It has been a strange start to the season- the 'best team' in the league is 2-5, the 'worst team' in the league is 5-2, and the Pawnee Pride are the best talent evaluators and asset movers. Will things stay the same over the next six weeks? There's no way in hell! But for the prognosticators and purveyors it is good practice to take stock. Here are the mid-season power rankings; We're over the hump!
- 01 - 12 HCM LeadFarmers 2-5-0 1465.42 1548.68
The Lead Farmers have always been a team that underperformed their peripherals, but never so obscenely; They've scored 195+ in six of their seven outings but have won only two of those matchups, and the only position where they've really underperformed is at tight end, where Delanie Walker and Zach Ertz have both struggled to stay healthy. It's rare that a 2-5 team has almost no holes to fill, but the Lead Farmers haven't done anything wrong here. Things just have not gone right, as the team slots in eleven places worse than their power output.
- 02 - 3 Hill Valley McFlys 4-3-0 1462.40 1305.08
The McFlys built a team on the strength of four top notch Wide Receivers and a stud running back and have since added Cam Newton to the fold. While the team has had to tinker and toy with the second RB position and the answer at tight end continues to be elusive, the engine continues to run strong. They've played up to expectation, within a game or so of expected variance, and find themselves in playoff position with four of their remaining six opponents under .500%
- 03 - 4 Saskatoon Sasquatch 4-3-0 1446.44 1319.00
The Sasquatch were the league's top squad through September, but October has been unkind to them: Injuries to several of their top receiving options (Sammy Watkins, Jordan Reed, Donte Moncrief, Eddie Royal) forced them to move Mark Ingram to restock the roster, but bye weeks still loom for the heart of the defense. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are an enviable nucleus, but the team will need contributions from some other players if the squad isn't going to make this another fast start to a mediocre end. They're still in good position, but have to get their early season mojo back fast.
- 04 - 1 Pawnee Pride 6-1-0 1437.99 1237.99
The Pride are getting showered in accolades- and deservedly so. At 6-1 they are in command of the standings, and have done a great job of following up their excellent 2015 run. Their roster is absolutely stuffed with talent, especially on offense, and their willingness to pull the trigger on trades has kept them rollicking onward: expect more moves, as the team continues to augment. That said, the team's record is something of a mirage, as they've been very fortunate in scheduling, taking advantage of opponents at just the right time. Not their fault that they've taken full advantage of their schedule though.
- 05 - 5 Deputy Van Halens 4-3-0 1418.75 1362.19
DVH has done pretty well for themselves this year, playing exactly to par; but there was a chance to overachieve: in all three of their losses this year, the team has carried a hole in their lineup, opting twice not to replace CB Bashaud Breeland; Their loss to Hill Valley can be traced directly to the twin voids where CJ Mosley and David Harris should have been. David Johnson has been everything that could be expected of him as a first round pick (and more!) but the Van Halens will need to optimize their roster week to week in the back nine if they are going to make a go of this thing.
- 06 - 9 Toronto LTP 3-4-0 1413.61 1325.55
Toronto drafted well and sits just a game below .500% mostly due to a lack of depth or an inability to identify needs. Most of the players that they're counting on have performed as billed when capable, as their WR and TE groups have been outstanding and Andrew Luck has been resurgent. Latavius Murray and Rashad Jennings have both struggled to stay healthy, a vulnerability that has been exploited roundly. Each are finding their legs, but have a bye week to contend with. The team needs to find a way to gut out some wins without their best roster in the coming weeks if they're going to be in playoff position down the stretch.
- 07 - 6 Revis Islanders 4-3-0 1345.19 1349.62
The Islanders have been just about average on the year, hovering around .500% by winning the games they should win, and losing when they were the lesser team. Their only truly contested game came in the opener, when they ousted Malibu in a tight matchup, correlating in their playoff positioning. In the second half of the season they're expecting Alshon Jeffery and Julian Edelman to be much better than they've been- if they can deliver, the Islanders should hit their stride right on time to make some noise in the playoffs.
- 08 - 14 Oakwood Drivers 1-6-0 1333.86 1407.12
Oakwood finally got a win at the season's midpoint- it's been along time coming. While not a team that could be mistaken for a powerhouse nor a claim on the horrific luck that the Lead Farmers have suffered, the Drivers are a competent team that was just bad enough to torpedo their year in six short weeks. Adrian Peterson's refusal to help this team over three campaigns, needing any of their WRs to break out and having none of them do so, and Tyler Eifert's high draft price and very late arrival are all reasons Oakwood couldn't make a run of things this year, but they'll be relegated to playing spoiler and playing for a draft pick for the fourth time in four years.
- 09 - 7 Phoenix Uprising 4-3-0 1333.33 1443.29
The Uprising aren't quite in unfamiliar waters here- 2009's campaign saw them finish in the league's bottom half. But after six straight years at the top of the standings and power rankings, the drop has been precipitous, and the blame is squarely on them: Two of their top five picks (JJ Watt and Reshad Jones) are out for the season, while a third hasn't played yet and may never see the field (Josh Gordon) and when the team has had an asset in their hands, they've dropped them prematurely (Terrance West and Jay Ajayi) depleting them of optimism. Two incredibly fortunate wins (by 2.36 over OAK and by 2.4 over SAV) are the only reason the team has remained relevant to this point.
- 10 - 8 New York's Finest 4-3-0 1326.59 1314.55
New York is creeping up the standings and power rankings after a blah 0-2 start to the year, reeling off five quality performances in a row and winning four of them. Adaptability has been the name of the game, as the team's willingness to embrace change has been its strength. Perhaps no player signifies that more than Ty Montgomery, who is expected to gain RB eligibility this week. Devonta Freeman is a world beater- everyone else on this offense is going to be plug and play matchup oriented managerial decisions. If New York makes the right ones, they'll be right in the thick of things once again.
- 11 - 10 Malibu Deadbeats 3-4-0 1311.02 1461.50
The Deadbeats inaugural campaign has played pretty close to source; After losing a heartbreaker in week one they have won three close games and they've lost three blowouts. If you're gonna lose, lose big and save your best performances for winnable games; I mean, that'd be rational, even if it's not practical. Malibu's resourceful defense is a strength, and the emergence of Terrelle Pryor has been a real difference maker. If Carson Palmer can get his act together, Malibu should enjoy some added stability that will give them a shot to make a playoff run. The Arian Foster Nation is retired. Long live the Nation.
- 12 - 11 South Park Cows 3-4-0 1304.87 1454.90
The defending champions have not had an auspicious start to their title defense, but they've battled back after two two game losing streaks, and are close enough to the pack that they still have time to shake off their LBVII hangover. Russell Wilson has been disappointing at the helm, and the team has really pushed all of its chips into a Ladarius Green tight end renaissance; If those two can hit the back half of the season running, the rest of the Cows are highly dangerous weapons. Moo.
- 13 - 13 Savannah Petes 2-5-0 1294.17 1397.42
The Petes are who we thought they were- thirteenth in the power rankings, thirteenth in the standings, thirteenth in our hearts. Who thought Mike Wallace and Frank Gore would be the team's premier weapons in 2016? There's hope. Brady and the Gronk have returned and should give the team a chance in every game they play. But with a bye in week nine and slim margin for error, Savannah cannot afford to drop this week's matchup against the 6-1 Pride. If 2016 is gonna be a magical season for the South, it has to start here and now.
- 14 - 2 Manitoba Moosecrew 5-2-0 1267.43 1234.18
WUT? Manitoba has been really unimpressive through seven games! Like, worst total output in the league, that's why they are listed down here yucky. AND YET! They are 5-2, and need only to split their remaining six games to clinch a playoff spot. If Aaron Rodgers and Jordy Nelson can get on the same page and Odell Beckham can get on a roll the Crew can be really scary down the stretch- with those talents, bet on those things happening. They still need to unearth a second running back by playoff time, but they've afforded themselves the wiggle room to take some chances and find themselves a diamond in the rough without having to pay a premium to acquire one. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good- they've been lucky. Now it is time to get good.
