The draft lived up to the hype and then some this season. It had everything - an auto draft on pick 1, some of the most bizarre draft picks I've ever seen, and more storylines developing than ever before in this league. If you thought you were guaranteed anything, think again. The league came to play this season.

I also want to let everyone know that I will be without cell service for the entire next week. The Super League council will hold down any trades that would possibly be made before the end of week 1 (if you're sick enough to attempt it). Special thanks to those guys for holding it down!

-Commish

FAAB Challenge Week 1: Kinda OP

Challenge Requirements: Start a QB in the Super Flex position.

Who can win: Up to 12 teams

Winners receive $5 FAAB

1. Zark's Sharks

Another year, another Sharks #1 power ranking placement. Its becoming a tradition at this point. Zach broke through as a manager last season, having big seasons in numerous leagues. He didn't manage to capture a championship last season, but he's positioned himself for a run at one early on in Super League. Curtis deserves a lot of credit for turning around his team last season, but Zach deserves just as much for the work that was done in the preseason this year. He's consistently one of the strongest managers in any league and he's not going to get fleeced. This team doesn't have everything solved yet, as WR star power and RB depth could be better. Even so, the Sharks walk away from the draft with the strongest opening hand in my opinion.

2. Parma Pirates

It's hard not to self succ a little in this spot. I think the draft went about as well as it could have for my team. I feel like I I have a near finished product on paper (keywords "on paper"). To all the people that thought I really wasn't about Caleb Williams, kiss my ass. My bench needs some work, and I don't think I did a very good job hedging against a potential extended hold-in by Ja'Marr Chase. My 2nd QB is a rookie who will be liable to commit turnovers, and my third QB is Danny Dimes. Even with this, I feel that I am a 1B to the Sharks 1A at this early point in the season and I like my chances at a playoff run.

3. Bud Ice Penguins

The Bud Ice Penguins haven't lost since becoming the Bud Ice Penguins in Super League. If you're familiar with the commercials of Bud Ice, you'd know those little Penguins are devious tricksters who thrive on ruining other people's days (and drinking beer). This is the perfect representation of the team managers. This draft was like one of those commercials: the Penguins showed up and ruined everything. After humiliating the entire league last year, the Penguins re-grouped with a preseason rebuild to match some of the best in league history. According to team sources, the brother managers spent a good deal of time going over prospects, and then executed on that vision. The roster isn't perfect, and I think the Penguins will lose their winning streak in the near future, but I trust this team to make winning moves and stay in the top tier of the league.

4. The Bridge Road Orcas

Jack had extra draft ammo this year for the first time, and it shows big in the upside department. There are multiple breakout candidates on this roster behind the ultimate fantasy engine: CMC. This is a solid team with solid depth and a solid team manager. The upside comes with some risk here though, as I have questions about virtually every player in flex consideration. If the lineup choices are made correctly, this team will win football games. It might be the season for Jack to consider spending pick capital, as this team could use another star talent in my opinion. Overall, I think the Orcas are in a great spot to be in the playoffs, and will be in the divisional mix. I considered having them over the Bud Ice Penguins, but took the defending champs by a hair. With CMC and a strong QB pairing, I think this team could be dangerous.

5. StepBurrow Stahhhhhppp

This team is one of the hardest to rank right now. The StepBurrows made more moves than anyone coming into this draft, with team sources confirming their intentions to even out the draft pool after expending much of it in a deal to acquire Justin Jefferson. In doing so, the StepBurrows were the only team that traded significant 2025 draft capital away, and they've already traded all of their premier selections (rounds 1-4). In my opinion, the Jefferson trade set this team up to be contenders in 2025, and the subsequent pick trades set him up to be better in 2024, which will end up pushing this team into the middle. I don't particularly trust any of what's going on here: the approach or the roster. We all know this team is merely a starting point, and I do trust that Jacob will trade his way into a better team. This season's question for this team will be if they can stop while they're ahead, a crucial skill in a league like this. Jacob does have one major thing going in his favor: he cares as much or more than anyone and he is willing to put in the work to shape his roster. It should be the best season in franchise history at the worst, with championship potential still on the table.

6. Play Action Jackson

The biggest WTF draft I've ever seen. My live reactions ranged from laughter, "WHO?", and "HIM??". The memes weren't even memes: this team cannot draft. However, the minds at PAJ already knew this, and that's exactly why they stacked up on higher draft picks to reduce the impact. They should have been a lot better than this given their haul, but this is definitely the most solid overall team for this franchise since Dion took over. There's a case that this roster is better than the StepBurrows today. The Sharpe division is looking pretty rough after this draft, and PAJ do appear to be the strongest team of the bunch. I don't like the QB and RB depth, highlighted by the selections of Aaron Rodgers and Nick Chubb in rounds 2 and 3 respectively. They may have fucked up this draft, but it really might not matter because of how many bites of the apple they had early. Much like the StepBurrows, the managers have something to prove in the transaction department, and that will define their season.

7. Team Krinkleburg

Team Krinkleburg = team aura. If they were an NFL team I'd watch the shit out of them. At least one of the guys Nathan drafted is going to turn into a serious keeper in the next couple of seasons. It's a young team, which doesn't always add up to success in fantasy, but I wouldn't count this team out of anything yet. Divisional wins will be big for this team, as Jack and Noah will certainly be in the playoff mix as well. I think this team might be set up better for next season, but I certainly don't have any worries about them losing the toilet bowl at this point.

8. Slat's Slimes

The Slimes were clearly not happy with their draft. I don't really blame them, the RB situation is really not good. I think this team is a clear step behind co-expansion team Krinkleburg, which is to be expected with less pick capital coming in. The thing about this roster is there are moves to be made. Some moves could push them towards the playoffs, some could reinforce their draft capital for next season. I am interested to see which direction this team chooses. Even if this team starts a tier behind the top 7, I think they're a tier above everyone below them too. Given the star power at the top of this team, I wouldn't worry too much about the toilet bowl, yet.

9. Muff Punters

The Muff Punters start the night off with a bang. Taking Marvin Harrison Jr. On autodraft? I can't tell if this was on purpose or not, or if it was just pure luck, as Sleeper had Kyler Murray atop the board. This team has talent on it, and will not be a free win this season. The RB depth is really lacking, and with so many teams in the same spot, it will be hard to upgrade. The one thing Tyler nailed in this draft: acquire keeper level talent. I think Hockenson was a sharp pick for this team, who could very well be a trade chip or legit keeper at the end of this season. Obviously, this team brings in Marvin Harrison Jr. as well who looks to be a monster. If you can't make your roster a contender, this is a really strong strategy, and even so, I wouldn't say the playoff chances are totally gone. This team has room to rise on this list, but for now comes in at last place in a tough division. Bonus points to intangibles for grabbing his guy HB tho.

10. Washington Fantasy Team

Curtis is starting in a very similar position as he did last season. He has the keepers, but his pick dealings set him back in the roster-building department. If he utilizes the same playbook from last season, he will flip one of Taylor or St. Brown for a huge haul, then mortgage his 2026 picks for more solid pieces. The only problem with this plan is the league got even stronger and I don't think there's a team willing to do what Jacob did for this team last year. I think the toilet bowl / punishment changes the equation for this team, and they will see diminishing returns if they continue down this path in my opinion. Paying the piper (and adding some future picks this time) could be in this team's best interests, but Curtis never goes down without a fight. I can't put him lower than 10 right now, but I also can't put him higher than more complete rosters as of today.

11. PT Flea Flik-er

This team is number 11 and I don't even totally hate the team. There's talent here, and this team should win a handful of games. Apparently Jackson was too busy getting a girlfriend to fully draft his team, ending the night on auto-draft. With a few extra 2025 picks already, it's no secret that this team will look to take a step forward next season. I don't have a lot to say about Jackson because I don't know what to expect from a management standpoint, but I can tell there's a level of calculation for this season that doesn't totally exist in the last ranked team here. I would consider this team a real contender to lose the toilet bowl though.

12. GIRTH

This team is clearly looking towards 2025. They can't tank, but they don't seem to have a strong desire to win this year either. I would love to see GIRTH active on the trade and waiver markets, utilizing FAAB to its fullest extent and winning the work battle. However, I don't know if we will see this side of Truly this season, and I expect this team to be in the toilet bowl final, with the best odds of getting the punishment this year in my opinion. I don't have any real expectations for this team, so there actually is room to rise on this list in my opinion.