2022 Week 1 Power Rankings

Welcome to the new way of power rankings: league votes! That’s right, the league is now voting on power ranking standings. No more will you be subjected to my view of your team! Now you will be subjected to everyone else’s view of your team. Enough hee-hawing around. Let’s get started:

#1 James’ Jets (0-0), FPV: 3, LW: N/A

Andrew, by sheer luck, got the number one overall pick in the draft and used it for Jonathan Taylor. He then followed that up with Stefon Diggs and Travis Kelce. The man’s team is stacked, it’s undeniable and also undeniably frustrating. He looks more than poised to be able to finally capture the repeat this year. Andrew will look to start his 2022 campaign against fierce rival and co-commissioner, #4 Brent

#2 Matt Rhule’s Clown School (0-0), FPV: 3, LW: N/A

Chad had a lot of good fortune in the draft: Christian McCaffrey, Davante Adams, Michael Pittman, and Diontae Johnson to name a few. I think his team is built well and he should be in a good spot to try and recapture the magic of his inaugural season in 2020. Chad kicks his season off against the lowly ranked #7 Kelvin.

#3 Concord Fire3 (0-0), FPV: 1, LW: N/A

Ryan’s team has some incredibly strong spots: Patrick Mahomes at QB, Derrick Henry at RB1, and CeeDee Lamb at WR1. However, there are also some question marks in his roster. Will Damien Harris get free roam of the backfield or will he split carries with Rhamondre Stevenson? Will Antonio Gibson be able to maintain his starting spot as Brian Robinson recovers from his injury? Regardless of these questions, many presume that Ryan’s rock solid foundation will be able to carry him to many wins this season. Ryan opens his season against the controversially ranked #8 Conner.

#4 Marion Mystery Remotes (0-0), FPV: 1, LW: N/A

It’s incredible that this team of mine would even be ranked in the top half of the league at the moment. My draft was entirely predicated on gut feelings and robbing players from Conner (which may prove to be a losing strategy). Regardless, the upside on my team is most certainly high. The floor of this team could also prove to be disgusting. We’ll cross those bridges when we get to them. For now, I get to open my season against the #1 ranked team.

#5 San Francisco Foghorns (0-0), FPV: 1, LW: N/A

Tyler’s team, much like his brother, strikes an odd balance between solid floor guys and risky players in questionable situations. His early picks, like RB Austin Ekeler and WR Ja’Marr Chase, will obviously produce solid floors and occasionally booming weeks. His guys beyond that, such as RB Travis Etienne or RB Javonte Williams, have pathways to becoming large focal points of their respective offenses, but equally have pathways into timeshares and split backfields. I suspect that much like myself, the rollercoaster will be all too stressful at times, but the payoff could be immense. All Tyler needs is a few likely breaks and he could cement himself as a top team this year. In Week 1, Tyler gets to show off his new toys to #6 David

#6 Agloe Placeholders (0-0), FPV: 2, LW: N/A

David’s draft contained many surprises, none of which were more surprising than the second round selection of Bengals WR Tee Higgins. Nevertheless, David’s team is anchored with Steelers workhorse RB Najee Harris and the Chargers’ ever-likable QB Justin Herbert. David, coming off of two straight finals appearances, now has a reputation to uphold. His roster last year needed exactly one addition of Cordarelle Patterson and he was kosher until the championship game. This roster might need a bit more work this year and if David can tend to it, it would shock no one to see him bust through and become a top team once more. This week, he faces off against #5 Tyler.

#7 Capital K. Rillerz (0-0), FPV: 1, LW: N/A

Kelvin ignored all of the chaos of the draft and just did him. Whether it was passing on RB Christian McCaffrey in the first round in favor of WR Cooper Kupp, or his selection of risky RBs in Alvin Kamara and Saquon Barkley. As much as I have observed the balance of solid floor vs boom/bust players on other rosters, Kelvin’s team might be the boom or bust team to end all boom or bust teams. His best case scenario could see him with two legitimate RB1s alongside an elite rushing QB and one of the most productive WRs in the league. His worst case scenario could see injuries to RB Barkley, the legal system catching up with RB Kamara, a bad offense in Baltimore, and injuries to QB Matthew Stafford preventing WR Kupp from coming close to his potential. The reality is somewhere in the middle, but with Kelvin presumably paying league dues, where does that put him in the scheme of the league? Kelvin will get quite the test in Week 1, facing off against #2 Chad.

#8 Conner’s Citi Boyz (0-0), FPV: 0, LW: N/A

This is the one I don’t want to write. Out of the six league members who voted, Conner received five last place votes. Some of those votes have basis in fantasy football and others do not. I will only be looking at his team for this blurb. I think many will agree that Conner’s first round selection of RB Nick Chubb veered into reach territory. Chubb is assuredly a good rusher and a good player, but even Conner himself has noted that Nick Chubb is “not a good fantasy football player.” Despite this, he was off the board before guys like Dalvin Cook, Alvin Kamara, and Saquon Barkley. Conner’s team finds itself most secure in its WR corp. Led by WR Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, and Allen Robinson, it’s the part of his team I have the least worry about. His investment into the Raiders is a bit perplexing as he owns stock in both QB Derek Carr and TE Darren Waller, but perhaps it pays off. I’m not sure how likely it is that Conner’s team ever moves off this spot, regardless of the record he puts up. He starts Week 1 against #3 ranked Ryan.

*Editor’s note: David ranked everyone except Conner at #1, hence why everyone has at least 1 FPV*

Defensive League Power Rankings (via FantasyPros)