2020 Power Rankings: Week 1

 2020 Power Rankings: Week 1

Good evening everyone and welcome to a brand new season of the LOC! For one of you, this will be the first step towards something good actually happening in 2020. For the rest of course, it will just be several more months of events not going quite as you expected and resulting in general disappointment. Why do we play this again? Anyway, you came here for some EDOTLOCCA brand Power Rankings and, far be it for me to disappoint, I have come to deliver. You’re in for a real treat in fact; the earlier draft date has allowed me a whole week extra to contemplate, to consider, to cast this literary journey we take together. Nah, they’re basically the same as always, all it meant is that they’re actually on time for once – enjoy!

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12. Bear Necessities

You’ve got to give credit to Coach Stubbs Sr. here, he had a draft plan and he stuck to it. Four (4) rookie RBs! This has the knock-on effect of making ranking them near impossible. Assuming Cook stays healthy, I make him only the second known quantity on this team, behind the eternal Kelce. Allen, Gordon, Lazard, Parker and the rookie squadron, the upside is huge, but the floor is approaching Mariana-level. Do I think they’ll end up the worst team? No. Can I possibly rank them any higher at this stage? Well, yes, but I’m not going to.

11. The Tuckfards

Coach Merritt seemed to apply the same player acquisition model as ex-Patriots staff by picking up as many of his former players as possible. Of course, when you had Mahomes in 2019, that isn’t a bad thing. He’ll be hoping Smith-Schuster can regain past form and Hopkins can carry his with him across the desert, they’re pegged as the stars in amongst a generally solid-but-unspectacular roster.

10. Buccing the Trend

So, Leonard Fournette turned out to be much worse, then probably slightly better, a pick than expected, Coach Taylor may just have (inadvertently) nailed it even if the days after the draft were perhaps a little tumultuous. Assuming Fournette does inherit the main role and the goal line work in Tampa, there is a lot to like about this starting roster. My issue is that, after Fournette was unceremoniously dumped by the Jags, N’Keal Harry took his place in the starting line-up… hmmm.

9. U R Gould

Will missing out on the man they are named after cost them? Coach Gardner will be hoping his replacement does-well… get it… kinda like Boswell…? I’ll stick to rankings. Anyway, their top draft picks are electric backs with workload questions, so the coach will be looking for consistency in his middle rounds. He has however assembled the most exciting QB room in the league, he’ll be praying for weekly fireworks.

8. Tom’s Tyrants

A team that seems to be built with a lot more solid players than spectacular ones. For the Tyrants to really push on they will need either Sanders or Gurley to ball out (both would be nice #asunbiasedastheBBC). The Gibson selection may have worked out better than anyone could have expected, he could turn into a solid contributor if Washington can sort their Offense more effectively than their team name.

7. IKSAN

History tells us to never question the draft day spreadsheets, Coach Sherwood literally went into the HOF for them. History also tells us what a key role some bargain TEs can play in the sophomore superflex format. Yet I find myself wondering whether there was slightly too high a premium placed on these TEs – can Waller in this newly crowded Vegas receiving group really challenge the WR2s available at the same time in the draft? PS. CMC is a God and well worth ‘trading’ up for.

6. Burdettinators

Two receivers in the first four rounds on the same team? We’ve seen this before, but something tells me this time round will be a little more successful. To be quite frank, the receiving corps is terrifying and should provide some consistency for this team which has, as always, been built by Coach Burdett to emphasise upside. The early drafted date has capped Ronald Jones, but Edwards-Helaire is their key man.

5. Cat Placeholder

Auto draft strikes again with a classically top-heavy roster and an above average number of TEs. We’ve all seen it before though and, once again, this is a solid group of players. Coach Nunn proved last year, through trades and waiver adds, that he can take an auto draft team to new heights and he has the foundations of a team awash with proven veteran talent.

4. Patistan

The Brees-Thomas connection just rings with points, whilst Mixon and Cooper were arguably bargains where they were drafted. Most of the other players could be working from limited touches, although Montgomery, Samuel and Sutton have all been given the nod to grow into much bigger roles. Coach Allen clearly has faith in them and they could take this team to the next level.

3. Gridiron Gang

This roster is awash with players expected to fill either the 1a or 1b option on their respective depth charts – that’s a good thing. If Saquon can avoid the injuries that hampered him last year, he’ll be the star of the team, and Golladay proved last year he is as close to matchup proof as it gets. Surrounded by a cast of solid contributors, Coach Stubbs Jr. will be challenged to pick the best line-up each week, a classic Gridiron Gang roster basically.

2. The Dream Team

This has got to be one of the most well balanced teams in the league, possessing top 5 players in every position (perhaps excluding Kicker, but meh). Coach Nathwani (similarly to Bill O’Brien) will be hoping that the David Johnson pick plays out, giving him the luxury of 4 every week starters and a pick you poison matchup game in the RB/WR/TE spot. Late rounder DeSean Jackson could be a big contributor out the gate.

1. Forge Flyers

Coach Leach was very vocal in his gratitude for the draft day switch up and historic first use of the Nathwani Rule. To be honest, I can see why. The highest weekly upside QB in the game paired with two high volume RBs in Henry and Conner. The receiving corps may lack premade stars, but has an ideal blend of consistency and potential breakouts. Maybe everyone just likes his division aligning events?

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And there you have it, Week 1 in the books. I’ve said before that superflex format makes it near impossible to rank teams straight out the draft, other than on depth. But there is nothing like the first weekend of games to show me how wrong I can be – I can’t wait! Good luck with 2020 everyone (an oddly topical phrase), peace out!