A-Town Week 8 Power Rankings

With 7 weeks in the book we are officially past the half way point of our 13 week regular season and things are really starting to heat up.  This week I am going to take a suggestion from one of my many dedicated followers and do mid season grades.  Good luck to everyone in week 8 and enjoy!

a1. Anton (Last week 1) 7-0

The Good:  The risk of taking Aaron Rodgers number two has paid off more than Anton could have ever hoped.  He is leading both the Packers and Anton’s team to undefeated seasons.  Frank Gore has also been a monster after a slow start.

The Bad: The Colts inability to do pretty much anything this year had really hindered Addai’s performance leaving Anton thin at RB.

The Grade: A+  Everything Anton does seems to be working out.  He picks up to backup RB’s and then Jones and Best go down and Anton’s looking great.  It’s going to take a big effort to take down this team.

2. Logan (2) 6-1

The Good: Logan waited on a QB and struck gold in Stafford and believe it or not that wasn’t even his best pick!  Fred Jackson has been a fantasy stud this year and doesn’t look like he’s slowing down.  What a steal in the later rounds for Logan.

The Bad: Between Deangelo Williams, Santana Moss and Devon Bess, Logan has been struggling with his flex option.  No one has really stepped up to the challenge so far this season.

The Grade: A  After the draft Logan had the most hype, which is usually a bad omen, but he has been consistent all year and is looking good heading to the second half of the season.

3. Mike (4) 5-2

The Good: Jason Witten, who Mike targeted before the draft, has been very consistent and the Jets D has actually bailed Mike out a few times.

The Bad: Mike took an early gamble on Starks predicting he would take over the starting job in Green Bay and sure enough he did.   The only problem is he isn’t producing worth a lick and has put Mike in a real bind at RB.

The Grade: B+  Mike doesn’t have the most talent in the league, but he is competing day in and day out and its showing in his record.  His team is solid and is staying consistent.

4. Kristen (7) 4-3

The Good: Matt Forte may be the best PPR back in the league and was a steal in the second round for Kristen.  He’s running through defenders and catching a ton of balls.

The Bad: The TE position has hurt Kristen this year.  With Shiancoe and Cook, she’s at a disadvantage at the TE position on a weekly basis. 

The Grade: B+  Kristen has had some bad weeks, but she’s capable of putting up monster points any given week.  You better believe Vick is leading this team to the playoffs.

5. Garret (3) 4-3

The Good: MJD is the Jags best player so he has been forced to carry two teams, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Stuntin Like John Elway.

The Bad: Garret’s other RB’s have been very disappointing.  Best got hurt like he always does and Spiller barely sees the field.

The Grade: B  Garret gets an average grade here because even though his team has very little star talent they find a way to win.  It amazes me how this team wins games, but their doing it.

6. Devan (5) 4-3

The Good: AP was a no brainer pick and is tearing through the league like always.  A.J. Green has been a nice surprise and looks like the next big thing at WR.

The Bad: Matt Ryan has not lived up to the hype this year.  It’s getting to the point where Devan may have to start playing matchups and benching Ryan.

The Grade: A  I know you’re thinking that I am crazy, but to be 4-3 with the team that Devan has is pretty remarkable.  After the draft, everyone thought he was dead in the water and now he’s 4-3 and staring down the playoffs.

7. Jeff (8) 4-3

The Good: Jeff’s team name is awesome and very true.  His team is all about Calvin Johnson and that’s not a bad thing considering what he is doing this year.

The Bad: So far the trade for V-Jax hasn’t worked out.  He hasn’t had a big game since week 2 and keeps getting nagging injuries.

The Grade: C+ Jeff is still looking for production from QB and in our league that is vital for success.  He’s done a good job of managing a banged up and underperforming team. 

8.  Alex (6) 3-4

The Good: Ray Rice was a good pick at number one.  He is a PPR machine and who knows where Alex’s team would be without him.

The Bad: The Rivers and Jones trade hasn’t worked out the way Alex was hoping and Beanie Wells is of course banged up every other week.

The Grade: B-  Alex is sliding down my rankings as he has lost 3 straight games after I compared him to the Packers!  He is clearly not the Packers.

9. Clay (9) 2-5

The Good: Steve Smith is absolutely killing it and makes Clay a dangerous team any week.  The way he has resurrected his career is pretty amazing.

The Bad: Sam Bradford hasn’t done anything so far this year and it was clearly a mistake on Clay’s part picking him so high and depending on him.

The Grade: C- Clay has done a good job with guys like Smith and Ingram, but overall it’s another disappointing season for off in the woods.

10.  Pop (11) 2-5

The Good:  Making the trade of Rivers with Cam Newton on his bench was the move of the season so far.  Cam has been great and Rivers has stunk.  Great move Pops.

The Bad: The RB position has been a problem for this team.  Shonn Green has been a major disappointment and Ray Hulu has yet to gain a major role on his own team, yet starts for Pops on a weekly basis.

The Grade: C- Pops is hanging in there at 2-5 and has Cam Newton so we can’t count him out just yet…

11. Pat (12) 2-5

The Good:  The Saints offense as expected has been electric.  Brees to Colston may be the best combo in our league right now.

The Bad: The change of scenery was suppose to reignite Reggie Bush’s career, but has yet to do so.  He just doesn’t look like the same explosive player he used to be when he was dating Kim…

The Grade: C-  PSell has had a lot of bad luck, like losing to me last week by .3.  There’s still time for PSell to get back into the thick of things, but he needs to make the right decisions every week.

12. Dan (13) 2-5

The Good: Ryan Fitzpatrick was a great auto-pick for Dan.  I wonder where he would be if he used that pick instead of letting the computer do the right thing…

The Bad: Payton Manning.

The Grade: D  I know a D is being tough on Dan, but given his reputation we expect the most from Dan and so far this year we’re not getting it.

13. Chris (11) 3-4

The Good: Before last week Darren McFadden was looking like a top 3 back in the league.  He needs to be healthy for this team to go.  Sproles has also turned out to be a great pick.

The Bad:  Chris WR situation has gone from pretty bad to downright awful.

The Grade: D-  Chris inability to make a move for a competitive WR has completely hindered his team as they have lost four in a row.

14. Gill (14) 1-6

The Good: Winning by .3 last week against PSell for my first win was pretty awesome.

The Bad: Losing Charles and Hightower, 2 of my top 5 picks to ACL tears isn’t exactly a good thing.

The Grade: F  After all the research and prep work I do, there is no excuse for a 1-6 record.

A-Town Power Rankings Week 7

So I was incredibly busy this week so this isn’t exactly my best effort but an effort none the less.  There wasn’t too many upsets last week so my top 3 will stay the same this week.  There’s still a lot of parity within the league, but after this week I expect some teams to take the leap into the elite.

1. Anton (1) 6-0

Anton has come from the cellar last year to almost unbeatable this year.

2. Logan (2) 5-1

Logan is clearly number two and isn’t really being challenged at this point.  This is surprising considering he is starting Doug Baldwin this week…

3.  Garret (3) 4-2

Garret doesn’t think his team is very good and neither do I, but he’s winning so my hands are tied.

4. Mike (5) 4-2

Mike seems to go as Michael Turner goes.

5. Devan (8) 4-2

It seems the more I hate on Devan’s team, the more he wins.

6. Alex (4) 3-3

Alex is on a crash course and needs to re-direct the ship this week or he may be in a lot of trouble.

7. Kristen (6) 3-3

Kristen was last week’s tough luck loser going down 131-136 to Jeff.

8. Jeff (9) 3-3

I am just not sold on Jeff’s team yet.

9. Clay (12) 2-4

Clay is going to be shocked he cracked my top 10.

10. Pop (10) 2-4

Pop really needs a win this week to get back into the thick of things.

11. Chris (7) 3-3

Chris is falling apart…will he make a move to put it back together?

12.  Pat (11) 2-4

Pat needs to capitalize this week on an easy matchup.

13. Dan (13) 1-5

How did Dan get to this point?

14. Gill (14) 0-6

Getting congratulated on a win and then losing a few hours later was just salt on the wound for this team.

A-Town Week 6 Power Rankings

Hello everyone, last week was a crazy week in fantasy terms as we saw 4 of my top 5 teams go down!  I love when teams that seem down and out come back and get into the thick of things.  Bye weeks always make for interesting matchups as teams are forced to juggle their lineups and use players off their bench.  After 5 weeks, everyone besides yours truly has a realistic chance at the playoffs.

1. Anton (Last Week 1)

If we have learned anything through 5 weeks it’s that Aaron Rogers and Wes Welker are going to carry Anton’s team every week.  The only way to stop Anton is to catch him on a week where Welker or Rogers has a bye.

2. Logan (2)

Logan lost in week 2 but gets a free pass because he still put up a respectable 137 points.  With the first sighting of Deangelo Williams in Carolina last week, Logan now has a tough decision to make every week regarding his flex.  Don’t mess up Logs or it may cost you your #2 ranking…

3. Garret (6)

Garret makes the jump into my top 5 this week with a big win over Jeff.  He only put up 114 points, but I could tell Garret willed his team to victory as Best broke that 88 yard TD in the second half of Monday night’s game.  Sometimes it’s all about how bad you want it, not how good your team actually is (and by sometimes I mean like maybe 2% of the time. AKA Garrets a Lucky Man).

4. Alex (3)

I should have moved Alex out of the top 10 after he put up an astonishing 86 points.  Wes Welker has almost got 86 by himself twice this year, come on Alex.  Before you leave a comment, I know that Rice and Jones were on a bye, still 86 man.

5. Mike (7)

Mike, like Garret moves into my top 5 because he wills his team to victories.  Mike may not have the most talent in the world, but he’s got heart and cares entirely too much.  (Yes, coming from the guy who cares so much he writes a fantasy article that only 5 people read).

6. Kristen (9)

I moved Kristen up because I saw firsthand last week how deadly her team can be.  Vick had an awful game where he threw 4 picks, but he still put up 30 fantasy points.  That’s ridiculous and with Bowe coming on like he did last year, Kristen’s team is starting to find their mojo.

7. Chris (4)

Chris’s biggest problem right now (well, besides not trading me McGahee) is deciding who to play.  Last week he started Moore who had an “o”fer and missed on Floyd who had 22 points.  There’s a W out there waiting for Chris every week if he makes the right decisions. 

8. Devan (10)

Honestly it blows my mind that Devan is 3-2.  On paper, his team just doesn’t measure up.  Somehow he is winning and getting stronger week to week.  I don’t know what else to say.

9. Jeff (5)

Good week, bad week, good week, bad week.  After 5 weeks Jeff’s team hasn’t figured out if there a contender or a pretender.  Calvin is still in beast mode, but Hernandez coming back has killed Gronkowski’s value.

10. Pop (8)

I never know what to say about Pop’s team.  Cam Newton is really good I guess…

11. Pat (11)

Pat Sell got back in the Win column last week.  I like the Moreno pick up, even though it was obvious and what Garcon is doing right now is incredible.  I mean the guy was irrelevant for the first three weeks and has been the top WR last 2, go figure.

12. Clay (13)

Clay put up 105 points and won.  Lucky guy and yes I am upset he beat me for last team to win.

13. Dan (12)

Good thing Dan has other exciting things going on in his life because his fantasy team is not.

14. Gill (14)

For anyone who got this far in the article, first I want to thank you and second I want you to know I have had the most fantasy points against and that is my only defense as to why I still haven’t won.

A-Town Power Rankings Week 5

Hello everybody and welcome to another edition of A-Town Fantasy Football Power Rankings.  Last week started out slow as the morning games were uneventful in the first half, but boy did things heat up!  I like the way the league is shaking up so far as we have two teams still undefeated and two teams still defeated with everyone else sandwiched in between.  For this week’s theme, I am going to compare your team to an NFL team.  Good luck to everybody in week 5 and enjoy.

1. Anton 4-0 (Last Week 1)

Right now Anton’s team is clicking on all cylinders and reminds me of the Saints.  The Saints put up a lot of points and are solid across the board.  They are in the hunt every week for the most points just like Anton’s team.  I don’t expect Anton to slow down anytime soon and be a staple in my top 3.

2. Logan 4-0 (2)

So far Logan’s team has been exactly as advertised, that’s why he reminds me of the Patriots.  Everyone is shocked when the Pats lose just like I would be shocked if Logan loses this year.  Every week someone plays Logan is like their Super Bowl right now.  With Foster back, Logan has to be breathing a sigh of relief and pumped he didn’t make that trade with Alex for Ben Tate.  I personally can’t wait until week 11 when Logan will get his shot at Anton.  Mark that one down on your calendars. 

3. Alex 3-1 (4)

Alright so I know its cliché and obvious, but I am going with the Packers for Alex.  They are both defending champs and looking virtually unstoppable this year.  Alex limped into the playoffs last year and made a remarkable run.  He could have been satisfied with that, but he came out and had a great draft and made the most impactful trade of the season.  Every team in the NFL knows when they are playing the Packers and every team in our league should know where Alex is on their schedule. 

4. Chris 3-1 (3)

I want everyone to know I am not the only one who expected Chris’ team to suck this year.  So far he has proved all of us wrong and reminds me of the Titans.  The Titans were supposed to be the bottom feeders of the AFC South, but find themselves tied for first.  The Titans and Chris come out every week and give their opponent their best shot and don’t make crucial mistakes.  I am interested to see which direction Chris’ team will take after suffering their first loss. 

5. Jeff 2-2 (5)

Like the Steelers, Jeff is well informed, passionate and loyal to his team.  You know he is going to bring it on a weekly basis.  Calvin Johnson has been the MVP so far this year and is carrying Jeff’s team out of the gate.  However, if he falters at all Jeff could be in a lot of trouble.  The Steelers are 2-2, but is anyone really worried about them not making the playoffs? Exactly. I expect Jeff to cruise to the playoffs as well.

6. Garret 2-2 (8)

Garret got a big win last week putting up 145 pts. against Dan.  However, I still feel Garret is over rated and getting credit due to his extensive fantasy knowledge and not his actual team.  That’s why I am comparing his team to the Cowboys.  The Cowboys are 2-2 and everyone thinks they have a bunch of talent because they are America’s team, but in reality there just not that good.  Maybe Garret will prove me wrong…

7. Mike 2-2 (6)

Mike is the underdog in a lot of matchups, but is almost always in the hunt for the playoffs.  He somehow competes on a weekly basis when his players underperform, which reminds me of the 49ers.  The 49ers seem like they’re not a good team, but they’re 3-1 and always in the game.  Mike has always had lot of fantasy luck which makes him dangerous any given week.

8. Pop 2-2 (10)

While looking at Pop’s team his photo jumped out of me and boom it hit me, he’s just like the Bears.  There a solid team with no real superstars, just guys that grind it out and get it done about 65% of the time.  Pop’s team is full of fantasy grinders that are consistent.  In fantasy, consistency is the name of the game and if you can achieve that you always have a chance.

9. Kristen 2-2 (11)

Kristen isn’t exactly lighting it up, but she’s keeping herself in a position to strike at any time.  That reminds me of the Buccaneers.  They’re quietly 3-1 and putting themselves in an ideal situation to stun some people in the NFC South.  Kristen just needs to hang in there until Vick gets his mojo back and starts putting up 50 pts a week.

10. Devan 2-2 (10)

I feel like the comparison of Devan to the Raiders is the most obvious one.  They both have made very questionable moves (Hayward-Bay in the 1^st Round of the 2010 NFL draft, Picking the Steelers D in the 5^th).  However, some of the crazy moves have paid off and both teams are still in the hunt.  The Raiders aren’t a team you can just look over on your schedule anymore and at 2-2 neither is Devan.

11. Pat 1-3 (7)

Since joining our league Pat Sell has been a contender and a force to be reckoned with.  However, after four tough weeks this year, Pat Sell has faded out of fantasy relevance, much like the Minnesota Vikings.  They have both showed signs of life every week, but just can’t seem to get back to their winning ways of the past.  The Vikes have AP and Pat has Brees so anything is possible, the season is after all only a quarter of the way done.

12. Dan 1-3 (9)

Big Popa Dan has a winning reputation and a lot of expectations this season much like the Eagles of Philadelphia.  So far both teams have failed to live up to expectations.  I am not sure it’s time to push the panic button just yet for these teams, but it’s getting pretty darn close.

13. Clay 0-4 (14)

Although they are 0-4 Clay is going to love that I am comparing his team to the Rams.  After a decent year last year the Rams have been disappointing this year and don’t seem to have much life.  I could feel the life being sucked out of Clay’s team when Johnson went down last week.  It was the knockout punch on a team that has been staggering since week 1.

14. Gill 0-4 (13)

I am starting to get worried I am not going to win a game.  I have the worst coach rating and am still stuck on losing Jamal Charles.  In a lot of ways my team is like the Colts.  I lost my best player who held my team together and was the face of my franchise.  I am officially the leader in the Andrew Luck Sweepstakes!