EFL Power Rankings - Week 5, 2021
Elite Fantasy League
2021 POWER RANKINGS - WEEK 5
I can’t commit to weekly or even bi-weekly power rankings, but I think the past two weeks were interesting enough to merit their own time in the spotlight.
I feel confident in and stand by my rankings in Week 3 as I knew the world at the time of writing. But the world has been shaken up in the past 10 or so days.
So, let’s figure out where I was proven right, and where I may have been upstaged by your teams’ performance.
What I Got Right
Butt Fumble’s secret to success. Jonathan Taylor had two good weeks. Needed 130+ to beat them. Verdict: Nailed it.
ThrowUpThe X’s issues. David Montgomery, Dak, WR corps, and over reliance on Derrick Henry. 3/4 still apply. Verdict: Generally speaking, nailed it.
Jujus on that Beat loves its WRs and needs Najee Harris. WRs + Najee Harris = 100 points last week. Verdict: Nailed it.
What I Got Wrong
#Blessed’s ability to score points. After Week 3 I said #Blessed didn’t have anyone who would go off for 30 points. I was right. Instead, each player on the team over the past two weeks has decided to score 20 and #Blessed has taken the league by storm. Verdict: Wiffed, but also technically right.
The Falcoholics’ “top-tier” roster. Back to back weeks under 100 points. Verdict: Wiffed.
Verdict Still Out
Ruthlessberger should be better. Looking at the roster, I stand by it. It just feels like a much better team than its been so far.
Anyways, in the past two weeks the fantasy world reminded us that volatility and chaos rule and that the world is not a safe place.
Best of luck out there in Week 6.
Read ‘em and weep.
______________________________________________________________________
1.
Butt Fumble (1st | 4-1)
Week 3 Ranking: 2 (+1)
Manager: Austin Owen
Years in League: 6
Best Finish: Champ (2x – 2016, 2017)
If you were looking for flaws, you’d have said after Week 4 that the team was too reliant on Mahomes and Tyreek Hill (73 combined points).
So, Butt Fumble decided to prove you wrong and go ahead and put up 155 points with Mahomes and Tyreek Hill only scoring 27 points combined.
Ha. Take that, you nit-picker.
Through 5 weeks, this is the roster you’d want to go to battle with.
______________________________________________________________________
2.
Sweet Carolina (3rd | 4-1)
Week 3 Ranking: 1 (-1)
Manager: Michael Schultz
Years in League: 1
Best Finish: N/A
So, I give you all that praise in Week 3 and you decide to go lay an egg by only scoring 105 points in Week 4? It wasn’t enough to keep Sweet Carolina from getting a dub, but a reminder that they could be human. At least until last week, when they put up another 133 points without getting a big week from DJ Moore.
This team is still ready to drop 140 at a moment’s notice, but maybe there are some chinks in the armor afterall.
Crazy, slightly-concerning stat of the week: Cooper Kupp Weeks 1-3: 66.3 points. Cooper Kupp Week 4 & 5: 15.6 points.
______________________________________________________________________
3.
#Blessed (4th | 3-2)
Week 3 Ranking: 8 (+5)
Manager: Nick Gosney
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2019)
What I was going to write two weeks ago after #Blessed scored 149 points: Don’t overreact Sy, don’t overreact Sy, don’t overreact Sy, don’t overreact Sy.
Call me a tough-sell, but I kinda believe that #Blessed hit the lottery last week and my original assessment of the team is still valid. I still don’t believe this team is going to be a consistently high-scoring unit.
But now what can I say? Last week #Blessed scored 162 points. Two weeks ago, I called this team the boringly consistent Spurs. Apparently they decided to put on their GSW cape. I can’t just chalk this up as lightning striking twice. Maybe there’s more to it.
Going into Week 4, #Blessed had scored 334.74 points. That was 44 points behind then-league-leader Sweet Carolina. In the two games since then, Sweet Carolina has averaged 119 points per game and gone 2-0. Meanwhile, #Blessed has doubled their scoring output on the season (312 points the past two weeks), averaged a mere 156.15 points per game, scored enough points to overtake that 44 point gap to Sweet Carolina, and instituted their own 31 point lead (a 75 point swing). I don’t know what else to say, Nick, just take this rise in the rankings and be gone.
______________________________________________________________________
4.
Champa Bay (2nd | 4-1)
Week 3 Ranking: 4 (-)
Manager: Sy Gallimore
Years in League: 13
Best Finish: Champ (2x – 2010, 2020)
Week 4 was an ugly win for Champa, only beating lowly Jets Jets Jets by a meager 3 points. Teddy Bridgewater had his day end in the first half with a concussion, and Logan Thomas ended up on IR by the end of his game. Call it a moral loss.
That was followed up by a strong Week 5 showing (outside of Ryan Tannehill). In fact, Champa Bay had 8 of 10 players in double figures if you round up Damien Harris’ 9.8; that, in contrast to Champa’s opponent, Sweet Carolina, who only had 6 in double figures. And yet, Champa Bay lost by 20 - their first loss of the season. Call it a moral victory.
Still, the team has to be encouraged by its performance without McCaffrey, who now will be out a minimum of 3 more weeks after being placed on IR yesterday. But without him, the team is looking more like #Blessed from two weeks ago. Which should mean Champa Bay starts scoring 180 next week, right? Right?
______________________________________________________________________
5.
Jujus on that Beat (5th | 3-2)
Week 3 Ranking: 6 (+1)
Manager: Joshuwa Shelton
Years in League: 6
Best Finish: 3rd (2018)
A down-and-up two weeks for Jujus on that Beat. In Week 3, I explained that the running game (mostly Najee Harris) was holding Jujus back. In Week 4, it was the receiving corps that underperformed… and its running game (although, Najee was better). Case in point: Jujus’ kicker was its second highest scorer of the week.
But then, just as we thought we had this team pegged, Jujus went and rode its receiving corps and Najee Harris to a 148 point outburst in Week 5. The receiving corps alone combined for a staggering 91 points. We’re still not sure what to think, but if Jujus can score 150 once, they can do it again, and one well-timed scoring outburst can be the difference between first-round exit and winning the Fauxbardi.
______________________________________________________________________
6.
Taters Tots (8th | 2-3)
Week 3 Ranking: 5 (-1)
Manager: Tate VanEgmond
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: 8th (2019)
Week 4 sucked because it was a winnable game if the Rams’ Defense doesn’t get negative points and Tyler Lockett doesn’t get locked up by the Niners.
Week 5 sucked because Taters Tots had the highest point-total in a defeat in the entire league this year (129) in their loss to Jujus on that Beat. On top of that, the receiving corps only contributed 9 of those 129 points. The group has been a major pain point the past 3 weeks. Chubb and Ekeler are an excellent RB tandem, but Taters Tots is going to have a hard time overcoming its WR issue. Is a roster shake-up coming? This feels like a trade waiting to happen.
______________________________________________________________________
7.
ThrowUpThe X (7th | 2-3)
Week 3 Ranking: 7 (-)
Manager: RD Gallant
Years in League: 12
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2013)
Things looked bleak after Week 4. David Montgomery had his first good game of the season only to end up on IR, and the inconsistent WR corps was starting to look consistently bad. But, then, Week 5 came along to throw us all off as ThrowUpThe X finally got contributions from all phases. Myles Gaskins isn’t going to have another game like he did in Week 5, but if ThrowUpThe X can keep getting contributions from its WR cops, and Dallas keeps winning (3 starters) ThrowUpThe X may be able to hold its footing until David Montgomery gets back. ______________________________________________________________________
8.
The Falcoholics (6th | 3-2)
Week 3 Ranking: 3 (-5)
Manager: Ryan Johnson
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: 3rd (2019)
Week 4: 90 points total - 24 from Saquon Barkley, rest of team 76. Ouch.
Week 5: 96 points total - 74 from Brady and Kamara, rest of team 22. OUCH.
This has painfully contributed to The Falcoholics being the 3rd lowest point total in the league after starting off hot. At least consistency would be easier to work with. Oh, and did I mention Saquon sprained his ankle, Kittle is on IR, and now half the team is on bye? Probably would be a safe bet that this team is 3-3 going into Week 7, barring a ThrowUpThe X choke job.
______________________________________________________________________
10a.
Ruthlessberger (9th | 0-5)
Week 3 Ranking: 9 (-1)
Manager: Ian Svendsen
Years in League: 5
Best Finish: 2nd (2020)
Neither of our bottom two teams have earned #9. Week 4 left few excuses for Ruthlessberger. as 29 playable points were available on the bench in an 11-point loss to The Falcoholics. Ruthlessberger’s starting RBs combined to score 9.1 points.
But, in Week 5, Ruthlessberger finally broke the 100-point scoring barrier in a game (every other team in the league had done it by Week 2) and put up 123 points against Butt Fumble. They still lost by 32 points. Further, it seems a little unsustainable since the combo of Lamar Jackson, DK Metcalf and Chase Claypool had 70% of the point-total themselves. Ruthlessberger may need to start looking ahead to a Week 10 matchup with Jets Jets Jets to get their first win.
______________________________________________________________________
10b.
Jets Jets Jets (10th | 0-5)
Week 3 Ranking: 10 (-)
Manager: Tim Cook
Years in League: 13
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2015)
Week 4 was a missed opportunity. Jets Jets Jets needed just 3 points from Peyton Barber to beat undefeated Champa Bay and get in the win column. Instead, they got zero. The worst part? Diontae Johnson, Ronald Jones II, and Melvin Gordon were all on the bench and could’ve won the game.
Week 5? Jets Jets Jets played its best roster and put out 101 points. Josh Allen had over 1/3 of them. Maybe see if #Blessed is giving a Masterclass? ____________________________________________________________________________