Seattle Seahawks Listed 6.5-Point Underdogs to Local Man's Fantasy Team

Despite not having an offensive line, no punter, and no actual NFL players, the Sheboygan Ragamuffins are 6.5-point favorites over the Seattle Seahawks this week.

Chad Rankin, a seventh-grade science teacher and Ragamuffin GM, tried to play down the fact that his team of stat lines was favored over an actual NFL team.

"I know Ben Roethlisberger's been big for the Ragamuffin organization the past few weeks," Rankin said, "but he's on his bye this week."

The Ragamuffins are 5-0 heading into Week Six, following a hard-fought, 132-121 contest with the Eau Claire Pincushions.

"I was down six points heading into Monday night. I was worried, because I only had the Saints defense/special teams in my starting lineup. Luckily, Reggie Bush had some big returns for us and put us over the top," Rankin said.

This week's matchup is like nothing the team has ever faced before.

"Last year's championship game was pretty intense. I had to buy a new mouse after wearing the old one down with all the refresh button clicks. But nothing compares to facing a real NFL team," said Rankin.

Despite the spread, Rankin knows that there are some big mismatches the Seahawks will want to exploit.

"First of all, their defensive line is going to have a big day. We literally have no one to protect Gus (Frerotte) and no one to block for Steve (Slaton)," he said.

"Still, I think they'll have big games for us on Sunday," he added. Frerotte plays a porous Detroit defense and Slaton is running against the Miami Dolphins.

Overall, Rankin is confident with the team he has.

"Steve should go over 100 yards, and hopefully Gus can manage the game for us. Greg (Jennings) will have a good game because he's actually going up against the Seahawks defense. I'm looking for a couple touchdowns out of him," Rankin said.

Getting production out of his defensive and special teams unit will be the biggest factor, according to Rankin.

"The Bears defense and special teams has always been really good. I usually will draft them early just to make sure I get them. Besides, I think the numbers on the stat line will have no problem covering Seattle's receivers," Rankin said.

The game will not actually be played on any field, and the only media coverage will be on ESPN's Web site and requires Rankin's user name and password. Results will be made available as soon as Antonio Gates finishes his game on Monday night.