And just like that, we’re 1/6th of the way through the NFL season. Slow down, professor.
It has been an odd season thus far. Yahoo got us all wrong (what’s new), and plenty of key injuries have shaken up the rosters (what’s new), and there have been a number of players that seemed washed last season that have come back with a vengeance and moved from the end of your benches into the starting lineups (that’s kind of new).
But, hey, wild and wacky is what I thrive on. And while I don’t know that I have you all completely pegged yet, I think there’s enough to go off of to appropriately rank you 1-10. And I’ve done just that.
So, for the first time in the 2025 season:
Read ‘em and weep.
2025 WEEK 3 RANKINGS
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1.
Turn down for Watt
Current Record: (2-1, 2nd)
Y! Draft Grade: D+
Y! Projected Record: (4-10)
Manager: Joshuwa Shelton
Years in League: 11
Best Finish: 3rd (2018)
Boom-bust-boom for Turn down for Watt in the first three weeks of the season. The individual performances aside, Turn down for Watt has to feel good about their start, scoffing at Yahoo’s projections of their season. Turn down for Watt has yet to have a game in which they’ve hit on all-cylinders, and yet they’ve scored 112+ twice in three games. That’s a good position to be in.
Spot explosions from Zay Flowers, Emeka Egbuka, Jordan Mason, and the Pittsburgh defense? Great sign.
AJ Brown and Jalen Hurts finding their footing in Week 3? Great sign.
Jahmyr Gibbs finding consistent success in a new Lions offense? Great sign.
It may not all be happening at the same time, but it’s all happening, and that’s a good foreshadowing of what may be possible for this team, that seemingly has no ceiling.
Sure, Younghoe Koo getting released by the Falcons was a downer for the cult-following, but being replaced by a consistent leg in Chad Ryland for a Cardinals offense that will struggle to score TDs without James Conner feels like a good thing.
Keep an eye on Turn down for Watt.
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2.
Ruthlessberger
Current Record: (3-0, 1st)
Y! Draft Grade: D
Y! Projected Record: (3-11)
Manager: Ian Svendsen
Years in League: 9
Best Finish: Champ (2x - 2022, 2023)
Ruthlessberger’s entire existence so far this season seems like comedic irony. Yahoo projected Ruthlessberger to win just 3 games on the year. Ruthlessberger has obliged by becoming the only team with 3 wins so far this year.
Yet, I’m not entirely sure how they’ve gotten there.
A preseason trade with Pewter Pirates sent Josh Jacobs away in exchange for Amon-Ra St. Brown. That left Isaiah Pacheco to hold down the fort as the team’s #1 RB. Pacheco left Ruthlessberger on read, though, and they had to turn to last year’s biggest fantasy disappointment in Travis Etienne. Of course, Etienne decided he remembered who he was from 2023 and has been the one carrying the RB room so far this year.
Ruthlessberger’s QB situation hasn’t been great either. Brock Purdy was injured after Week 1, and replacement CJ Stroud has been pretty terrible in place.
Who has saved the day? Amon-Ra St. Brown. Thank goodness for that trade. If CeeDee Lamb can stay healthy, Brock Purdy comes back stronger, and Etienne continues to turn back time, Ruthlessberger is going to surpass Yahoo’s predictions in short order.
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3.
Nick’s Fury
Current Record: (2-1, 4th)
Y! Draft Grade: C+
Y! Projected Record: (7-7)
Manager: Nick Gosney
Years in League: 7
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2019)
Week 1 was alarming. Newly paid McLaurin, new L.A. Ram Davante Adams, newly back from injury Dak, and newly washed (?) Mark Andrews combined - yes, combined - for a whopping 16.5 points. That’s enough to scare anyone into the trade machine. And that’s exactly what Nick’s Fury did a week later, getting Tetairoa McMillan from ThrowUpThe X for Javonte Williams, capitalizing on Williams’ 19 point outing in Week 2.
Speaking of: Week 2 and 3 have felt much better. Week 2’s output from Williams, Adams, McCaffrey and Achane paced a balanced 119 points from Nick’s Fury. Week 3 wasn’t quite as full of fireworks, and newcomer McMillan only had a hair under 5 points, but all-in-all, Nick’s Fury has managed to survive the first few weeks mostly uninjured and in possession of good weapons (even on the bench - like J.K. Dobbins) that can be week winners any given Sunday.
Early pick Omarion Hampton has not translated into the RB 2-3 that Nick’s Fury drafted them to be, but if time helps Hampton find his rhythm, he could be yet another cog in Nick’s Fury’s wheel.
It may not be a dominant team today, but it’s a balanced team with upside. Often times, those end up being the most dangerous.
#startJKDobbins
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4.
Butt Fumble
Current Record: (2-1, 3rd)
Y! Draft Grade: B
Y! Projected Record: (10-4)
Manager: Austin Owen
Years in League: 12
Best Finish: Champ (3x – 2016, 2017, 2021)
It’s the right roster with the wrong supporting cast to feed the roster.
I mean, what’s not to love about these players? There is talent coursing through this roster. So why the slow decline from Week 1’s 120 points to Week 3’s 98 (which, by the way, some of us would kill for)? Why only 2-1?
Because Tee Higgins doesn’t have a QB to throw him the ball, Devonta Smith has a QB that has been asked not to throw the ball, and the Denver defense has to make up for an offense that can’t sustain drives. Oh, and they ran into a Colts team that decided they were the class of the AFC. Oh, and Derrick Henry can’t stop fumbling. Oh, and the entire bench is full of players on terrible offenses.
Last week’s performance, both in Philadelphia and in Baltimore must have infused some confidence in Butt Fumble. Again, this team is good and it’s right there. They just have to get the right QB play and for Derrick Henry to hang onto the ball. With just those minor changes, Butt Fumble will likely stay in the mix.
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5.
ThrowUpThe X
Current Record: (1-2, 8th)
Y! Draft Grade: D+
Y! Projected Record: (6-8)
Manager: RD Gallant
Years in League: 16
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2013)
Preseason expectations for Ashton Jeanty to be a Derrick Henry-esque workhorse have, to this point, not materialized. Pete Carroll, known for having top 10 rushing attacks, has leaned on Geno Smith’s arm through 3 weeks instead of Jeanty on the ground. Didn’t see that coming.
That’s ultra-relevant for ThrowUpThe X who are seemingly a Derrick Henry away from being elite. Josh Allen has been great in reality, but only good in fantasy terms, Nico Collins is struggling to find an elite connection with a deteriorating-before-our-eyes CJ Stroud and Jameson Williams finds himself in an offense with too many mouths to feed to feel completely secure in week-to-week output. That’s probably why ThrowUpThe X pulled the trigger on a trade with Nick’s Fury to bring Javonte Williams in-house. Well, of course, that and the fact that Javonte Williams could add to ThrowUpThe X’s stash of Cowboys players. But, getting Williams came at the price of losing Tetairoa McMillan, who has had an encouraging start to his NFL career.
All of this has left ThrowUpThe X with few options to turn to for consistency, relying on Kamara’s and Boswell’s weekly 10 points, Josh Allen’s 20, and a smattering of other contributors to fill in the rest.
Oh, and there was one of those terrible dances where in Week 1 Michael Pittman Jr. had a great game on the bench while Jameson Williams had a rough outing in the starting lineup, and then in Week 2, Pittman had a rough outing in the starting lineup while Williams had a great game on the bench.
Fantasy football tests the best of us. ThrowUpThe X has a bit of a challenge for consistency ahead.
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6.
Pewter Pirates
Current Record: (1-2, 6th)
Y! Draft Grade: D-
Y! Projected Record: (2-12)
Manager: Sy Gallimore
Years in League: 17
Best Finish: Champ (2x – 2010, 2020)
Yahoo’s prediction of 2 wins aside, Pewter Pirates headed into Week 1 with a lot of promise. The RB tandem of Josh Jacobs and James Cook, combined with 2024 elites Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, George Kittle, Chase McLaughlin and the Baltimore defense looked phenomenal on paper.
Alas, paper isn’t in its hey-day.
Week 1 would see Kittle end up on IR, Jayden Daniels begin a sophomore slump, Chase McLaughlin miss a FG and an XP, and the Nabers-led receiving corps combine for just 15 points.
Maybe 2-12 was accurate?
But then, Week 2. It all came together gloriously for Pewter Pirates, coasting to 150 points with contributions from the whole roster.
Screw 2-12! Here comes Fauxbardi XVII!
Unfortunately, Jayden Daniels and Aaron Jones would be lost to injury, joining Kittle, Godwin, and a suspended Rashee Rice on the bench - a bench that is quickly running out of pine. In turn, Week 3 went about as poorly as it could have, with Baltimore’s defense ending the Monday night game with -4 points - a perfect icing to an awful cake.
Needing some relief from injuries, Pewter Pirates is vulnerable.
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7.
Stevie Kicks
Current Record: (2-1, 5th)
Y! Draft Grade: B+
Y! Projected Record: (8-6)
Manager: Stevie Collins
Years in League: 2
Best Finish: N/A
Thank goodness for … wait … am I reading this right? Yeah, that’s what the teleprompter is saying …
Thank goodness for Rome Odunze and David Montgomery? That’s a tandem we didn’t see leading a team this season, but here we are. In Week 2, Rome Odunze scored 17 points over his projected total in a 17-point win over Jets Jets Jets. Then, in Week 3, Stevie Kicks eeked out an insane come-from-behind victory over Sweet Carolina because of Monday night’s freight train effort from David Montgomery, who scored 28.4 points in a 2.5-point win for Stevie Kicks over Sweet Carolina.
The other game this season? Stevie Kicks probably doesn’t want to relive it. It was the worst performance of any team this season by a country mile - a 58-point effort in Week 1 against Ruthlessberger in which nothing went right.
The future is a little nebulous with Joe Burrow hitting IR and Ja’Marr Chase struggling without a decent QB, but for now, Stevie Kicks will have to ride the wave of shocking performances until a new baseline can be established.
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8.
Sweet Carolina
Current Record: (1-2, 7th)
Y! Draft Grade: A+
Y! Projected Record: (12-2)
Manager: Michael Schultz
Years in League: 5
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2024)
Somebody tell me a good mashup name for Jonathan Taylor and Chuba Hubbard because Sweet Carolina NEEDS A NAME for their star(?) RB tandem.
That’s right - it’s not Justin Jefferson (RIP Vikings offense this season) or even Baker Mayfield (those last second drives help, though). It’s also not James Conner or Mike Evans (and thank goodness, because they’re both now injured).
It’s Jonathan Taylor averaging over 20ppg and Chuba Hubbard averaging over 11ppg that are pacing Sweet Carolina. Yes, the record is 1-2 on the season, but Sweet Carolina has scored 100 points each week, which, were it not for some tough matchups, would have meant their record would be better.
The problem now is mitigating losing James Conner for the year (minor issue with JT and Chuba) and Mike Evans for however long his hamstring will hold him out. The latter is the bigger issue between the two, as the WR corps is already Sweet Carolina’s Achilles’ heel.
Still, it’s an above average roster as long as the RB core keeps its production level. The team is better than this ranking, but I have a feeling the injury bug is going to take its toll on Sweet Carolina - at least in the short term.
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9.
Jets Jets Jets
Current Record: (1-2, 9th)
Y! Draft Grade: A+
Y! Projected Record: (11-3)
Manager: Tim Cook
Years in League: 17
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2015)
Jets Jets Jets needs to stay away from the radio. It’s been a cacophony of noise coming from sports talk shows about each of the players on Jets Jets Jets roster. Many of the players have started the NFL season as major duds.
Travis Kelce is getting more washed by the day, Brian Thomas Jr. has alligator hands, Ladd McConkey is losing targets to Keenan Allen (yes, he’s back), and Breece Hall is trapped on a Jets team with no quarterback.
What was the most complete team in the league, with the second-best projected preseason record has quickly become a team with more questions than answers.
But, maybe we should have seen it coming. Pewter Pirates had the Mahomes & Kelce pairing last year and scraped and clawed just to make the playoffs. Unless the aerial attack for Jets Jets Jets can get their act together, this could become a deeper hole in a hurry.
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10.
Golden Boy
Current Record: (0-3, 10th)
Y! Draft Grade: C
Y! Projected Record: (7-7)
Manager: Kyler Stock
Years in League: 4
Best Finish: 3rd (2023)
Sure, they finished last and earned the John Porta trophy last year, but even so, it’s not the start Golden Boy envisioned when the season began.
Entering Week 1 with one of the highest projected point totals in the league, Golden Boys had every reason to be excited: last year’s #1 fantasy RB in Saquon Barkley leading a great RB room, an elite WR corps including Tyreek Hill, Drake London and Jaxon Smith-Njigba, even the upstarts in Bo Nix and Kaleb Johnson gave reason for hope.
All of those hopes have been dashed.
Golden Boy has yet to crack 80 points through the first three weeks. With a nervous Tua, Tyreek Hill has been mediocre at best, Bo Nix has gone full sophomore slump, Kaleb Johnson has negative fantasy points on the year, and an injury to Joe Burrow has allowed defenses to stack the box on Chase Brown.
At this point, Golden Boy doesn’t really have anywhere to turn. Could Miami trade Tyreek to a decent team? Can Saquon get back to 200-yard games? Can Cam Skattebo save Golden Boy from back-to-back John Porta trophies?