2021: Does the fork exist anymore?

 Hello and welcome back to another episode of the LOC Report! They have been a bit spottier than seasons past, but we will strive to deliver week in week out analysis for the rest of the year. Commissioner Stubbs is joined by co-host Chris Leach as they recap week 9 (and a bit of week 8) and preview week 10. We are heading into the closing stages of the LOC Regular Season now, but with the new playoff format does the fork exist anymore? It certainly isn't here yet.

2021 Power Rankings: Week 9

Welcome Coaches! Glad you could join me for yet another foray into the fantastic world of Power Rankings. We may find ourselves in a slightly briefer version than normal, I am choosing to blame my busy weekend schedule, although it is also fair to assume that my personal 4 loss streak is starting to sap enthusiasm. At least I can still take some solace from writing about some notably better teams below. Speaking of which…

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12. U R Gould (2-6) Down 1

Okay, reverse rankings mean that I don’t actually start with the solace of notably better teams, but whatever. An outrageous performance from draftee turned trade acquisition, Carter, wasn’t enough to drag them above another ‘meh’ scoring week. You really must question how Baker Mayfield has managed to start so many games for them this season. OBJ did it, worked out for him.

10. Tom’s Tyrants (2-6) Down 1

The early season success of Murray has faded slightly, and the importance of that to this team is obvious. In a season that has more or less gotten a way now, they will look for some big performances from Deebo, Najee and Murray to try and pick up a few more wins.

11. Napolitans (2-6) Up 1

I have mentioned a couple of times that they probably didn’t deserve to be the bottom team still, well now they aren’t. It isn’t too late, and Jonathan Taylor looks like the top RB in the league since Henry’s injury, but they need to keep the forward momentum going.

9. Burdettinators (3-5) Up 1

Moving them up at this stage purely as a note of an easier route to the playoffs. But they still have work to do to make that route a realistic one, very much a ‘best of the rest’ sort of situation. The loss of Ridley, for the majority of the season seemingly, can’t be understated, but they have struggled to fill out other roster places consistently. Maybe OBJ will land somewhere lucky?

8. Patistan (4-4) Down 1

On the right side of an oddly Tampa-themed matchup, they showed there is still plenty of juice left in the tank. They only dropped because of the form of the team below them. The IR list seemed to grow each week as well, which is sort of fun, in a way. Combined with bye week necessity though, it has led to a Taysom Hill run out, and that is definitely always fun.

7. IKSAN (4-4) Down 1

Back to winning ways and sat in a very competitive position, they are looking in a reasonably good spot to hit the critical part of the regular season. James Conner’s expanding role has been key, and has given them a solid stable of RBs to build a roster from each week.

6. Bear Necessities (4-4) Down 3

Yeah, a week in the 50 point range tends not to go unnoticed in articles such as this one. I have no real reason to assume it might happen again, just a collectively unfortunate week, but still. More importantly, who would have thought we’d have gotten to the stage where dropping AD could look regrettable? 

5. Buccing The Trend (5-3) Up 3

Well, they started off as my dark horses, and, after a slow start, they have finally stormed out of the gates. They were comfortably the top scorers on the week and now, just like that, they are back atop the division and in the no. 3 seed. Things change so quickly in this league. They haven’t got too much depth to write home about, so they need the starters to stay hot.

4. FTMAL (4-4) Up 1

Wow, they were close to making the most of a good, and rare, opportunity presented by one of the LOC power couple (lol, interesting imagery). They haven’t lost too much ground in the divisional race, but need to get back to the larger scoring weeks they are capable of. Getting a now, theoretically, well-rested Adams back should help.

3. Gridiron Gang (4-4) Up 1

Unfortunate to come up against the only other team to score north of 100 points last week, but still plenty of positives to draw. I said that this team could cause problems when they got fully healthy again, they are more or less there, so time to make good on that potential.

2. Forge Flyers (7-1) No Change

We know how much their high octane offense has relied on Henry, so it will be interesting to see how that effects them going forward. They still won relatively comfortably, even with Henry leaving early, and they’ve sensibly picked up the two most likely beneficiaries. Oh, and the rest of the team is still great. Watch this space though.

1. The Dream Team (7-1) No Change

Pfft, snuck it. That was the definition of winning on a bad week and it would have probably been enough to drop them out of top spot were it not for the injury already talked about thoroughly enough in the previous blurb. The top seeds face off this week, so that will most likely make the decision for me next week.

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Well, that didn’t end up being too brief in the end. I’m just so dedicated to my art. Yeah, this is art, or at least it is as close to art as anything I do ever gets. Screw you for downplaying my creative abilities. Until next week.

2021 Power Rankings: Week 8

Hello, hello, welcome to another Sunday edition of the Power Rankings. I was going to say ‘another trip to’, but realised that was a reference back to the old days of ‘EDOTLOCCA’s Corner’, which some of you will of course recall was an even more vague and subjective piece of weekly literature. So, next time you are questioning quite which direction a particular thought train will drift from the correct tracks, remember ‘EDOTLOCCA’s Corner’, and think about how much worse it could have been. With that said, enjoy;

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12. Napolitans (1-6) No Change

A decent week for them, notwithstanding the loss, but they should be getting used to them. Booker looks like he will do a decent job filling in for Saquon, and Taylor is well in rhythm now. They just need to catch a couple of breaks and they will pick up wins. Keeping Burrow simply for a bye-week replacement seems like a lost trade opportunity.

11. U R Gould (2-5) No Change

Having now scored the lowest total points by some margin, a team that looked rudderless post-draft has managed to drift into particularly stormy waters. The roster, particularly the receivers, doesn’t actually seem too bad, they just don’t seem to be able to get any kind of consistency going week to week. A lesson in draft day availability may, and should, have been learnt.

10. Burdettinators (3-4) Down 1

Their QBs have been their strength all season, in fact I’m surprised one hasn’t been moved to try and boost a roster that is otherwise not hitting the right gears. I called them boom or bust to start the season, but the lack of boom they are getting, particularly from Jones and Ridley, is concerning to say the least. Taking some shots on some guys coming back from injuries could help.

9. Tom’s Tyrants (2-5) Down 1

Underwhelming would be an understatement. Missing out on close losses when they had the chance is coming back to bite them now the team is not performing as well. To stay competitive, the notoriously slow starters will have to do something shortly, at 2-5 the season is starting to move away from them.

8. Buccing The Trend (4-3) Up 2

Right, I’ll get my caveat in early; they have conceded the least points in the league. With that out the way though, they have been on a good streak and their points totals seem to increase weekly, putting them at a competitive 4-3. Between the Bears RB pecking order, Sanders injury and Chubb’s return, it wasn’t a great week for their RB stable. Losing Sanders could be a blessing in disguise though, taking away the pressure to play a high draft pick who wasn’t performing.

7. Patistan (3-4) Down 2

Not getting any help from a tough division, but this team is definitely a ghost of what they were. They still have Brady, and Moore and Godwin will have their good weeks, but outside of that they are in fairly unknown waters. Their total points is good, they still have a solid route to the playoffs, but they will keep falling in these rankings until they put up a good score again.

6. IKSAN (3-4) No Change

Not a bad score (10/12 teams this season would probably be quite happy with it in fact), but tough opposition has stymied their progress. They are a decent team in a decent spot though, if Nick Chubb can garner himself a few more carries without Hunt, the extra opportunity would be another boost after the Mark Andrews renaissance.

5. FTMAL (4-3) Down 1

All good teams need to win when they play badly. Quite how much of a good team this is in their current state may be up for debate, however. Lots of the early season steam seems to have dissipated, but they are getting a bit healthier again. Mahomes starting to play like the player we all expect again would help.

4. Gridiron Gang (4-3) Up 3

A good week, particularly without main man Zeke. With Mitchell coming back into a lead role, and A.J. Brown coming back to the NFL after a peculiar on-field absence, they are in the best spot they have been for quite a while. In a division ripe for the taking (8^th, 9^th, 10, 11^th in total scoring (yes, really)), they are in a great spot for a playoff push. 

3. Bear Necessities (4-3) No Change

One of the more uneven scorelines of the week, not least due to Darnold’s dud. Presumably he’s in last chance saloon this week, although Atlanta isn’t the worst place to do that. They also get their bye-week Bills back, so will be in a better spot as a result. The important thing is they picked up another win whilst they wait for the Wilson return.

2. Forge Flyers (6-1) No Change

A new week and a different big scorer, Kupp stepped up again on this occasion. They’ve got the number 1 RB and WR, plus some other single-digit contributors on the roster. Safe to say, this was a well drafted team that is deservedly sitting pretty. 

1. The Dream Team (6-1) No Change

Ja’Marr Chase is an absolute star. Lots of people were fading him on draft day, but that seems crazy now. After watching what college second-fiddle, Justin Jefferson, did in the NFL last year, I guess we shouldn’t have been surprised. The rest of the roster is pretty sweet too by the way, just got to give Ja’Marr his due.

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Hope you’re all happy then. I’m sure some of you are at least. There is still plenty of fight in the middle order. For those of you (us) starting to question their odds in this particular fight, this is a new week, chin up! Or, in another ‘EDOTLOCCA’s Corner’ reference, perhaps a return to some bold predictions would be a better use of time?

2021 - But What About Second Bye Week?

 Hello and welcome back to another episode of the LOC Report! If you're keeping count this year, the power rankings are pacing the pod for episodes so far this year, but coming off a second bye week the pod is raring to go. Commissioner Stubbs and Co-host Chris Leach will touch back on the week 6 results, recap week 7, and preview week 8, while no doubt making some other pit stops on the way.

2021 Power Rankings: Week 7

Good morning all! I’ve been thinking, with our new playoff format, we won’t have an official halfway point any more thanks to those stupid odd numbers. So, I’m claiming this week, we’re more or less halfway anyway, and I can’t think of any other filler material for this intro. So, there you have it, welcome to the halfway stage of the season! And, with a ridiculous 7 teams at 3-3, I think we can well and truly say it is a classically close year in the LOC. But how are the rankings affected you ask? You know the drill, keep scrolling,

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12. Napolitans (1-5) No Change

Most of the brighter sparks seemed to have dimmed a little now. This team just cannot catch a break. Seriously, go look at the points against column in the league table, it’s just unfair. Taylor seems to have finally gotten up to speed though, good games from him and Lamar would be enough to put them in contention any week, they just need some supporting cast.

11. U R Gould (2-4) Down 1

With some big performances from Cook and CeeDee, they looked well positioned, but other players, like Williams, couldn’t finish the job. They have plenty of capable players, but consistency seems to be a problem. A fully healthy Cook should go some way to amending that issue. They are the low scorers at this point though.

10. Buccing The Trend (3-3) Up 1

11^th in points scored, they now find themselves joint 3^rd in record, because it just doesn’t matter how you do it. The Miami stack proved inspired and dragged them to an important victory that kept them well and truly in the hunt. Can I move them much higher without some better scoring? Not really. But, buoyed by an excellent TNF, they have a good chance of getting above .500.

9. Burdettinators (3-3) No Change

A strong score and they have somehow managed to drag themselves to the top of the division and the most tenuous playoff spot in the league. Herbert was a good pickup, even if he turns out to be short term, but getting Ridley back will be a boost. They haven’t gotten it all figured out, not through lack of trying, but they are the closest they have been so far.

8. Tom’s Tyrants (2-4) Down 1

It wasn’t a bad week for them, they just came up against a loaded team on hot form. Relying on King Henry getting less than 6 yards on MNF could be filed as ambitious. They need to start finding a way to turn a decent points tally into wins.

7. Gridiron Gang (3-3) Down 1

A good opportunity matchup wise, but their opponent’s scoring pushed this one beyond them. The definition of a rag-tag bunch, they seem to continue to get all their players scoring big at the same time. Could Derek Carr be a more long-term solution at QB? With the turmoil at LV, it seems unlikely, but it would help a lot.

6. IKSAN (3-3) Up 2

An important win for them in the divisional matchup, made possible by Josh Allen once again. I worried this team might become reliant on him, and losing Chubb for a few weeks will reinforce that. They have plenty of role players, but need someone like Harris or Jacobs to find a little consistency, in relief.

5. Patistan (3-3) Down 2

Anyone else getting déjà vu? From my top ranked team, to starting Freeman and Hubbard in mere weeks, the injuries are really piling on. They are still in a good spot, but this is no longer the feared team they started out as. How long they stay there could well be determined by how quickly people return from IR.

4. FTMAL (3-3) No Change

With Mahomes now sat exactly where everyone expected him to be, at the top of the QB charts, this team continues just as top heavy as expected. They have scored a lot of points, and sit at the top of the 3-3 bunch, but bye weeks are coming – we shall wait and see how they adapt.

3. Bear Necessities (3-3) Up 2

A strong week made on the back of a DST and K that were drafted for the exact reason of being every week starters, it is working pretty well too. The real draft star has been Fournette though, playoff Lenny has turned up 3 months early and looks to have an extremely valuable role is a high-octane offense. 

2. Forge Flyers (5-1) No Change

This team is so loaded, that big weeks like this don’t seem that surprising, which is perhaps the biggest complement I could give. It would also probably be enough for this blurb, but that isn’t what you pay you league subs for. I like the Callaway pick up, with such a set starting lineup, he can sit an wait until needed.

1. The Dream Team (5-1) No Change

The best teams win when they have a bad week, and that was not a great week. It also cost them the official top seed, but they cling on in these rankings. The reason? I think they are slightly better prepared for the bye weeks than their nearest competition. That theory will be well and truly tested this week, missing their top two RBS and preferred QB.

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Yeah, these top two teams are really starting to separate themselves, in just about every category. For the rest of us though, plenty left to fight for with (just over) half a season to do it. Good luck, one and all.

2021 Power Rankings: Week 6

Good afternoon Coaches! Please join me as I once again hurry to push through ahead of these pesky London games. After a few notable injuries and a week of big spending on the waivers, there is plenty to unpack on roster movements. But, the podcast handles all that stuff, so don’t expect to see too much of it here. Nope, here we are all about the sweeping statements and narrow-viewed opinions that keep us firmly seated in the silver medal position for useful LOC media content. I couldn’t be prouder. So, please, read on.

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12. Napolitans (1-4) No Change

It took a truly historical night from Lamar, but the dramatic MNF result drags them to their first win. This is obviously a momentous occasion, so momentous that I almost don’t want to mention, you know, the whole Barkley thing. Just when things are starting to look up, you find Devontae Booker sneaking into your starting roster. It was the right move, and he did well in relief last week, fingers crossed.

11. Buccing The Trend (2-3) No Change

Finally, they got that spark they were looking for. One of the more complete results on the week, with points coming from most everywhere on the roster. Kamara finally looked like the top pick he was expected to be, and D.K. became a focal point again. Of course, his QB is now out, and Kamara is on a bye, and strong pickup Williams is on the covid list. Add all that together and what do you get? 5 starting WRs, one of whom is Josh Gordon. Fantastic.

10. U R Gould (2-3) No Change

Despite a lot going against them, they managed to pull a win out of the hat. That is normally the sign of a team having a god season, so perhaps a turning point? With a couple of new IRs, they are possibly the least healthy team in the league at this point, so could be some challenging weeks ahead.

9. Burdettinators (2-3) No Change

Every time I think this team is starting to move in the right direction, they stutter again. The Sanders pick up looks nice, although he probably won't see that level of volume on a week not against the Chiefs. But he was the top scoring non-QB, which pretty much highlights their problem, no consistent contributors. Speaking of QBs, maybe trying to pick correctly between Dak and Stafford each week isn't as enviable as it sounds, nor easy. 

8. IKSAN (2-3) No Change

C’mon, how did Coach Sherwood miss the 30-point Mark Andrews week? We totally all saw that coming, right? Truth is, it wasn’t a bad week by any means, although losing Chubb will hurt them. It sounds short term, but he had been their most consistent performer thus far. They’ll be hoping their receivers start to get a bigger piece of the pie to help contribute more again.

7. Tom’s Tyrants (2-3) No Change

Overthinking and playing matchups over talent, classic fantasy manager problems. They had a rough week in a matchup they really needed to win to start moving up the rankings. Hopefully lessons were learned.

6. Gridiron Gang (3-2) No Change

Not a bad score, but the spot plays couldn’t save them on this occasion, you never want to be someone’s first win. The QB rotation and the pickups are starting to pile up, papering over some cracks in the supposed starters on this team. Trading for A. Brown because A. Brown is underperforming? Good move and confusing headline all in one. As you’ll see shortly, I think this was actually a rare, WR for WR, win-win trade. Odd.

5. Bear Necessities (2-3) No Change

Not a bad week all in all, unfortunate to be blown away like that. Replacing Wilson will be the key here, with Darnold getting the first stab at it. They’re clinging onto a playoff spot with a sub .500 record at the moment, so can’t afford for the adjustment to take that long. I like the Claypool trade as well, although playing as many Bucs as possible each week doesn’t seem like a bad plan.

4. FTMAL (3-2) No Change

As decent scoring week, just up against a stronger team overall. Injuries and inactives are starting to tally up now, nothing too major, but enough to question the depth of a team. They will stay dangerous as long as Mahomes and Adams are balling, Henderson’s backfield snap count is also a pleasant surprise as a contributor.

3. Patistan (3-2) Down 2

Brady did it again, a good week on the back of the crazy Bucs passing O. The bad news, and the reason they couldn’t cling onto top spot any longer, was that CMC hit IR and will now spend longer than expected on the side-lines. Chubba can cover, but he’s not the No. 1 overall pick after all. 

2. Forge Flyers (4-1) No Change

They’re nowhere near as reliant on him as the Titans, but it would be very interesting to see how this team would be doing if they hadn’t Nathwani’d their way up for King Henry. With Carson and Mixon both struggling with various levels of health concerns, the reliance could grow even stronger, not that that really seems to be an issue. Oh, by the way, it was another strong week.

1. The Dream Team (4-1) Up 2

It seems to be someone different going off each week, but the point is, it is always someone. With such high scoring potential all over the roster, this team couldn’t linger any lower anymore, with the on-team Chargers doing the heavy lifting on this occasion. I’m not really sure what else to say at this point. Oh yeah, they spent big on arguably the top waiver wire commodity of the week, the rich may be getting richer.

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So, fun fact: last week, my top three teams won, my bottom three teams won and my middle six all lost. I guess, mathematically, that make me officially 50% good at this. And, you know, that isn’t half bad. Unless you count the fact that it is, indeed, exactly half bad. 

2021 - London Calling

 Hello and welcome to the LOC Report! We've had our early bye here at LOC HOQ already, so we're back into the action for the rest of the season, coming out strong with a game day pod! Commissioner Stubbs and Co-host Chris Leach recap the Week 5 games (as well as touching back on week 4) and preview week 6, where we have a London Bowl on the cards.