To borrow a line from Game of Thrones, “Chaos is a ladder,” and there are some teams that have made the climb, while others have fallen.
Overall Rankings
Bling Bling looked like their usual self again putting up 236.8 points. Meanwhile Kali Warriors closes the gap between Not Lucky, giving them prime position to leap into 2nd. Pegasus continues to fall now putting the entire High Flyers division just above the bottom ranked Red Warriors. The Red Warriors have had some decent showings recently, but they’re still a long ways off from getting off the ground floor. Necessary Roughness and Detroit Wolverines are the two teams that have taken the most advantage of the chaos. Over the last three weeks they’ve both moved up four positions and have each gone 3-0.
Offense
Not Lucky has held the number one offensive ranking all season, but now Bling Bling is in prime position to take the lead. Detroit Wolverines have also joined the top three now. Everyone from Kali Warriors up has had solid offensive showings. The teams from Pegasus to Total domination could use some improvement, but by no measure are bad offenses. Red Warriors and Winged Hussars are going to have to make a big trade or look to the draft to fill up some holes.
QB
Winged Hussars managed to hold onto that fourth position without Mahomes, but the next three teams are all within fractions of points from each other. Bling Bling shows us they don’t need a quarterback to be dominant after earning negative points from the position this week and still scoring the second most points in a game this season.
RB
Kali Warriors takes third position thanks to the Dynamic Duo. They’re looking to move into that elite category at running back as Not Lucky continues to miss not having Dalvin Cook. Speaking of, Detroit Wolverines still put up a great performance despite losing a rank in this category. Not Lucky will sit in the top three thanks to their earlier success this season, but I think Bling Bling, Kali Warriors, and Detroit Wolverines are what you can call elite, with Not Lucky just on the outside.
WR
Tricksters take the lead here, which they haven’t had since Week 4. Tricksters, Total domination, and Golden Eagles have fought between the Top 3 pretty much all season, but have yet to gain any clear separation from the rest. And yes, Pegasus falls again making this the fifth week they’ve lost a position in the WR ranking. This is a position they need to improve on if they want to have a shot at the playoffs.
TE
Looking at the color bands, the mid-tier group has shrunk massively. Teams like Necessary Roughness and speed-demons continue to dominate, while almost half the teams can barely manage to get 6 points on average from their TEs. There’s a lot to be said for a good TE. It may not be the most essential position, but it can make all the difference in a close matchup.
Defense
Defense is the one place Pegasus actually manages to move in the positive direction. Necessary Roughness and Golden Eagles also soar at this position, while Not Lucky, speed-demons, and Total domination take a dive. This one is a pretty close race in the middle of the pack. But Bling Bling is clearly number one here with Kali Warriors dogging it after them.
DL
A few teams moved around here, but I think the bigger story is the disparity between the top and the bottom teams. Kali Warriors have never lost their number one position, and the Winged Hussars have been on the bottom since Week 3. Prior to that the Red Warriors were on the bottom who have also not seen a position higher than 10th at DL. There is an 88 point spread between the first and final positions. And I should mention that while Kali Warriors has been uncontested at this position, they do not dominate above the competition and everyone else is close together. This position is bottom deficient without the top heavy contenders like other positions. You’re either genuinely good, or really bad.
LB
Necessary Roughness moves up a whole four positions, but it’s a pretty close race at the bottom. That’s not the case at the top. There’s a bigger gap between first and second than there is between third and last! I don’t think anyone has a chance of catching Bling Bling except maybe (and that’s a BIG maybe) speed-demons.
DB
The Winged Hussars finally lose their spot as the Golden Eagles take first thanks to Minkah Fitzpatrick on Monday Night. Unfortunately for them, that still wasn’t enough to beat Necessary Roughness this week. Neither High Flyer has capitalized on a suffering Pegasus who breathe a heavy sigh of relief each week.
Final Thoughts
Every division is pretty much anyone’s game. Pegasus has a tenuous lead over Golden Eagles. Kali Warriors are the favorite in Cerberus, but a few bad matchups could let Total domination take over again. The Resistance is anyone’s game. Not Lucky is the team that everyone looking for a Wild Card needs to be worried about. If Kali Warriors win their division like I expect them to (they have the most strengths and are riding recent success), then it’s all going to depend on how many games Not Lucky can win. There’s a really good chance Not Lucky ends up as the highest scoring non-division winner, but it’s a toss up of whether they’ll get the best record, and that will change who gets that last Wild Card spot. Everyone’s fate is controlled by the most unfortunate team.