#002 - Risers and Fallers

LFE Fantasy Football 2022 - Week 4 Power Rankings

My early round draft picks aren’t delivering, hold me I’m scared….😭

Welcome to the second installment of Sabbath’s 2022-23 LFE Fantasy Football Power Rankings. It's the fantasy football league where everything's made up and the draft doesn’t matter! Every few weeks* from now until the postseason, I’ll be taking stock of who is up and down, relying on a mix of FantasyPros rankings and secret analytics to rate the league’s risers and fallers. I’ll be sorting the bros into tiers, from those with the best chance to win the Championship to those who should start planning their vegan diet. After three weeks, the top two teams in the rankings are showing the upside of drafting a running QB. Here’s a link to the League Draft Recap if you want your daily dose of regret. Let’s go.

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Weekly Records vs All Teams

Congratulations to GM Daniel Moon, our inaugural Schedule RNG cuckold! The chart will be updated for future posts throughout the season.

🏆 Championship Bound

1. Kyle Pitts 2.9 half ppr, Jason Huang (2-1, PF #2, PA #3)

Power Ranking. Team Name, GM Name

(W-L, Points For: top rank means most points scored, Points Against: top rank means least points scored against you)

Last Power Rankings: 1st 👑

Early Season MVP: The Baltimore Ravens offense

Best Draft Value So Far: Lamar Jackson (49th pick, 5th round)

The top of the power rankings remains unchanged. Having the 2nd most points scored prevents me from raising too many questions about the 3rd easiest schedule so far. Lamar Jackson has gone sicko mode, and this giga-chad is gonna get PAID. On the flip side, it may be hard for Jonathan Taylor to return top pick value on an inconsistent Colts team. Rest of season, the team is still lacking a clear WR1. If CeeDee Lamb and DeVonta Smith can provide a solid floor then the trophy is headed their way.

Fadeaway Question: Has Kyle “Mr. 2.9” Pitts just had his breakout game?

2. Cin City, Anthony Sanworanart (3-0, PF #4, PA #2)

Last Power Rankings: 6th 🔼🔼🔼🔼

Early Season MVP: Jalen Hurts

Best Draft Value So Far: Jalen Hurts (63rd pick, 6th round)

A win is a win. Similar to the team above, a 4th in points scored is just enough to offset any question marks having the 2nd easiest schedule provides. Stefon Diggs is an absolute dawg and Jalen Hurts counts as 1.5 players as long as he keeps up his rushing stats (and the Eagles have the league’s easiest strength of schedule this season). Rest of season analytics rank the team lower than I have them here, but I rate the RB room of Joe Mixon and Antonio Gibson higher for now due to their current backfield volume. RB2 could get shaky when Brian Robinson Jr. returns from injury.

Fadeaway Question: Will the TE spot hold the team back when trying to decide between Tyler Higbee and T.J. Hockenson?

🎯 Contenders

3. Right Ch_unt, Bobby Chan (1-2, PF #1, PA #12)

Last Power Rankings: 2nd 🔽

Early Season MVP: Nick Chubb

Best Draft Value So Far: Nick Chubb (23rd pick, 2nd round)

A loss is a loss. Besides a Week 2 explosion from Nick Chubb and Tyreek Hill, the scheduling gods have not been kind to GM Bobby Chan. Only GM Daniel Moon has a worse weekly WL% differential compared to ESPN standings. The roster has no clear weaknesses and should continue to put up points with explosive high variance players. Rest of season, with continued strong performances Christian McCaffrey and Drake London can potentially give this team 2 RB1s and 2 WR1s.

Fadeaway Question: Will Tua Tagovailoa outscore Justin Herbert in PPG this year?

4. Taste the Rainburrow , Louis Hwang (2-1, PF #3, PA #2)

Last Power Rankings: 8th 🔼🔼🔼🔼

Early Season MVP: Cooper Kupp

Best Draft Value So Far: Amon-Ra St. Brown (69th pick, 7th round)

This team is absolutely loaded at WR with Cooper Kupp and breakout Amon-Ra “Sun God” St. Brown both in the top five through three weeks. Luckily the injury concerns with Brown are minor. The team should be hopeful if either James Conner or Chase Edmonds can become a consistent option during the year while maintaining this point scoring output. Younghoe Koo is a sleeper to continue as K1 this year, kicking for a dome offense that moves the ball but can’t get in the endzone. Rest of season outlook is strong, if Michael Pittman Jr. can be a WR1/2 with the corpse of Matt Ryan.

Fadeaway Question: Can this team contend lacking a top running QB or any stud RBs?

5. eugggg ggGG, Eugene Cai (2-1, PF #9, PA #4)

Last Power Rankings: 11th 🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼🔼

Early Season MVP: Saquon Barkley

Best Draft Value So Far: Jahan Dotson (133rd pick, 12th round)

A big surprise after our previous rankings and our biggest riser. After three weeks, betting on DeAndre Swift and Saquon Barkley seems like the right call. The WR corps is a mess, but this dynamic backfield should be able to even out the position rankings while better options are evaluated. If Khalil Herbert emerges as a top 12 RB while David Montgomery is out, then the team would have plenty of ammunition to make a big move. Jahan DotSZN is lurking if the Commanders can get their shit together…

Fadeaway Question: Can GM Eugene Cai find the right QB to stream each week?

6. Sun God Nika, Glenn Getty (3-0, PF #8, PA #1)

Last Power Rankings: 4th 🔽🔽

Early Season MVP: Josh Allen

Best Draft Value So Far: Jaylen Waddle (59th pick, 5th round)

A win is a win? 3-0 and power ranking dropped from 4th to 6th? Glenn’s reaction. This can partly be explained by the chart at the top of this article. GM Glenn Getty has been the biggest beneficiary of the schedule gods with a +42% WL differential versus the rest of the league. Davante Adams has been slow to adjust to his new team and DJ Moore has been invisible to Baker Mayfield. Picking up Amari Cooper in the seventh round could end up being a major factor in where this team ends up late in the season once he who shall not be named returns to the Browns. Rest of season, the RB room is holding back the team from being a serious championship contender.

Fadeaway Question: Will Alvin Kamara return first round value? (drafted right before DeAndre Swift and Saquon Barkley, oof)

🃏 Wild Cards

7. Leonard 40 Points, Daniel Moon (1-2, PF #5, PA #11)

Last Power Rankings: 9th 🔼🔼

Early Season MVP: Clyde Edwards-Helaire

Best Draft Value So Far: James Robinson (112th pick, 10th round)

Not even a league leading 76% WL record against the field can save GM Daniel Moon from schedule RNG. There are a lot of things to like on a team with two top 5 RBs, with Clyde Edwards-Helaire, and steal of the draft James Robinson. Rest of season rankings are high on this team. If A.J. Brown and Ja’Marr Chase can near their historic heights I wouldn’t be surprised to see this team in the championship hunt later in the year, if this team makes the playoffs…

Fadeaway Question: Will this team find a consistent QB or TE option?

8. La Cancion J Dalvin, Seth Miller (1-2, PF #6, PA #5)

Last Power Rankings: 3rd 🔽🔽🔽🔽🔽

Early Season MVP: Patrick Mahomes

Best Draft Value So Far: Chris Olave (115th pick, 10th round)

“Alexa, abre playlist de canciones tristeza para llorar en tu cuarto”. La Cancíon de GM Seth Miller is off-key to start the season. The Javonte Williams timeshare in Denver is tough to understand, and Courtland Sutton is another victim of Master Chef Jr. Russell Wilson. Rest of season, the teams lack of a standout RB, WR, or TE keeps the outlook low. Cam Akers or Chris Olave could be the spark this team needs this season.

Fadeaway Question: Will Dalvin Cook and Javonte Williams eventually perform like top RBs in their explosive, yet struggling offenses?

9. Command EezNuts, Patrick Muggill (2-1, PF #7, PA #8)

Last Power Rankings: 5th 🔽🔽🔽🔽

Early Season MVP: Travis Kelce

Best Draft Value So Far: Christian Kirk (89th pick, 8th round)

On a positive note, Travis Kelce should continue to be a difference maker and doesn’t seem to be missing Tyreek Hill all that much from a fantasy perspective. In other news, I’m 100% positive that Kyler Murray cares more about Call of Duty than playing in the NFL. *inhales copium* The weakest RB core in the league and inconsistent play from Justin Jefferson is another cause for concern. Rest of season, this team could make any GM indecisive with players like Mike Williams and Miles Sanders not providing stable floors.

Fadeaway Question: Will Travis Etienne Jr. become more than a FLEX play in an ascending Jaguars offense?

🔍 Looking for a Vegan Meal Plan

10. Gonna Be Vegan, Vincent Lam (1-2, PF #10, PA #10)

Last Power Rankings: 12th 🔼🔼

Early Season MVP: Cordarrelle Patterson

Best Draft Value So Far: Cordarrelle Patterson (66th pick, 6th round)

10th in PF, 10th in PA, 10th in the power rankings, math checks out. This team is tortured with top tier WRs hampered by QB play. Trey Lance’s season-ending injury lowers Deebo Samuel’s ceiling, while Davis Mills and Geno Smith limit Brandin Cooks and DK Metcalf. The ghost of Cordarrelle Patterson should keep providing value as long as he stays healthy, and the consistent play/heavy target volume from Breece Hall is encouraging. However, rest of season, this team just lacks the juice to contend compared to other teams.

Fadeaway Question: Is Carson Wentz a top 12 fantasy QB this year?

11. He dont know you lil bro, Hao Qiu (0-3, PF #11, PA #9)

Last Power Rankings: 10th 🔽

Early Season MVP: Derrick Henry

Best Draft Value So Far: Darrell Henderson Jr. (116th pick, 10th round)

Things have only gone downhill after GM Hao Qiu uploaded his sus ESPN team photo [NSFW btw]. A slow start for early round RBs, Russell Wilson burning the stove, and Matthew Stafford’s racism towards Allen Robinson have hamstrung a team dependent on finding value in the middle rounds. If Brandon Aiyuk can outperform his current projections, there is hope for this team yet.

Fadeaway Question: Can Derrick Henry and Aaron Jones carry a full fantasy team load?

12. Butters' Creamy Crew, Felix Cao (0-3, PF #12, PA #6)

Last Power Rankings: 7th 🔽🔽🔽🔽🔽

Early Season MVP: Jamaal Williams??

Best Draft Value So Far: Marquise Brown (46th pick, 4th round)

Abandon all hope ye who drafted Darnell Mooney. A low performing early round pick is enough to hamper any teams title aspirations. Having three of them (Austin Ekeler, Ezekiel Elliot, Mike Evans) is Despairge (see pepe below). Best case scenario is that all of these players can improve their lackluster play. If DeAndre Swift misses sizeable time, then Jamaal Williams could become the ultimate handcuff.

Fadeaway Question: What would Jesus do for this fantasy team?