Every Sunday morning ordeal with my fantasy squad, Team Brosefina, goes down in a similar manner. (I am particularly engrossed in Fantasy sports this Sunday, as I am in denial that I will never play another high school water polo game as a Viking and that is too much to handle.)

I set my alarm to wake me promptly at 9 a.m.. I then push the mound of homework aside so I can focus wholly, for an hour, on crafting a lineup full of the NFL’s best. Running the show at QB is the solid and steady Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints. (Yes, he is in place of my beloved Peyton Manning… don’t even get me started, the Colts haven’t scored a TD in what feels like WEEKS without him, and now this whole “Suck for Luck” ordeal… it is too painful for me to talk about). And though Brees did rout Manning a few Super Bowls ago, I have learned to ignore past prejudices about franchises and focus solely on the player. Plus, he brings in the points

The next big guns are Calvin Johnson and DeSean Jackson , who, unless by some unlikely act of God are on a bye week, are always in the starting lineup. I had a few malfunctions with wide receivers after the Tennessee Titans’ Kenny Britt got injured within the first few weeks, but the rest of my squad is decent, considering I was last pick in our draft.

Save one thing: running backs.
I have four running backs on my roster: Mike Tolbert, Jahvid Best, Darren Sproles, and Ben Tate. And every Sunday at 9 am, I am sitting at my computer, chomping my nails to the bit, jumping up and down as I watch the clock get closer and closer to 10 a.m. You could quote Jbiebs right here and say that “I’m indecisive – I can’t decide.” And you would be right. Since I can never decide which ‘back to release onto my theoretical turf.

See, here’s the thing, readers. I have four dudes who are all good players. But none of them are standout, “I claim the game” boys, like Arian and RayRay, who you can depend on EVERY Day to go hard. And here’s the thing: playing each of them is a gamble. Tate only does work when the Texan’s running game is on fire, so he can trade off carries with Arian. The other three are on teams that focus their offense on passing or are a hybrid of both.
I usually end up calling Peter Dennis (’12) at some point during that stressful hour, and usually he is helpful. But he’s also my opponent. And thus backup from my lil bro (Connor Scheel (’14)) is also a MUST. Or I ask the undefeated John Dickerson (’12). But you see, readers? Brosefina is MY team. I should be taking charge! I call the shots! Isn’t that what being a team manager is all about?

Now, maybe I am taking this too far: this is all hypothetical. But this Sunday, in my usual panic and wild running about the house, I stopped in my bouncy tracks. “Shannon, come on,” the wise voice of my conscience resonated in my head, “You were a team captain all season! You know how to make choices. Yes, getting outside help is necessary. But trust your gut! You are usually right.” Hm. Isn’t that the whole human instinct thing anyways? That we have gut feelings, or “urges” if you will, to make certain decisions? Throughout my life, ranging from multiple choice tests to which pair of my thirteen jeans I should wear, I have found that ‘going with my gut’ is right about…99.99834% of the time. So why should fantasy be any different?
So maybe I don’t have an award winning runningback. I’ll keep that in mind for next year’s draft. But hey – I still have my gut instinct. And that’s gonna get me further in life. Find your gut, reader. And use it.
Until next time… Scheel is out.