Week 10 #PowerRankings - 90s Song Comp Edition!

 

The 90s song comps are back! With the Spotify playlist updated!

1. Terrific (Taylor’s Version) (David) (8-2) [1]

While Gabs’s team got #HighScore in Week 10, David’s team came in 2nd, plus he had solid production from multiple sources instead of one or two players with monster games. And this was without Rashee Rice, too. David’s team has been the most consistent team in our league the past 4 weeks. With a pretty easy remaining schedule, David’s team is primed for Regular Season Champ.

90s Song Comp: Ice Cube - “It Was A Good Day”

“I can't believe, today was a good day”

David’s team has done well this season, with some favorable luck on his side. Just like Ice Cube just had a surprisingly good day where no cops pulled him over, no one died in LA, he schooled everyone in basketball, and maybe some other things, David’s team is having a good season where things just seem to be smooth sailing.

2. Run It Back! (Gabs) (7-3) [2]

Gabs gets the Week 10 #HighScore off the heels of a Week 9 #LowScore, and with Jonathan Taylor on bye in Week 11, I’m afraid his team might struggle. Don’t get me wrong, the rest of Gabs’s team is pretty good, but Gabs isn’t knocking on the door of Regular Season Champ without even half of Jonathan Taylor’s production. The man has been ridiculous - more FF points this season than any other player (including QBs).

90s Song Comp: Will Smith - “Just The Two Of Us”

“Just the two of us, we can make it if we try

Just the two of us

Just the two of us, building castles in the sky

Just the two of us, you and I”

Sure, Will Smith is singing about his son here, but Gabs might as well apply this to Jonathan Taylor. As long as Gabs has JT, many FF castles will be built in the sky.

3. Just Didn’t Catch D’Achane (Haji) (6-4) [3]

Haji had an unfavorable matchup against David this past week, but the road forward looks pretty clear. According to my analysis, Haji’s got the easiest rest-of-season schedule (Jeff Chen, Luke, Jeff Lin, Laura). Assuming everyone stays healthy, Haji’s got the pieces to end the season strong and carry that momentum into the playoffs.

90s Song Comp: SNAP! - “The Power”

“I’ve got the power!”

I’m not sure if there are other words to this song, but this one sentence aptly captures Haji’s position right now. The power = Achane and CMC, who are easily the league’s best RB duo. This power, along with some supplemental boosts from Tyler Warren, Davante Adams, and an easy ROS schedule, will propel Haji’s team to success.

4. ToInfinityandBijan! (Eric) (5-5) [4]

Eric’s team is currently sitting at 6th in league standings (right at the edge of making playoffs), coming off a 3-game losing streak, yet with arguably one of the best RB groups in our league, a top-performing Justin Herbert at QB, and solid depth pieces to boot. I still think Eric’s team is strong, but if they can’t perform consistently, Eric legitimately may miss the playoffs.

90s Song Comp: 4 Non Blondes - “What’s Up?”

“And so I wake in the morning and I step outside

And I take a deep breath and I get real high

And I scream from the top of my lungs

"What's going on?"

And I say, hey-ey-ey

Hey-ey-ey

I said "Hey, a-what's going on?"”

Eric has been asking “What’s going on?” with his team as of late, especially with how the Falcons have been (mis)using Bijan. Hopefully things turn a corner and Eric can shake off his 3-game losing streak.

5. Unicorn QueenZ (Tim) (6-4) [8]

I feel ok about my team, but I would be lying if I said I don’t miss CMC. Also, I know Jayden Daniels got hurt, but I miss him too for some odd reason. Maybe because Jordan Love SUXZ.

90s Song Comp: Lauryn Hill - “Ex-Factor”

“See, no one loves you more than me

And no one ever will”

Not that my team has suffered from the numbers standpoint, but from an emotional standpoint, Lauryn Hill captures how I feel about CMC.

6. Spider Pig (Luke) (6-4) [7]

Luke’s team is sitting at 5th place in league standings, yet is 8th in Points For. His team performed decently, but gained an unimpressive win against Laura’s #LowScore team. With big names like Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Puka Nacua, Jaylen Waddle, and Chris Olave, I feel like Luke’s team should be a lot better. 

90s Song Comp: Hansen - “MMMBop”

“Mmmbop, ba duba dop ba

Du bop, ba duba dop ba

Du bop, ba duba dop ba du

Yeah, yeah”

Not gonna lie, “MMMBop” is a catchy song that gets the job done as a pop hit, but definitely lacks substance. I feel the same way about Luke’s team - it has been getting the job done, and has all the makings of a great team, but whether it will sustain long-term relevance is TBD.

7. Lamar You Ready? (Jeff Chen) (5-5) [5]

I’m ready to officially declare it now - Jeff Chen’s team is this season’s biggest FF flop. It seemed like Jeff was unstoppable the 1st 5 weeks. Like, clear path to the championship unstoppable. And since then, it has been absolutely disastrous. Even the return of Lamar hasn’t been enough. A part of me was actually glad to see Jeff succeeding to start the season, and that same part is sad to see his team crashing and burning, but I have to call it like I see it. With a tougher remaining schedule (Haji, me, Abraham, Aaron), I have a hard time seeing him make the playoffs.

90s Song Comp: Smashing Pumpkins - “Bullet with Butterfly Wings”

“Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage

Someone will say, "What is lost can never be saved"

Despite all my rage, I am still just a rat in a cage”

Jeff has been a good sport taking all of our league’s jabs at him, but I feel like deep inside he must have all this rage pent up in feeling trapped in whatever cage is preventing his FFNUTHANG success, especially after getting a taste of that success to start the season.

8. 第六 (Abraham) (4-6) [6]

Abraham’s team pretty much lost after Thursday Night Football, but even so, his team continues to taper in scoring. Granted, he didn’t have Mahomes or Pickens in Week 10, so hopefully his team can turn it around. However, his rest-of-season schedule isn’t the easiest: Eric, David, Jeff Chen, and Luke. I have serious doubts about him being able to rebound.

90s Song Comp: Wu-Tang Clan - “C.R.E.A.M. (Cash Rules Everything Around Me)”

“Cash Rules Everything Around Me

C.R.E.A.M., get the money

Dollar, dollar bill y'all”

Just like CREAM is about surviving the mean streets of (probably) New York, Abraham will do what he can to survive the mean streets of FFNUTHANG. But at least he’s got a full cache of FAAB dolla dolla billz to dump on the hottest waiver pickup.. hopefully?

9. chinaballa (Andrew) (4-6) [9]

Andrew got the win he needed to stay somewhat playoff-relevant, but I still worry about his RB situation. After a winnable matchup against Laura coming up this week, Andrew will face a pretty tough 3-game stretch to end the season: Gabs, Eric, and David. While not statistically impossible, I think Andrew’s chances of making playoffs is a stretch given the circumstances.

90s Song Comp: Semisonic - “Closing Time”

“Closing time, every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end”

As previously mentioned, this season may already be lost for Andrew, but at least he’s got some hope for next season. Drake Maye and JSN should be solid keepers, and throw in the possibility of Woody Marks or Oronde Gadsden stepping up before the season ends, and Andrew might have some promising youth to build a new beginning.

10. 大展鸿图 (Jeff Lin) (3-7) [12]

Jeff Lin got a much-needed win in the Battle of the Jeffs in Week 10 to stay safe from Sacko for now. Hopefully Jaxon Dart can recover from his concussion, and TreVeyon Henderson can continue to get enough opportunities to shine. Unfortunately, it’s been too little too late for Jeff, and his focus will continue to be on avoiding Sacko and looking just forward to next season.

90s Song Comp: Boyz II Men - End of the Road

“Although we've come to the end of the road

Still I can't let go

It's unnatural, you belong to me, I belong to you”

Jeff is probably still trying to make his way into the playoffs this season, but if we’re being real, this is the end of the road for Jeff’s 2025 FFNUTHANG season. It does seem unnatural, given how successful he’s been over the past 5 years in our league, but luck just hasn’t been on his side this year.

11. choubacca (Aaron) (2-8) [10]

Rico had a decent game from an FF perspective, but “decent” wasn’t enough to carry Aaron’s team to victory. Now Garrett Wilson is set to miss time, and add to that the fact that Aaron’s rest-of-season schedule is the hardest in our league (Gabs, Eric, David, Jeff Chen), I don’t foresee Aaron winning another game to end the season.

90s Song Comp: Coolio - “Gangsta’s Paradise”

“As I walk through the valley of the shadow of death

I take a look at my life and realize there's nothin' left”

This is it, I think Aaron’s team is toast and destined for Sacko in the same way Coolio so poetically outlines.

12. Maybabyboo (Laura) (4-6) [11]

Laura’s team is seemingly on a never-ending downward spiral. I’m not sure if there is light at the end of the tunnel, except that she’s built in enough cushion with 4 wins to probably stay out of Sacko. Luck is also on her side with Aaron’s tough schedule outlined above.

90s Song Comp: Wilson Phillips - “Hold On”

“Don't you know, things can change?

Things will go your way

If you hold on for one more day

Can you hold on for one more day?

Things will go your way

Hold on for one more day”

Just hold on, Laura! I think you’ll be ok!

Week 9 #PowerRankings

Sorry, no theme this week - NFL trade deadline excitement was hopefully enough to give you guys a hit. I’ll send out a video I made with my Unicorn QueenZ predicting which teams will do well, though.

1. Terrific (Taylor’s Version) (David) (7-2) [2]

Getting 2nd highest score for Week 9 with only 4.3 points from Jahmyr Gibbs is impressive. David’s team has figured something out, and much of that figuring-out had to do with Rashee Rice. All the shade I threw on David’s team has been proven wrong, and I am genuinely glad to see his team at the top of the #PowerRankings.

2. Run It Back! (Gabs) (6-3) [1]

Week 9 showed Gabs’s team is beatable, and if Jacksonville’s move to get Jakobi is any indication, Brian Thomas may miss some time. Not that Thomas was doing all that well for Gabs to start with. Gabs may have avoided Quinshon Judkins missing any time due to injury, which should bode well for his Week 10. But I saw Week 9 as just a lucky break for me, and not indicative of future trends. I think Gabs’s team will be ok.

3. Just Didn’t Catch D’Achane (Haji) (6-3) [4]

Great win for Haji with incredible production from newly-acquired CMC. As long as CMC stays healthy, that Achane / CMC combo will be vicious. It’s sad Haji lost Jayden Daniels to injury for the foreseeable future, but hopefully Brock will be healthy enough to play. I think Rashid Shaheed’s move to Seattle will mean more production for him, given Darnold > Rattler / Shough. Haji will just need to figure out what to do at Flex, but I have confidence in his managing abilities.

4. ToInfinityandBijan! (Eric) (5-4) [3]

Eric did offer me Etienne instead of Swift, and at least for Week 9, it looks like I should have taken that bait. Eric is still strong at RB, and bolstered his WR corps with the addition of Sutton. Jakobi’s move to Jacksonville will be interesting to follow, given injuries to Brian Thomas and Travis Hunter. Eric’s loss to Haji means I had to bump him down in the rankings, but he still has a very solid team.

5. Lamar You Ready? (Jeff Chen) (5-4) [5]

Even Lamar’s return ultimately couldn’t save Jeff Chen’s team from continuing its losing streak. It’s now been 4 losses in a row now after 5 wins to start the season. Javonte had a disappointing MNF showing, and Kittle was relatively unproductive as well. At least Jeff should be getting Egbuka back soon. I still like Jeff’s team, so I won’t bump it down further in the rankings, but if he finds a way to lose to Jeff Lin in Week 10’s Battle of the Jeff’s and extend his losing streak to 5 games, then we’ve got trouble brewing.

6. 第六 (Abraham) (4-5) [6]

In spite of a poor performance from Mahomes, Drake London put up 34.3 points, and the 10.9 from Pickens on MNF was enough to secure the victory for Abraham. Tracy didn’t produce like Skattebo, but Kyren continues to be solid, and I think Abraham will be fine moving forward. I was surprised to see him drop Kyler, though. I guess Abraham’s confidence in Mahomes is that strong. Or maybe Kyler is just that bad. Probably the latter.

7. Spider Pig (Luke) (5-4) [9]

Luke didn’t need Monangai’s bench points to beat Jeff Chen, but he might need those points in the future if Swift remains injured. Jacory is not cutting it as RB2, and while Tyjae Spears may get more opportunities in the future, he’s still on a terrible team. Luke is still pretty solid at QB / WR / TE - even though Puka got injured again, it hopefully is nothing major. If Monangai gets more opportunities moving forward, that would help Luke’s team continue on an upward trajectory.

8. Unicorn QueenZ (Tim) (5-4) [7]

I lucked out with a win against Gabs, but I’ve realized now my team looks objectively worse than before my trade extravaganza. I guess I avoided losing Jayden Daniels to injury, but Jordan Love was not even close to being a satisfactory replacement, and losing Tucker Kraft will hurt. Rome Odunze played me so bad, and Alvin Kamara is a shell of his former self. At least I got some value from two of my new pieces - Higgins and Jeanty - but who knows if that will be prescriptive moving forward, or if it was just a lucky week for me. I think the latter.

9. chinaballa (Andrew) (3-6) [8]

Andrew lost a close one to Abraham. I went to sleep Monday night seeing Andrew’s team up with MHJ’s early score thinking he’d be able to secure the win, but I guess somehow Pickens came back for Abraham. Andrew’s team really isn’t that bad on paper, he just hasn’t gotten consistent production across the board (outside of JSN). Some weeks it will be one or two guys and no one else shows up, and another week it’ll be two different guys. I’m confident he’ll get more wins down the road, but it just doesn’t seem like a recipe for long-term success.

10. choubacca (Aaron) (2-7) [12]

Rico Dowdle will single-handedly keep Aaron out of Sacko. Sure, Brock Bowers came back from injury swinging with 37.3 points, but if Carolina lets Rico cook (which they should), Aaron’s team will be safe from Sacko. That man is not afraid to hit people and runs with that dawg mentality Dan Morgan is looking for in players. The rest of Aaron’s players will play important roles, especially JaMarr, Hurts, and Bowers. But Rico will save Aaron’s season.

11. Maybabyboo (Laura) (4-5) [10]

Rico’s success for Aaron has an inverse relationship with Laura’s un-success with Chuba. Chuba looks like he’s still hurt, and now that the trade deadline is over, I wouldn’t be surprised if either the Panthers just keep him off the field and rest him more. Or if he stays on the field, I think he’s going to remain unproductive. Regardless, that’s not good news for Laura. At least she’s getting solid numbers from Justin Jefferson and Chase Brown as of late. And JJ McCarthy returning will hopefully be a plus. I think Laura’s team has enough wins to protect her from Sacko for now.

12. 大展鸿图 (Jeff Lin) (2-7) [11]

Jeff Lin really has had some bad luck this season, and another piece of that luck came with Tucker Kraft’s season-ending injury. Sure, LaPorta should do a serviceable job filling in at TE, but Kraft had been pretty dominant at TE this season. I had almost forgotten Jeff traded Jacory away to Luke for Kraft, which was a great trade for Jeff up until Week 9. Arguably, Jeff still won that trade even with Kraft out for the rest of the season. At least Jaxon Dart is proving to be a productive QB for FF, but like I mentioned before - I don’t think I’d want anyone on Jeff’s team. Even Breece Hall, who didn’t get the trade he wanted, will probably be disgruntled enough to affect his FF production moving forward.

Week 8 #PowerRankings - Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp Edition!

I started doing Halloween candy comps, but I quickly realized I’ve pretty much exhausted all the Halloween candy I can think of from the previous 6 years or whatever. But in the spirit of Halloween coming up, I decided to go with Harry Potter Bertie Bott’s Jelly Bean Comps this year.

1. Run It Back! (Gabs) (6-2) [1]

You’d think losing Quinshon Judkins with an injury would have derailed Gabs’s week, but Jonathan Taylor scored enough points for two RBs this week. And playing the Buffalo D against an old Andy Dalton and dysfunctional Panthers offense was the right move. Even if Judkins misses time with his injury, Gabs has enough depth on his team to not skip a beat. Plus, he’s playing my sad team this week. 

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Marshmallow

In my humble opinion, the marshmallow jelly bean is the best flavor. Not only is it sweet, there is a little toasted flavor added in, as if you’re sitting by the campfire roasting a marshmallow for a s’more. It doesn’t get any better than marshmallow jelly beans, just like it doesn’t get any better than Gabs’s team.

2. Terrific (Taylor’s Version) (David) (6-2) [3]

Sure, David’s team lost in Week 8, but Rashee Rice appears to be the real deal, and David’s patience will continue to pay off as Stafford and the Detroit players return this week. Amon-Ra, Rashee Rice, and Michael Pittman make up a scary good WR trio. David’s overall Points For still is in the bottom half of the league, but I think in a few weeks, it’ll catch up to his league standing.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Sausage

I can’t tell if sausage jelly beans are good or not. If I remember correctly, it had a meaty flavor to it, but then a weird aftertaste. I can’t tell if David’s team is good or not. It ought to be good based on record and league standings, but Points For says not particularly. Maybe better than some of the other weird flavors, but not one I’d pick as a go-to.

3. ToInfinityandBijan! (Eric) (5-3) [7]

Eric’s team had a solid showing, but he just happened to be up against Jeff Lin’s top-scoring team for Week 8, which resulted in a loss. Eric’s team has been scoring at a pretty high rate the past 3 weeks (1st, 4th, and 2nd). His RBs don’t seem to be slowing down much, and his WR play continues to improve (although McLaurin’s injury puts a damper on that). Eric’s team should continue its ascension.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Candyfloss

Candyfloss tastes basically like cotton candy, and who doesn’t like cotton candy? Eric’s team has been solid all-around, and ought to continue to be a favorite to compete for the top spot in our league.

4. Just Didn’t Catch D’Achane (Haji) (5-3) [5]

Haji’s team lost a close one to Gabs’s seemingly invincible team, but the production from Jordan Love was encouraging to see. Haji has 3 former #2 WRs turned into #1 WRs for their respective teams (Higgins replacing Tyreek, Davante replacing Puka, and Rome because DJ Moore is toast) starting for his team. All that to say, his WRs once looked mid, but have become a strong suit due to opportunity. 

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Cherry

Cherry is a pretty classic flavor, and is definitely one of the better Harry Potter jelly bean flavors out there. It’ll consistently rank as a top flavor if you were to do a classic Family Feud survey says. Haji’s team has been pretty consistent (1st in Standard Deviation rankings) and 2nd in Points For. But in some ways, this feels like a ruse - are his players really supposed to be that good? Similarly, the cherry jelly beans look pretty similar to the cinnamon flavored jelly bean, and those will burn your tongue (see below).

5. Lamar You Ready? (Jeff Chen) (5-3) [2]

Jeff Chen desperately needs Lamar Jackson to return. His team is on a 3-game losing streak, and even with 33 points from James Cook, 17 from Javonte, and 12 from Kittle, he still couldn’t break 90 points. Baltimore’s rest of season schedule is on the easier side, so I still think Jeff will be ok once Lamar returns, but that doesn’t negate the rough past 3 weeks, in which Jeff has scored the fewest points in 2 of those 3 weeks and 2nd fewest the other week. His team is struggling.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Cinnamon

The cinnamon jelly bean is super spicy and hot once you bite into it. But after a bit, your tongue kind of gets so numb or used to the flavor that it becomes tasteless. Similarly, Jeff’s team started off super hot, but has since cooled way down.

6. 第六 (Abraham) (3-5) [6]

Good call on starting RJ Harvey Week 8, even though Abraham kind of had no choice with his other RBs on bye. Now that Skattebo’s out for the season, Tyrone Tracy’s stock goes up, and as a result, Abraham’s RB situation has improved. If Drake London returns, that should put Abraham’s team in decent shape moving forward, buying some more time before the return of Omarion Hampton returns.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Black Pepper

Abraham’s team is 3rd in Points For, but 9th in league standings with a 3-5 record. What is it - good or bad? The black pepper jelly beans don’t sound very good, but they actually taste edible, almost with a licorice aftertaste to them. I personally don’t like licorice, but there are definitely worse flavors out there.

7. Unicorn QueenZ (Tim) (4-4) [4]

Losing Cam Skattebo was a big blow to my team. I don’t know how I’ll recover from it, given Kamara has been a shell of himself this year. I’ve decided to try and adapt the Aaron strategy where I get a bunch of backups and hope something happens to the starter in front of them, but in the meantime, my team’s outlook has taken a big hit.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Lemon

Lemon is Dumbledore’s favorite jelly bean - I think it’s supposed to be sherbet lemon in the books. I guess Dumbledore is kind of like the commissioner of Hogwarts? Anyways, my team was much more sherbet-y to start the season, and it’s looking a lot more lemon-y now without Cam.

8. chinaballa (Andrew) (3-5) [9]

Andrew’s team has strung together a pair of wins with pretty impressive showings. Picking up Oronde Gadsden provided Andrew with a big boost, and based on his (Gadsden’s, not Andrew’s) athletic profile and how he’s being used, that production should continue. Derrick Henry will benefit from the return of Lamar Jackson, and Drake Maye continues to be a great QB option. With the return of JSN, I think Andrew’s team is on the upswing.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Green Apple

Green apple jelly beans look similar to grass jelly beans, and if you don’t have them side-by-side to compare, you might mistake one for the other. Let’s just say Andrew’s team looked like grass to start the season, but I do think it’s starting to make a comeback and may turn out to be a more palatable green apple jelly bean.

9. Justina’s Team (Luke) (4-4) [11]

Luke’s / Justina’s team bounced back with a win in Week 8 after a lowest-scoring Week 7. Saquon put up impressive numbers, but unfortunately got hurt (TBD on if he’ll miss time). Luke’s team definitely has the potential to put up points, but it has just been so streaky with its performances that it’s hard to know what you’re getting on any given week.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Booger

As mentioned, Luke’s team has kind of been all over the place. He started the season off as Week 1 #HighScore, fell to lowest score last week, and had an impressive showing this week. The booger jelly bean also takes you on a ride. Just by the name alone, you’d think it would be terrible (draft was bad for Luke), but then you take a bite and maybe that taste is familiar (don’t deny it, I’m sure everyone knows what booger tastes like..), maybe it’s not so bad after all. But then.. Yeah, it’s bad.

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

Bo Nix had another good week, but his performances are so inconsistent. Chase Brown has seen a resurgence with the arrival of Flacco under center, but if Flacco misses time with his injury, it will spell trouble for Brown. I don’t know what’s going on with the Panthers and their run game, but I suspect Chuba’s going to get fewer opportunities with how the fanbase has really rallied behind Rico Dowdle. Maybe Chuba’s not 100% healthy. Zay Flowers should benefit from Lamar returning. Overall, stacking wins has been huge for Laura, and I hope her team can take that momentum and turn it into more wins moving forward.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Soap

Soap jelly beans go from smelling kind of decent - with a florally scent - to just tasting like bitter nastiness because no one likes soap in their mouth. Laura’s team has fallen hard from its initial Week 1 promising start. At least her team is 4-4 and staying out of Sacko, but she’ll definitely need to wash away the taste of soap in her mouth from this season come December.

11. 大展鸿图 (Jeff Lin) (2-6) [12]

Jeff Lin got a statement win with Week 8 #HighScore and beating out one of the top teams in our league. Big performances from Breece Hall and Tucker Kraft helped out big time, as well as solid production from Kimani Vidal and Jaxon Dart. I question whether this production is sustainable, though. Losing Skattebo might allow teams to hone in on Dart, Breece Hall trade rumors continue to linger (which could be good or bad), and I doubt Kraft will continue to produce at such a high clip. I still don’t love Jeff’s team, but he’s admittedly done enough to keep him out of Sacko for now.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Dirt

Jeff Lin’s team has been dirt from the start. Granted, he got #HighScore this week, but I do think it was a fluke. Maybe you can find some random person who likes dirt jelly beans, but that doesn’t make them good.

12. choubacca (Aaron) (1-7) [8]

Well, Aaron’s top-scoring effort in Week 5 has faded and his team seems to be settling back in to reality at the bottom of the standings and rankings. A big part of his success was from Rico Dowdle’s 2 breakout games, but who knows how the Panthers will utilize him moving forward (even though he has looked impressive when he’s on the field). Sure, Aaron’s team still has pieces like Jalen Hurts and JaMarr Chase. But the reality is that the rest of his team is #LULZ. Week 5’s high score just provided a brief mirage.

Jelly Belly Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans Comp: Vomit

I’ve actually never had the guts to try the vomit flavor, but I can only imagine that it is disgusting and cannot comprehend why someone would choose to put that in their mouth. Why put something in your mouth that is by definition supposed to go out of your mouth? Gross.

Week 7 #PowerRankings - Midterm Grades Edition

With 7 of the 14 weeks of the FF regular season in the books, we’ve hit the midway point in the season. I figured it’d be a good time to revisit the grades I gave to each team pre-season and give an updated midterm grades.

As a refresher, here were the pre-season grades:

And now the midterm grades:

And subsequent rankings:

Here are my big-picture observations:

• Gabs’s team is still at the top of the rankings. He has improved his grade from a 89.55 to a whopping 95.20 just like the good Asian kid he was growing up. Much of that is attributed to Dak playing well, acquiring CeeDee for the stack, and Ertz still being relevant. Bravo, Gabs - keeping himself FFNUTHANG dyNASTYc-relevant.

• Jeff Chen’s team is also still 2nd. His score jumped from 89.50 to 92.45, with much thanks to better-than-expected RB play. Even though it has an improved score, his team has been trending down the past few weeks due to injuries, but that trend should self-correct with time.

• The biggest jump up was David’s team, who went from 8th to 3rd, with a 6.10 point improvement. Props to the Terrifics.

• Other teams that took jumps were Aaron’s team (from 12th to 8th with 4.60 point improvement), my team (from 7th to 4th with a 4.25 point improvement), Haji’s team (from 9th to 5th with a 3.75 point improvement), and Eric’s team (from 10th to 7th with a 3.75 point improvement).

• The biggest fall down was Jeff Lin’s team, who went from 3rd to 12th, with a -13.15 point difference. I don’t think we needed data to come to that conclusion.

• Other teams that took tumbles were Laura’s team (5th to 10th with a -5.70 point difference) and Andrew’s team (4th to 9th with a -4.60 point difference).

• Abraham’s team is still mid and Luke’s team (aka NOT Justina’s team - don’t shift the blame) still sucks.

• I thought perhaps the grader was more generous for the midterm scores, given the inflated scores of the top teams. But the average pre-season score was 84.79, while the average midterm score was 85.49. While this is a slight increase, it seems negligible. 

Onto the rankings!

1. Run It Back! (Gabs) (5-2) [1]

Gabs’s team keeps getting scarier every week. Jonathan Taylor is a beast, Quinshon Judkins has been incredible as a rookie, the Dak-CeeDee stack is going to cause problems, and Zach Ertz doesn’t seem to be going away. There are very few weaknesses in his team, except arguably at the TE position, but even there he has pretty good depth.

2. Lamar You Ready? (Jeff Chen) (5-2) [2]

Jeff Chen’s team continued its downward spiral last week, as predicted with the injuries and byes. When Lamar returns, Jeff’s team should be on more solid ground. Egbuka will continue to eat, Javonte should continue to be a reliable RB1, and Kittle will produce with time. 

3. Terrific (Taylor’s Version) (David) (6-1) [8]

David’s team is demanding more respect, now that it’s sitting at 1st place in league standings after a convincing performance against Jeff Chen. Rashee Rice is already making David’s wait worth it, and the Detroit Lions offense has been rolling. Maybe I was wrong to question David’s strategy of starting KC and Detroit players. His team has been solid across the board, in spite of a relatively lower Points For.

4.  Unicorn QueenZ (Tim) (4-3) [5]

CMC continues to carry my team (and the 49ers), and Trey McBride as the #2 overall TE so far has been a massive help. But Jayden Daniels’s injuries continue to put my QB situation in flux. Also, the lack of consistency at WR will eventually come to haunt me as the season progresses.

5. Just Didn’t Catch D’Achane (Haji) (5-2) [3]

Haji has really nice depth at RB, but as we were reminded of last week, Jeanty can have down weeks as well. Tyler Warren at TE has been solid, though. Haji’s main weakness is at QB, but I wouldn’t be surprised if we see Jordan Love do better in the 2nd half of the FF season.

6. 第六 (Abraham) (2-5) [6]

Abraham’s team has been low-key good, being 4th in Points For so far this season. Unfavorable matchups have put his team at 2-5, but he’s got the best QB in the NFL and a good WR corps that somehow has Jordan Addison (who has been really good since returning) on the bench. Abraham needs a lot of help at RB and TE, but his team is still playoff-relevant with a 2-5 record.

7. ToInfinityandBijan! (Eric) (5-2) [4]

Eric’s strength at RB continues to dominate our league, but Ladd hasn’t been consistent and Terry McLaurin has been hurt, so he’ll need more consistency at WR to continue vying for a top spot in these rankings, even with his impressive 5-2 record. The potential for a Herbert-Ladd stack is definitely an X-Factor that could help, though.

8. choubacca (Aaron) (1-6) [10]

I was surprised at where the midterm grades put Aaron’s team, but the numbers are the numbers. There was a blip in time where Aaron’s team seemed to have turned a corner, but last week saw another down week for him. JaMarr Chase has definitely returned, though - if Aaron can utilize Chase’s production with Flacco at QB, and get consistent points from Jalen Hurts, he can definitely avoid Sacko.

9. chinaballa (Andrew) (2-5) [9]

Andrew’s team got a much-needed win with help from Drake Maye, JSN, and Cleveland’s D. But with JSN and Marvin Harrison Jr on bye, this week may not be so friendly. The underperformance of Derrick Henry has hurt his team pretty badly, and his TE situation has been suspect as well. We’ll see if his FAAB spend on Gadsden will help, but I think Andrew will need a lot more from the RB spot to move up in the rankings.

10. Maybabyboo (Laura) (3-4) [12]

What was once seemingly Laura’s strength (RB) has now become a major weakness due to injury or overall underperformance. Her team got a win off the crazy comeback from Bo Nix and the Broncos, but whether that’s a sustainable formula moving forward is yet to be seen. At least Ferguson has been FF’s best TE so far, and I believe Laura has enough going in her favor to at least keep her somewhat relevant.

11. Justina’s Team (Luke) (3-4) [7]

Is Luke giving up after a 62.14 point showing in Week 7 and handing the reins over to Justina now? On a positive note, Olave played well. But things seem to be falling apart fast for Luke. At least Josh Allen will have a field day against the Panthers this week, and Luke hopes Puka will return soon. Losing Puka was huge, and having Saquon underperform so far this season has been another reason Luke has gotten such poor grades.

12. 大展鸿图 (Jeff Lin) (1-6) [11]

Props to Jeff Lin for starting Flacco at QB - now he’ll have the tough decision each week on whether to start Jaxon Dart or Joe Flacco. Interestingly enough, he might be able to trade one away to help him at other positions. But I do think Jeff’s outlook is a bit more positive if AJ Brown can continue trending upwards, and with more clarity on NE’s RB situation, at least starting Rhamondre might be more palatable than before (although probably not this week vs. Cleveland). Tucker Kraft has also been pretty decent as far as TEs go. But staying out of Sacko will be an uphill battle.