Week 2 P0W3R R4NK1NGZ

Week 1 is in the bags as elite teams cement their fort.  Girlz, Dijon, Nauts, and TTM separated themselves early from the bunch with their respective convincing wins.  Until further notice, these are the teams to beat, folks.


(1) Phat Girlz 1-0

Girlz beat the Ferries in Week 1 rematch of 2014 championship to hold on to the top spot of this year’s ranking.  Luck left something more to be desired on the table despite putting up decent fantasy points.  The real story here is Carlos Hyde, who’s emergence as a bell cow back in Santa Clara plugs up what was seemingly the Girlz only weakspot at the backfield.

Next Up:  Monique vs Gronk, Girlz meet hungry Pelican

Frank Who?  Newest Phat Girl Carlos could provide some lipids

(2)  Dijonnaise All-Stars 1-0

Colonel’s troops defeated Bundys easily in the opening week.  Keeper A-Rodg is still the best QB in the NFL, and the Mustards are content to ride on his shoulder.  Brandon Marshal proved to be WR1 even without Cutler, duh.  The RBBC-bound backfield faired ok, and the defense was solid to keep the Yellows in tier-one… for now.

Next Up:  Dijon faces a tough test in pesky psych dog

(3)   AEthernauts 1-0

The Space Travellers took care of business against the Dwellers rather comfortably thanks to a rocksteady all-around performances throughout the lineup.  The Nauts look like a genius (a la Yahoo) after starting the Saints receiver Coleman at Flex.  RB Forsett was the lone mole on the face for the Nauts, but he played against Denver defense that, in my opinion, is as good as the days of Orange Crush, so he’ll bounce back.  This Nauts is a dangerous bunch moving forward.

Next Up: Nauts are ready to take on Romo-led Curses. with TE Witten still very much alive

(4) TakingTigerMountain  1-0

Daniel-San Dojo defeated Gronk-led Kobra Kai Pelicans in a fiercely contested match, and frankly deserve to be ranked higher after scoring the league’s highest total in Week 1.  The teams above except for SFF won rather dandily and had to be moved up as well, so TTM wraps up this year’s opening week stud franchises.  Eli was less than mediocre in the blood-shed, but Brown, Hopkins, Ingram, Forte and Marty-B all showed up.  Andre Ellington’s injury is a bit of concern, but they have lived-up-to-preseason-hype Abdullah on bench, so no worries.

Next Up:  TTM heads for another tough titration match, this time against Bloodz with Matty-ICE and Julio

(5) psych dog 1-0

The Dogz are for realz!  They chewed up on the Bloodz behind ageless Carson Palmer as the top-dog.  Jeremy Hill is one of the few true bell-cow back this year and he’ll continue to produce rocksteady points for the Pix, while DT will surely put up WR1 numbers against lesser defenses than Baltimore.  AP’s lack of production in week 1 is the only cloud cast in the dogland.

Next Up:  Big challenge ahead as Dogz take on second-ranked Dijon in a closely projected match

(6)  SanFranciscoFerries  0-1

The Boatmen dropped a tough opening match against the Girlz.  Ferries are probably as concerned about Peyton’s lack of zip as I am, but it’s too early to be searching for the panic button.  I’ve only said this 28 times; Peyton is still Peyton.  His off-day just coincided with AJ Green’s, who also was quiet in the Bengals romp of Oakland.  Keenan Allen bounce-back is a bright spot moving forward on the other hand.

Next Up:  Ferries try to regroup against Polk High to avoid a skid like several seasons ago

(7)  BuildingDW3LL1NGTh1nk1ng  0-1

Opening Sunday was tough for the Dwellers, as they lost their cover-boy Dez to fracture and lost their match against the Nauts.  There just wasn’t enough air in Santa Cruz, as Newly-acquired Tannehill didn’t really put-up numbers that some thought he could against the Skins, plus Tate and Olsen also were quiet.  DeAngelo Williams look to be a solid RB2 behind Lynch-Mob for the time being, which is a bright spot in a tough situation for BDT.

Next Up:  Trade partners face off with Cam’s Trix vs Olsen’s BDT

(8)  ThePelicanBrief  0-1

The Pelican came out with a statement on Thursday night with a solid game by Defraty and a monster game by Gronk.  The effort wasn’t enough to defeat the highest-scoring TTM, but it was enough to make the Pelicans the only team this week to move up in ranking after Week 1 loss.  Change-of-pace backfield of Mathews and Woodhead, former RBBC partners themselves, did ok, but the receiver corp after the Brady bunch are rather lackluster so far.  Brady’s understudy is Mariota, too bad he has same bye as Brady. 

Next Up:  Another tough battle ahead for Pelican with champion Monique in town

(9)  Trichotillomaniacs  1-0

The Hairpullers are off to a good start in 2015 thanks to a bell-cow effort by Chris Ivory, Denver D and JJ Watt.  Newly-acquired John Brown proved productive out of the Flex, while waiver-pick up pair of Wright and Walker can benefit from Mariota’s quick emergence.  The Far East Rulaz secured the win early on Sunday and could afford going kicker-less on Monday in picking up a fringe roster player named Darren Sproles.  This looks like another Trix with high production from waivers and low production from their high draft picks.  If the Pullers want to get to the playoffs, the likes of CJ Anderson and Brandin Cooks need to produce more.

Next Up:  Historically tough matchup against BDT is a good litmus test for the Far East Rulaz


(10)  HomeSpunNeckBloodz  0-1

Staying true to their style, the Atlantic Avenue Bloodz had a roller-coaster ride of a lineup in Week 1’s defeat to psych dog.  Studs Julio Jones and Kelce were peppered with duds like Smith Sr and Andre Johnson.  These veterans will bounce back and Matty Ice to Julio Jones titration looks cool as the other side of the pillow, so lots of upside in the aerial game.  The ground-attack outlook is not as bright however, unless Blount comes off his suspension blunting.

Next Up:  Schedule doesn’t ease up, as the Bloodz meet TTM

(11)  Polk High Panthers

Al Bundy was a victim of some major Week 1 low-balling, notably by D-Jax, TE Daniels and Kenny Stills.  With pillar players like Brees and Chales and emerging Landry, the Panthers are just a couple of titration (and some weeks of waiting for injuries to heal and suspensions to be over) away from a winning team with the likes of Elfert, Spiller, Martavis, White and Rivers on the bench.

Next Up:  An uphill battle for Bundy to avoid a skid as SFF gets in the way to do the same

(12)  Curses.

The Players Formerly Known As Old Future couldn’t change their fortune with a co-manager and a new franchise name, at least for the opening week.  Maybe the new name brought on some bad juju (hopefully not the co-manager), as cursed they seemed in their sophomore campaign opener against the Trix.  Everybody but Romo decided to low-ball, plus injury bug arrived early with Kuechly going down with concussion.  OBJ and Co. are full of bounce-back potential and exploding upside, so no need to be panicking in the Witchland.

Next Up:  The time-warp crew look to reverse fortune against the space-travelling Nauts

\/\/33k 5 P0\/\/3r R4/\/k1/\/gZ

Week 4 took down the last two undefeated teams and shaped the league back into thirds.  4 teams over .500, 4 teams at .500, and 4 teams under .500.  Some of the trades are starting to pan out and some are exploding in fine fashion. PB and PG both take a share of the Bolt at 2 straight wins. Everybody again lines up for inter-division play in Week 5.  Eleatic Staticites and Milesian Fluxists split 3-3 in the first bye week - rematch starts now. 


1.) AEthernauts  (Last week - #2) -  3-1
The Nauts rise back to the top of the pack with a rebound victory over a line-up-deficient FC Tusken.  Still, they earned it, putting up triple digits for the third time this year.  Turner Overdrive returned to the starting position with a leading 22 pts.  Everybody got involved and covered for some low-balling from the usually reliable Johnson & Johnson.  Ridley put up 22 on the bench, you've got to say the Nauts have the deepest run game at this point.

Next week - Trichotillomaniacs - The Explorers will look to pick up a 2nd bye week victory against the Hairpullers in week 5. The Nauts will be missing Calvin in this one, so they'll need another round of full participation to rise to the challenge.


2.) BldgDW3LL1NGTh1nk1ng   (last week 1)   3-1
-BDT dropped a key one against a resurgent Girlz franchise in the first by week. MNF sputterings by Romo and Bryant couldn't make up a 35 point defecit.  Romo was not just bad, he was frighteningly bad under the big lights in Arlington, 1/5 TD/Int.   He now has a combined 11 points in two weeks since being acquired by BDT.  Rice missed double digits for the first time this year.  And fastest finger acquisition Barden got bumped by Hixon for the start at the last minute.  Lafell pulled a zero in the flex, still BDT's weakness in lack of depth.  Dalton had 21 on the bench, one of the best back-ups in the league.  Foster and Rice still fantasy 1/2 - blue at the core at least.

Next week - Cincinnati Dangles  - A Cowboys bye will force BDT to go hot with Dalton, a waiver wire replacement for Bryant could be in the cards too.  Could Dalton be a serious competitor for the starting job?  He's top 10 in FP...

3.)  GrossmanSachs  (last week 6) 3-1

-The Sachs got back in the black with an almost calm (compared to their recent history) victory over the Stylez. Chicago's feast on Romo's lame duck passing attempts made this one a MNF laugher. We saw Rodgers first big number with 27 against a helpless Saints D, and a dominant 28 from Roddy White. McGahee's nice day covered for the absence of a 2nd back.  D-Jax touched the endzone from the bench, he could be a nice bye-week spot filler. Hopefully Chandler's injury is a temporary setback, because he looks like a nice wire fix for the TE slot.

Next week - HomeSpunNeckBloodz  - the Sachs see the Bloodz in Week 5 looking to string together two bye week victories. Minus Austin on bye we could see a D-Jax experiment in the flex here.  If A-Rodg lights up the Colts, it might be all academic.

4.) TakingTigerMountain (last week 3)  3-1
TTM dropped to double digits for the first time this year and it cost them against the Legal Thrillers.  MJD's low-ball stands out, with only 13 rushes in the game against the Bengals.  The balance between the Jags offensive struggles and their ability to get MJD the ball could largely determine TTM's fate week-to-week.  Maclin was a non-factor and BDT clearly needs Spiller's return to full health or the flex will be a grab bag going forward.

Next week -SanFranciscoFerries -TTM will be minus their double titration QB-TE, so Luck will draw his first start here.  A tough bye week is no excuse, the Tigers need to etch a victory  in the worst way.

5.) ThePelicanBrief  (last week 6)  2-2
-A clutch victory over the Commish keeps the Pelicans on the path to the playoffs in Week 4.  The Brief have to be ecstatic to come away with a W here, since sub 110 shouldn't have gotten the job done. RG3 had his smallest day so far at 22.  A pair of TE's drew zeros and lead back Run DMC couldn't get going against Denver.  Game ball goes to the San Francisco D who draw the high score at 29 (!).  They won't draw the Jets every week, but they look well worth their auction price ($8 draft dollars)  if they gave PB a victory in Week 4.

Next week -Pr1m0rdi4lLyfestylz®  FJax wasn't a complete success, but if he came through the week uninjured he should be ready to move into the flex next week. PB should have a good shot to move above .500.

T.6.)  Cincinnati Dangles (last week 5)   2-2
-The Dangly Ones dropped a tough one against a powerful week from the Ferries.  They would have beat more than half the teams in the league, but got dropped by the Ferries solid week.  They'll stick around in the Red Chips because Mendenhall may be back in Week 5. If he's productive off the bat, it's the flex solution they've been looking for. Brees, a loser in RL, is still a top 5 QB in PSAS. 

Next week -BldgDW3LL1NGTh1nk1ng    The Dangles will draw a true test against the top of the Milesian.  This is the kind of midseason game that the year can hang on. BDT will miss his Cowboys, the Dangles and Mendy need to take advantage here.

T.6.)  SanFranciscoFerries (last week 7)   2-2
-The Ferries racked up their season high-score in Week 4 and drew even on the year.  Holdovers Newton and Cruz got back on track combining for 46.  Smith picked up a handy 16 in the flex.  Jamaal Charles turned in his second straight superb effort and that has to be the best news for the Ferries, if he's back, they'll be competitive through the year.

Next week -TakingTigerMountain  -  The Ferries will miss Doug Marti as they go up against the Mountain, but with the Commish missing his Lions double titration, they've got a good chance to pull the upset and themselves above .500.

T. 8.) HomeSpunNeckBloodz (last week 9)   2-2
-The Spinners  picked up a victory over the Trichs in week 4, but didn't pick up any style points along the way. Manning returned to form and a late TD from VJax made the flex productive.  The good news is that CJ?K responded to his benching by having his most productive week yet.  The bad news, he's still taunting his o-line.  The Bloodz need both of their RB's to consistently hit top tier to make a run at the playoffs.

Next week -GrossmanSachs - The Spinners get a shot to take down the Bank in Week 5. CJ?k should be back if only because VJax is on bye.


T. 8.) Phat Girlz (last week T. 10)  2-2
-Gettin' funkay for the 2nd straight week the Girlz may have found their 2012 groove.  Colston finally showed up as a WR1 here, and it couldn't have come at a better time. Lynch and Benson combined for 30 from the RB slots.  Ryan Matthews still hasn't recovered his feature role, but he's got enough love to serve as a passable flex for now.  The devil's in the details, and the Girlz attention here is paying dividends - their IDP picked up 24.8 in Week 4.

Next week - Tusken Raiders   - the Girlz get a tailor made chance to put the Junk Bond rating behind them and pull above .500 with a 3rd straight victory. With Wallace and SJax back in action they should be the favorites.

T. 10.) Tusken Raiders (last week 8) 1-3
-The Raiders didn't fill their line-up and got squashed in week 4.  Week 4 can sneak up on you, and the Sand People paid the price in a big way.  Hopefully that's lesson learned in 2012.  Matt Ryan and Dwayne Bowe continue to lead the air game at the top.  Reggie Bush played, but couldn't find the endzone.  The Raiders need to put the hex on Forte because Bush can be productive in a lead role.  It may be time to cut bait with the disappointing Eagles defense, who low-balled for a 3rd straight week.

Next week - Phat Girlz  The Sand People get a chance to right the ship against a hot-to-trot PG franchise. Matty Ice gets the struggling Skins D, and no byes among the starters means we should see a full complement.

T. 10.) Trichotillomaniacs (last week T. 10) 1-3
-The Hair-Pullers came up short against the Bloodz, in a tough QB bye week.  They rolled the dice with Ponder and got burned. Jackie Battle was productive on the bench, but who had any idea that was coming?  Morris had his second straight productive week, and Jordy Nelson finally connected with Rodgers. Hakeem Nicks' continued health status ? will keep them in the junk bonds for now.

Next week - AEthernauts - The Trichs get a chance to play kingslayer in Week 5 against  the high flying Explorers.  With the R-burger back, the Trichs should be in the mix for another upset.

12.) Pr1m0rdi4lLyfestylz®  (last week 12)  0-4
-Demarco Murray couldn't save the Stylez on MNF and they fell to 0-4.  Brady finally came through in a big way putting up 31.  However, Julio Jones has proved a feast or famine wideout. It was PL's biggest number, and there's still time to right the ship here.  PL just needs a break to put one of their handcuffs in a lead back position - someone to hammer down that flex position. 

Next week - ThePelicanBrief  - No rest for the weary as the Primordial Ones put their backs to the wall.  They'll be there every week until they get a streak going.  Dig in your heels, boys.