Week 7 Power Rankings
Happy Halloween, Worst League!
We all survived Byemagaddeon. Or at least half of us did. At that means, we’ve made it to the midway point of the season. With one regular season game added to the schedule this season, that means we have seven games in the books with exactly seven more to go.
And so far the story of the season has been the play of the team owner formerly known as Nick. Because this new guy who is managing Nick’s team is completely unrecognizable. He’s dominant, averaging career highs in TW% (.727 vs. previous high of .556) and scoring (143.6 ppg vs. 95.0 ppg). And he’s active like never before, tied for the league lead with two trades and third in total free agent acquisitions with 32. For reference, Nick previously had 30 such acquisitions… over the last FOUR years. Who are you and what have you done with Nick?!
With Nick on top of the Power Rankings once again, this time for the sixth time in seven weeks, I started to wonder if he’s breaking any records or what this dominance portends. So I headed to the spreadsheet and calculated Power Rankings for all past weeks and seasons, even the ones before we officially took note of such things. And those screenshots I shared in the group chat are what I found.
In short, it’s not unprecedented for one team owner to dominate the Power Rankings for most of the season. In eight out of 10 seasons, one team owner has ranked atop the Power Rankings for the majority of the regular season. Most recently, Josh did it in 2019. But ironically, only one of those eight (Jess in 2014) went on to win the championship, which is indicative of the fact that in fantasy, the best team doesn’t always win.
As for records, no one is going to beat what Gray did in 2011, which is to be first in the Power Rankings for 13 straight weeks, basically the entire regular season. But with one extra game this season, Nick can technically match it if he stays on top for seven more weeks. But whether he does that or not, this has already been an incredible season for Nick. Let’s see if he can keep it going for the second half.
The Scoreboard
Beth Ann wins her first weekly prize since Week 6 of 2020.
This week’s most anticipated matchup turned out to be a battle of attrition as Geoff and Samantha posted two of the worst three scores of Week 7. But someone has to win and Geoff emerged victorious and is now the only 5-2 team in the league.
Other big winners in Week 7 included Beth Ann over Jess and Nick over Erik, who both had huge scoring days and improve to 4-3, with Beth Ann picking up her first weekly prize of the season. More on that duo below as they’ve started to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack.
Finally, three upsets helped to consolidate the field as Brandon, Josh and Greco defeated Gray, Whitney and Alex, respectively. That means there are now nine teams with either a 4-3 or 3-4 record. But we know official records only tell a fraction of the story. That’s why we have the Power Rankings. So let’s get to it…
Power Rankings
Most teams stayed put this week with only minor shuffling of teams within the rankings. But at the midway point, I would say there are four tiers:
Tier 1: Nick, Beth Ann
Tier 2: Gray, Samantha, Geoff
Tier 3: Whitney, Josh
Tier 4: Alex, Jess, Greco, Erik, Brandon
At this point, Nick and Beth Ann have separated themselves a bit from everyone else based on TW% and points scored. You can see there’s a healthy drop off from Beth Ann at .714% to Gray at .584%.
The next tier is the rest of what I’m calling the Big Five—the top tier plus Gray, Samantha and Geoff. As we noted last week, this group has distinguished themselves, especially in scoring, from the rest of the league. And that continues this week even though Gray, Samantha and Geoff all had down games.
The third tier is Whitney and Josh—two team owners with 4-3 records who are currently competing for the sixth and final playoff spot. They’re solid but each had their own struggles, especially lately.
And finally, the bottom tier has grown from three to five teams with Alex, Jess, Greco, Erik and Brandon all with losing records but competing just to get back into the fray. Ironically, some of the more encouraging numbers of late have been from Jess, Greco and even Brandon. So with Alex and Erik struggling of late (both are 2-5), I’m lumping this quintet into one big group at the bottom.
Alright, let’s go through it as we do every week from first to worst.
Nick and Beth Ann put some distance between themselves and the rest of the pack.
1. Nick
4-3, .727 TW%, 143.6 ppg
No Austin Ekeler. No Antonio Brown. No Darren Waller. No problem.
Playing without three key starters injured or on bye, Nick poured on the points (164.44 of them), defeating Erik handily while coming up just short of a weekly prize for the second week in a row. Most impressive, he had four players finish in the top 10 in scoring in Week 7, including Cooper Kupp (37.6 points), D’Andre Swift (28.4), Joe Burrow (26.64) and Damien Harris (25.3). That’s just filthy.
Halfway through the regular season, this is easily shaping up to be one of Nick’s best years ever. Through seven weeks, he already has more points scored than he did in all of 2017 and is just 231 points away from his career high. For this to be his best season every by TW%, he needs 86 true wins. Right now he has 56. At his current pace, he should get there by Week 11 with three weeks left of regular season still to go.
2. Beth Ann
4-3, .714 TW%, 139.1 ppg
Ja’Marr Chase. Damn.
Chase finished second in scoring among all fantasy players in Week 7 with 34.1 points, a career high. The Bengals rookie WR was selected 75th overall in the seventh round of the Worst League draft. He was the 32nd WR drafted but is now WR3 on the season behind only Cooper Kupp and Tyreek Hill. That’s some serious value.
Despite playing without Justin Jefferson and Diontae Johnson in Week 7, both on bye, Beth Ann still finished second in the league in scoring at WR with 61.2 points thanks in large part to Chase. Last week, we worried about RB. But that proved to be foolish as Alvin Kamara and Kenyan Drake (who has played well since the coaching change) combined for 50.8 points, also second in the league.
Overall, it was just a dominant performance from a team owner who, along with Nick, has now separated herself from the pack. With her first weekly prize this week, Beth Ann and Nick now account for three of this season’s seven weekly prizes. Even more impressive, either Beth Ann or Nick has finished in the top two of scoring every single week this season. And this week they finished 1-2. Personally, I can’t wait for their Week 13 rematch. And then, who knows? Maybe a rubber match in the finals…
3. Gray (▼1)
4-3, .584 TW%, 128.8 ppg
One week after scoring a career high, Gray had his worst game of the season, totaling just 94.24 points in a loss to Brandon. Not only did Matt Ryan (17.44 points) double up Patrick Mahomes (7.74), but Derrick Henry threw more TD passes than Mahomes. That’s an insane stat likely to never happen again.
Along with Mahomes, Darrel Henderson and Tim Patrick also had their worst games of the season. But I’m not reading much into this one, especially considering Gray was without his best two WRs. It’s just an off night for a team that had previously finished in the top half of the league in scoring in three straight weeks. And he still leads all team owners in RB scoring by a mile (+13.7 ppg more than the next-closest team owner). The loss does however drop him down to third in the Power Rankings, a healthy 10 true wins back of Beth Ann.
4. Samantha
4-3, .545 TW%, 127.9 ppg
Speaking of team owners with their worst games of the season, Samantha scored just 85.64 points in a loss to Geoff. But can you blame her? Last week, we noted no one was hit harder by the Week 7 Byemageddon than Samantha. Playing without Josh Allen, Ezekiel Elliott, and Mike Williams, their subs—notably Sam Darnold, James Conner and Allen Robinson—combined for just 18.48 points. Darnold was particularly awful with 2.48 points. Had Samantha started any of a handful of QBs available on the wire including Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones or Taylor Heinicke, she would have won.
The loss drops her to 4-3, though she holds steady at fourth in the Power Rankings. And given that she’ll have her stars back in Week 8, I like her as a bounce back candidate moving forward.
5. Geoff
5-2, .532 TW%, 128.1 ppg
Geoff is the league’s first team owner to five wins! Though he had one of the worst three scores of Week 7, he came away with the win thanks to a matchup with Samantha. Playing without Najee Harris on bye, Geoff scored just 9.4 points from RBs, the fewest in a game by any team owner this season. And unfortunately, things just got worse at that position as third-round pick Miles Sanders went down with an ankle injury and will be out for some time. That means new Saints backup Mark Ingram will be starting at RB2, which is not ideal. With Lamar Jackson on bye in Week 8, challenges lie ahead.
But the good news is that Geoff is the only 5-2 team and currently leads the league in the official standings. That gives him a big boost in this week’s Playoff Picture.
Though he’s the only 5-2 team, the computer still likes Nick’s and Beth Ann’s chances slightly more.
Currently, Geoff has a 95% chance of making the playoffs with a one-game lead over Nick, Beth Ann and Gray and more total points scored than Samantha. The computer still likes Nick and Beth Ann to overtake Geoff in the long run in the bid for a top-two seed, but Geoff is in good shape at the midpoint of the season for the playoffs. With five wins already under his belt, he probably just needs to go 3-4 or even 2-5 down the stretch to make the field. And even better, he has the third-easiest schedule remaining with only two games against teams with a TW% above .500.
6. Whitney
4-3, .481 TW%, 113.4 ppg
Suddenly, the sky is falling for Whitney.
After starting 4-0, Whitney has now lost three straight games. And it’s not bad luck. Her TW% (.242) and scoring (98.5 ppg) in that time both rank 11th in the league. Her chances of making the playoffs have also fallen from 97% to 45%. Not good. Ironically, Brandon Bolden, who had not been started in the Worst League since 2013, played well in relief of Kareem Hunt, scoring 19.9 points. But the Ravens D/ST, Jason Myers and Sterling Shepard combined for -2 points. Unfortunately, Shepard was declared out just before the game and started by Whitney despite being inactive. Had Whitney started Jalen Reagor (on her bench) in his place, she would have won.
Of course, we all know her game this week against Josh came down to some drama on Monday Night Football as Seahawks kicker Jason Myers missed two field goals, either of which would have won her the game. It was the second time this season that she narrowly lost a game on Monday night due to the disappointing play of her defense or kicker. In fact, Whitney has now lost two games of less than two points this season and was involved in a third against Samantha where she came out on top. So if you’re playing Whitney, just know there’s a good chance it’ll be a close one.
7. Josh (▲1)
4-3, .455 TW%, 114.4 ppg
What happened to Josh’s powerful ground game?
Josh was the only team owner to spend all three of his first three picks on RBs, drafting Aaron Jones, Antonio Gibson and D’Andre Swift. Fast-forward halfway through the season and his top-performing back in points per game (Swift) is on another team and Jones and Gibson are on the block. In Week 7, they combined for just 16.5 points, Josh’s fewest from the position this season. Of course, we all saw Jones have a big game on Thursday night to kick off Week 8. So the kids are alright.
Most importantly, Josh got the win in Week 7, improving his record to 4-3. And given his slim points lead over Whitney, the computer currently projects Josh as the sixth and final playoff team with a 53% chance. He joins the Big Five of Nick, Beth Ann, Gray, Samantha and Geoff—who have all separated themselves with a TW% above .500 while averaging 125+ ppg—as projected playoff teams. Unlike in previous years, this season’s top teams by TW% all have the best records, at least so far. But it’s going to be a war for that final playoff spot, and at 4-3, Josh and then Whitney are best positioned to take advantage.
8. Alex (▼1)
2-5, .442 TW%, 114.1 ppg
Wait… Alex is 2-5. How did we get here?
After starting 2-0, Alex has lost five straight games and now has the longest losing streak in the league. In fact, it’s his longest losing streak since 2016, a year in which he finished 4-9 with the worst TW% of his career. One more loss and it’ll tie Nick’s twin six-game losing streaks from last season but is still three games short of the longest losing streak in league history, which is eight.
For Alex this season, the first two losses that kicked off this streak were a little unlucky in which he scored 120+ points in each with scores in the top half of the league. But since Saquon Barkley’s injury in Week 5, it’s been a different story. Over the last three weeks, Alex has a TW% of just .152 while averaging 94.7 ppg, both last in the league.
Luckily, Nick Chubb should be back in Week 8. And an injury to Miles Sanders means Kenneth Gainwell, fresh off the waiver wire, will be inserted into Alex’s lineup at flex. Even better, Jerry Jeudy, Alex’s sixth-round pick and team namesake is set to return from IR this week and will play for the first time since Week 1. So perhaps things are looking up for Alex. And he’ll need it. Because with five losses, he probably has to go 5-2 or maaaaybe 4-3 to make it into the playoffs. And that challenge starts right away with four straight games against teams in the top half of the Power Rankings. Let the comeback begin now.
9. Jess
3-4, .416 TW%, 119.7 ppg
A good outing for Jess in Week 7 with 127.6 points scored, but it was not enough as she was matched up with the weekly prize winner, Beth Ann. We noted last week that the schedule is tough. But if Jess can overcome upcoming matchups with Samantha, Whitney and Nick, she may have a chance to make some noise.
That’s because Jess has quietly been the best of the teams outside the Big Five. Over the last three weeks, specifically, Jess is neck-and-neck with Nick and Beth Ann for best team in the league by TW% and is averaging 142.5 ppg over that time, which ranks fourth. Most importantly, she has the points lead right now over every other team owner outside the Big Five. So even though she’s one game back of Whitney and Josh in the official standings, the computer still gives her a 25% chance of making the playoffs. Let’s see if she can keep this up.
T10. Greco (▲1)
3-4, .390 TW%, 117.4 ppg
An impressive win for Greco in Week 7 over Alex as she scored 139.92 points despite playing without Justin Herbert and James Robinson. That made her the third-highest scorer of the week behind Beth Ann and Nick. And over the last three games, she also ranks third in scoring with 143.6 ppg.
But as we mentioned last week, the real challenge begins now as her next five games are all against teams in the top half of the Power Rankings. And this week, she’ll have to do it without Davante Adams (who was placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list) and Marquise Brown (on bye). If Robby Anderson is ever going to play up to his draft-day value, this would be the time to do it.
T10. Erik (▼1)
2-5, .390 TW%, 117.0 ppg
Once again, Joe Mixon did not score at least 15 points. And once again, Erik lost. The Joe Mixon rule lives to fight another day.
If we throw out Week 1, Erik has actually been the worst team in the league with a TW% of .303 while averaging 107.8 ppg, both of which rank last. And now, his standing in the Power Rankings is starting to reflect that reality as he has dipped all the way down into a tie with Greco for 10th. Worse still, his 2-5 record is tied for last in the league with Alex, though he does have more total points scored, which is a positive.
The good news for Erik? He has the easiest remaining schedule in the league. Five of his final seven games are against teams in the bottom half of the Power Rankings with his toughest remaining opponents being Gray in Week 9 and Geoff in Week 11. This week, he gets the league’s worst team, yours truly, who may also be without Dak Prescott. Though as an Amari Cooper owner, that’s a double-edged sword. Now is as good a time as any to get back on the winning track.
12. Brandon
3-4, .325 TW%, 110.3 ppg
Big win for Brandon in Week 7 to stay in the hunt as he had arguably the best game of his season so far, scoring 126.74 points. And it could have been a season-high had he not started the Jets defense, which cost him 11 points. Speaking of which, new record alert!
The Jets D/ST scored -11 points in Week 7, which is the fewest points ever scored by any player in Worst League history, breaking the record of -10 points set by Alex’s Falcons D/ST from 2014. Technically, the fewest points a defense can possibly score is -12 according to the league’s scoring settings. So this week’s effort by the Jets is as close as we’ve ever come to the limit. And yet, somehow, Brandon won anyone. That also breaks a record set by both Erik (Week 4, 2018) and Jess (Week 1, 2020) who both won games despite -9 points from their defenses, the Buccaneers and Vikings, respectively.
Looking Ahead to Week 8
This week, we see plenty of matchups between team owners in the top half of the rankings versus team owners in the bottom half.
Beth Ann (4-3) vs. Alex (2-5)
Gray (4-3) vs. Greco (3-4)
Nick (4-3) vs. Josh (4-3)
Samantha (4-3) vs. Jess (3-4)
Can Alex, Greco, Josh or Jess pull the upset? Or will Beth Ann, Gray, Nick and Samantha assert their dominance?
Meanwhile, the biggest matchup of the week is probably Geoff (5-2) vs. Whitney (4-3). Can Whitney stop the slide against the league’s only five-win team? Or will she slide all the way back to .500? No Lamar Jackson for Geoff may make this one more competitive.
Finally, Brandon (3-4) and Erik (2-5) face off in a matchup of the league’s two worst teams. Somebody has to win. Or I guess, technically a tie is possible.
Good luck to all in Week 8 and the second half of the season. No matter how bad your start, everyone is still very much in it. Wipe the slate clean and compete. Here’s to more wins coming your way.
