EFL Power Rankings - Week 5, 2022
Elite Fantasy League
2022 POWER RANKINGS - WEEK 5
My slacking amounts to a late start on the power rankings this year, but maybe that provides the sample size we need to get a good understanding of how everyone is doing.
First, let’s look again at how we got here:
A Rundown on Last Season’s Finale
It was total domination by Champa Bay all season long, going 13-1. Meanwhile, Jets Jets Jets struggled mightily all year, starting 0-5. However, the team finished the year winning 3 of 5 to sneak into the final playoff spot via tiebreaker over 5-win Taters Tots.
That all came to a head in the first round of the playoffs, when Jets Jets Jets pulled off the upset over #1 Champa Bay, and then proceeded to beat #2 Sweet Carolina to reach the championship game.
That much is a perfect flip from 2020, when Champa Bay did the same to Jets Jets Jets. The only difference? Jets Jets Jets came up just short of becoming the third-ever 8th seed to win a championship, losing to a Butt Fumble team that had been solid all year, and put it together at just the right time.
Butt Fumble’s championship officially solidifies them as the first official dynasty of the Elite Fantasy League, becoming the only ever 3-time champ and third title in 6 years.
Where We Are Currently
One team change this year: Taters Tots said au revoir to the Elite League (which might be fitting given his performances over 3 years), and we welcome Golden Boy as a first-time entry.
As for team performances to date: all bets are off. We have teams with a lot of points and few wins, no points and multiple wins, huge boom weeks, miserably low weeks, and enough uncertainty that the fortunes could still swing in any direction.
The only consistency? Butt Fumble and Jets Jets Jets are #1 and #2. Just like 2021.
Best of luck out there in Week 6, and without further adieu,
Read ‘em and weep.
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1.
Butt Fumble (1st | 4-1)
2021 Finish: 1 (-)
Manager: Austin Owen
Years in League: 7
Best Finish: Champ (3x – 2016, 2017, 2021)
Our defending champ has only lost once and scored 132 points in the loss.
Josh Allen is the only consistent scorer, but Butt Fumble has consistently played players on the exact week they explode.
Justin Jefferson and D’Andre Swift in Week 1, Tampa Defense in Week 2, DeVonta Smith in Week 3, Jamaal Williams in Week 4, and Leonard Fournette in Week 5.
A second back-to-back championship set in the works?
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2.
Jets Jets Jets (2nd | 4-1)
2021 Finish: 2 (-)
Manager: Tim Cook
Years in League: 14
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2015)
Week 5 was Jets Jets Jets first loss of the year and first week under 100 points. Incredibly, Jets Jets Jets is performing this well without #1 pick Jonathan Taylor having a decent year. In fact, Jonathan Taylor has had a terrible year. Yet, a balanced passing attack of Mahomes, Tyreek, Deebo, and Christian Kirk have paced, while James Robinson, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and J.K. Dobbins have each had their moments in the limelight.
Lack of consistency in the running game is the only real weakness on the team, which could change in a hurry if Jonathan Taylor finds his old form.
This time, hopefully not a runner-up.
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3.
Run CMC (4th | 3-2)
2021 Finish: 8 (+5)
Manager: Nick Gosney
Years in League: 4
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2019)
Similar to Butt Fumble, outside of Week 1, Run CMC has been a model of consistency. The team has not had any players score 30 points or more, but they have had 11 NON-QUARTERBACK PLAYERS score 10 points or more on their roster. That translates to a very high floor, which means Run CMC is set up for sustained success, all things remaining equal.
Not a whole lot of luck choosing the right RB2 so far (the bench RB has generally performed better, no matter which Run CMC starts), but at this point, hasn’t affected the win column.
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4.
Jujus on that Beat (3rd | 4-1)
2021 Finish: 5 (+1)
Manager: Joshuwa Shelton
Years in League: 7
Best Finish: 3rd (2018)
Week 1 was by far Jujus on that Beat’s best week. It was balanced, it was 132 points, and it was beautiful.
Since then, Jujus has been able to get 3 more wins averaging 120 points per game, but it’s very hard to feel secure in the wins for the following reasons:
Random, unpredictable, one-time boom weeks from unexpected players (i.e. Tyler Lockett, Nick Folk, Rashad Penny and Tyler Boyd)
Most of the players on this team are:
On struggling offenses:
Washington, Denver, Indianapolis, or
Or inconsistent offenses:
Cincinnati, Minnesota, Seattle
Still, 4 wins is 4 wins, and that’s nothing to slouch about, especially with a winnable game against The Falcoholics on tap for Week 6.
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5.
ThrowUpThe X (6th | 2-3)
2021 Finish: 6 (+1)
Manager: RD Gallant
Years in League: 13
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2013)
Well that was a lot of points.
After a Week 5 shellacking of Ruthlessberger, ThrowUpThe X has given us some reason to believe, especially with the resurgence of Austin Ekeler.
Sure, Dallas Defense and Gabe Davis can’t be expected to score a combined 50 points each week, but even if they scored a combined 15, ThrowUpThe X still would’ve had 138 points.
With Ekeler and Chubb locking down the RB position, Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb playing well (generally), and having maybe the best backup QB in the league in Geno Smith (who’d have thunk?), ThrowUpThe X has to feel good about going into Week 6 as the final week before Deandre Hopkins comes off of suspension.
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6.
Ruthlessberger (7th | 2-3)
2021 Finish: 10 (+5)
Manager: Ian Svendsen
Years in League: 6
Best Finish: 2nd (2020)
I like this team. It’s probably one running back away from being elite, but it’s still an enviable team.
Jalen Hurts, Cooper Kupp, and Stefon Diggs haven’t been as consistent as we may have expected them to be, but those three alone can be good for nearly 100 points when they all hit. Add to that Jaylen Waddle and Tee Higgins, who both have had multiple 15+ point weeks and Kareem Hunt and Melvin Gordon who tend to steal goal-line carries and this team can be pretty dangerous.
Probably not a championship contender at this point, but you certainly don’t want to play them.
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7.
Golden Boy (5th | 3-2)
2021 Finish: N/A
Manager: Kyler Stock
Years in League: 1
Best Finish: N/A
Replaced one Taters Tots and got another?
From a wins and talent perspective, this ranking might be too low.
From a performance perspective, this ranking is an atrocity.
Golden Boy has successfully managed to muster the least number of points in the league and has somehow swung 3 wins out of it.
To his credit, Golden Boy has Davante Adams, Derrick Henry, Zeke, Keenan Allen, Zach Ertz and The GOAT. Ironically, none of those individuals are having the season that was expected of them outside of Zach Ertz. Derrick Henry might finally be coming along, but Tampa’s offense looks broken, Davante Adams is about to be suspended, and Keenan Allen can’t stay healthy.
If that first list of individuals gets their acts together, maybe this team can remain in the upper-half of the league where it currently (very fortunately) finds itself. Otherwise, the points have to catch up with them at some point.
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8.
The Falcoholics (8th | 2-3)
2021 Finish: 4 (-4)
Manager: Ryan Johnson
Years in League: 4
Best Finish: 3rd (2019)
This team probably deserves #7, but the last two weeks haven’t been pretty. After scoring 100+ points per game in Weeks 1-3, The Falcoholics has averaged in the mid-80s the last two weeks, which were both losses.
If the Russell Wilson to Courtland Sutton connection had been 1/3rd of what was touted before the season started, this team would be dangerous. Also, The Falcoholics has been the victim of missed opportunities. Damien Pierce had two great weeks on the bench, and Taysom Hill just put up 35 points on the bench in Week 5. Still, Joe Mixon and Saquon Barkley are formidable at RB, and Amon Ra St. Brown has been good (other than Week 5) when healthy for Detroit. The team is good enough to be a playoff team, but won’t be a true contender unless something changes.
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9.
Sweet Carolina (9th | 1-4)
2021 Finish: 3 (-6)
Manager: Michael Schultz
Years in League: 2
Best Finish: 3rd (2021)
The only reason this team isn’t #10 is because Pewter Pirates exists.
The bad news: Eli Mitchell and Cordarell Patterson are on IR, Chris Olave is the only decent receiver apparently (what happened to DJ Moore?), Dalton Schultz sucks now?, and we’re now excited when Joe Burrow gets 20 points.
The good news: Sweet Carolina was able to squeak out its first win in 2022 this week, Alvin Kamara is back, Tyler Higbee has been a great replacement at TE, and Aaron Jones is still good most of the time.
Maybe this team could make a playoff push, but it’ll need to find more consistency at QB, WR, and DEF.
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10.
Pewter Pirates (10th | 0-5)
2021 Finish: 7 (-3)
Manager: Sy Gallimore
Years in League: 14
Best Finish: Champ (2x – 2010, 2020)
It’s tough sledding out here, folks.
I’d just like to go on record as saying, I stand behind my draft. It was great, considering 2021 performances. In fact, this team is VERY deep from 2021 standards.
But, dang-it, it’s 2022.
Aaron Rodgers,Chris Godwin and the Rams defense have underperformed, Najee Harris and James Connor are only averaging 7 points per game, first pick Ja’Marr Chase is averaging 8, AJ Brown is averaging 9, and George Kittle has 7.9 points… ON THE SEASON.
The only way Pewter Pirates has scored as many as it has this season is because of a slew of S-VPs (Semi-Valuable Players) Josh Jacobs, Miles Sanders, Breece Hall and Gerald Everett.
Bye-bye season and bye-bye Diamond fantasy rating. Just settling in for the long-haul at this point.
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