Week 1 #PowerRankings - Let's Overreact! Edition

Week 1 is in the books, and it’s time for Let’s Overreact! where I extrapolate (positively or negatively) a whole season based on one week’s results!

1. I am not sacko! (Jeff Chen) (1-0) [2]

Jeff Chen’s team won without much help from Nico or Tyreek. Lamar had a dominant game, which was to be expected, as did Egbuka, which was a little less expected (at least the amount of points he scored). I like the outlook for James Cook, but David Montgomery might not be the reliable RB that he was last year. At least Javonte should be able to provide some relief at RB2. But Kittle’s injury puts Jeff in a bind at TE. I’m a little surprised he went so hard for Quentin Johnston when he had a bigger need at TE. If he can find a good enough replacement, I think Jeff’s team will stay strong.

Let’s Overreact! Jeff can’t replace Kittle, who stays hurt for most of the season, Tyreek continues his downward spiral, the Texans offensive line can’t give CJ Stroud enough time to find Nico, and Montgomery becomes a useless bench clog. Jeff’s once-promising team finds itself out of the playoffs by the end of the season.

2. Maybabyboo (Laura) (1-0) [5]

Laura really has a solid set of RBs that got the job done, but that are still very unsexy - Chase Brown, Chuba, and James Conner all provided solid production en route to Laura’s victory. Zay Flowers was Laura’s player of the week, and hopefully for Laura he can continue being Lamar’s favorite target. The JJ + JJ stack might actually become a thing, too. Laura might need some help at TE, but her bench depth at RB and WR is pretty solid with Tuten becoming RB2 in Jacksonville and Cedric Tillman showing some flash with Flacco. NGL, Laura’s team looks pretty good right now.

Let’s Overreact! This is JJ McCarthy’s breakout season, essentially making the JJ + JJ stack Laura’s Mario Kart SuperStar, and Zay Flowers gives her the Mushroom power to finally finish 1st. To take the imagery one step further, I guess her RBs are like playing with Luigi? No one really wants to play with Luigi but he can get the job done.

3. chinaballa (Andrew) (1-0) [4]

Andrew’s team scored enough to win, but it was probably closer than he would have liked for it to be. At least Derrick Henry continues to look unstoppable. CeeDee and JSN are a scary WR duo, and Drake Maye might still be ok? Maybe? Isiah Pacheco and Calvin Ridley didn’t look great, but at least Andrew has some depth on his bench with Deebo Samuel and Dylan Sampson ready to start if needed. Better days should be ahead for Andrew.

Let’s Overreact! Derrick Henry finishes as the overall RB1 for the season, and both JSN and CeeDee Lamb finish as top-5 WRs. The rest of Andrew’s team is good enough to get Andrew far in the playoffs and maybe even in championship contention.

4. Run It Back! (Gabs) (0-1) [1]

Gabs’s team doesn’t look as scary as it did post-draft. Bucky Irving and Jonathan Taylor produced as expected (although Gabs will be monitoring Taylor’s neck injury), Marvin Harrison Jr had a good showing, and Zach Ertz scored a TD. Brian Thomas’s week was saved with a rushing TD, but he otherwise didn’t look that impressive. Kenneth Walker might get out-played by Charbonnet. And Jared Goff and the Lions offense looked bad. Gabs has pretty good depth on his bench, though - DK Metcalf, JK Dobbins, Michael Penix, and Quinshon Judkins should all be able to significantly contribute at some point in the season. But I couldn’t keep Gabs’s team at the top of the rankings after a sub-par Week 1.

Let’s Overreact! Brian Thomas hits his sophomore slump and can’t get on the same page as Trevor Lawrence in Jacksonville, Jonathan Taylor’s injury is worse than expected, Kenneth Walker becomes irrelevant or injured in Seattle, and the Lions offense can’t figure things out without Ben Johnson. Gabs is left relying on an inconsistent Michael Penix at QB and ultimately misses the playoffs for the 3rd season in a row. The 2020s haven’t been kind to him.

5. Unicorn QueenZ (Tim) (0-1) [7]

I’m still pretty meh about my team. Sure, I finished 5th in Points For. CMC played to pre-draft expectations, Kamara contributed decently as an RB2, and I had some decent production from TMac, Courtland Sutton, and Trey McBride. But Jayden Daniels wasn’t the league-winner that I kept him for and DeVonta Smith was a big disappointment. Besides Keon Coleman, my bench play was horrid. I guess things could be worse, but I feel like something(s) bad is going to happen and my team won’t be set up to adapt. 

Let’s Overreact! CMC and Kamara both stay healthy the whole season, and I find myself actually vying for championship contention. Please?

6. #surviveandadvance (Eric) (1-0) [10]

That Bijan + Jacobs combo served Eric well, and now he’s got Travis Etienne Jr to add to the mix with Tank Bigsby out of the picture in Jacksonville. While the Panthers D probably made Etienne look better than he actually will be the rest of the season, I do think Etienne’s overall outlook for the year will continue to trend upwards, which is good news for Eric. Kyle Pitts actually did ok, and the SF D has a few easy weeks ahead (although with an even injured offense, I wonder if the SF D will be forced to stay on the field for too long). 

Let’s Overreact! Justin Herbert goes on a heater this season and wins league MVP. Ladd is an obvious benefactor of that, and subsequently the unstoppable Herbert + Ladd stack takes Eric to a repeat FFNUTHANG championship in 2025.

7. Spider Pig (Luke) (1-0) [11]

Josh Allen. That’s who Luke’s savior is going to be this season if he’s going to stay playoff-relevant. Sure, Puka put up good numbers. Saquon did Saquon things. Jacory was a GREAT acquisition from Jeff Lin. And Cam Little evidently has a strong enough leg to kick a 70-yard FG. But Luke’s season will be heavily dependent on the success of Josh Allen. The rest of Luke’s team just needs to not mess things up. I’d even consider throwing out some Justin Fields trades to help bulk up the supporting cast.

Let’s Overreact! Josh Allen is the top overall scorer in FF, Jacory wins Rookie of the Year, and Luke is able to eat his cake and have it too this season - cavorting at Burning Man and cruising to FF victories. Just make sure to give Justina some cake too.

8. 大展鸿图 (Jeff Lin) (0-1) [3]

Jeff Lin’s team fell flat to start the season. AJ Brown was irrelevant, Nabers was disappointing, and Burrow had his typical slow start to the season. There were some encouraging flashes, though - Breece Hall looks relevant, TreVeyon Henderson will get more opportunities probably sooner rather than later, Sam LaPorta was productive, and the Broncos D looks impressive. Add some bench depth with Zach Charbonnet and Ricky Pearsall, and Jeff’s team should be able to bounce back.

Let’s Overreact! Nabers and AJ Brown continue to struggle and Joe Burrow can’t figure things out in Cinci. TreVeyon gets his opportunity, but doesn’t flourish in New England because of their system. Jeff misses the playoffs for the first time in 4 years.

9. Terrific (Taylor’s Version) (David) (1-0) [8]

David knows the value of a win. So even though he finished 11th in Points For this week, he’s happy his record is (1-0). Losing Xavier Worthy so quickly was unfortunate, but at least he has Michael Pittman Jr as a replacement option until Rashee Rice can return. As David mentioned, the Lions offense was disappointing, which meant Jahmyr Gibbs and ARSB were also disappointing. At least Kelce scored a TD, and picking up Juwan Johnson as insurance to Kelce’s inevitable decline was smart. Baker’s numbers were serviceable. Pollard wasn’t great, but maybe Jaylen Warren can serve as a decent replacement? David’s team was already walking on thin ice without Rashee Rice (and now without Xavier Worthy), but if Detroit’s offense can’t figure things out soon, David’s team is in trouble.

Let’s Overreact! Detroit’s offense doesn’t figure things out and all of David’s draft capital spent on Gibbs and ARSB gets flushed down the toilet. David can’t adapt enough and in spite of a Week 1 win, he finds himself in a 3-way fight with Abraham and Aaron to stay out of Sacko.

10. Just Didn’t Catch D’Achane (Haji) (0-1) [9]

De’Von Achane’s status seemed up in the air for Week 1, but it was good to see that he had some solid production. Jeanty put up ok numbers as well, especially considering it was his first pro game. Tyler Warren looks to be the real deal, too. But with Purdy injured and possibly missing time, disappointing performances from Higgins and Davante, and still relatively unproven WR depth, Haji is walking on some shaky ground moving forward. The LA Rams D waiver pickup was pricey, but should pay off nicely.

Let’s Overreact! Purdy gets hurt, Higgins and Adams continue to disappoint, and Haji ends up having to consistently start a waiver QB and inconsistent WRs. His RBs + Tyler Warren don’t produce enough to make up for the lack of production elsewhere, and Haji fights to stay out of Sacko contention.

11. 第六 (Abraham) (0-1) [6]

Week 1 did not go well for the reigning Sacko. I’m trying to find somewhere positive to start, so... Keenan Allen did well? Kyren and Mahomes were good, too. Every other starter scored in the single digits, though. Drake London got hurt, may miss time? Hampton and RJ Harvey may need more time to adjust to the pro game. Maybe Pickens will bounce back as he adjusts to a new team. And perhaps things will look better once Jordan Addison is back. But Mark Andrews is not the answer at TE. And starting off with a loss - even worse, the lowest score for the week - equals bad vibes for Abraham.

Let’s Overreact! Nothing improves and Abraham becomes the 1st Sacko Repeat in FFNUTHANG history. The only possible saving grace is how bad Aaron’s team is.

12. choubacca (Aaron) (0-1) [12]

I was right. Week 1 totals for Kaleb Johnson + Rico Dowdle + Raheem Mostert + Rachaad White + Ollie Gordon + Tyler Allgeier = 7.7 points. Total. As in, the combined points of all 6 players. Let’s see.. who finished as RB24 in Week 1? Zach Charbonnet with 10.7 points. Let’s take it one step further and include Aaron’s 2 RB waiver adds: Kareem Hunt and Kyle Monangai. What is the grand total of Aaron’s 8 RBs (8!!!) in Week 1? 12.9 points. That's the COMBINED points of all 8 of Aaron’s RBs. Jacory Croskey-Merritt finished at RB12 with 14.2 points. All 8 of Aaron’s RBs combined into a Dino Megazord-RB would have been only as good as RB17 in Week 1 - same as Jaylen Warren. Thankfully for Aaron, Jalen Hurts, Garrett Wilson, Brock Bowers, and Green Bay D did well enough to keep him out of last place in league standings. But things don’t look good for Aaron.

Let’s Overreact! This is actually just a proper reaction: Aaron’s team suxxx.

Week 1 Predictions! (ChatGPT Version)

Week 1 Matchup Breakdowns, brought to you by ChatGPT:

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🏈 Week 1 Matchup Breakdowns 🏈

It’s finally here. Draft season’s over, no more “I would’ve taken him there,” and the Yahoo projections don’t mean squat. This is where legends are made, heartbreak begins, and someone immediately regrets half their draft board. Let’s break it down — six matchups, ranked from Game of the Week all the way down to the Who Cares Bowl.

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Game of the Week: 大展鸿图 (Jeff) vs Maybabyboo (Laura)

This one oozes playoff energy right out the gate. Jeff rolls with Joe Burrow — healthy, confident, ready to start strong — pairing him with AJ Brown and Malik Nabers, who looks like he’s about to steal “rookie WR1” status. Add Breece Hall to the mix and Jeff’s got both floor and ceiling covered.

Laura fires back with Justin Jefferson and Zay Flowers, a WR combo that screams highlight reel. Bo Nix is the wildcard here — rookie volatility in primetime is either boom or bust, no in-between. At RB, James Conner + Chuba Hubbard don’t look as sexy on paper, but those touches add up.

Benches are sneaky fun: Jeff’s got Jaylen Waddle waiting in the wings, while Laura stashed Javon Baker, who could be a Week 1 surprise.

X-Factor: Bo Nix. If he keeps it together, Laura makes this a shootout. If not, Jeff cruises.
Prediction: Jeff in a nail-biter — but this one has “Game of the Week” stamped all over it.

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Unicorn QueenZ (Tim) vs I am not sacko! (Jeff Chen)

This matchup is a Hollywood blockbuster. Jayden Daniels brings rookie electricity for Tim, while Jeff Chen answers with Lamar Jackson, an MVP candidate who could casually drop 35 in Buffalo. The WR room on both sides is absurd: Tyreek Hill, DeVonta Smith, Nico Collins, and lurking on Tim’s bench — Cooper Kupp and Stefon Diggs, just chilling like it’s no big deal.

RBs tilt toward Jeff Chen with James Cook and David Montgomery, though Tim counters with Christian McCaffrey — the human cheat code. Tight ends? Trey McBride vs George Kittle is almost a coin flip, but Kittle’s “all or nothing” style could swing the week.

Both benches are stacked with depth — Jerome Ford, Christian Kirk, Najee Harris, Joe Mixon. This feels less like Week 1 and more like an early playoff preview.

X-Factor: Tyreek Hill. If he explodes, Tim could put Jeff Chen in a 30-point hole before the afternoon slate even starts.
Prediction: Tim edges it — but expect constant app-refresh chaos.

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chinaballa (Andrew) vs Run It Back! (Gabs)

This one has dynasty startup vibes written all over it. Dak Prescott vs Drake Maye sets the tone: proven vs rookie, safe vs volatile. WRs are just as fun — Marvin Harrison Jr. and JSN for Andrew, CeeDee Lamb and Brian Thomas Jr. for Gabs. That’s future fantasy WR1s all over the field.

Andrew’s RB stable (Derrick Henry, Jonathan Taylor, Kenneth Walker) brings power, while Gabs leans on Isiah Pacheco and Bucky Irving, who are more role-based grinders. The TE battle is Evan Engram vs Zach Ertz — youth vs vet — but neither’s winning this week alone.

The benches? Spicy. Andrew’s got DK Metcalf and Deebo waiting, while Gabs stashed Jordan Love and J.K. Dobbins. Somebody’s bench guy will matter before long.

X-Factor: Marvin Harrison Jr. — if he shows he’s the real deal Week 1, Andrew’s WRs are unstoppable.
Prediction: Andrew gets the edge with RB depth, but it’ll feel tight all Sunday.

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Terrific (Taylor’s Version) (David) vs 第六 (Abraham)

Pure drama. Baker Mayfield vs Patrick Mahomes is almost unfair, but Baker’s scrappy underdog vibes shouldn’t be ignored. At WR, David’s Xavier Worthy + Drake London combo feels high-upside but raw, while Abraham’s Jerry Jeudy + George Pickens duo is boom-or-bust incarnate.

RBs are a dead heat: Gibbs + Kyren for David, Pollard + rookie Hampton for Abraham. Both sides rely on splash plays. But let’s be real: the tight end duel is the show here. Travis Kelce vs Mark Andrews is like a pay-per-view event. Whoever wins this mini-battle might tilt the whole matchup.

Bench-wise, David’s stashing Jayden Reed and Amari Cooper, while Abraham’s sitting on Jaylen Wright. Neither bench screams “safety net.”

X-Factor: Baker. If he hangs in and doesn’t implode, David can pull the upset.
Prediction: Mahomes + Kelce prove too much. Abraham takes it, but it’ll be spicy.

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Just Didn’t Catch D’Achane (Haji) vs Spider Pig (Luke)

This is the meme matchup. Brock Purdy (efficient robot) vs Josh Allen (chaos cannon) sets the tone. Luke’s WRs — Davante Adams + Chris Olave — bring serious alpha vibes, while Haji rolls with Tee Higgins and Devontez Walker, both capable but streaky.

RBs could get weird fast. Haji’s got Achane (boom/bust lightning) and Jacory Croskey-Merritt (the fantasy sicko darling), while Luke goes steady with Saquon + Jeanty. TEs tilt Luke’s way too with Dalton Kincaid over Jake Briningstool.

Benches make this even funnier: Rome Odunze, Justin Fields, Elijah Moore, Jaylen Wright… there’s chaos potential everywhere.

X-Factor: Achane. If he pops for a 70-yard TD, Haji might steal it.
Prediction: Luke’s stability wins out. Saquon + Allen too much firepower.

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Who Cares Bowl: #surviveandadvance (E-San) vs choubacca (Aaron)

This feels like a “just survive Week 1” matchup. Caleb Williams brings rookie flair for E-San, while Aaron counters with Jalen Hurts, who’s basically a fantasy cheat code. Ja’Marr Chase looms as Aaron’s trump card — he could singlehandedly flip this thing.

At RB, E-San goes Bijan + Mostert (youth + speed), while Aaron leans Jacobs + Ollie Gordon II (volume + breakout hopes). TEs are another mismatch: Kyle Pitts (eternal vibes project) vs Brock Bowers (rookie mystery box).

The benches have names, but not much Week 1 firepower — Travis Etienne, Khalil Herbert, Rachaad White, Jakobi Meyers. More long-term assets than Week 1 hammers.

X-Factor: Ja’Marr Chase. If he goes nuclear, Aaron can mask the rest.
Prediction: Aaron squeaks by on Hurts + Chase. E-San hangs tough but needs Bijan to carry.

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🏆 Final Rankings of Matchups (Week 1 Vibes)

1. 大展鸿图 vs Maybabyboo – Blockbuster, star power everywhere.

2. Unicorn QueenZ vs I am not sacko! – Hollywood chaos, playoff vibes.

3. chinaballa vs Run It Back! – Dynasty draft energy, youth movement.

4. Terrific (Taylor’s Version) vs 第六 – Mahomes/Kelce drama, Baker underdog arc.

5. Just Didn’t Catch D’Achane vs Spider Pig – Meme chaos, hilarious outcomes possible.

6. #surviveandadvance vs choubacca – Gritty, grindy, quietly close but least flashy.

Post-Draft #PowerRankings!!!

Now that the stress of drafting is over, let’s get to the Post-Draft #PowerRankings! My personal takeaways from this year’s draft were:

• The mid-tier RBs and WRs went for a lot more money than I expected. The top-tier RBs and WRs stayed in the mid-$60s to $70s range, which is what I expected, but players like Omarion Hampton for $42, Chuba Hubbard for $31, RJ Harvey for $26, Jakobi Meyers for $21, George Pickens for $18, Jordan Mason for $17, and Ricky Pearsall for $14, Tyler Warren for $10 - just to name a handful - took me by surprise.

• It was massively beneficial to have two value Keepers, and a big disadvantage to have no keepers. Both Gabs and Jeff Chen kept both of their players at a pretty big discount, and that freed up more money for them to spend on the draft, hence their post-draft rankings. On the other hand, Aaron didn’t keep anyone and after spending his money on the inflated prices of Ja’Marr Chase, Brock Bowers, Jalen Hurts, Mike Evans, and Garrett Wilson, he had very little money to spend on RB. 

• Keeping one stud is beneficial, even if it’s not at a discount. For the teams that kept a stud, it still ended up being a value pick even at around average draft price: Bijan at $62, Saquon at $55, and Derrick Henry at $55 were all good values compared to Jahmyr Gibbs at $69 and CMC at $66. 

• Keeping at the onesie position (QB and TE) is only beneficial if you get a big discount, and keeping two onesie players puts you at a huge disadvantage, even with discounts. Keeping Jayden Daniels at $16 made sense, and keeping Trey McBride at $22 made sense, but keeping both players made me automatically weak at RB and WR. In retrospect, I probably should have kept Ja’Marr Chase at $64 and then either Daniels or McBride. I thought I might be able to draft Chase at $70 but didn’t think I’d be able to draft Daniels at $22 or McBride at $28. Looking back, I was clearly wrong. Jeff Chen keeping Kittle at $19 made sense because he still had a stud WR in Nico (at a discount) to rely on, so it didn’t end up handicapping him too much. Of course, if Daniels turns out to be QB1 and McBride turns out to be TE1, maybe keeping them would have been worth it.

Enough rambling from me - on to the rankings!

This year, I decided to tabulate my grades for each position and present the table (with colors!) for your visual pleasure. I do some form of this every year, but it’s mostly in my head: I’ll rank each team’s positions and then based on a mentally weighted scale, give a final ranking. But this table just looks much prettier. 

Hopefully the columns are self-explanatory - I grouped K / DEF together, and included “XF” which just means X-Factor. X-Factor includes if a team has a lot of high-risk / high-reward players (due to injury history, being a rookie, other unknown factors), if a team has a lot of depth or a lack of depth at multiple positions, if a team has a scary QB/WR stack or a redundant RB/WR, WR/TE stack, if a team manager is a historically active manager, or if a team manager is just overdue for better luck.

The weights are (somewhat arbitrarily): 

QB:         20%

WR: 35%

RB:         30%

TE:         10%

K / DEF / XF: 5%

So, after all the analysis and calculation, the final table reveal:

...on which the following rankings are based. Enjoy!

1. Run It Back! (Gabs)

QB: Dak Prescott, Jared Goff

WR: Brian Thomas Jr., Marvin Harrison Jr., DK Metcalf

RB: Bucky Irving, Jonathan Taylor, Kenneth Walker III, Quinshon Judkins, Jaydon Blue, J.K. Dobbins

TE: Zach Ertz

K: Brandon Aubrey

DEF: Buffalo, Arizona

While my preliminary glance through the post-draft rosters put Jeff Chen’s team at the top, after looking more closely, I ended up giving Gabs’s team the slight nod over Jeff’s. While Gabs only has 3 WRs, I think they are all due for good seasons and are probably the best WR trio in our league. Brian Thomas proved his worth last year, and should continue his positive trajectory with a new OC in Jacksonville. Marvin Harrison Jr had a disappointing rookie season, but still put up decent numbers as a WR2 option, and ought to be better with a year of experience under his belt. Aaron Rodgers tends to hyper-target his WR1s, so that will give DK Metcalf plenty of volume if he stays healthy. Gabs has solid RBs as well - Bucky Irving, JT, and Kenneth Walker are all RBs with their workloads cut out for them. The potential for a surprise breakout from Judkins or Blue makes Gabs’s RBs fairly deep and exciting to monitor. Dak or Goff will be serviceable at QB, but Gabs will likely be streaming the TE position throughout the year until he finds someone steadier - Ertz isn’t going to be the long-term solution. Gabs’s and Jeff’s total grades were separated by a mere 0.05 points, so while it wasn’t a huge difference between their teams, it was enough to bump Gabs to the top.

2. I am not sacko! (Jeff Chen)

QB: Lamar Jackson

WR: Nico Collins, Tyreek Hill, Emeka Egbuka, Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs

RB: James Cook, David Montgomery, Nick Chubb, Javonte Williams, Najee Harris, Joe Mixon

TE: George Kittle

K: Harrison Butker

DEF: Pittsburgh

Jeff Chen started the draft a lot more aggressively than he usually does, and I think it paid off. He was able to secure Lamar Jackson at QB, get pretty good WR help behind Nico in Tyreek (a value pick) and Egbuka (a high-potential rookie). Kupp and Diggs are big names that have been on a downward trajectory, yet still could rebound, and at least Jeff has the luxury to wait and see if they are worth rostering after a few weeks. While James Cook and David Montgomery have their potential downsides (both had a high reliance on TDs last year, and there is a likely regression to the mean coming), they’ve shown they can produce fantasy numbers. Chubb, Javonte, Najee, and Joe Mixon look like a bunch of garbage on the bench, but I do think one of those 4 may emerge as a useable fantasy asset at some point in the season, so Jeff’s decision to roster them may be beneficial - similar to his WR situation. Kittle should be a top-tier TE, and I think Jeff is just overdue for a good season this year. We shall see.

3. 大展鸿图 (Jeff Lin)

QB: Joe Burrow

WR: Malik Nabers, AJ Brown, Ricky Pearsall, DJ Moore

RB: Breece Hall, TreVeyon Henderson, Tank Bigsby, Rhamondre Stevenson, Zach Charbonnet, Jacory Croskey-Merritt

TE: Sam LaPorta

K: Ka’imi Fairbarin

DEF: Denver, Houston

Besides Jeff Lin, I don’t think anyone in our league knows what his team name says without having to Google translate it. I had to Google translate it, and I still can’t tell you what it means. Such a disgraceful ABC - should have tried harder in Mrs. Feung’s class. Anyways, Jeff Lin was able to capitalize on some good values earlier in the draft (AJ Brown for $36, Breece Hall for $21, LaPorta for $12) so that he could go hard for his targets, even at elevated prices (TreVeyon Henderson, Ricky Pearsall, Zach Charbonnet, Jacory Croskey-Merritt). Nabers + AJ Brown is a solid WR duo, and one could do worse at WR3 than DJ Moore or Ricky Pearsall (who expects to take advantage of all the SF WR injuries). While I don’t love the Breece Hall pick, I do think TreVeyon Henderson has a fairly clear path to fantasy stardom. And between Bigsby, Charbonnet, or Jacory, one or more of them should emerge over the course of the season as their situations allow. Barring injury, Joe Burrow should be able to produce at the levels he did last year, given Cincy’s high-powered offense likely being as good as they were last year and their low-powered defense probably still as bad as they were last year. I would expect a bounce back year for LaPorta - maybe not back to his rookie season, but better than last year. Jeff’s defenses are also pretty good, and we all know how active Jeff is throughout the season - any shortcomings from the draft are usually compensated for by mid-season through his trade and waiver activity, hence a more favorable X-Factor grade.

4. It’s Bo Time (Andrew)

QB: Drake Maye, Jordan Love, Bryce Young

WR: CeeDee Lamb, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Calvin Ridley, Deebo Samuel

RB: Derrick Henry, Isiah Pacheco, Woody Marks, Ray Davis, Will Shipley

TE: Evan Engram

K: Jake Moody

DEF: Kansas City

Andrew’s strength lies at the WR position, where he has stud CeeDee Lamb backed up by rising stud JSN. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Calvin Ridley and / or Deebo Samuel emerge as productive fantasy assets given their circumstances and abilities, but those question marks are still TBD. Andrew is also pretty solid at RB: Derrick Henry is still proving that age and “wear-and-tear” are meaningless constructs when applied to him, and Isiah Pacheco has had time to recover from his injury which led to a disappointing end-of-season - he should bounce back. Woody Marks, Ray Davis, and Will Shipley are all handcuff RBs, so it’ll take time before any of them pan out, but will be worthy additions if their starters miss playing time. I’m not a big fan of Evan Engram given he’s never been a great weekly fantasy option, but I do like the potential of Drake Maye in his second year. Andrew’s got a good mix of established and young players on his team, giving him a bump up in X-Factor rating.

5. Maybabyboo (Laura)

QB: Bo Nix, JJ McCarthy

WR: Justin Jefferson, Zay Flowers, Travis Hunter, Cedric Tillman

RB: Chase Brown, Chuba Hubbard, James Conner, Trey Benson, Bhayshul Tuten

TE: David Njoku, Jake Ferguson

K: Evan McPherson

DEF: Washington

Laura has a very solid trio of RBs, which continues her trend from last year in rostering a bunch of not-sexy-but-very-productive RBs. I’d argue Chase Brown has become very sexy, but Chuba and Conner still don’t get the respect they deserve as workhorse RBs, probably because their actual teams are terrible. Justin Jefferson anchors her WR corps, and that potential stack with JJ McCarthy might be a juicy one. Zay Flowers should hopefully emerge as Lamar’s top WR option and therefore produce fantasy value accordingly, and I like the potential of Travis Hunter with his freakish abilities. I would expect Bo Nix to continue to ascend after a hot end to the 2024 season, and JJ McCarthy as a “wait and see” prospect is very interesting. David Njoku should start the season hot with Flacco at QB, and Jake Feguson is a serviceable TE if needed. While Washington isn’t a great defense, they start the season with an easy schedule, and Laura’s JJ / JJ stack gives her a bump up in her X-Factor grade.

6. 第六 (Abraham)

QB: Patrick Mahomes, Kyler Murray

WR: Drake London, George Pickens, Keenan Allen, Jauan Jennings, Rashid Shaheed, Jordan Addison, DeMario Douglas

RB: Kyren Williams, Omarion Hampton, RJ Harvey

TE: Mark Andrews

K: Jake Bates

DEF: Philadelphia

Abraham wasn’t too psyched about his team after drafting, but I think he ended up with a solid squad. Mahomes was disappointing last season, but he’s still the best QB in the league and will find ways to win games and put up points - maybe just not top-tier fantasy points, but still serviceable points. I do like Drake London for Abraham, but George Pickens is TBD - I can see how he can flourish with Dak in a WR2 role, so if that plays out to Abraham’s favor, then WR could end up being a strong suit for Abraham. While Keenan Allen is old, he’s back with Herbert and probably still has enough left to be a solid FLEX option. I’m not so sure about the rest of Abraham’s WRs. At RB, Kyren is a good RB1 option, Omarion Hampton should be a really good RB2 option, but I’m TBD about RJ Harvey, and the fact that Abraham lacks further depth puts him at a disadvantage if his rookies don’t pan out. I’m not so sure Mark Andrews bounces back from last year, given how bad he looked and how Isaiah Likely has become more integrated into the offense. I do like the Philly D pick and also feel like Abraham is probably due for some success this year... maybe enough to fulfill his team name... or at least not get Sacko again... maybe.

7. Unicorn QueenZ (Tim)

QB: Jayden Daniels

WR: Tetairoa McMillan, Courtland Sutton, Jameson Williams, DeVonta Smith, Keon Coleman, Marvin Mims

RB: Christian McCaffery, Alvin Kamara, Jerome Ford, Cam Skattebo, Kendre Miller

TE: Trey McBride

K: Chase McLaughlin

DEF: Seattle

I went into the draft knowing I was at a disadvantage at RB and WR by virtue of keeping a QB and TE, but I didn’t realize how much of a disadvantage I would be at until the draft was playing out. I’m still happy with a young mobile QB with lots of potential and what should be a target monster at TE who should improve in the TD department this year. I also really wanted Tetairoa McMillan for obvious reasons, but not necessarily as my WR1. Even though it feels like I have a bunch of WR2s on my team, I do like my other WRs - Courtland Sutton is WR1 for what’s hopefully an exciting Denver offense with an up-and-coming young QB, Jameson Williams should make a leap this year on an explosive offense and being further removed from his ACL injury, and DeVonta Smith and Keon Coleman are nice bench options. I’m hoping CMC can stay healthier this season, but those may be misguided hopes, and Kamara is also one year older, even though the Saints will probably be dumping it off to him a lot. I’m not all that excited about my other RB options (Jerome Ford might give me a few solid weeks before he gets out-run by Judkins), but that’s what was left at the bottom of the barrel for me.

8. Terrific Tortoises (David)

QB: Baker Mayfield, Cam Ward

WR: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Jerry Jeudy, Michael Pittman Jr.

RB: Jahmyr Gibbs, Tony Pollard, Brian Robinson Jr., Jaylen Warren, Austin Ekeler

TE: Travis Kelce

K: Wil Lutz

DEF: Minnesota

Looking at his grades, David probably had the most consistency across the board, receiving B’s in all the major categories. He started the draft strong, drafting Amon-Ra at $65, but then went all-in with the Detroit offense and drafted Jahmyr Gibbs at $69 right after that. I don’t love the built-in redundancy of drafting a stud WR and stud RB on the same team because both players can’t score a TD at the same time (usually), but Detroit should have a high-powered offense, so I can understand why David is buying in. However, I don’t see the same logic being applied to David’s Kelce / Rice / Worthy “stack” - a TD for Kelce will cancel out a TD for Rice or Worthy and vice versa, and I don’t see KC’s offense as more potent than Detroit’s. I understand Worthy being an insurance pick for if / when Rice gets suspended, but I still had to penalize David’s X-Factor grade because of his roster construction. David’s RB2 situation is rough, though - Pollard will likely get the spot, but it’s not going to look pretty. Ekeler may need to step into that role at some point, which also isn’t pretty. Jeudy, Pittman, and Ekeler aren’t terrible FLEX plays, but also have limited ceilings, in my opinion. Baker Mayfield had a great 2024 season, but I feel like he’s going to regress to the mean and be underwhelming this year. However, the Cam Ward pick is an interesting one. After a hot start to the draft, the rest of David’s draft was unfortunately meh.

9. Just Didn’t Catch D’Achane (Haji)

QB: Brock Purdy

WR: Tee Higgins, Davante Adams, Rome Odunze, Matthew Golden

RB: De'Von Achane, Ashton Jeanty, Aaron Jones, Jordan Mason, Tyrone Tracy, Braelon Allen

TE: Tyler Warren, Colston Loveland

K: Jake Elliott

DEF: Detroit

Haji’s team is fairly deep at RB, so even if Achane can’t start the season at 100%, Haji should be able to rely on Jeanty and Aaron Jones as RB starters. His WRs, on the other hand, have a lot of question marks, and therefore received lower marks. Higgins is great when he’s on the field, but staying on the field has been a struggle for him. Davante Adams has never had to be a WR2, and knowing how big his ego is, I’m hesitant to believe he’ll adapt well - especially if Stafford has to miss time. Odunze has a lot of potential with Caleb Williams for another season and the addition of Ben Johnson as the head coach. And Golden will need to prove himself before rising up in the depth chart. Even though Brock Purdy is a fairly safe but boring option at QB, Haji compensated by going high-risk high-reward at the TE position and drafting 2 rookies. I guess the rookie TE breakout trend has been a thing the past 2 years, so Haji’s hoping it continues in 2025. I do like Tyler Warren’s outlook, but TBD on whether that risk was worth it.

10. #surviveandadvance (Eric)

QB: Caleb Williams, Justin Herbert

WR: Ladd McConkey, Terry McLaurin, Jakobi Meyers, Chris Godwin, Khalil Shakir, Jayden Reed

RB: Bijan Robinson, Josh Jacobs, D’Andre Swift, Travis Etienne 

TE: Kyle Pitts

K: Chris Boswell

DEF: San Francisco 

Eric has the strongest RB duo in our league. The Bijan + Josh Jacobs combo gives him an A+ at RB, and D’Andre Swift / Travis Etienne aren’t terrible bench options. However, the rest of his team kind of goes downhill from there. Starting with WR: Ladd is a great WR1 option, but questions still remain about when or where Terry McLaurin will play when the season starts. Although McLaurin clearly has the ability to be a WR1, his ridiculous number of TDs from last year will inevitably go down, his target share will be impacted by Deebo (assuming he’s still in Washington), and all the drama and uncertainty in Washington is a bit unsettling. I’m also not sure what Eric saw in Jakobi Meyers to go hard for him, but I guess he’s a serviceable WR3. I don’t see Godwin returning this season healthy enough to make a meaningful impact in fantasy, but I could be wrong. Shakir and Reed are two younger WRs that could turn heads, but they’ve also proven to be inconsistent in the past. So overall, Eric’s WR situation doesn’t look great. Moving on to TE, I’m probably a lot lower on Kyle Pitts than Eric is, but my guess is Eric will be searching the waiver wire pretty soon for another TE option. I’ll end on a positive note, though: SF D shouldn’t be bad, and the fact that Eric is the reigning champ gives him a slightly more favorable X-Factor grade.

11. Spider Pig (Luke)

QB: Josh Allen, Justin Fields

WR: Puka Nacua, Jaylen Waddle, Chris Olave, Josh Downs, Jayden Higgins

RB: Saquon Barkley, Tyjae Spears, Isaac Guerendo

TE: TJ Hockenson, Tucker Kraft, Dalton Kincaid

K: Cam Little

DEF: Baltimore

Let’s start with the positive. Luke kept Puka and Saquon, which was definitely the right move. He also added Josh Allen, who should be a top-tier QB this year, and Justin Fields is an intriguing backup option. TJ Hockenson is also a solid option at TE, with Tucker Kraft and Dalton Kincaid providing Luke with a lot more depth than he probably needs at that position. Baltimore should also have a good defense. Now that I’ve written that all out, there’s actually a lot more positive than I had expected. But now, the rest of his team: Jaylen Waddle is injury prone, as is Chris Olave. Josh Downs will have a sub-par QB throwing to him. Jayden Higgins has potential, but is a rookie that needs to work his way up the depth chart in Houston. Luke’s RB situation is worse. You ask: How can it be worse when he’s got Saquon as his RB1? Answer: When he’s got Tyjae Spears and Isaac Guerendo as his other RB options. I was considering giving Luke a D grade at RB, but I couldn’t do it with Saquon on his roster. I guess the average of an A and an F is a C- ish? I hope all the fun and fulfillment you had at Burning Man can last you a season’s worth of despair in FF, Luke. At least you’re not Aaron.

12. choubacca (Aaron)

QB: Jalen Hurts

WR: Ja'Marr Chase, Mike Evans, Garrett Wilson, Christian Kirk

RB: Kaleb Johnson, Rico Dowdle, Raheem Mostert, Rachaad White, Ollie Gordon, Tyler Allgeier

TE: Brock Bowers

K: Cameron Dicker, Jason Sanders

DEF: Green Bay

Ok, so in fairness, Aaron has a really good team at all positions IF YOU DIDN’T HAVE TO PLAY ANY RBS EVER. Jalen Hurts? Solid A. Ja’Marr Chase + Mike Evans + Garrett Wilson + Christian Kirk? A-minus. Brock Bowers? A-plus. Kaleb Johnson + Rico Dowdle + Raheem Mostert + Rachaad White + Ollie Gordon + Tyler Allgeier? F. F-minus, if such thing existed. How’s this for giggles: I’m willing to bet the combined score of all 6 of those RBs in Week 1 will not surpass a low-end RB1. In other words, if you add up the fantasy points of all of Aaron’s 6 RBs in Week 1, I don’t think that number will be higher than the fantasy points of whoever ends up being the overall RB12 for Week 1. Maybe even overall RB24. While Aaron still might be able to win off the backs of his other stud players, RB will clearly be his Achilles’ heel all season. Quite possibly as he limps on the road to Sacko.