Week 6 #PowerRankings - NC State Fair New Food Comp!

Week 6 #PowerRankings - NC State Fair New Food Comp!

With the NC State Fair starting up this week, I thought I’d do another NC State Fair food comp. But since I took all the good foods a few years ago, I figured I’d do a New Food Comp. Evidently, this year there are 73 new foods featured at the fair (https://www.ncagr.gov/divisions/ncstatefair/2024/attractions/newin24). Although I have not tried any of these new foods, I have chosen one per team to use as a comp, using my imagination to guess how the new food would taste. For you FFNUTHANGers going to the State Fair this year, you can try some of the new foods and share your thoughts.

1. MyRavensStackIsntWorkingOut (Eric) (4-2) [1]

Eric finally gets a big game out of Bijan Robinson, whose schedule looks pretty cush for the next 4 weeks. If Bijan continues to produce, and if Mark Andrews continues his scoring streak, Eric’s team will be even more potent, it will be in prime position to continue winning, and it will eventually take the #1 spot in the league standings, which it deserves.

NC State New Food Comp: Cowboy Bites

Out of all the new foods I looked at, this would be the one I’d want to try the most. Smoked white cheddar cheese mixed with brisket, rolled in panko and deep fried? Yes, please - give me all of them.

2. Breece Mode (Haji) (2-4) [2]

After a few down weeks, Haji’s team pulled together an impressive Week 6, with Breece Hall and Deebo putting up big numbers and Josh Allen, Chuba, and MPJ adding some solid contributions. Chuba looks really good in spite of Carolina’s woes, and it sounds like Jonathan Brooks won’t return as soon as I hoped, so I would expect Chuba to continue putting up high-end RB2 numbers. It’s TBD how Amari Cooper will look on a new team, but he’s generally been a boom-or-bust player, so I’m not sure if he’ll be any more reliable on the Bills. Haji’s TE situation is still not great, but I think that’s irrelevant given how strong the rest of his team is.

NC State New Food Comp: Barbecue Bacon Queso Sandwich

This sandwich looks solid. Take something good - BBQ sandwich - and add bacon and queso? Yes, please. You might get polarizing opinions from the new school vs. the BBQ purists, but let the controversy begin! Haji’s team has looked good on paper pretty much all season. The controversy has come with the lack of wins and poor performances in Week 4 and 5. But in spite of being 9th in league standings, his team is still 3rd in Points For. Regression to the mean is bound to happen, and regression to converting BBQ purists to adding bacon and queso to their sandwiches is bound to happen. Maybe.

3. 第六 (Abraham) (3-3) [3]

Abraham’s team looked good in Week 6, thanks to 30 points from Chris Godwin. That’s not sustainable, but Abraham will take it along with the win. Jordan Love’s 33 points should be more sustainable, especially in the next 2 weeks against easy defenses. Olave might be out for a bit, but it’s not like he was doing much for Abraham the past few weeks. Bigsby should be a good play this week and with Kyren returning from bye, Abraham should put up another strong Week 7 showing. 

NC State New Food Comp: Deep Fried Ribs

Sometimes, you don’t have to reinvent the wheel or do something crazy fancy to make something good. Just deep fry some ribs and add some sauce and you’re golden. Abraham’s team has had its ups and downs, but overall it has just been solid. With some unfancy but productive pieces on his team, he’s earned 2nd in Points For this season, and is poised to compete for the #1 spot down the road.

4. Run It Back! (Gabs) (4-2) [4]

Gabs’s team had a respectable showing in Week 6 but ended up with the loss. The Davante Adams trade should help give Brock Bowers more targets, but will likely eat into Garrett Wilson’s targets. Gabs has bought into the Adams hype though, picking up Aaron Rodgers in hopes of re-living the old days (hit me up Gabs - I can make the Rodgers-Adams stack happen for you again). Gabs actually has a really strong team with lots of depth, but just hasn’t put together a boom type of week yet. And that might just be the formula that works for him.

NC State New Food Comp: Sweet Cheese Pie

Sometimes, you just have to keep it simple. The sweet cheese pie looks like something you could get at a normal restaurant that would taste good. Gabs doesn’t really have super exciting players, but he’s gotten the job done with an above-average scoring and a 4-2 record. His team is 1st in Standard Deviation Rankings, meaning it’s been the least boom-bust, and it has just been solid all around. Nothing flashy here, but still tasty.

5. Kraft Mac Salad (Andrew) (3-3) [10]

Andrew has put together 3 straight weeks of respectable points, stringing together a 3-game winning streak, earning Week 6 #HighScore and a big bump up in the rankings. Derrick Henry has been absolutely ridiculous, and with the return of AJ Brown and the development of chemistry between McLaurin and Daniels, Andrew has started to find a nice groove. Even with Justin Fields potentially being benched, CJ Stroud looks like he can take the helm at QB. There are still some holes that need to be patched, particularly at RB2 and TE (although now it’s hard not to start Kraft now), but Derrick Henry is beastly enough to continue carrying Andrew’s team.

NC State New Food Comp: Candied Oatmeal Pies

Yes, this looks weird, but I can see it working. Why? You’ve got your tried and true Little Debbie’s Oatmeal Pies driving the whole thing, all you have to do is add a layer of sweet crunchiness on the outside, and you’ve got yourself a new fair food. Andrew’s team is powered by tried and true Derrick Henry. The added sweetness added from AJ Brown, DJ Moore, Terry McLaurin, Justin Fields, and company (whenever they are actually playing well) is just icing on the cake (or cookie), so to speak. But the whole thing is driven by Derrick Henry. Without him, things may start to fall apart.

6. I am not sacko! (Jeff Chen) (3-3) [6]

Jeff Chen’s team posted respectable numbers in spite of his Week 6 loss. David Montgomery got paid, and his role in this offense looks to be pretty secure. JK Dobbins continues to roll, and George Kittle has emerged as the best TE in FF so far this season. Jeff’s wait on Drake Maye might end up working out, since he’s playing a bottom-of-the-barrel Jacksonville team this Sunday. So, Jeff’s team is looking better than it did 6 weeks ago, but I still consider it middle-of-the-pack given his inconsistent WR production.

NC State New Food Comp: Glazed Donut Coffee Float

This looks like diabetes in a cup. Donut-infused ice coffee over vanilla ice cream, topped with a donut hole and more ice cream? To be honest, just looking at the picture makes my head hurt on a sugar high. But I bet if I tried this, I would enjoy it. At least until I started jumping off the non-existing State Fair walls. Jeff’s team did not look good (in my estimation) to start the season - it made my head hurt. But I’ve given it a chance, and I’ve learned to like it. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if after the initial sugar and caffeine high to start this season, Jeff’s team comes crashing down, because, well, science.

7. Unicorn QueenZ (Tim) (5-1) [7] 

I lucked out again with a win this week against Jeff Lin’s struggling team, but I’ll take the W to add to my 5-game win streak and enjoy this #1 spot in the standings while I can! I’m hoping this Davante Adams trade will breathe new life into him (it’s already miraculously healed his hamstring) and help him produce at WR2 levels. But my RB situation is still pretty tenuous.

NC State New Food Comp: Big Bacon Wrapped In Cheese On A Stick

It sounds simple, and it is simple, but it works. It might be lacking in quantity, since it’s just cheese and one slice of bacon on a stick, but I’m sure it’ll be a crowd-pleaser because who doesn’t like cheese and bacon? My team hasn’t been putting up the points to justify #1 in league standings, but it has gotten the job done and has made it to the top. It might not be exotic, and I might not be a lot to look at, but sometimes fried bacon and cheese is all you need.

8. Love thy Naber (Jeff Lin) (3-3) [5]

I feel like Jeff Lin’s team needs to be ranked lower - he’s scored fewer points than everyone except Aaron in the past 2 weeks, and has fallen hard with this 3-game losing streak. However, his strong first 3 weeks have offset the terrible last 3 weeks, and I think brighter days are ahead for Jeff after he weathers this storm. Tank Dell should continue to produce with Nico Collins out for a while, Malik Nabers should return to form, Cooper Kupp should be back, TJ Hockenson will eventually return, and Aaron Jones looks good when healthy. Jeff has just been hit with bouts of bad luck the past 3 weeks, and hopefully things will start to turn around for him.

NC State New Food Comp: Mema Mia

This is too much going on in one bun. It all sounds pretty good - deep fried spaghetti with meat sauce, cheese, and slaw on a garlic parmesan bun. But it’s too much. You try to take a bite of this on the bun, and everything will fall out of the bun. You might as well dump the spaghetti, sauce, etc. into a bowl and eat it separate from the bun. Jeff’s team has been like that this season - looked good to start, but it was too much goodness in one bun, so halfway in, everything has just fallen apart.

9. Terrific Tortoises (David) (2-4) [8]

David just can’t catch a break - with Jordan Mason injured and possibly missing time, he was forced into an Isaac Guerendo waiver pickup. The good news is Nick Chubb should be returning soon, and Cleveland will likely rely on him (assuming he stays healthy). Tony Pollard has looked like a solid RB2. We’ll see if Josh Downs can return (hopefully with Joe Flacco instead of Richardson), but Wan’Dale Robinson has been surprisingly consistent as a low-end WR2. David is 10th in Points For, but I’m somewhat optimistic with the return of Nick Chubb, so I’ll keep him at 9th in the Power Rankings for now.

NC State New Food Comp: Turducken Burger

This thing looks solid - turkey, duck, and chicken on a bun with a bunch of toppings. It sounds decent, looks decent, and will definitely be filling. But then the more I think about it, the more I feel like it’s mostly for show and not actually for substance. Turkey burgers and grilled chicken sandwiches are generally dry. I’ve never had a duck burger, so maybe that helps add some fattiness. But I would still expect this sandwich to be disappointing. David’s team looked pretty decent on paper to start the season. But then without CMC to start the season and now with Rashee Rice gone, his team has been disappointing and has seemed more show-over-substance. Hopefully that’ll turn around, if he can somehow change that Turducken Burger into an actual burger.

10. Maybabyboo (Laura) (2-4) [11]

Laura puts together another impressive scoring week on the backs of Joe Mixon and D’Andre Swift. She would have done even better with Purdy’s bench points, but Geno has been more consistent so I can understand why she started him over Purdy. With James Cook possibly set to return and Kelce coming back from the bye, I like Laura’s chances of continuing this momentum into Week 7 against a struggling Jeff Lin, even with Swift on bye.

NC State New Food Comp: Red Velvet Glazed Funnel Cake Chicken Sandwich

Red velvet cake funnel cake as buns and fried chicken in the middle with sweet syrup and hot sauce. This perfectly describes Laura’s team because I can’t tell what her team is. In Week 1, her team scored 3rd in points, followed by 11th in Week 2, 11th in Week 3, and then 12th in Week 4. Then it explodes with 2nd in points in Week 5 and this past week put up a respectable 4th in points with her 2nd win. Is it good or is it bad? I can’t tell - each week will probably be different, and she might have to be ok with that. Is this Red Velvet Glazed Funnel Cake Chicken Sandwich sweet or savory? I can’t tell - each bite will probably be different, and maybe you just have to be ok with that.

11. Spider Pig (Luke) (3-3) [9]

It continues to be tough sledding for Luke, as he drops his 3rd straight loss and slides to 9th in Points For. It’s promising to see Caleb Williams improving, and if DeVonta Smith can stay healthy, he’ll be a big contributor. I’m not sure if the big FAAB spend on Ray Davis will move the needle much for Luke, though. It feels like the hot start to Luke’s season was just a mirage, and reality is now sinking in.

NC State New Food Comp: Chamoy Pickles

Flavored pickles wrapped in fruit roll ups and stuffed with candy, sprinkles, and takis chips dipped in chamoy sauce and tajin seasons. Sometimes, you read about something and then you look at something, and you think: “That looks nasty.” And it probably is nasty. But then someone tries to convince you to try it. Against all logic. So you try it. Maybe the first bite is tolerable - you get mostly fruit roll up and candy. And maybe you’re adventurous enough to try a 2nd bite. Then you immediately regret it. Luke’s team has been that this season - looked nasty, is nasty, but somehow he tried to convince us to give him a shot. Beginning of the season looked ok. Good, even. But now? No thanks.

12. choubacca (Aaron) (2-4) [12]

Aaron’s team is in bad shape. I don’t know what’s going on in Dallas, but it’s not looking good. CeeDee has had some passable weeks, but he hasn’t been the league-winning WR Aaron was expecting. Aaron will have to continue waiting on Tua’s return before Tyreek can return to relevance. His RB situation is looking worse by the week (although Alexander Mattison at least has secured the starting job in Las Vegas). Things have gone south for Aaron and he hasn’t been able to adapt quickly enough to right the ship. Now he’s 12th in the league standings, and has the lowest Points For by 50+ points. Eek.

NC State New Food Comp: Dill Delight Funnel Cake

What in the world is this nonsense? Who thought it would be a good idea to take a classic fair food like funnel cake with powdered sugar and add ranch dressing and dill pickles?? Get this nonsense out of the fair - it doesn’t belong. They decided to take a good thing (funnel cake) and destroy it with pickles. Aaron has taken a good thing (his team with Tyreek Hill, CeeDee Lamb, Sam LaPorta) and destroy it with his managing (lack of) skillz. Ok, that’s being a bit harsh - sorry, Aaron. But for real his team looks like funnel cake with pickles: disgusting.