EFL Power Rankings - Week 12, 2021
Elite Fantasy League
2021 POWER RANKINGS - WEEK 12
With just two weeks of the regular season remaining, playoff seeds 1-5 are pretty well wrapped up.
But seeds 6-10 are going to be FUN over the next couple weeks.
If you’re wanting to follow the most important game of the final two weeks, look no further than Week 13: Jets Jets Jets v. ThrowUpThe X.
Given that each of these teams will probably lose in Week 14, their Week 13 matchup may very well determine who makes the playoffs and who misses. Trends? Jets Jets Jets has gone 3-2 in their last 5. ThrowUpThe X has gone 1-4 and scored just 83 points in their lone win.
The following are your power rankings. My final playoff seeding predictions will be at the end.
Read ‘em and weep.
TROPHY HUNTERS (1-3)
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1.
Champa Bay xy (1st | 11-1)
Week 10 Ranking: 2 (+1)
Manager: Sy Gallimore
Years in League: 13
Best Finish: Champ (2x – 2010, 2020)
Final Regular Season Prediction: 13-1 (1st). Not much of a prediction here, given that the #1 seed is all but locked for Champa Bay.
Champa Bay could risk slipping to 2nd if they drop their last two miserably. But that feels unlikely given the league-high season-high 168 points they put up last week, despite leaving 10 points on the bench.
The most interesting thing over the last two weeks for Champa Bay will be seeing how the bottom seeds shake out. Champa could play a big role in that with their Week 13 matchup with Taters Tots, who are desperate for a win to lock up a spot.
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2.
Butt Fumble x (3rd | 7-5)
Week 10 Ranking: 3 (+1)
Manager: Austin Owen
Years in League: 6
Best Finish: Champ (2x – 2016, 2017)
Final Regular Season Prediction: 8-6 (3rd). Again, not as much prediction as fact. Butt Fumble will most likely end up in the #3 seed. There are a couple far-fetched options where they don’t.
Option 1: Complete collapse by Sweet Carolina and two wins by Butt Fumble and all of a sudden Butt Fumble hops into the #2 seed.
Option 2: Butt Fumble’s own collapse leads them to two losses, and some putrid points performances could drop Butt Fumble to 4th or even 5th if #Blessed and The Falcoholics have some impressive weeks.
Again, both options are far-fetched. Butt Fumble has played well and looks destined for a deep playoff run from the 3rd seed.
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3.
Sweet Carolina x (2nd | 9-3)
Week 10 Ranking: 1 (-2)
Manager: Michael Schultz
Years in League: 1
Best Finish: N/A
Final Regular Season Prediction: 11-3 (2nd). Sweet Carolina hasn’t had the strongest past 5 weeks, averaging just 97 points per game. Still, the most likely scenario here is that Sweet Carolina finishes up the season with a couple more wins, but there has to be some concern from a playoffs perspective in the fact that Sweet Carolina’s last dominant week was Week 7. In fact, Week 14’s bout with Jets Jets Jets could be telling since it’s entirely possible that the two would also face each other the very next week in the Wild Card Round. And quite frankly, Jets Jets Jets has had a better last 5 weeks than has Sweet Carolina.
If all goes perfectly, Sweet Carolina could hop into the #1 slot with a couple wins and a couple Champa Bay losses and a 20-point cover.
...so 2nd it is then.
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TROPHY HUNTERS’ HUNTERS (4 & 5)
4.
#Blessed x (4th | 6-6)
Week 10 Ranking: 5 (+1)
Manager: Nick Gosney
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2019)
Final Regular Season Prediction: 8-6 (4th). #Blessed has locked in a playoff spot. There is a best case scenario for #Blessed where they win their last two (which I predict to happen), hope Butt Fumble loses one (which I predict to happen), and overcome a 43-point gap between the two (which I don’t predict to happen). If they’re able to do this, they’ll hop into the 3rd spot, which would likely be a much more enviable matchup regardless of opponent than a date with The Falcoholics would be.
Alternatively, #Blessed could give two teams hope. Losing to Ruthlessberger in Week 13 could give them hope of avoiding the John Sewage and losing to ThrowUpThe X in Week 14 would assure them a playoff spot. Meaning #Blessed does have some serious strategic power to control playoff matchups going into the final week.
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5.
The Falcoholics x (5th | 6-6)
Week 10 Ranking: 4 (-1)
Manager: Ryan Johnson
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: 3rd (2019)
Final Regular Season Prediction: 7-7 (5th). I think The Falcholics win at least one game over the last two weeks and could win both. The thing is, unless Butt Fumble collapses (which would lead to The Falcoholics getting the 3rd seed), it doesn’t matter whether The Falcoholics loses both, goes 1-1, or wins both, because the most likely result regardless is that The Falcoholics will play #Blessed in the Wild Card Round.
Essentially, the only way they don’t land in the 4 or 5 seed is if they lose miserably over the last two weeks and fail to hold onto their 65+ Points For lead over any of the 6-9 seeds.
So, with so little riding on the last two weeks for themselves, The Falcoholics’ biggest impact will be on Jujus on that Beat, who will likely be fighting for a playoff spot in Week 14.
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ON THE BUBBLE (6-9)
6.
Jets Jets Jets (9th | 4-8)
Week 10 Ranking: 9 (+3)
Manager: Tim Cook
Years in League: 13
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2015)
Final Regular Season Prediction: 5-9 (7th). If Jets Jets Jets wins the Game of the Week as I expect them to, there is a very real possibility they would finish as the 7th seed, assuming they are able to surpass Jujus on that Beat in Points For (currently only 5 points behind) and ThrowUpThe X (currently 15 points behind – but, obviously, would gain on this gap with a head to head victory). And if they surprise Sweet Carolina in Week 14, they could even theoretically end up in the 6th seed over Taters Tots (0.22 points behind in Points For). Of course, failing to pick up a win means Jets Jets Jets will miss the playoffs, regardless of the amount of points they score. And even with a win, they aren’t guaranteed a spot if ThrowUpThe X, Jujus on that Beat, or Taters Tots maintain their slim points leads. But of all of the aforementioned teams, Jets Jets Jets is consistently scoring the most points as of late.
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7.
Jujus on that Beat (7th | 5-7)
Week 10 Ranking: 7 (-)
Manager: Joshuwa Shelton
Years in League: 6
Best Finish: 3rd (2018)
Final Regular Season Prediction: 5-9 (8th). This one is tricky. Should Jujus lose to Butt Fumble and The Falcoholics as I’ve predicted them to, they have to do so while scoring enough points to maintain a playoff spot. They currently have the second highest point total amidst the group of 4 on the playoff bubble…but the group is only separated by 15 points. It’s truly anyone’s spot. Losing your last two isn’t the best way to claim that spot, but Jujus could scrape out a playoff spot anyways if they can score 15 more points than ThrowUpThe X over the last 2 weeks.
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8.
Taters Tots (8th | 5-7)
Week 10 Ranking: 8 (-)
Manager: Tate VanEgmond
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: 8th (2019)
Final Regular Season Prediction: 6-8 (6th). After Week 13, Taters Tots will be in a precarious position of missing the playoffs, assuming they lose to Champa Bay. However, all could be resolved if they are able to beat Ruthlessberger in the final game of the season, effectively ensuring the 6th seed.
However, should Taters Tots lose to Ruthlessberger in the final game and drop some Points For tiebreakers, this team could fall as low as 9th. On the bright side of this terrible scenario, Taters Tots will not hoist the John Sewage trophy for the second year in a row, no matter what.
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9.
ThrowUpThe X (6th | 5-7)
Week 10 Ranking: 6 (-3)
Manager: RD Gallant
Years in League: 12
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2013)
Final Regular Season Prediction: 5-9 (9th). The stark drop-off for ThrowUpThe X has been alarming. They have lost 4 in a row and losing in the final two weeks isn’t just possible..it feels likely. If that happens, there is a very real chance that ThrowUpThe X misses the playoffs altogether. Their 77-point average over the past 5 weeks has obliterated their comfortable Points For lead that had seemed insurmountable just a short time ago. That points buffer between them and missing the playoffs is down to 15 points. Meaning, ThrowUpThe X either needs to win a game, or they have to score enough in losses to survive. And at this point, we haven’t seen too much of either recently to be confident they will.
They do control their own destiny in a meeting with Jets Jets Jets this week. It may be their last shot.
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PRAYING FOR NINTH (10)
10.
Ruthlessberger e (10th | 2-10)
Week 10 Ranking: 10 (-)
Manager: Ian Svendsen
Years in League: 5
Best Finish: 2nd (2020)
Final Regular Season Prediction: 2-12 (10th). There is one and only one best-case (or worst-case if you’re Jets Jets Jets) scenario that Ruthlessberger will have to hope for over the next week. If Jets Jets Jets loses to ThrowUpThe X and Sweet Carolina, and Ruthlessberger beats #Blessed and Taters Tots and makes up a 109-point spread between the two teams, it will be Jets Jets Jets instead of Ruthlessberger who will hoist the John Sewage trophy.
But it won’t be. Sorry bud.
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So, in case you didn’t follow, here are my
Final Playoff Predictions
SEEDING PREDICTIONS
1. Champa Bay (13-1) xy
2. Sweet Carolina (11-3) xy
3. Butt Fumble (8-6) x
4. #Blessed (8-6) x
5. The Falcoholics (7-7) x
6. Taters Tots (6-8) x
7. Jets Jets Jets (5-9) x
8. Jujus on that Beat (5-9) x
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9. ThrowUpThe X (5-9) e
10. Ruthlessberger (2-12) ez
X - clinched playoff spot
Xy - clinched and division winner
E - eliminated from playoff contention
Ez - eliminated and John Sewage trophy
Which would lead to the following Wild Card Round matchups:
1 Champa Bay vs. 8 Jujus on that Beat
2 Sweet Carolina vs. 7 Jets Jets Jets
3 Butt Fumble vs. 6 Taters Tots
4 #Blessed vs. 5 The Falcoholics
And then it’s anyone’s game. Best of luck in the last 2 weeks.