Power Rankings: Week 8

Do people even read this first part?

1. Spider Pig (7-1) [2]

Luke gets the nod for the top spot this week on account of Aaron's team failing to show up.  I've said this before, but Luke's team has been the most consistently strong this season, in spite of his ragtag group of RBs.  I'm still convinced Sproles is good enough to get the job done.  Maybe not as an RB1, but definitely as an RB2.  However, with Hillis back in the lineup for the Chiefs, which will cut in to Jamaal Charles's carries, Luke might start hitting some bumps in the road down the stretch.  However, his team has proven that it can win without stellar RBs, so he'll still be the team to beat.

2. choubacca (5-3) [1]

Ok, so he didn't have Arian Foster this week.  And for some reason decided not to start Richardson, his only other good RB, and a sure RB1 on pretty much everyone else's team (Alex Green?  Really?).  But even if Richardson were in the lineup, Aaron's team would have still fell way flat this week.  I thought it would be a vulnerable week for him, but I didn't think it'd be this vulnerable, with him coming in dead last in points.  I don't think this is a foreshadowing for what the future holds, but I think it shows that his team is definitely beatable.

3. The Debbinator (6-2) [4]

Even with a banged-up team, David is getting the job done.  Granted, his Kicker was the #2 scorer on his team this week, but the rest of his team looks decent enough to pull together some quality wins - a solid QB with some under-the-radar RBs and some WRs with potential to play big.  There's definitely weakness, which isn't alleviated by the injuries, but it's better than what some of the rest of us have.  And with the new pending trade, if he gets Hakeem Nicks, his potential will go through the roof.

4. THE Pain Train (5-3) [6]

Gabs's team pulls a surprise this week, from some surprising sources.  Nice pickup in Vick Ballard.  Who knows how long Ballard will last in that role, but at least Gabs has some familiar faces back in the lineup for support next week - namely, half of the Buffalo Bills offense.  Gabs has the players, they just have to play.  He's back on the rise, after some pretty good managing.

5. RelientK (3-5) [5]

Laura is finally getting her much-deserved wins (I'm still keeping tabs - statistically speaking, she should be (6-2) right now).  While she didn't have a spectacular showing this week, it can easily be dismissed with her team not being at full force.  Ray Rice will be back next week, and hopefully MJD will return soon, which puts Laura's team in a position to make a big end-of-the-season run.  While her team has been slightly more consistent than Gabs or David's teams, she hasn't had as many break-out weeks as they have - she's had one, maybe two, great weeks.  The rest have just been good.  And #5 is a good spot for a good team right now.  There's tons of potential, though.

6. Rainbow Warriors (4-4) [3]

I guess Aaron Rodgers can't always be relied on, especially this season.  Not having Jordy Nelson and Greg Jennings definitely hurt, and when they get back on the field, I think that will only help Rodgers (and Jeff).  But for now, Jeff will just have to try and make do with what he has.  Hey, 26 points from Gronkowski is pretty darn good.  And don't forget to keep praying each week that Frank Gore doesn't get old and break down.  Wait, he's already old, so just pray that he doesn't break down.

7. Terrific Tortoises (4-4) [7]

With a Chris Johnson that actually scores points, it's not hard to see why David's team is starting to do better.  Percy Harvin continues to dominate, and David is getting good support from his other WRs and from Jimmy Graham as well.  While he doesn't have a scary team quite yet (Eli's consistency is definitely of concern), it's way better than it was 7 weeks ago.


8. odoyle RULES (3-5) [9]

While my team is terrible, I think this past week has shown that it's not as terrible as Justina's.  Sorry, Justina.  Same applies to Eric's team, but to a lesser extent.  Sorry, Eric.  I write the power rankings, so I can do what I want with them, right?  No, but seriously, I think I objectively have a better team right now than both of them do.  I'm not going to go into specifics, because it would probably be boring and I would probably get sad.  It's like trying to talk about the Panthers, or even the Bobcats - who wants to hear about losers?


9. errrdayimRussell'in (1-7) [10]

Funny fact: Eric's bench scored more points than his starters.  AND he had BJGE on bye.  Eric probably doesn't find it funny, but I thought it was amusing, and I'm sure others will too.  I'm happy for him that LeSean had a big game, but it wasn't enough to pull off a victory against Laura.  And how disappointing has Megatron been this year?  Anyways, his team has potential, he just has to find a way to tap in to that.

10. Green Nicks and Cam (2-6) [8]

She'll have A.J. Green back in the lineup next week, but the big question will be, does she want to trust Cameron Newton any more?  My answer would be an emphatic no, but that will be something she'll have to decide on her own.  As for the rest of her team, I don't know what to say.  She has the right pieces, but they're just not gelling.  The trade might give her some immediate short-term relief, especially with an under-performing, recovering-from-injury, current-liability Hakeem Nicks, but her future isn't looking too hot right now.  I personally think the trade ends up putting Justina in more of a bind than before, but I can understand her frustration with Nicks and wanting to get rid of him for some fresher players.  I'll just leave it at that.  Maybe she'll get a better name out of it all, who knows.