Usually when we wait two weeks in between Power Rankings, we get a better sense of which way The League winds are blowing. By Week 8, contenders start to separate themselves from the pack, while The League doormats begin to firmly entrench their bottom dweller status. This year, however, none of this has happened. Through 7 games, we actually have less clarity than we had after 5 games, save for the teams ranked 1 and 12. Only 4 teams hold records over .500, while 6 teams stand tied at 3-4, and the lone 2-5 team may actually be better than all of them. With so much traffic in the playoff field, it looks like a wild end of the season is pretty much the only certainty we have. To the ranks:
- 2 Feets In (7-0, 131.5 ppg) Last Rank: 1 ↔ – One of the few no brainers in this week’s rankings. Jacky G continues to rewrite the record books, jumping out to the first 7-0 start The League has seen since Olsen in 2012. To update from the last power rankings, Jack has now won his last 11 League games (longest steak since 2005), 15 of his last 16 (best since 2005) and 19 of this last 21 (best since 2005). 2 Feets In has logged at least 137 points in each of the last 4 games, and has not scored below 115 points in any game this season. With over half the regular season now completed, the undefeated watch officially begins. Next up: the only over .500 squad he hasn’t defeated yet this year, CAN YOU DIGG IT?
- Lobster Beesk (5-2, 114.0 ppg) Last Rank: 3↑ – Meade split his two games since we last checked in, one of them a brutal loss in a very winnable game against Frank in Week 6, where he only put up 74 points. He rebounded nicely with a 116 point showing in an easy W against The Demon. The Week 6 loss was really the only blip on Lobster Beesk’s impressive resume to open the first half of the year, as he has put up at least 114 points in every other game this year. That type of consistency should continue to serve him well as he looks to lock down a playoff spot. Unfortunately, unless the sure-footed 2 Feets In stumbles at the finish, he’s playing merely for a wild card spot.
- The Pecan Sandies (5-2, 119.3 ppg) Last Rank: 2 ↓ – After a 5-0 start, the Commish has dropped his last two, the first to the revitalized Meat Mavens in a worthy showing and the second in an uncompetitive rout against the undefeated Jacky G. While the RB position wasn’t necessarily a strength for the Pecan Sandies, it wasn’t really a weakness until now, with Devonta Freeman placed on IR and Carlos Hyde being shipped off to Jacksonville where he could very easily get stuck in a three man RB committee. Depth is a big concern for The Commish going forward as he looks to right the ship this week against Bri Wyatt.
- Meat Mavens (3-4, 121.6 ppg) Last Rank: 10↑ – What a turnaround for the Meat Mavens after being left for dead after an 0-4 start. It seems like Ant pushed all the right buttons in his pair of trades that have resulted in 3 straight victories. If the season ended today, he’d be the 6th seed. While he’s probably too far away to have any shot at winning the Central, Tony’s outlook is bright: he’s scored at least 131 points in 3 of the last 4 weeks and 115 in all 4, including a moster 165 point explosion this past week. With Mahomes and Kareem Hunt leading the way, nobody wants to go up against the Meat Mavens right now, a statement many would have laughed at just a few short weeks ago.
- CAN YOU DIGG IT? (4-3, 111.2 ppg) Last Rank: 7↑ – We’ve called Frank’s team a roller coaster before, and we’ll do it again now. After back to back 125 point showings in Weeks 4 and 5, Frank failed to reach the century mark in either game in Weeks 6 and 7. Luckily for him though, one of those games resulted in a W and Frank remains only one game out of the division lead in The East. He’ll need that roller coaster to start climbing again to knock off Jack this week, as the nation turns its lonely eyes to CAN YOU DIGG IT to end this madness.
- The Knights of Ren (2-5, 127.9 ppg) Last Rank: 8 ↑ – Don’t look now, but Olsen’s unprecedented stretch of bad luck might finally be over. The Knights of Ren have won their last two after a flukey 0-5 start, and have had just about every game go their way as they now sit just one game out of a playoff spot while holding the all important points scored tiebreaker over just about everyone in the wild card race. Olsen has scored at least 123 points in 6 of 7 games so far this season, with number one pick Todd Gurley off to a historic start to the season. Along with the Meat Mavens, you can toss out the standings when going up against The Knights of Ren; no one is looking forward to seeing Olsen, Gurley or Tyreek Hill on their schedule.
- So Much Honey (3-4, 118.2 ppg) Last Rank: 5 ↓ – After a 3-1 start in which he scored 125+ points in each of the first 4 weeks, Cody has dropped his last 3 games and failed to score above 113 in any of them. Cody’s biggest strength right now is at RB, where Alvin Kamara pairs with Tevin Coleman, who will officially have the starting job for the rest of the year now due to Freeman going on IR. The rest of the team is solid if unspectacular, but has some untapped potential in the form of Keenan Allen, who has yet to have a breakout game. Allen may be the X-factor for Cody if he wants to make some noise down the stretch; unfortunately it will have to wait until Week 9 as Keenan will have to sit out a bye-heavy matchup against The Demon.
- The Wild Bunch (3-4, 103.7 ppg) Last Rank: 9↑ – While if you were just looking at the records and the point totals nothing about The Wild Bunch would give you much optimism, taking a look at the roster itself could have you thinking that The Wild Bunch is in prime position to take The West and potentially make some real playoff noise. Out of seemingly nowhere, The Wild Bunch have what looks to be a well-rounded and deep squad, with Josh Gordon beginning to emerge in New England, Marlon Mack beginning to emerge in Indy, and Nick Chubb thrust into the starter’s role in Cleveland in the wake of the Carlos Hyde trade. Then there’s Sony Michel, Doug Baldwin and the rest of the guys on the bench who could conceivably start on a number of teams. With bye weeks hitting hard, The Wild Bunch could be set up well to weather the storm and start stacking some wins. Stay tuned.
- The Demon (3-4, 115.0 ppg) Last Rank: 4↓ – Another team in free fall, The Demon has dropped 3 in a row after a 3-1 start and has seen their point totals drop each week along the way, bottoming out with a 70 point performance in a blowout loss to Lobster Beesk. Things don’t get easier this week, with Julio Jones and Melvin Gordon both on the bye week against a similarly struggling So Much Honey squad. The good thing for Vaf is that Cody’s lineup will also be hampered by a number of bye weeks and, even with his recent slide, he remains in a 3 way tie at the top of the division. Having a number of entryways into the playoffs will give him a leg up over the other 3-4 teams that populate The League.
- Bri Wyatt (3-4, 99.6 ppg) Last Rank: 11 ↑ – Even without Le’Veon Bell and with The League’s lowest point total, BJC managed to insert himself into the playoff mix by picking up two big wins in Weeks 6 and 7. Free agent acquisition Doug Martin will look to provide a key role in Marshwan Lynch’s absence out in Oakland, as Brian aims to keep himself in the postseason conversation long enough for Bell to return to save the day. He gets The Pecan Sandies this week who have dropped 2 in a row, as Bri Wyatt sets their eyes on that elusive .500 mark in what could be a make or break game.
- Team Thanos (3-4, 110.8 ppg) Last Rank: 6 ↓ – From 3-0 and in firm command of The West, to 3-4 and stuck in a 3 way tie, Team Thanos has taken a hell of a beating these last 4 weeks, failing to score above 94 in any of their last 3 games. Lacking an elite WR, Team Thanos needs Zeke Elliot and Gronk to play to their capabilities, something neither player has been able to do consistently. The good news for Jay is that while he may have squandered an opportunity to put the West on ice, he still is tied for first in the division and has a perfect 3-0 division record, which will likely be the ultimate tie breaker. Jay will try to stop the bleeding and climb back up these ranks with a win against Lobster Beesk.
- KerryOnMyWaywardSon (1-6, 110.0 ppg) Last Rank: 12 ↔ – The only other easy ranking on this list aside from Jack. Mark will probably cry that ranking him 12 is “lazy” or that if he had just won the 6 games he lost he’d be 7-0 and would win the championship. He’s most likely preparing algorithms as we speak showing that if he played a certain schedule he’d be unbeatable. Unfortunately, that ain’t how any of this works. Mark is 1-6, 10th in points scored, and 12th in the standings. He’s scored over 111 points only once this season, in his lone win. It has been an uninspiring showing for a team that is currently the odds on favorite for the Anthem. There is on bright spot though – Mark plays in the Wild West, and is only 2 games out of the division lead despite his horrendous start. He faces long odds to make the playoffs, but he hasn’t been so bad to the point where he can’t stack a couple of wins together and actually make a run at the playoffs. But in all likelihood, its all over but the crying for Daddy Yankee. Someone get him a pacifier.