Power Rankings

[Laimbeer40]

AFC
The Contenders
1.       OAK -  Didn’t expect this from Derek Carr and doubt it lasts. But Raiders are a little better on Defense giving them the edge on TEN.
2.       TEN – Solid everywhere and plenty of depth. Likely to swing a trade to get stronger. Those RB’s though all seem to be losing steam.
Wild Cards
3.       KC – Mahomes and Tyreek are electric. Very strong at LB. If they could swing Dobbins (or anyone really) into a RB that can do something this year, then they might be a contender.
4.       IND – Pretty good at every position. Not a lot of studs but no real weakness. Like most teams could maybe use another RB.
5.       HOU – Offense has ability to have huge weeks with D.Henry and Hurts. Should get Curtis Samuel back eventually to add a little more punch to an already potent lineup.
6.       BUF – Deep at WR, Jonathan Taylor should get rolling soon and a solid defense aside from DL. If they get Watson back they could be a problem.
7.       CIN – Josh Allen is always a threat for a big week. That Sanders/Jacobs duo at RB looked a lot nicer when they were rookies. Team lacks a little depth on D.
8.       PIT – Would rate higher if their QB wasn’t made of glass. Micah Parsons was an astute pickup. Could get another boost when Bateman comes off IR.
9.       SEA – OBJ could lend a spark. Cousins puts up points but is unsexy. Really the issue here is concern they may not have a single quality RB at this time. RoJo off to a rough start.
10.   NE – Went from 3 QB’s to none. James Robinson starting slow and Callaway is missing like all of my golf balls. Thank goodness Hollywood & Hockenson.
Also-Rans
11.   DEN – Etienne’s injury took the wind out of their sales a bit but this defense is incredible. This team is one draft away from turning some heads.
12.   LAC – They want to tank so badly but still have plenty of good talent that would be hard to part with. Tyrod getting hurt helps the direction they want.
13.   CLE – Frankly there just isn’t enough talent. Probably needs to commit to a rebuild.
Tankers
14.   BAL – A more extreme version of LAC. Still some good talent they could sell for the right deal. Should be able to get a Top 5 pick for sure.
15.   MIA – They really scorched the Earth with trading talent. Have accumulated a lot of picks but this rebuild is going to be a process.
 
 
NFC
The Contenders
1.       NOR – Took a tough loss from OAK having scored 2nd most points last week. Loaded on offense but could use a little more depth on D
2.       DAL  - Still the defending champs. This year they don’t get to walk all over their divison.
3.       ARI – Gets the nod over PHI here for having just a little less youth. Sickest passing game in the league.
4.       PHI – What a turnaround. Proves it can be down. Jeudy’s injury hurts but they have built up good depth. Just needs to keep churning the talent
5.       MIN – A scary WR group. Some decent RB’s and overall good defense. A lot riding on Teddy. (The Roosevelt porn we never wanted)
Wild Cards
6.       ATL – Just misses the contender category despite a nice start to the season. Has to get over the hump vs Saints.
7.       DET – They have almost every 49ers RB under contract. I think they just nominated Tom Rathman.
8.       GB – Honestly could be a little bit higher but just not seeing enough in-season action from JBaumann.
Also-Rans
9.       CHI – Feels like they have someone new step up each week. Solid defense but some well-defined weaknesses. Another starting RB could put them in the next tier.
10.   TB – Outside of Brady and their TE’s this is a sleepy offense. However the defense will keep them in most games.
11.   NYG – Some exciting players on this team but another squad where the manager could be doing more in-season.QFL
Tankers
12.   CAR – This is when all of the draft collateral spent on QB’s hurts. Some decent talent but not likely enough to scare folks.
13.   LAR – Suddenly they have a heartbeat at RB/WR. If they had  better QB than Drew Lock I might have put them in my also rans.
14.   JAX – They have TWO starting QB’s, a few RB/WR options and an amazing LB group.
15.   WFT – They have maybe 4 players that can play for other teams. And two of those are DB’s!

[4sFull]

Love it! NFC teams came out throwing down some points. Detroit will need to win a game first, though. Ha. Hoping an NFL Central team can grab that 6th playoff spot.

[Billy]

Figures now that I have a RB and some decent WR pieces, I'm lucking in to wins lol.

[Laimbeer40]

Updated

AFC

CONTENDERS
1. OAK - Raiders getting it done with explosive offense and a well-rounded defense.
2. HOU - Made out like a bandit in the Russell Wilson trade acquiring Conner & Goedert
3. TEN - Besieged by injuries but Z.Smith seems like the only long term loss.
4. KC - Underrated defense. Crossing their fingers that Marlon Mack gets traded.
WILD CARDS
5. IND - Chuba is on borrowed time and the defense is underperforming.
6. BUF - Should probably consider dealing Chark for someone who can contribute sooner.
ALSO-RANS
7. CIN - Easily the best AFC team remaining but they dug a big hole. 
8. PIT - Starting to get better returns from their younger core on offense.
9. SEA - Could have still made a wild card run but it appears they are looking forward to next year.
10. NE - Bad luck. They can't even tank right.
TANKERS
11. CLE - Finally cashing out but A.Rodgers may have already won them too many games.
12. DEN - Some talented young players. They could be a wild card candidate next year if all goes well.
13. LAC - Still enough talent to win against the other tankers. And getting Tyrod back soon.
14. MIA - Has a tough road ahead to get better. Has to make the most of their draft picks.
15. BAL - An insane war chest of picks. They are going to get better quickly.
------------------
NFC

CONTENDERS
1. PHI - Has drafted well and made good trades. J2K has proven himself to be one of the top owners in the league.
2. MIN - Bruskie might be the most underrated owner in the league because he lurks in the shadows and doesn't call attention to himself.
3. ATL - Has taken over as the team to beat in the NFC West.
4. ARI - Was already stacked at WR, TE and QB. But now getting big contributions at RB too.
5. NO - Will get Russell Wilson and Michael Thomas back from IR soon enough.
6. CHI - I underestimated the Bears. I still think their W/L record is inflated but gotta give ThePetis his due.
7. DAL - It's too bad Slou built team HQ on that haunted Indian burial ground. This team is cursed!
WILD CARD
8. TB - Keeping pace. And may have found a gem in D'Ernest Johnson. Pray he gets traded to a team without Chubb and Hunt.
ALSO-RANS
9. LAR - Has stumbled his way into a lot more talent than he expected. 
10. DET - Too bad he threw in the towel because the team has juice. But the hole they dug would likely be insurmountable.
11. GB - Still has some players but just hasn't done much to improve.
TANKERS
12. CAR - Still trying hard but they seem like they feel guilty to be putting Ekeler through such a tough time.
13. NYG - Just a case of not doing a damn thing in-season to improve.
14. JAX - Pretty much the same as NYG.
15. WAS - Pray for us.

[Laimbeer40]

Playoff Picture - one week to go

AFC

1. OAK 14-2 (has locked up a bye. Was #1 in initial power rankings)
2. TEN 13-3 (has locked up a bye. Preseason ranked 2nd)
3. HOU 12-4 (has locked up the 3 seed. Preseason ranked 5th)
4. KC 13-3 (tough to win 13 or more games and not win the division. AFC West is a beast. Preseason ranked 3rd)
5. IND 12-4 (5 seed is pretty much a lock. Preseason ranked 4th)
6. BUF 10-6 (6 seed should be a lock. Preseason ranked 6th)
7. PIT 9-7 (eliminated from playoffs but likely the non-playoff points winner. Preseason ranked 8th)

NFC

1. PHI 15-1 (locked up a bye. Congrats on a great season. Preseason ranked 4th)
2. ATL 14-2 (could drop to 3rd with loss and CHI win. Preseason ranked 6th)
3. CHI 13-3 (still in the hunt for a bye. Could also lose division lead to MIN. Preseason ranked 9th)
4. MIN 12-4 (needs a W and a CHI loss to win the NFCC. Preseason ranked 5th)
5. ARI 11-5 (there is a scenario where they miss playoffs on point tiebreaker with a loss this week. Preseason ranked 3rd)
6. NOR 10-6 (due to points scored, should seal a playoff spot with a win. Preseason ranked 1st)
7. TB 10-6 (needs a Saints loss and to beat the Bills. Preseason ranked 10th)
8. DAL 9-7 (Looks like they miss the playoffs and win the non-playoff points prize. Preseason 2nd)

... so the AFC is pretty much a done deal and was pretty easy to predict. I definitely underestimated some teams in the NFC as both NOR and DAL underwhelmed. A lot to shake out in that playoff picture.

QFL Draft Preview

1. MIA 1-15
2. WFT 1-15
3. BAL 1-15 
4. JAX 3-13
5. NYG 3-13

(I will be watching very closely for any lineup shenanigans in this final week)