EFL Power Rankings & Playoff Preview 2024
Chase for Fauxbardi XVI is on
This is it: one week to determine it all.
How'd we get here so fast?
The last 4 weeks have created some larger gaps in the standings than we had seen last rankings, when all teams were no more than 4 games apart. Now, we have some more clarity - at least, outside of the 5 teams still fighting for 8th seed or better.
Sweet Carolina has proven to be this year's true top-performer, but not so unbeatable as to feel like the season’s outcome is all but wrapped up. Everyone not named Golden Boy still has a chance.
Hero Team since last rankings: Pewter Pirates, winning 3 in a row to pull themselves out of John Porta trophy contention and into the playoffs.
Zero Team since last rankings: Golden Boy, losing 7 straight to become our John Porta favorite.
Adding to the chaos of the final week’s fervor is BYE WEEK MAYHEM for the vast majority of the league. Is your roster deep enough to pull out a win when you need it most at less than full strength?
Thanks for asking!
Read ‘em and weep.
2024 WEEK 13 RANKINGS
Fauxbardi XVI Favorites
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1.
Sweet Carolina
Current Record: (9-4, 2nd)
Week 9 Rank: 2 (+1)
Y! Draft Grade: D+
Y! Projected Record: (4-10)
Manager: Michael Schultz
Years in League: 4
Best Finish: 3rd (2021)
PLAYOFF SEEDING
#1 Seed: WIN + ThrowUpThe X LOSS
There's just too much talent here NOT to score a bazillion points a week. Sweet Carolina has scored less than 110 points only twice this entire season. To make things even scarier, their last 4 games have been their best run of the entire season: 118, 140, 134, 136. They've scored 160 more points than anyone else in the league (good for an additional 12 points per game on average).
Frankly, there isn't another team in this league that can compete with that. Will that consistency continue? Great news: many of Sweet Carolina's best contributors are on teams that will likely be fighting for playoffs positioning until the last week (Saquon, Lamar, Amon-Ra, Mike Evans, etc.). Barring any unforeseen setbacks, they'll be the odds-on-favorite to hold their first ever Fauxbardi.
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2.
Nick’s Fury
Current Record: (8-5, 4th)
Week 9 Rank: 1 (-1)
Y! Draft Grade: C+
Y! Projected Record: (7-7)
Manager: Nick Gosney
Years in League: 6
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2019)
PLAYOFF SEEDING
#3 Seed: WIN + Butt Fumble LOSS, OR WIN + Butt Fumble WIN + Score 17 more than Butt Fumble, OR LOSS + Butt Fumble LOSS + Score 17 more than Butt Fumble
Nick's Fury might be 2-2 in their last 4, but it's actually looked a lot worse than that. The RB room is suspect at best, and the WR room doesn't seem to get it together at the same time. So, why is Nick's Fury still ranked #2?
Well, for one, ThrowUpThe X doesn't deserve to be here for reasons listed below. For another, Butt Fumble hasn't been any better over the same 4 game stretch. And lastly, and maybe most importantly, I just trust this roster more for some reason.
Josh Allen, Bijan Robinson, Cooper Kupp, Terry McLaurin, and Cortland Sutton (apparently) are all 15-25 points machines. Sure, Garrett Wilson and the 49ers defense are disappointing...but they still have the ability to deliver at any given week. And for those reasons, I believe Nick's Fury could make a run in the playoffs. I'm not gonna bet on them, but I think they could.
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3.Â
Butt Fumble
Current Record: (8-5, 3rd)
Week 9 Rank: 3 (-)
Y! Draft Grade: D+
Y! Projected Record: (5-9)
Manager: Austin Owen
Years in League: 11
Best Finish: Champ (3x – 2016, 2017, 2021)
PLAYOFF SEEDING
#3 Seed: WIN + Nick's Fury LOSS, OR WIN + Nick's Fury WIN + Score no less than 16 less than Nick's Fury, OR LOSS + Nick's Fury LOSS + Score no less than 16 less than Nick's Fury
Butt Fumble hasn't been spectacular lately, but they're heating up at the right time. In their last 4 games, they've got a nice line graph forming: 88, 94, 106, 116.
In hindsight, Derrick Henry & Joe Mixon have been the best RB tandem in the league.
What NOBODY saw coming is a team being led by Russell Wilson and Bo Nix finding a top seed in the playoffs. Butt Fumble has done well to fill in their roster gaps in the waiver wire.
Also worth noting, AJ Brown, Ladd McConkey, George Pickens, and DJ Moore all range between 100-110 points on the season. That's a pretty deep WR corps right there. Who would've thought?
In light of the early season success of Butt Fumble's two-headed monster of Derrick Henry and Brandon Aubrey, one more surprise: Butt Fumble hasn't gotten more than 9 points from Brandon Aubrey since Week 6. How is that possible? Because when Brandon Aubrey left for jury duty, Butt Fumble picked up Austin Seibert. Meaning, Butt Fumble has had the 3rd-best and 7th-best kickers (points-wise) both on their roster this season.
Hire Austin for all of your scouting reports needs.
This team can beat anyone at their best, but might be less than likely to be at their best each week. We'll see how far they can go in the playoffs.
Happy to Play for Bronze
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4.Â
ThrowUpThe X
Current Record: (10-3, 1st)
Week 9 Rank: 4 (-)
Y! Draft Grade: B-
Y! Projected Record: (7-7)
Manager: RD Gallant
Years in League: 15
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2013)
PLAYOFF SEEDING
#1 Seed: WIN
#2 Seed: LOSS + Sweet Carolina WIN
One win away from locking up the #1 seed going into the playoffs - all of us would've been happy with that before the season started.
Yet, somehow, I don't think ThrowUpThe X is feeling the most comfortable at this moment. It hasn't exactly been pretty lately for ThrowUpThe X. Their last 5 games have included 3 performances under 88 points. In fact, their recent slide spurred me to look more deeply into their 7-0 start. What did I find?
That ThrowUpThe X is a pretender.
Harsh?
If playoff seeding were based on points scored over the course of the season, ThrowUpThe X would have been ninth in the league all the way up until last week. Yes, you read that right, they would not have even made the playoffs were it not for some lack luster showings from Jets Jets Jets pushing them into 8th going into the final week of the season. So, how then did they rack up 10 wins this season? I'll tell you: because they have far-and-away the lowest Points Against in the league. To put the impact of that into context, ThrowUpThe X's opponents score 19 points per game LESS than Turn down for Watt's opponents. 19!
The good news for ThrowUpThe X is that they've taken advantage of the hand they were dealt and are the #1 seed, with potential to make a playoff run in spite of their true performance. But this team isn't a true contender.
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5.
Turn down for Watt
Current Record: (6-7, 5th)
Week 9 Rank: 5 (-)
Y! Draft Grade: B+
Y! Projected Record: (10-4)
Manager: Joshuwa Shelton
Years in League: 10
Best Finish: 3rd (2018)
PLAYOFF SEEDING
6th Seed: LOSS + Stevie Kicks LOSS + Pewter Pirates LOSS, OR LOSS + Stevie Kicks and/or Pewter Pirates WIN + Have Points For edge
7th Seed: LOSS + Stevie Kicks and/or Pewter Pirates WIN + only have Points For edge over one team
8th Seed: LOSS + Stevie Kicks AND Pewter Pirates WIN + do not have Points For edge
There's more to like about the roster itself than the performances it has produced.
Jalen Hurts, Ja'Marr Chase, Jahmyr Gibbs, George Kittle, Steelers defense, Waddle & Dell to round out the WR corps... what's not to like about that? And, to their credit, Turn down for Watt has had 3 HUGE games from their team scoring in the 130s and 140s.
Unfortunately, outside of those, Turn down for Watt averages around 90 points per game.
From a playoff seeding standpoint, Turn down for Watt can secure the 5th Seed simply with a win over Jets Jets Jets, likely setting them up with a first-round tango with Butt Fumble of Nick's Fury. It really doesn't matter who Turn down for Watt matches up with. They'll either have a breakout 140 point game and stomp or grind out a 94 point game and hope to make it to the next round. My guess is that this team is an early out in the playoffs, but if it finds some consistency, this team could be a darkhorse.
Happy to Make the Playoffs
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6.
Pewter Pirates
Current Record: (5-8, 8th)
Week 9 Rank: 10 (+4)
Y! Draft Grade: A+
Y! Projected Record: (11-3)
Manager: Sy Gallimore
Years in League: 16+
Best Finish: Champ (2x – 2010, 2020)
PLAYOFF SEEDING
6th Seed: WIN + Jets Jets Jets LOSS + Stevie Kicks LOSS, OR WIN + Turn down for Watt LOSS + Stevie Kicks LOSS + score 48 more points than Turn down for Watt
7th Seed: WIN + Stevie Kicks WIN + Jets Jets Jets LOSS, OR WIN + Stevie Kicks WIN + Turn down for Watt LOSS + score 48 more points than Turn down for Watt, OR WIN + Jets Jets Jets/Turn down for Watt WIN + Stevie Kicks LOSS.
9th Seed: LOSS + Ruthlessberger WIN
Following a 3-game win streak, Pewter Pirates finds themselves out of the toilet and (precariously) in the playoff mix. Incredibly, the team has gone from 10th to hunting down the 7th seed (and even 6th with a lot of help) on the backs of a finally-healthy-at-the-same-time Puka Nacua, Nico Collins, and Tua Tagovailoa. Jonathan Taylor and Aaron Jones haven't exactly been consistent, but Brock Bowers and Chris Boswell have each been the best player at their position this season. Pewter Pirates has star-power at every level and just has to survive Week 14's brutal BYEs to squeeze into the playoffs.
If Pewter Pirates is able to make the playoffs, it will be a dangerous team, especially for any team not named Sweet Carolina.
If Pewter Pirates fails to make the playoffs, it will have been a disappointing culmination to a season that began with great promise, but at least they won't be at risk of winning the other trophy - that is, unless Golden Boy has a 250-point effort stored up for this week.
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7.
Stevie Kicks
Current Record: (5-8, 7th)
Week 9 Rank: 6 (-1)
Y! Draft Grade: A+
Y! Projected Record: (12-2)
Manager: Stevie Collins
Years in League: 1
Best Finish: N/A
PLAYOFF SEEDING
6th Seed: WIN + Jets Jets Jets LOSS, OR Win + Turn down for Watt LOSS + maintain Points For edge
8th Seed: LOSS + Pewter Pirates WIN
9th Seed: LOSS + Pewter Pirates WIN + Ruthlessberger WIN + scoring no more than 55 less points than Ruthlessberger
Stevie Kicks went 10 weeks without their #1 pick, and still managed to hang onto playoff positioning.
Then, CMC RETURNED. The entire outlook on Stevie Kicks' season flipped on its head with the perennial 17-point-per-game CMC now entering the fold. Championship aspirations flashed in Stevie Kicks' eyes, set behind his now rose-colored glasses.
Unfortunately, in 4 games, CMC combined for just 32 points, and has once again been placed on IR, which will be the end of CMC for Stevie Kicks this season. It's hard to stomach just 32 points for a #1 pick in an entire season.
We thought Stevie Kicks got beginner's luck to get the #1 overall pick in his first year in Elite Fantasy. Instead, we should all be thanking him for jumping on the grenade.
Stevie Kicks' playoff seeding may be up in the air, but the outcome of their season is not. This team will be an early exit. In fact, I'm so confident that Stevie Kicks won't win a title, that he and I just shook on a $5 bet where I'm giving him 4:1 odds.
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8.
Jets Jets Jets
Current Record: (6-7, 6th)
Week 9 Rank: 7 (-1)
Y! Draft Grade: D
Y! Projected Record: (3-11)
Manager: Tim Cook
Years in League: 16
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2015)
PLAYOFF SEEDING
5th Seed: WIN
7th Seed: LOSS + Stevie Kicks WIN, OR LOSS + Stevie Kicks LOSS + Pewter Pirates WIN
8th Seed: LOSS + Stevie Kicks WIN + Pewter Pirates WIN
In their last four, Jets Jets Jets has had 1 great showing and 3 absolute duds. Still, the team sits at 6-7, locked into a playoff spot, with lots of movement still possible. It's less likely that Jets Jets Jets stays at the 6th seed than moves to either 5 or 7. Jets Jets Jets really should be hoping for a win in our final week against Turn down for Watt, as it would guarantee not getting matched up with Sweet Carolina in the first round of the playoffs (and gets the team back to an even 7-7 on the year, which just feels kinda nice).
Even dropping to the 8th seed probably wouldn't be a bad outcome for Jets Jets Jets, as it means they would likely matchup with slumping ThrowUpThe X.
The one good game in the last 4 was the same success story as what has carried Jets Jets Jets to this point: their running backs. Josh Jacobs, Chuba Hubbard, and Tony Pollard combined for 61 points in that game. Jets Jets Jets hasn't had reliable QB play or WR play all season (despite the star power that CeeDee Lamb, DeAndre Hopkins and DK Metcalf were supposed to provide).
Jets Jets Jets might not have a trophy-level ceiling, but their consistency and ability to hover right around the 100 point mark could lead to an upset should they matchup with a team having an off-week.
The John Porta Bowl
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9.
Ruthlessberger
Current Record: (4-9, 9th)
Week 9 Rank: 8 (-1)
Y! Draft Grade: B
Y! Projected Record: (7-7)
Manager: Ian Svendsen
Years in League: 8
Best Finish: Champ (2x - 2022, 2023)
PLAYOFF SEEDING
7th Seed: WIN + Pewter Pirates LOSS + Stevie Kicks LOSS + score 55 more points than Stevie Kicks
8th Seed: WIN + Pewter Pirates LOSS + score 4 more points than Pewter Pirates
10th Seed: LOSS + Golden Boy WIN
Ruthlessberger has the misfortune of being the only team in the league this year to have 3 losses in which they scored at least 100 points. If even just one of those games went a different direction, Ruthlessberger would likely be a playoff team.
Alas, their current 3-game losing streak has dropped them into 9th position and at risk for not just losing out on the playoffs, but possibly in going from first to worst, just two seasons after going from worst to first.
It's not any one thing you can point to either - it's just been a general disappointment. Pacheco went on IR early in the year, Jettas hasn't been quite what he was last year, Travis Kelce has been a bum, Jordan Love has been inconsistent at best, and Nick Chubb didn't get back fast enough, and even when he did return, it wasn't to his old self.
It feels like if you restarted the season and let this team try again, it'd have to be better. Unfortunately, fantasy football affords no mulligans, and Ruthlessberger's realistic best hope is the 8th seed, which is only possible if they knock off the league's hottest team.
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10.
Golden Boy
Current Record: (4-9, 10th)
Week 9 Rank: 9 (-1)
Y! Draft Grade: D-
Y! Projected Record: (4-10)
Manager: Kyler Stock
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: 3rd (2023)
PLAYOFF SEEDING
9th Seed: WIN + Ruthlessberger LOSS
This might be the one team that Yahoo! pegged correctly before the season started. Golden Boy raced to 4 wins and looked to laugh at Yahoo!’s projected record going into Week 7. Probably not the best time to go on a 7 game losing streak.
Golden Boy's fall from grace after the 4-2 start is the only reason Pewter Pirates made it out of the cellar.
It's truly been remarkable: Golden Boy's fall didn't included empty roster spots or failed-to-swap-out-BYE-players until Devonta Smith's hamstring in Week 12. It's just been a true coming-apart-at-the-seams type of situation for Golden Boy, despite being led by two great QBs in Burrow and Daniels.
Alas, Golden Boy has not been a waiver wire king, keeping Rashid Shaheed on the roster despite being on IR, and employing the Saints defense until Week 11 or so. It's safe to say that with all of those misfortunes, Golden Boy will likely win the John Porta trophy.