If you could start a team today and you had the first overall selection in a fantasy draft, what quarterback would you take first? What left tackle would top your list to protect that quarterback’s blind side? Who would be your first choice to run your defensive line through? Well, over the next number of weeks, the Monday Morning Quarterback is going to do just that as we put together our own fantasy football team.

Fantasy football (Part one)

It’s a simple yet challenging exercise: coming up with the best possible selections to start a team with. These are the opinions of the MMQB only, so feel free to disagree loudly. We’re filling every position on a typical fantasy football team plus a few more, so let’s get at it starting with our first two positions.

QB – Bo Levi Mitchell, Calgary Stampeders

We’ll start with the highest profile of positions. If I were to start a team today, Calgary’s Bo Levi Mitchell would be my first choice at quarterback. We’re talking about an extremely impressive and deep group to choose from, here, but a few different things put Mitchell over the top.

First off, at the age of 26, he’s the youngest of the group that I considered. The others in the mix were Edmonton’s Mike Reilly and Hamilton’s Zach Collaros, who are both older than Mitchell. Remember, I’m starting a team to have success for a long time, so age matters in this conversation.

But Mitchell isn’t just a young, promising quarterback. The dude gets things done. Mitchell was a driving force behind a 2014 Grey Cup title for the Stampeders and finished second only to Ottawa’s Henry Burris with 4551 passing yards last season. Not only is Mitchell still young and promising, he’s also one of the best pivots in the league right now. In the end, that put him over the top for me.

RB – Andrew Harris, Winnipeg Blue Bombers

This was another really, really difficult choice. If we were to have done this one year ago, Jon Cornish would have been a no-brainer, but he’s retired now. So it came down to last year’s rushing leader Tyrell Sutton in Montreal and this year’s his runner-up in Harris. The latter got my nod because of his track record and his versatility.

The track record for Harris does trump Sutton’s. For instance, twice in his career, Harris has gone over 1,000 yards on the ground; he was two yards away from making it a third time in 2013. Sutton had a great year in 2015, but Harris has done it year after year since 2011.

Then there’s the versatility side of things. Since 2012, Harris’s lowest total for total yardage is 1,181. Not only is he a dynamic threat on the ground, he also adds an element in the passing game that most players at his position don’t possess. Harris has strung together four straight seasons with 500 or more receiving yards making him the league’s most dangerous dual-threat back.

Still just 29, Harris is also among the youngest of the high-end running back bunch, which also nudged me his way. When you take into account Harris’s Canadian passport and the added motivation that comes with joining a new team, he’s my number one guy at tailback.

All about development

Seeing the CFL and NFL come together on a brand new officiating development program last week was one of the most positive news items I’ve read in quite some time. Sure, they’re different leagues with different rules, but football is still football, and that rings true here.

From the CFL’s perspective, this is huge for development. Several officials will get the opportunity to receive even more high-end, tailored training from the NFL’s development program. No one in professional sports has more financial might than the NFL which means access to resources that weren’t previously available.

It’s also a chance to get more reps, and that carries over to both leagues. A group of younger NFL officials will get the chance to work north of the border in June and July to get ready for the start of their season in August. That gives them valuable extra time on the field calling top notch, professional ball.

THE SNAP: THE

GREY CUP TRAVELS

TO SOUTH PITTSBURG



CFL.ca was on hand as the Grey Cup visited Chris Jones and the National Cornbread Festival in South Pittsburg, Tenn.

On the other side, we’re talking about lots of extra time for the CFL’s guys, too. In addition to the extra training resources made available, they’ll get the chance to attend mini-camps and training camps and an opportunity to work in some NFL pre-season games, too. Remember, CFL officials are not employed full-time, so these extra reps are going to be huge.

And that leads to the final really important thing about this historic partnership. This gives an opportunity for CFL officials to keep on climbing the ladder.

“We’re excited,” said CFL Senior Vice President, Football Glen Johnson. “A group of our officials will actively participate in the NFL Development Program and now have a formal path forward to be considered as prospects in their league.”

It’s tough not to see this as a win-win on both sides of the border.

Quick hits

The league and its players association needed a new drug testing policy in place prior to the start of the 2016 season. It was a top off-season priority and now it’s signed, sealed, and delivered.

There are two critical things here. First off, the number of random tests has been increased substantially. Just as importantly, though, the new policy mandates that prior sanctions from other levels of football are recognized, too. The new policy is more thorough; it eliminates a ton of potential loopholes, and is now one of the most comprehensive in pro sports. Good on the league and the PA.

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CFL.ca contributor Jamie Nye wrote a really interesting piece last week about the Riders and their options with the number one overall pick in the Canadian Draft. Many believe Saskatchewan is primed to move its most coveted selection as the Riders look to bounce back in a big way from last year’s nightmare campaign. I get the reasoning, but it’s a really risky proposition.

The best example that popped into my head was also laid about by Nye: Calgary’s 2014 acquisition of number one overall. In return for that pick, Ottawa got a reliable player in Jon Gott while the Stampeders drafted Pierre Lavertu, who was a West Division All-Star in his second year in the league. Trading the first overall pick could very well net Saskatchewan a nice player, but championship teams are built on Canadian talent. Typically I always lean towards using first round picks. We’ll see if the new Riders’ brain trust thinks the same way in a few weeks.