CINCINNATI -- Have you ever wondered what it might be like to play fantasy football with an actual NFL player?
Somewhere in the world, there are a few people who, unbeknownst to them, are.
Cincinnati Bengals running back Jeremy Hill is a fantasy owner's dream in more ways than one. In addition to producing and putting up big points with his play on the field, Hill also is giving a few other fantasy owners the rare badge of honor of competing head-to-head against a player who they may even have on their own teams.
"I just wanted to see what the hype was all about," said Hill, a fantasy newbie. "I just hopped in a random league ... I don't even think they know I'm in the league."
Seriously?
"I swear," he continued, smiling. "It's just random."
If you're the lucky person going against "LostintheSauce Royal Family" in an ESPN fantasy league this week, you are indeed squaring off against the Bengals' running back who awarded his fantasy owners with 18 points in standard ESPN leagues in a two-touchdown effort during Cincinnati's 33-13 win at Oakland.
That also means you're going against a fantasy squad that, according to Hill, "blew out" its Week 1 competition, and that enters Week 2 with a 1-0 record. Hill's fantasy team is chock-full of players he knows personally, like fellow Bengals Giovani Bernard and Tyler Eifert.
Fantasy squad 1-0 heading into this Sunday let's Eat Greedy again fellas pic.twitter.com/qxgn8RfA74
— Jeremy Hill (@JeremyHill33) September 16, 2015
"It's not really that hard," Hill said about constructing his fantasy lineup.
As easy as it may have been to get that first fantasy victory, Hill still is a rookie in this realm. The second-year running back said this is the first time he has played fantasy sports.
He does have a good team, though. Eifert came up big for fantasy owners last week, notching 22 points after a nine-catch, 104-yard, two-touchdown performance in the win over the Raiders. Bernard contributed a solid eight points. Hill's close friends and fellow former LSU standouts Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr. netted him a combined 16. Hill's quarterback, Matt Ryan, landed him 15 points (although Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton had 18 for fantasy owners in Week 1).
"My team is pretty stacked. I don't think we're going to lose anytime soon," Hill said. "My bye week's going to be pretty tricky. But other than that, I'm going to be fine."
The Bengals are off Week 7, along with the Bears, Broncos and Packers.