Detritus
10-07-2009, 12:43 AM
1. 2nd Helping Skillets (3-1)
The Skillets started off strong with MJD, Andre Johnson, and Reggie Wayne for their first three picks in the draft. Chad Ochocinco has returned to top-10 WR form thus far after an abysmal 2008. Willis McGahee has been a nice pickup off the waiver wire for them, too, and they've managed to climb to the top spot in the league standings even with Jason Witten's quiet start. Philip Rivers and Brett Favre are a solid duo at QB, and RB Marshawn Lynch may be able to wrest the lead role in Buffalo's RB stable from Fred Jackson in the coming weeks, giving the Skillets yet another weapon to work with.
2. The Demolition (3-1)
This team is loaded at WR - Larry Fitzgerald, Marques Colston, Jerricho Cotchery, Hines Ward, DeSean Jackson. TE Antonio Gates was always getting the catches and yards, but finally broke out with 2 TDs last week. If they can nurse adequate production at RB from Brian Westbrook, Matt Forte, and Reggie Bush, watch out. They have many players on bye in Week 5, but draw the Wily Corn Trolls, who will be similarly plagued by byes in a matchup that will be a true test of each team's depth.
3. Maine Mad Monks (2-2)
Not much separates the next three teams in the rankings. The Monks get the nod at #3, given their #2 overall point total and unfortunate last-minute lineup issues in Week 4. Tom Brady will eventually get on track, but in the meantime, Eli Manning might just be making The Leap at QB. Their most recently updated starting RBs all have tough matchups in Week 5, so it remains to be seen if they can hang on to their place on the medal stand. A quick recovery by Willie Parker, who matches up against the Detroit Lions, would be of some help here.
4. Team Rorschach (2-2)
Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, Brandon Jacobs, Calvin Johnson, and Vincent Jackson may be the most dangerous QB/RB/RB/WR/WR core in the league. Jackson is turning into a stud WR before our eyes in 2009. WR Derrick Mason has been steady, but Team Rorschach have yet to have that last key player step up for them. The obvious candidate is WR Dwayne Bowe, but niggling injuries and the generally putrid state of the KC Chiefs has sharply curtailed his production. Larry Johnson is in a similar predicament as teammate Bowe, and LenDale White relies too much on TDs to be more than a spot starter, especially in light of Tennessee's suddenly paper-thin D. Rorschach has beaten the Trolls twice in the first four weeks, although only one of those wins has counted, and thus wind up at #4 in the initial power rankings.
5. Wily Corn Trolls (2-2)
Through four weeks, undrafted Steve "Don't Call Me 'The Other Steve Smith'" Smith is the #1 WR in fantasy, and leads WCT's WR stable over more heralded names such as Randy Moss, Santonio Holmes, Greg Jennings, and Roddy White. The last two in that grouping have been flat-out busts relative to their draft position through four weeks. RB Chris Johnson is top-5 at his position, but has surrounded his volcanic Week 2 performance with three relatively pedestrian efforts. Pierre Thomas has flashed the form the last two weeks that had the Trolls so excited to land him in the 5th round. Rookie Knowshon Moreno is steadily working his way to more playing time, and may be the key to the Trolls' fortunes in the weeks to come.
6. PDX Chewbitcha, Inc. (2-2)
QB Drew Brees was all-universe for the first two weeks of the season before going relatively quiet in Weeks 3 & 4. Marion Barber has been solid on a per-game basis, but has been nicked up recently, and Ryan Grant has essentially lived up to his draft position, but that hasn't completely made up for disappointments in their WR corps and #8 overall pick LaDainian "Brown Bananas" Tomlinson. LT's legendary 2006 season is but a distant memory, as he now ranks #63 at RB through four weeks in 2009, and is no longer even the most dynamic RB on his own team. Where have you gone, LaDainian Tomlinson? Your Wookie owner turned his eyes to you. The Wookies do have the #1 TE (Dallas Clark), K (Lawrence Tynes), and D/ST (49ers) through four weeks, so all is not yet lost for them.
7. Bizarro Land Tribbles (2-2)
Their ranking is deflated somewhat with stud RB Frank Gore, who's still the #7 RB despite missing the past two weeks, out after turning in a dominant first two weeks of the season. Big names at WR (Terrell Owens, Braylon Edwards) have not provided the return needed to pick up the slack, having been outperformed thus far by the always-underrated Donald Driver and rookie Percy Harvin. DeAngelo Williams hasn't lived up to his #4 overall draft selection to this point, either. Chris Cooley has been stout at TE, and they do have nice options at QB with their Matt Squad (Schaub and Ryan). Get your licks in before Gore's likely return in Week 7 after the 49ers bye week.
8. Ivory Tower Gorillas (0-4)
They're quite strong at QB, with the great Peyton Manning leading the way, and TE, with all-world and ageless wonder Tony Gonzalez and Kellen Winslow, but their roster has been somewhat wanting at RB and WR. Cedric Benson has been a bright spot, but there's no question that Steven Jackson, Clinton Portis, and Wes Welker have all been disappointments so far, for various reasons. This has led to the Gorillas being quite powerfully rank, indeed, through four weeks.
The Skillets started off strong with MJD, Andre Johnson, and Reggie Wayne for their first three picks in the draft. Chad Ochocinco has returned to top-10 WR form thus far after an abysmal 2008. Willis McGahee has been a nice pickup off the waiver wire for them, too, and they've managed to climb to the top spot in the league standings even with Jason Witten's quiet start. Philip Rivers and Brett Favre are a solid duo at QB, and RB Marshawn Lynch may be able to wrest the lead role in Buffalo's RB stable from Fred Jackson in the coming weeks, giving the Skillets yet another weapon to work with.
2. The Demolition (3-1)
This team is loaded at WR - Larry Fitzgerald, Marques Colston, Jerricho Cotchery, Hines Ward, DeSean Jackson. TE Antonio Gates was always getting the catches and yards, but finally broke out with 2 TDs last week. If they can nurse adequate production at RB from Brian Westbrook, Matt Forte, and Reggie Bush, watch out. They have many players on bye in Week 5, but draw the Wily Corn Trolls, who will be similarly plagued by byes in a matchup that will be a true test of each team's depth.
3. Maine Mad Monks (2-2)
Not much separates the next three teams in the rankings. The Monks get the nod at #3, given their #2 overall point total and unfortunate last-minute lineup issues in Week 4. Tom Brady will eventually get on track, but in the meantime, Eli Manning might just be making The Leap at QB. Their most recently updated starting RBs all have tough matchups in Week 5, so it remains to be seen if they can hang on to their place on the medal stand. A quick recovery by Willie Parker, who matches up against the Detroit Lions, would be of some help here.
4. Team Rorschach (2-2)
Aaron Rodgers, Adrian Peterson, Brandon Jacobs, Calvin Johnson, and Vincent Jackson may be the most dangerous QB/RB/RB/WR/WR core in the league. Jackson is turning into a stud WR before our eyes in 2009. WR Derrick Mason has been steady, but Team Rorschach have yet to have that last key player step up for them. The obvious candidate is WR Dwayne Bowe, but niggling injuries and the generally putrid state of the KC Chiefs has sharply curtailed his production. Larry Johnson is in a similar predicament as teammate Bowe, and LenDale White relies too much on TDs to be more than a spot starter, especially in light of Tennessee's suddenly paper-thin D. Rorschach has beaten the Trolls twice in the first four weeks, although only one of those wins has counted, and thus wind up at #4 in the initial power rankings.
5. Wily Corn Trolls (2-2)
Through four weeks, undrafted Steve "Don't Call Me 'The Other Steve Smith'" Smith is the #1 WR in fantasy, and leads WCT's WR stable over more heralded names such as Randy Moss, Santonio Holmes, Greg Jennings, and Roddy White. The last two in that grouping have been flat-out busts relative to their draft position through four weeks. RB Chris Johnson is top-5 at his position, but has surrounded his volcanic Week 2 performance with three relatively pedestrian efforts. Pierre Thomas has flashed the form the last two weeks that had the Trolls so excited to land him in the 5th round. Rookie Knowshon Moreno is steadily working his way to more playing time, and may be the key to the Trolls' fortunes in the weeks to come.
6. PDX Chewbitcha, Inc. (2-2)
QB Drew Brees was all-universe for the first two weeks of the season before going relatively quiet in Weeks 3 & 4. Marion Barber has been solid on a per-game basis, but has been nicked up recently, and Ryan Grant has essentially lived up to his draft position, but that hasn't completely made up for disappointments in their WR corps and #8 overall pick LaDainian "Brown Bananas" Tomlinson. LT's legendary 2006 season is but a distant memory, as he now ranks #63 at RB through four weeks in 2009, and is no longer even the most dynamic RB on his own team. Where have you gone, LaDainian Tomlinson? Your Wookie owner turned his eyes to you. The Wookies do have the #1 TE (Dallas Clark), K (Lawrence Tynes), and D/ST (49ers) through four weeks, so all is not yet lost for them.
7. Bizarro Land Tribbles (2-2)
Their ranking is deflated somewhat with stud RB Frank Gore, who's still the #7 RB despite missing the past two weeks, out after turning in a dominant first two weeks of the season. Big names at WR (Terrell Owens, Braylon Edwards) have not provided the return needed to pick up the slack, having been outperformed thus far by the always-underrated Donald Driver and rookie Percy Harvin. DeAngelo Williams hasn't lived up to his #4 overall draft selection to this point, either. Chris Cooley has been stout at TE, and they do have nice options at QB with their Matt Squad (Schaub and Ryan). Get your licks in before Gore's likely return in Week 7 after the 49ers bye week.
8. Ivory Tower Gorillas (0-4)
They're quite strong at QB, with the great Peyton Manning leading the way, and TE, with all-world and ageless wonder Tony Gonzalez and Kellen Winslow, but their roster has been somewhat wanting at RB and WR. Cedric Benson has been a bright spot, but there's no question that Steven Jackson, Clinton Portis, and Wes Welker have all been disappointments so far, for various reasons. This has led to the Gorillas being quite powerfully rank, indeed, through four weeks.