Hey guys.
Bad news: ESPN removed the handy power rankings tool that looked cool from their website. “Streamlined” is probably what they’ll tell me when/if they respond to my inquiry from this morning.
Good news: we have our own freaking website, so ESPN can’t stop me from posting my authoritative (yet ultimately, terribly subjective) POWER RANKINGS. This way, I get to type more too. Yay.
WEEK 1 POWER RANKINGS:
Week 1 is always the hardest. We have some samples to look at, but they beg for a bigger picture. Additionally, it was a high-scoring week, so everyone’s teams looked good and had positives. But rankings call for numbers, so here you go:
-
Santa Barbara Sailors - @jonathan . Here we go. Antonio Brown is unstoppable. Spencer Ware is going to get carries with Jamaal out, Cam goes to SF this next week, and OBJ goes up against the toughest (ugh) defense in New Orleans next week. Benjamin looked good too. Tough team. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
-
I Miss Dez - @chasenrogers . THAT’S RIGHT. It’ll be hard to trend up from here, but here’s the deal. Chasen beat a good team, scored the 2nd most points this week, and had a starting lineup that was extremely consistent. Wentz goes to Chicago, Murray gets Atlanta, Yeldon has Ivory out, and only Moncrief has a tough matchup next week (Doug Baldwin gets the Rams… come on now). Let’s enjoy this while it lasts. This team is upside-focused, which means that regression will be due, but for now I think we should let The People’s Champion enjoy his time in the spotlight. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
-
A Gronking To Remember - @Alex . I gotta give credit where it’s due and Alex had the highest score this past week. His backup TE got a TD and Sanu’s score is representative of Julio’s medium score I think. For these reasons I can’t put him higher, but here’s the deal: DeAngelo and David J are gonna keep rolling at least two more weeks. Williams’ game is a bit tougher this week but that PIT offense is the real deal. Like Chasen’s team, I also expect regression, but for this moment in time, we gotta give this team its props. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
-
TEAM DYNASTY - @IanC . Real talk, the Ian’s made some coaching errors this week. As such, both are going to have similar notes. This team is well-balanced and will probably put up similar numbers each week. Getting over 100 is good, but the pedestrian score can’t be the norm if I’m going to place it in the top 3. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
-
Dez Likes Chasen More - @ianamunrud . See above. I really wanted to put this team in the bottom half just because I don’t expect it to be there ever, but I couldn’t. Looking back, the wrong coaching choices were made this week plain and simple. In the same way I believe the teams on top will regress to the mean, this team moving towards its mean will cause it to trend up in my opinion. I have no concerns for this team and I believe it will start climbing within a week or two. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
-
The Chronicles of Riddick - @ventura . One of the higher scores this week, and it’s no secret I love Brees. Here’s the thing, Keenan Allen being out is devastating to this team in my opinion. While that would usually cause a bigger fall, I think Ezekiel Elliot has a chance to be great in the next three games (Wash, Chi, SF). Allen being out is also good for Woodhead and Gates. Despite this, I think if a WR doesn’t step up on this team (Maclin aside), this team will be stuck in the 6-8 range all year. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
-
Brandon McManus - @mikeastock . I still think the WRs are dangerous and should be taken seriously. I considered placing him above Team Riddick because of the injuries, but Russell Wilson not being 100% is not just bad for this team in and of itself, but the fact that he is the ONLY starting QB on this team really affects the rankings. Wilson could play next week, but if he doesn’t, Mike is rolling with Cardale Jones (lol) or a waiver wire QB. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
-
I Want Wide Receivers - @awmelman . Ok, this team still has some work to do. It’s hardly all bad though. Melvin Gordon may just be useful all of a sudden (though I’m interested to see how Keenan Allen’s injury affects the running game) and a team that needs WRs may have found paydirt with Will Fuller - time will tell. Oh, that Dorsett guy isn’t too bad either. This team needs some things to play out, but the dream of making the playoffs is still very much alive. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
-
Mr. Hemingway I Presume - @gbhart . Great numbers this week, but the highest scoring component on this team was the defense. That’s dandy and any team will take that, but I don’t think that can be trusted, especially when the Vikings’ next two game are against Green Bay and Carolina. Torrey Smith did not have great chemistry with Glaine Babbert (sic) and I have a hunch we saw about what Garcon is going to offer this year. I’m also genuinely curious why Blount was benched for Duke Johnson. Positives: it was fun to see Victor Cruz score, and Josh Gordon is only a few weeks away. However, I feel this team’s success will be measured by its PA category more than its PF. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
-
Sleeper City - @PaulDawg . Paul claimed this spot and who am I not give to Paul what he has claimed? This wildcard team has so much potential. Travis Benjamin may be a beast now that Allen is out…or he could a dud facing top CBs. Peterson is always a beast…except when he isn’t (?). He should bounce back next game - a game against GB which should set expectations for week 3 against Carolina. This team can only trend up and I know we’re all cheering for that to happen! Let’s turn this around WILDCARD style! Rising up from the bottom only makes for a better movie when Disney acquires the rights, Remember The Titans style. (Last Week’s Rank: n/a)
Gentlemen, that concludes week 1. Best of luck in the coming weeks to you all!