Power Rankings: Week 7

I spent the past weekend unsuccessfully chasing deer up in the mountains, so I’m still catching up on what went down on Sunday. Looks like I missed a banger weekend of football though. The power line between the top four and the bottom eight feels pretty wide right now, but ten of the twelve are very much involved in a thick playoff hunt. As for the other two, you gotta win out!

To get in the spirit of things, let’s see how everyone’s first round picks are doing!

1. Moore Crow-Bell (7-0)

   Last Week: 1st

   The playoffs are locked up, and a two game lead over the second place team provides plenty of breathing room for a first round BYE. DJ Moore and A.J. Brown are only getting better alongside an already stellar duo in Julio and Jameson Crowder. Times are good in RyRy land.

2. Hammered Uncle Hanks (5-2)

   Last Week: 2nd

   This was just the second time all year the Hammered Hanks have failed to score 120 points, during a tough BYE week nonetheless. Week 7 was just a minor speed bump on the road for a championship-contending roster. Up next though is a nearly equally dominant opponent who's also jockeying for a first round BYE. With Dalvin healthy, and Lamar fresh coming off of a BYE, this will easily be our league’s equivalent of Fox’s Game of The Week.

3. Still T.O.M. (5-2)

   Last Week: 4th

   Staring down the barrel of back to back losses, down 32 heading into MNF, and it was ultimately the Rams D/ST that clutched the Week 7 victory by a narrow margin (0.7 points). It’s hard to argue that Kyler Murray is anything but the top fantasy QB at this point, and James Robinson has quietly been a rockstar since the season opener. A tough series of BYE’s await in Week 8, but CMC’s long awaited return is seemingly just around the corner. Giddyup.

4. A Stainers (4-3)

   Last Week: 3rd

   It sucks to lose when your team drops 150+, but it sucks even more when it’s by such a narrow margin. Luckily though, the team is looking more and more dominant by the week. The WR squad is quietly one of the deepest in the league, and now Juice Landry figures to step into a more prominent role with OBJ done for the year. And what the hell - is Gronk a fantasy stud all of a sudden? If those trends continue, Stain can start thinking about where he might want to hang the Cougar Pride Plaque in a few months.

5. Brees In The Trap (3-4)

   Last Week: 7th

   Welcome to the top half! Back to back W’s not only inserts the team into the thick of a highly-contested playoff hunt, but it further validates the decision to trade Lamar and completely overhaul the roster. At full health, this really is one of the better rosters in the league. Coop Ridley, and Anderson all rank in the top five in receiving yards on the season, and Justin Jefferson ain’t bad neither. Oh, and TJ Hockenson? Bad trade, huh? Two straight games with a tug for the big man.

6. #1 Team in all of HMB (3-4)

   Last Week: 5th

   Health is the only thing in the way of a better record. Miles Sanders and Diontae Johnson have been dinged up quite a bit, and now the team inherits another IR-ridden asset in Nick Chubb. Good thing Tannehill’s been balling, because Cam Newton looked like a lost child on the field Sunday - and frankly so has Edelman. But on the other side of the coin, Jamycal Hasty is looking like a sneaky add considering the 49ers backfield has been a graveyard all season long. Oh, AND AB IS BACK! All of a sudden AB is DC’s biggest X factor.

7. John Brown (4-3)

   Last Week: 8th
   All hail, Tyler Lockett. John Brown didn’t suit up (shame on you for not subbing him out) and Michael Gallup posted a goose egg. Knowing this, Lockett put the team on his back and carried the team to victory. The good news is that CEH and Swift are awesome fantasy rookies, and Waller remains a stud at TE. The bad news is that Mike Evans has been more unpredictable than the weather, and the bench is shallower than Regina George. At 4-3 though, the playoffs are well within reach.

8. Lord Beer Me Strength (3-4)

   Last Week: 10th

   Well, hello there! Back to back dubs over two premier teams in the league have transformed the team from a 1-4 deadbeat to a 3-4 playoff contender. Just goes to show, improbable is not impossible. Now with Chris Godwin and David Montgomery, there’ll be immediate value without having to wait for Nick Half Chubb to get healthy. And with the way Josh Allen, Tee Higgins, Kenny G, and Travis Kelce have been playing - another win could be in store against a beat up TNT in Week 8. The Lord has truly beered you strength.

9. Z-Unit (4-3)

   Last Week: 11th

   You know that feeling when you go to sleep at night, and then a fly starts buzzing around the room in the dark? And you just can’t manage to kill it? That’s Z. A metric f*ck load of early season injuries should have killed off playoff expectations a long time ago, but here he is at 4-3. He beat the odds and managed to scrap together a decent roster. Myles Gaskin has been a pleasant surprise, as has AJ Green following his abysmal start to 2020. With Kenyan Drake sidelined for a while, Chase Edmonds is thrust into the RB2 conversation as well. Hats off to Z for staying alive.

10. Terra Nova Tigers (2-5)

    Last Week: 6th
    The following quote will forever live on in infamy; “I own Michael Thomas in 3 leagues, he better not f*ck me.” Truly iconic. As is the story seemingly every season, health has a way of plaguing Youngwood’s fantasy prospects. And it looks as though Kenyan Drake is the most recent victim. Despite all of the injuries, the roster remains full of upside and still houses the firepower to make a run at the playoffs. Gotta get healthy yesterday though, as the team can’t afford anymore pulled hammy’s, sprained ankles, or T’d Q’s.

11. The Steamers (1-6)

    Last Week: 9th

    It’s looking like this season may be one to forget. OBJ is done for the year, and both Deebo Samuel and Austin Hooper are projected to miss next week’s games. Bad luck has smacked BK repeatedly in the chops all season long - whether it be injuries, COVID complications, DUIs, etc. - the team just can’t catch a break. Not to mention, the highest scoring team in the league is whichever team plays The Steamers. Opponents are averaging a whopping 135.8 PPG. With that sort of poor fortune, there’s really only so much a guy can do.

12. Peter’s Team (1-6)

    Last Week: 12th

    Boy, what a skid. Losers of 6 straight after a monumental Week 1 outburst. Josh Jacobs has been somewhat of a bummer, as has JuJu despite his nice Week 7 outing. While Will Fuller and Stefon Diggs keep pulling their weight, it seems that the rest of the team continually underperforms. To stay in the hunt, the team’s only hope is to win out. Challenge: extended.