Power Rankings: Week 4

09/26/2023
Some wild matchups lead to chaos as two teams get their first win, and one gets its first loss. Many matchups could have been matchup of the week honors and it speaks to the quality of the league right now. The previous top two teams haven't been overwhelmingly better than the other good teams in the league. It's clear to me that the God tier needs to be re-thought and it's time to shake these rankings up.

-Commish

Tier 1: Top Tier

1. Zark's Sharks

The Sharks win an absolute nail biter against the Pirates to improve to 3-0 on the season. Only one of two teams to be at 3-0, but certainly the stronger looking team today. The Sharks are not as strong scoring wise as I predicted they would be so far, but they have finished in the top half of the league in scoring each week, so I will give them the benefit of the doubt, for now. Montgomery and Saquon coming back will help re-strengthen what is proving to be only mediocre RB depth. Even when fully healthy I'm not sure I'm buying my previous assessment of this team being far and above everyone else... Despite everything I said, I need to see this team lose before they lose this spot. The scoring has been good enough and we all know Zach is a great executive. With no injuries to RB's the roster is very good. The Sharks escape this week and hold on to number 1, but new challengers emerge. The Sharks will face PAJ in week 4, which should take this team to 4-0, and one step closer to locking up the sole BYE in Super League.

2. Slatt's Slimes

The Slimes have been undoubtedly the story of the season, and the crazy part is this team hasn't even hit its ceiling yet. This team could be extremely scary if Cooper Kupp produces at even 2/3 of his previous numbers, and the thing that should not be overstated is that Austin Ekeler has not been involved in the point onslaught the Slimes are displaying. 40 points more than anyone else on the season and a whopping 200 points more than the 10th ranked team (it's only been 3 weeks!!!). This team is going to be in the running for a 2023 Super League title, and they look much stronger than most of the league right now, with more in the tank. I'm excited to see how the Slimes fare versus BIP in week 5, but with the secondary rival week on the horizon this week, I see no world where the Slimes lose vs the Crooners.

3. The SL Dynasty

Last week, the SL Dynasty suffered one of the most devastating blows you can imagine to a franchise: losing a top keeper for the season. It is quite possibly the worst injury in Super League history, and because of this, I was down on this team. I overreacted. The SL Dynasty is still here to play and it's all behind one man: CMC. When you have the RB1 you always have a chance, and while the SL Dynasty did lose in week 3, they were the second highest scorer of the week. It's unlucky, but its fantasy. I think the SL Dynasty will prove they deserve this spot in week 4, when I believe they will beat the sputtering Penguins. There are moves to be made this week, and I would not be surprised if Noah has something up his sleeve, but right now, the Dynasty is all the way back. 

4. Bud Ice Penguins

The Penguins had a horrible week, getting outscored by most of the league. They win and go to 3-0, but look at the numbers. The Penguins have had by far the fewest points scored against them in Super League this season, 70 less than the previous team, and are now 75 points behind the leading scorer on the season. If you look at the "impressive" week one results, you notice a complete outlier week at defense, with 43.5 points. Even team owner Noah O'Reilly admits that Calvin Ridley, who was the second leading scorer in that explosive week 1, is not ready to be on his starting squad. If the defense had scored 23 points instead (still an outlier), we would be looking at the 6th best scoring team right now. This is not good enough for top two status in the league right now. The Penguins get an immediate chance to prove that I'm wrong in week 4 vs. secondary rival Jack Hurney in the catholic ****s bowl. I'm not writing anymore because I doubt Noah has read this far and is already in the GM popping off.

Tier 2: Playoff Hopefuls

5. Play Action Jackson

Play Action Jackson lost a very close matchup in week 3, but still had an excellent showing. Keenan Allen and Lamar Jackson absolutely popped off. They are currently the leaders in a 5-way tie for the final playoff spot, but face a tough week 4 against Zark's Sharks. It seems that this team is gaining a reputation around the league for being scammers, and after the stunt they tried to pull on the new guy, I can see it. This team will need to make a big waiver play or trade in order to lock up a playoff spot, with the rest of the league looking very competitive all of a sudden. How this team weathers the storm in weeks 4 and 5 will tell me everything I need to know about this team's future.

6. Parma Pirates

The Pirates lose in an incredibly close match with the Sharks. It was a big opportunity, but it didn't happen. This team has shown up to play the last two weeks, and even with some questionable moves, still looks to have a solid core of guys that could show up on any given week. This team has been preforming at a middle of the pack rate,  so I think this ranking is fair. I could still see this team still in the bottom 3 of this ranking soon with the way WFT has been reshaped, but right now they have been the 6th best team. The Pirates have had the most points scored on them thus far, and that should change in week 4 when they matchup with Explosive Potential.

7. Washington Fantasy Team

I think Curtis was tired of me shitting on him in this poll. WFT have completed a series of moves to seriously gain competitiveness this season. It's hard to rank this team vs the rest of the top 6, as this team has only been together for one week essentially. Curtis made this move at the perfect time, possibly selling high on Burrow while instantly getting back in the playoff race with a win in week 3. There's no catchup for this team to play, they can just compete with everyone else now. I still think this team misses the playoffs due to depth concerns, but considering the team he came in with and the expectations given, this is a huge, huge improvement.

Tier 3: Wild Cards


8. UNFINISHED BIZ

This team is a true wild card, and they showed that in week 3 by winning the matchup of the week and getting themselves back on track for playoff contention. This team is just so weird and the owner is too honestly. I don't know how to rank this team. They are 7th in scoring right now, but have the second most points scored against them so far. This team has a key matchup in week 4 versus the newly reshaped WFT, if they could get a win and move to .500, it would be huge for their playoff outlook. I see them as a wild card who will miss the playoffs right now, but could get serious if the weirdness continues.

9. PGH Crooners

The Crooners had a miserable week, dropping one to the winless WFT. This team is about to have another bad week, meaning a 1-3 start is likely. A comeback isn't out of the question at all, but I believe moves will need to be made. Unfortunately, expansion draft selection Justin Fields has not panned out at all, and top draft pick Deshaun Watson hasn't been much better over the whole season. Ja'Marr Chase had a bounceback week, but PGH failed to start him. On top of all this, the RB situation is dire. Like I said, a comeback isn't impossible, PGH is tied for the 5th seed with everyone else, but it really looks like this team is going to end up in the lotto next year. 

10. Explosive Potential

Jacob had an interesting first week as team owner, but as the only 0-3 team, and with the week 3 poor performance, there's no other option for number 10. I think this team does have a bright future with the new roster, and with the Pirates coming to town in week 4, I think a bounce back is possible as soon as this week. Jacob did not choose this team, but has done a good job acquiring keepers he likes. It will be interesting to see if this team is active again this week.