machine,” Charleston Hughes explained. The linebacker is known as one of the key owners in the Stamps fantasy league.
Punter Rob Maver on the other hand, quit the fantasy world while he was ahead.
“The ‘mavezy wavezies’ (Maver’s team name), that was two year’s ago and I took the whole pot. Then I retired, figured I’d go out on a high note,” Maver said.
Stampeder’s linebacker Deron Mayo’s team name is not surprisingly, ‘D-Magic’ but he considers himself a rookie.
“They’re not very good right now. This is my third year going into fantasy, so we’re looking to make a big surprise this year,” Mayo said.
But like all fantasy owner’s, everyone is trying to make a splash on draft day to get the top players on their roster. It’s the most stressful day of the online year for football fans because it could be the start of a championship run or a team destined to fail.
“It’s pretty competitive. I’ll just put it like that. When fantasy football comes around, we take it pretty seriously,” Hughes said.
Once the draft is complete, let the group texts, online chats, couch confrontations and on field chirping begin.
So who are the Stamps big studs and sleepers in this year’s fantasy?
“One of my favourites is Le’Veon Bell, so if I can get him on a team he’s a pretty explosive guy. He’s one of those sleeper guys, people know about him but they won’t be first to pick him,” Keon Raymond said.
Let the fight for top pick begin, Raymond already has some competition with Mayo.
“Le’Veon Bell, that’s my number one right there,” Mayo said.
It will be an interesting fantasy and regular season with Tom Brady currently sitting on deflategate and the return of Adrian Peterson.
“Tom is a guy you would usually pick in the first round of a mock draft but with him sitting out, you have to pick somebody else behind him because you’re not going to get any points from him. That could put you down in the standings earlier in your season. It’s tough. and you know Adrian Peterson is going to be one of those diamond picks. He’s sat out for a while and he’s fresh,” Raymond said.
“I always like looking at those young quarterbacks, the (Marcus) Mariota, (Jameis) Winston, (Derek) Carr, I think he’s going to be a pretty good player this year,” said Stamps Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell.
Mitchell might be a trusted source since he is the “commissioner” of the Stampeders fantasy league.
“This year, we’ll go over to Bo’s house and do it all on the board,” Mayo said. “Everything goes through Bo right now but we’re looking to oust Bo though.”
“I think I have a pretty good eye for talent and what team’s are going to do. My biggest thing on strategy is miss-matches,” Mitchell said.
Calgarian Joslynn Boyce now knows that fantasy draft day is the one date on the calendar she doesn’t question her boyfriend about.
“I find that some guys have actually had to miss important events for it. I find it hard to take him seriously because I don’t really understand it but if it makes some money then I think it’s a good thing,” Boyce said.
And Boyce might find herself in a league one day. Charleston Hughes says more and more women are getting into football and fantasy teams.
“I just bumped into a lady not too long ago that was actually asking me for tips on how to draft for her fantasy team,” Hughes said.
Throughout the season, the Stampeders locker room is full of chatter about trades and injuries related to their fantasy teams.
“It’s intense. Up until practice time, guys will be working trades in the warm-up line. So guys will be like ‘oh you know, so and so is injured, I think you should trade him and then other guys will be piping in to see if they can get in on a three way trade and stuff like that and see who’s hot on the waiver wire,” Maver said.
“I try to convince some of the guys on the lower end to take the bait right but truthfully, there are a lot of guys that are good at fantasy. I’m like the rookie right, so they take advantage of me,” Mayo said.
In the meat of the CFL season, it keeps the conversation going and back door trades open as players get a taste of ownership.
“It just brings out the loud mouth in everybody. Definitely exciting that fantasy is around the corner,” Maver said.
Maver is more of a realist when it comes to fantasy.
“It’s such dumb luck. You’re pressing buttons on a keyboard and not even touching a football. You can’t even talk too much trash about it.”
But what’s on the line as far as bets? Well, the team remains pretty hush hush about the paperwork sides of things.
“Every match between each other is for push ups.”
As for advice on who to choose, most fantasy owners try to select heavy one key position.
“First couple picks, should always be running backs,” Hughes says.
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