Although I refuse to make it a lead story on this site even for a little while, I’d be remiss if I didn’t address the Green Bay situation in some way now that we’ve finally gotten some actual movement.

Favre has returned to the Packers and is scheduled to begin praticing with the team today. Obviously, this means more awkward times in Packer camp, but what does it mean for fantasy owners? Many more columns are sure to hit the Web today, but here are a couple of opposing views.

KFFL interprets the team’s press release to mean Favre will step back in under center.

This FanIQ blogger believes Aaron Rodgers will win the job.

Frankly, I don’t think you can draft either one as a starter before the team officially names who will be taking snaps come the regular season. Anyone who says they know what the team will do is lying. I doubt the Packers know what they will do yet. This is yet another argument in favor of drafting as close to the beginning of the season as possible.

I’m going to guess that the derby simply comes down to which passer performs better. If no discernible leader emerges, the Packers should give the nod to Rodgers or risk losing him, mentally as well as potentially to a demanded trade. I also think that the team’s other skill players look pretty similar no matter who takes the ball.

When the upcoming NFL season begins, so will a fantasy football contest run by the Montana Lottery for the benefit of the state’s Board of Horse Racing.

The game is just like most fantasy football competitions in that participants select players and then collect their points each week. The weekly pot is divided among the three highest scorers. Because the contest isn’t licensed by the NFL, the tickets show no player or team names, identifying the athletes by city, position and jersey number.

In 46 states, such a game is illegal under the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act of 1992. Montana is exempt, however, according to the Helena Indepent Record, as it Delaware, Nevada and Oregon were grandfathered in under the legislation because they already allowed sports gambling before the act was created.

Because the game is a parimutuel, it is required by law to pay out 74 percent of the money taken in to winning participants. Another 16 percent goes to the Montana horse-racing board, with the remaining 10 percent split between the state lottery and the ticket retailers.

Ryan Sherman, chief executive for Montana’s Board of Horse Racing, said the state is also looking to develop a NASCAR version of the game.

One would have to imagine that the other exempt states will keep an eye on the success of Montana’s venture while considering whether to develop something similar. The fantasy sports industry should also pay attention, as the rise of such games could perpetuate the myth of fantasy sports’ close tie with gambling.