Welcome to our 2021 Fantasy Season’s First PowerRankings.
The 13th season of our league brings 9 returnees, leaving Michael Schultz and Sweet Carolina as the lone newcomer.
Before we dive in:
A Rundown on Last Season’s Finale
On the bright side, Tate and Taters Tots won a trophy. On the downside, it was a toilet bowl. Taters Tots forgot they were playing fantasy football mid-way through the season, exemplified by a 32 point outing in their final game of the season (Wk 13).
Tim and 1 seed Jets Jets Jets paced the league, starting the season 8-0. Unfortunately, they finished the season just 2-4 and suffered the dreaded 1 seed-8 seed upset in the first round of the playoffs, ending a promising season too soon.
RD and ThrowUpTheX finally broke their streak as 3-time runner-up…. and lost in the first round of the playoffs instead.
Ian and Ruthlessberger got hot and breezed through the last 4 weeks of the season behind strong performances from Mahomes, David Montgomery, and Derrick Henry. Alas, Week 16 was not good to those three stars, and Ruthlessberger fell short in the championship game.
Excerpt from last year’s Week 2 rankings: “Maybe this is the year that Tompa Bay can play the role of first-round playoff upsetter rather than upsettee.” Sy and 8th seeded Tompa Bay knocked off 9th seeded The Falcoholics in Week 13 to secure the final playoff spot, then flipped the script from the last 3 years running the table as an 8th seed to secure the championship and winning the Fantasy Lombardi trophy. It was the second time an 8th seed has won a championship (RD in 2013, then called deMARCO!POLO!), and the fourth time a lower seed (5th seed or lower) has won a title.
Now, back to:
THE FIRST POWER RANKINGS OF THE 2021 SEASON
It’s been an up and down first three weeks for many of us. Two things are clear so far: 1) the ability to keep healthy is going to play a big part in this season, and 2) we’re watching a new crop of fantasy stars rise.
Spend as much time as you’d like looking at the standings and totals, but know that the stats sometimes lie.
That’s where I come in, armed with my totally unbiased power rankings to keep everyone grounded.
The truth lies with a roster’s balance.
But remember, it’s only Week 3.
Read ‘em and weep.
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1.
Sweet Carolina (3rd | 2-1)
Manager: Michael Schultz
Years in League: 1
Best Finish: N/A
Is it beginner’s luck? Based on the way things have played out the first 3 weeks of the season, Sweet Carolina’s roster is stacked. The WR corps is ridiculous. Cooper Kupp, DJ Moore, and Jamarre Chase all have performed as WR1’s so far this season. And that’s not even to mention Aaron Jones and James Robinson at RB. Did I mention that Sweet Carolina also has the best TE in the game, Travis Kelce? We might be lucky Aaron Rodgers only had 3 points in Week 1 or else Sweet Carolina might have run the table this season.
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2.
Butt Fumble (2nd | 2-1)
Manager: Austin Owen
Years in League: 6
Best Finish: Champ (2x – 2016, 2017)
Could you imagine where this team would be if Jonathan Taylor remembered how good he was last year? Maybe it’s because he’s on a terrible Colts offense, but he’s the only thing holding this team back from scoring 130 each week, especially with Mike Williams’ best-receiver-in-the-league start to the season. The team is a bit thin on the bench, but assuming everyone stays healthy, this is a championship-caliber roster.
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3.
The Falcoholics (4th | 2-1)
Manager: Ryan Johnson
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: 3rd (2019)
This team is reminiscent of the 2021 L.A. Lakers – a group that would have been an absolute juggernaut about 3-5 years ago. BUT that’s not to take away from what it is right now, which is still a top-tier roster. Old man Brady is having his best season yet thus-far, and the WR corps is surprisingly good, especially with Brandin Cooks having a significantly better season than anyone expected considering Houston has just about anyone with an arm throwing to him. Kamara and Barkley are a great 1-2 punch at RB, and having Kittle on the roster is an X-factor.
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4.
Champa Bay (1st | 3-0)
Manager: Sy Gallimore
Years in League: 13
Best Finish: Champ (2x – 2010, 2020)
You’d think being the only undefeated team would land you at #1. But that’s until you factor in the utter slugfest that Champa Bay and ThrowUpThe X had last week while simultaneously losing a 20ppg player to injury. This roster has a solid receiving corps, but the big story here is whether the defending champs can stem the tide of Christian McCaffrey’s hamstring injury.
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5.
Taters Tots (5th | 2-1)
Manager: Tate VanEgmond
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: 8th (2019)
This is a well-balanced team. But again, like the story for many in the league, it’s the injuries that are holding Taters Tots from being ranked higher. With Julio Jones and Tee Higgins both injured, the receiving corps, rounded out by a questionable Tyler Lockett, is limping into Week 4. It’s an unfortunate circumstance for a group that has early-MVP-candidate Matthew Stafford and an impressive RB trio of Chubb, Ekeler, and Swift. As a side note, this team could be even more dangerous if Younghoe Koo rounds into last year’s form where he averaged nearly 13 points per game as a kicker. He could be this team’s X factor. Yes, you read that right.
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6.
Jujus on that Beat (6th | 2-1)
Manager: Joshuwa Shelton
Years in League: 6
Best Finish: 3rd (2018)
Jujus on that Beat lost Jarvis Landry and Jerry Jeudy to IR. And you’d think that would be the problem with the team? It’s not. Between Davante Adams, Mike Evans, Hollywood Brown, and Sammy Watkins, the WR corps still is one of the best in the league. The problem here is the running game. Josh Jacobs’ injury gravely hurt this team, and as the Raiders have turned to other RBs, we’re not entirely sure what Jacobs’ role will be when he returns. So far, Najee Harris has been a disappointment. Relying on him and Devin Singletary could put a ceiling on an otherwise complete roster.
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7.
ThrowUpThe X (8th | 1-2)
Manager: RD Gallant
Years in League: 12
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2013)
ThrowUpThe X felt like the team to beat after Week 1, and it’s understandable why. The roster is laden with talent. That’s probably why the team is projected to score over 120 points each week. Unfortunately, the team’s post-Week-1-performance has been lackluster at best. Injuries aren’t the story here. It’s David Montgomery, Dak, and an inconsistent WR corps. Week 2’s 111 points are a bit misleading when you notice that more than a third of the points were just from Derrick Henry’s 41. Unfortunately for ThrowUpThe X, Henry can’t be relied on for 200 all purpose yards and 3 TDs every week. Still, if this team’s stars start hitting on all-cylinders, watch out.
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8.
#Blessed (7th | 1-2)
Manager: Nick Gosney
Years in League: 3
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2019)
#Blessed has a solid team across the board. The problem is that it’s unremarkable. There isn’t anyone on the team that you can really expect a 30-point breakout from outside of the QB position, largely because Antonio Gibson has been a disappointment so far this season. Perhaps, the road to glory here will be consistency – we just have yet to see it. This team feel like the embodiment of Tim Duncan. Nothing flashy, but should be able to put up league-average-PPG each week. If that’s the case, then you can expect to have to score over 110 to beat this team.
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9.
Ruthlessberger (9th | 0-3)
Manager: Ian Svendsen
Years in League: 5
Best Finish: 2nd (2020)
Ruthlessberger looks a lot better on paper than its performance to date would suggest. It’s been a series of disappointments. Miles Sanders has played well but has yet to find the endzone. DK Metcalf and Allen Robinson II have underperformed in weeks 1-3, and Dalvin Cook missed week 3. The talent is there, we’re just waiting for it to translate into points.
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10.
Jets Jets Jets (10th | 0-3)
Manager: Tim Cook
Years in League: 13
Best Finish: Champ (1x - 2015)
The injury bug has decimated Jets Jets Jets thus far – especially its receiving corps. AJ Brown, Diontae Johnson, Elijah Moore, Sterling Shepherd. But even Jets Jets Jets’ DJ Henderson was hit too. It’s a disappointing start for a team that was primed for a great season after an impressive draft from the 10th position. Hope is not all lost, though. This team does have Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Clyde Edwards-Helaire and a resurgent Melvin Gordon.
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