If you look up fantasy football, you will immediately see opinions from fantasy gurus such as Matthew Berry, Field Yates, Stephania Bell, and Michael Fabiano. These men and women spend each and every day of their lives sorting through the stats, evaluating the matchups, and making the tough decisions that will help us make ours.

These people are excellent at what they do. They have worked very hard to move their way up to the top, and it would be an honor to get ahold of one of these inspirational people and pick their brains. But sadly this couldn’t happen, and now I’m stuck with de Toledo sophomore Ben Pfiefer.

Ben is a member of the junior varsity basketball team and has been an avid fantasy football participant since he was 10 years old.

Ben loves fantasy football because it gives him a way to interact with friends and channel his love of sports into competition. His favorite football team is the Indianapolis Colts, which also employ his favorite player, Andrew Luck.

Sophomore Aaron Heisen had nothing but good things to say: “Ben is very intelligent about fantasy football and provides good advice that helps me win crucial weeks during my season.”

When asked about his sleepers for Week 7, Ben had this to say: “Sam Bradford, he is the most accurate quarterback in the National Football League with the highest QBR. He’s also on the Vikings, the hottest team in football, so I think he is a very good option. And another option is a guy like Matt Asiata because he is the Vikings goal line back and will get carries near the end zone, which turns into touchdowns.”

Is Ben a Colts fan or Vikings fan?

Well, if he’s a Vikings fan the end result would make him even more disappointed, as Sam Bradford threw for an abysmal 224 yards along with merely one touchdown, which translated into a horrific 6 fantasy points. And Matt Asiata did outperform expectations, garnering 12 carries for 55 yards, but these still aren’t fantasy-relevant numbers.

But not everything he said was incorrect. “My third sleeper is Ty Montgomery, wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers. He’s only owned in 10% of leagues and he’s been more and more targets from Aaron Rodgers lately. I think he could be primed for a good week.” Ty Montgomery gashed the opposing Bears for 126 miscellaneous yards and 12 fantasy points in standard leagues and 22 points in PPR.

On the flip side, Chicago Bears wide receiver Cameron Meredith has been on fire as of late, with two straight 100 yard games, but after being asked whether he would buy or sell on this player, Ben said, “I guess sell, because I’m not a huge fan of Cameron Meredith and don’t think he’ll do great because I feel like Alshon Jeffery, Eddie Royal, and Zach Miller are bound to step up, and I just don’t think he’s a great option.”

Ben’s bold decision ended up paying off as Cameron Meredith ended up being one of the biggest busts of Week 7 against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night, only getting one catch for 12 yards.

Finally, Ben was asked about Hunter Henry, the young and promising tight end in San Diego, and had this to say: “I think if you need a tight end he’s fine pickup, because compared to Antonio Gates he’s younger, faster and more athletic, and will definitely get more catches in the red zone than the aging Gates. So I would have to with buy.”

Ben would be saddened to hear that Hunter Henry did just as bad as Cameron Meredith last week or possibly even worse, only getting one catch for 16 yards. This is a far cry from the 83 yard game he had against Denver the week before.

de Toledo Student and Faculty Questions: Created with the help of the Sports and Culture Club

I went around de Toledo and asked students a variety of fantasy football topics. Who should I start? Who should I pick up? Who should I trade? I then relayed three of these questions to our fantasy expert, Ben Pfiefer, and here are the responses.

Noah Camras – Junior – Should I pick up Colin Kaepernick this week, considering he is starting?

“I don’t know about this week, but the thing is Colin Kaepernick was a Super Bowl quarterback who brought his team to back-to-back AFC championships. I think Chip Kelly is a great offensive coach, but he hasn’t been able to figure it out in the NFL just yet. But later in the season, Kaepernick does play some pretty bad defenses like the Bears and Saints. So if you need a quarterback, Kaepernick could be a sleeper who could put up a lot of points.”

Yonatan Goldman – Freshman – Should I trade Mike Evans and Devontae Freeman for Todd Gurley in a standard league?

“Absolutely not! Todd Gurley, I don’t know what it is, he hasn’t been able to figure it out this year. The Rams offensive line is doing poorly and they don’t have the passing game. That’s why I think the Rams will not play well this year even though they’ve gotten off to a hot start. Mike Evans is not the greatest option at receiver, but he’s a deep threat and always a threat of scoring a touchdown or two and getting you some good points. And although he is kind of in a committee with Tevin Coleman, Devonta Freeman he’s still one of the best running backs in the league. He also has a good chance at getting rushing touchdowns and receptions on a deadly Falcons offense.”

Mr. Steven Deutsch – Athletic Administrator – Should I pick up a quarterback for every road game Drew Brees has? Because his road schedule is very tough.

“No, because I think people overreact to a tough schedule, because a good player will do good no matter what the matchup. And the Saints offense is potent, and always will be with Drew Brees until he retires. Drew Brees is a safe bet to throw 300 yards and a touchdown every game.”