Trade deadline eve is here and with it come moves. 3 weeks remain, and it's Thanksgiving week which means you gotta be ready by Thursday. The top has separated from the bottom like a rocket, but the playoffs loom large for everyone still in the fight.

-Commish

Tier 1: Big Boys

1. Washington Fantasy Team (-)

No brainer number 1 today. They have the second best win streak in the league, have put on a scoring clinic since the retool, and have all the momentum in the world. This week presents a decent challenge, and one that cannot be taken lightly, as they face the Slimes. If they win, they are essentially locked in at either the 2 or 3 seed as they face CARTMAN in week 13, with a date against the Sharks, who they just beat, in the playoffs. If they lose however, they will certainly lose the top spot, as they open the door to risk missing the playoff entirely if they cannot beat the Sharks in week 14. This is something to monitor, but something tells me Curtis is more likely to get the 2 seed than miss the playoffs. Major respects to my GOAT.

2. Bud Ice Penguins (+1)

I would say this is what happens when good coaching meets good team building, but the good coaching was again not present this week, yet they still drop a league high score for the week. This team is scary when everyone hits, but the reason they are not number one is that this is a rare occasion. I don't trust the lineup decisions with this team fully, but if they can find the rotation, the rest of the league might be cooked. Noah is now 11-0, a new record for the best start in Super League history. He goes against a StepBurrow squad that really wants to beat him this week, so anything can happen, but they should be 12-0 by the end of the week. Truly remarkable season from the Penguins. Unfortunately, the number 1 seed means little when every playoff projected team is absolutely stacked. Guaranteed 1 seed is still pretty cool with 3 contests remaining.

3. Zark's Sharks (-1)

The Sharks don't really deserve to move down, but they lose and the Penguins impressed, so I have to slide them down one. Again, the 2/3 seed difference really isn't a big factor for this team, with them likely facing WFT regardless. The Sharks get to feed on a hopeless CARTMAN and PAJ these next two weeks, before finishing the season with the rubber match against his step-bro. This team is being slept on because of the loss, but I still strongly believe this team can pop off for 160 on any given week. I've mentioned about 5 weeks in a row about Jefferson's impact if he returns, so no need to mention that again.

4. Slat's Slimes (-)

The Slimes get the win against a CARTMAN team on a major losing streak, which is great. What is not great is that the Orcas show no sign of slowing down, and the Slimes are forced to face WFT this week, which could put them at a record tie with the Orcas for the final spot. The Slimes are slowly becoming a play-in lock, but could evade that status possibly with a big win this week. I think there's still more potential for this team, and there's plenty of options to fill in each week. This team is still dangerous af, but they seem to have cooled off slightly for some reason.

5. PGH Crooners (-)

Nathan just keeps making moves. Again. This time, blue chip keeper Chase is dealt for a RB combo of Robinson and Jacobs, giving him some excellent floor while holding ROS unknowns Achane and Kyren Williams. He also basically picks up all the draft capital he sent out and more, including what could be a very nice second round pick via the Sharks. The bet here is that DJ Moore and Michael Pittman can be good enough to offset the loss of Chase, and they have been stellar this season. I think this is a big brain move with benefit this season and next. Bonus points for pissing off future rival Bud Ice Penguins in trade negotiations. He doesn't move up in spot, but he gets the tier jump he deserves to the big boy table. I think he is likely a play-in lock at least at this point.

Tier 3: It's Not Looking Good

6. Bridge Road Orcas (-)

The Orcas bounce back in week 11 and crush a reeling PAJ squad. The Orcas are quietly 4th in scoring on the season, a credit to Jack's team building and coaching, only 80 points behind first place on the season. It's hard to undo a 5 game losing streak, and with the tiebreakers all going against the Orcas at this point, it's not looking good. They need to root for at least 2 Slimes or Crooners losses, with the Slimes being the most realistic of the two. They also cannot drop any more games if they want to make the playoffs due to the tiebreaker situation. It's tough, but not impossible. Week 13 versus Bud Ice Penguins with the record and season on the line will be the biggest game of Jack's career since his championship win. Godspeed, Jack.

Tier 4: Rebuild Race

1.StepBurrow Stoppppp (+1)

The weakness was keepers, and now StepBurrow has a young superstack, as well as the best pick situation in the league. He will likely buy a third keeper at a discount next season, and be ready to be a god squad. I'm still not 100% sold on the trades / drafting acumen, but you gotta admit a GOAT rebuild when you see one.

2. Parma Pirates (-1)

The Pirates don't make any moves, so it looks like this is it. Not sure about Puka as the third keeper, but obviously in a great spot with Brown/Hurts locked up. I would not be surprised to see several moves in the pre-draft period next season. They move down because Jacob now has a superstack to match, and better picks, which should put him in a better position to compete.

3. Play Action Jackson. (-)

You really have to give it to Play Action Jackson. They may have had a very unlucky and sad season, but they have absolutely made the best of it with some really inspired maneuvering. Since they get Andrews back for minimal pick output, they gain a ton of value on the season. While their ranking didn't increase, they absolutely got stronger by reuniting the QB/TE superstack. This also achieves their stealth goal of losing games, since Andrews is out for the season. Since this team is destined for a top 3 pick in all likelihood, things look very bright. Look for Dion to stay on board to keep the good cop, bad cop vibe going.

4. CARTMAN (-)

No changes to report this week. Carter has one day left to wheel and deal before becoming a parking lot awaiting next season, where multiple first round additions should help round out the roster. Adams stock going up makes that trade look like a Tracey special. He might be last in the rebuild race due to picks, but he should be much improved next season as long as he is smart with his picks and trades, although that's not saying much as he will likely put up the least wins in league history.