Power Rankings: Week 4

Hard to believe after this week we'll already be a quarter of the way through the LOC season! But as we truck into Week 4, the LOC is developing its world renowned hot mess status where the power is blended up every week. How has it been blended this week? Read to find out.

Power Rankings

1. Bear Necessities, 2-1 (1): Yowzers. The best team in the LOC through 2 weeks looked like a completely different side in Week 3. 1 TD was scored across the whole team, on a week where everyone just decided to go on holiday at the same time. Better weeks are ahead, and I think this is a blip.

2. IKNAN, 2-1 (4): Coach Sherwood is quietly having a very nice season so far. Scoring a minimum of 90 points each week, they had a tremendous victory last weekend, and look poised to continue it. They've got options, and still haven't got Jamaal Charles back.

3. Gridiron Gang, 3-0 (6): The only undefeated team in the LOC, Coach Stubbs Jr. continues the best start to a season of his career. Another team yet to score under 90, they've scored over 100 in back to back weeks. While they lack punch, they've got a lot of depth, and their consistency has shone through so far.

4. The Dream Team, 1-2 (2): Bit of a down week for Coach Nathwani's side, and they're quite unfortunate to be sitting at 0-2. Their two spot drop is more about other teams looking good as opposed to them looking bad. I imagine they'll rebound and will definitely contend this year.

5. Burdettinators, 2-1 (5): After a good start to the season, Coach Burdett's side looks like they're standing on a bit less firm ground. Be that as it may, they remain one of the more consistent sides in the league, and despite some problems surfacing they should be able to overcome them.

6. Tom's Tyrants, 1-2 (3): There's no denying it, Tom's Tyrants are in a bit of a funk. But this is nothing new, as slow starts to the season are almost par the course for Coach Barnes at this point. Key players are under performing right now, and I can't see that continuing for much longer. It's just a waiting game until this team wakes up.

7. The Bunch, 2-1 (7): Coach Nunn has had a very strong start to the season, and it looks like they've shaken the retirement rust off nicely. The starting lineup has a lot of star studded names, and they're still without the greatest player of all time. Depth will be an issue during byes, but otherwise they're golden.

8. Patistan, 1-2 (10): Coach Allen didn't realise the LOC season started until Week 3. At least that's the story he should go with. Patistan finally showed up in week 3 as the team we all expected them to be. Naturally, they'll need to have another good week to prove it's not a blip, but I think they'll steadily work their way up these rankings.

9. Cash4Gould, 2-1 (11): We have to commend Coach Gardner on what he's been able to do through three weeks. A rookie coach stepping into the league in 2016 and having this kind of success is phenomenal. Consistency may elude them, but if they keep having weeks like they had last week, they'll move up quickly.

10. Forge Flyers, 1-2 (8): Losing two starting RBs in the same week has sucked the air out of Coach Leach's side a bit, but fear not. Were it not for a questionable decision to play Kenyan Drake over Hilton last week, they would have had a very nice week. This roster will be able to win games this season.

11. ADRZ, 1-2 (9): It has been a very slow start to the season for Coach Wells, but they finally got a win last week. However, they are still yet to top 100 points in this still young season. Key players could be starting to regain their form and this time might start to get going, but I want to see it before I believe it.

12. The Tuckfards, 0-3 (12): It has been an absolutely brutal start to the year for Coach Merritt. The highest point total they've notched is 93, and they only posted 68 points last week. This team has been ravaged by injury and poor play, but they have Gronk back now, and if Merritt can channel his inner Barnidge they can make a comeback.

2016: The Plot Thickens

The Co-Host makes a triumphant return to the podcast after his arduous quest of traffic and Ikea have been conquered! And with him, he brings a bag of rewards in week 3 recaps and week 4 previews. The Commissioner also talks a bit as well, but we know who you're all here for.

EDOTLOCCA's Corner: 2016.4 - Week 3

Hello one and all! What a week in the LOC, we had injuries galore, bench players vastly outscoring starters and, well actually this sounds like a pretty bad week. But all is fair in love and fantasy and after two weeks each division is represented by an undefeated, two .500s and a team that forgot to set their alarm clocks for September. I am going to take this opportunity to take a moment and light a candle (you can’t prove that I didn’t) as I offer my condolences to Coaches Leach and Merritt who aren’t allowed to have RBs and Coach Allen who isn’t allowed to have players, injuries are cruel things. Anyway, onwards and upwards!

Coaches Award

Here we have a very well balanced team that responded brilliantly to a loss last week and can consider themselves unfortunate to be sitting at 1-1. A well drafted team is currently boasting players who are severely outplaying their draft position in the likes of Latavius Murray and Jordan Matthews. Every cog is turning right now and this coach knows better than most to make the most of it while it lasts, well done to Coach Nathwani for winning the Coaches Award this week.

Honourable mention: Coach Stubbs Sr. really isn’t messing around, already leading the league in scoring by nearly 50 points with 272 after two weeks. Of course, the league record two week span does sit at over 400 points, so there is always room for improvement, ayy?

Wooden Spoon

Whilst it didn’t necessarily cost them the game this week, whenever your benched player (and earlier draft pick) outscores your starter nearly 5 fold, you are going to be a primary focus for this award. Coach Allen got it wrong by benching Rivers this week and, like I said, it may not have cost him the game, but it did kick off a good ol’ fashioned QB carousel in camp Patistan, and a yearlong headache for the aforementioned Coach Allen.

Bold predictions

And here we meet 0-12 (still better than the Lions), it hasn’t been a dream start and to be quite frank, I didn’t even come close last week. I of course blame the players and not my psychic powers, I expect all of them to up their games in response this week.

Cash4Gould vs. Forge Flyers: Coach Leach did the obvious thing in picking up A.P.’s backup, then he picked up the backup’s backup… Asiata goes for 3 TDs, like he does every other time he plays.

The Dream Team vs. Gridiron Gang: Coach Stubbs Jr. is sitting pretty with a 45 point lead going into Monday night, unfortunately for him that’s when Brees and Julio face off, with a sprinkling of Bryant just to rub it in.

Sidenote: Dez Bryant is projected to both rush for 1 yard and throw for 1 yard for The Dream Team, look it up. Fair play though NFL.com; that is bold.

Burdettinators vs. The Bunch: Burdettinators third starting QB of the year (it’s working out a lot better than it is for the Browns) is their best yet. Ryan will triple Fitzpatrick’s score and leave The Bunch in the dust.

The Tuckfards vs. Patistan: The most bitter of rivalries in the LOC and The Tuckfards just ran out of RBs, ideal. Melvin Gordon is playing the Colts, he will double the total score of the Tuckfards starting RBs combined.

Bear Necessities vs. IKNAN: A lot of rushing talent on display here, I see this game totalling 8 rushing TDs and generally big scores across the board.

Tom’s Tyrants vs. ADRZ: Coach Wells loves a good pass-catching RB. This weeks with both receivers facing tough matchups, his RBs will out-receive his WRs in fact.

Right, that’s your predictions folks and, ever the optimist, I am sure we have a good one or two gems hidden in there! Anyway, I wish you all luck in your week ahead and I hope you enjoyed the article! P.S. listen to the podcast, I’m in it. See you next week!

2016: The injury apocalypse has arrived

Hide your kids, hide your wife, the injury apocalypse has arrived in the LOC! Commissioner Stubbs is flying solo this week because the injury apocalypse has seemingly snared co-host Chris Leach as well, so enjoy this slightly shorter edition of the week recap and preview. Coach Barnes joins for the Coach Call.

Power Rankings: Week 3

Week 2 is in the books and the LOC season is now in full swing. Week 1 didn't turn up much in terms of waiver picks and overwhelming surprises, but Week 2 sure has. Injuries to key players, trends developing, and the location of where the power lays in the LOC is slowly becoming more evident.

Power Rankings

1. Bear Necessities, 2-0 (1): What do you do after a momentous week 1 win? Follow up with another of course. The highest scoring team through 2 games already looks well on their way to the Playoffs. They're probably not going to be able to sustain this hot start, but points are coming from everywhere, and Coach Stubbs Sr. has yet to even make a patented waiver add.

2. The Dream Team, 1-1 (3): After being the highest scoring loser in Week 1, Coach Nathwani promptly follows up with a Week 2 W. Just another solid week, and we could see two playoff teams emerging from the Portsmouth division. Like I predicted, this teams points would spread out more and end up at a similar total. They're on course for a fine season.

3. Tom's Tyrants, 1-1 (2): By all accounts, just a dreadful week for Coach Barnes. But they remain at 3 because they had some horrific match ups and I put this down to just a bad week. I have full confidence in a rebound, and they've also got some nice options on the bench.

4. IKNAN, 1-1, (5): Another case of a bit of a down week, but the points still coming in regardless. This team looks deep, plain and simple. Still without Charles, and Fitzgerald was even on the bench this week, they're looking like a strong team early on despite a so-so week 1.

5. Burdettinators, 2-0 (6): After a somewhat fortunate Week 1 victory, Coach Burdett followed up with a good Week 2 and another win. Now, they only had a few players go over 10 points last week, but they still managed to go over 100. Key performers didn't even get the points, and they left a tonne on the bench. This team will be just fine.

6. Gridiron Gang, 2-0 (7): Despite losing a player to injury early on, Coach Stubbs Jr. secures a second win, and Gridiron Gang are off to their best start in their 8 year history. All the players on the starting lineup didn't necessarily fire, but they have a plethora of options on the bench. They aren't going to light up the scoreboard, but they should be able to grind wins out.

7. The Bunch, 1-1 (4): A bit of a disappointing week after a promising Week 1 for Coach Nunn. Look, by all accounts it was just a bad week. Brown, Hill and Hyde majorly disappointed which was the reason for their struggles. While depth remains an issue, this starting lineup should be good enough to earn a decent amount of wins this season.

8. Forge Flyers, 1-1 (8): And just as Forge Flyers looked ready to appear in the top half of the power rankings again...They lose Peterson and Woodhead in the same game. It's another case of woeful bad luck for Coach Leach, but they do have options on the bench, so I think they'll be able to have good weeks. Also, the Jeff Fisher of the LOC also got an impressive win this week, congrats.

9. ADRZ, 0-2 (12): It's been a tough start to the season for the current champ. There have been points for this team however, so it's not all doom and gloom. While RBs are still an issue, this team has got some players at its disposal and I fully expect Coach Wells to rebound sooner rather than later.

10. Patistan, 0-2 (11): A brutal start to the season for Coach Allen, who has left the most fantasy points in his bench so far. But that's not necessarily a bad thing, it means the team is capable of scoring points. While this roster has certainly taken some dings since the start of the season, they should be capable of a rebound.

11. Cash4Gould, 1-1 (9): Unfortunately for Coach Gardner, this was the type of performance we saw coming before week 1. Look, it was an awful week, and while they're not always going to be as bad as that, this team is going to have to grind games out on a weekly basis. They've certainly got some names, I just wonder if they can find the consistency.

12. The Tuckfards, 0-2 (10): We've never seen Coach Merritt in a position quite like this before. Perhaps this is right where he wants us. But as of right now, his finger must be hovering over the panic button. They haven't shown a great deal through two weeks, and their only healthy RBs on the roster are West and Yeldon. But, they're still yet to get Gronk back, so expect a typical Tuckfards turnaround.

EDOTLOCCA's Corner: 2016.3 - Week 2

Good evening Lords of the LOC! Week one is in the history books and I am guessing that around half of us are pretty happy with how it went, but I can guarantee that every single one of us can’t wait to get stuck into Week 2! I am personally just loving the amount of love I am getting from podcast/power rankings teams, holding onto a respectable 2nd place power team and featuring in both marquee matchups. In return, (*spoiler alert*), I have written about neither Gridiron Gang nor Forge Flyers this week, so you guys can just skip to the Bold Predictions if you like. AH, nothing like a one way relationship. Right, for you other 9 coaches, on with the show!

Coaches Award

Sometimes I really struggle to hand out this award and sometimes I just sail through an imaginary checklist in my head. Who won their game, who scored the most points, who demonstrated great team depth and line up selection, who… ahhh I have already given it away. Coach Stubbs Sr. has made his intentions clear and smashed his way into 2016. The draft looks great and the team looks strong. Sure, 98-yard TDs are not weekly occurrences, but their most talented player is still waiting for his role-call, this team looks scary.

Honourable mention: Well, we were all (kinda) wrong, the Rookie Coach Gardner has merited the ASJ pick after he turned out to be one of the top scoring TEs of the week… with one target… one. Congrats to Coach Gardner, but the seasoned veteran in me is screaming don’t push your luck.

Wooden Spoon

Hmmm, here we have a coach who didn’t feature on this side of the article much last season, but even at this early stage the faintest of alarm bells is starting to ring. This team was RB light, very light, and now their only highly invested RB has started the season looking like the lesser half of a committee, kinda reminiscent of Paul Chuckle (#TeamBarry). ADRZ have not started the season how they wanted and Coach Wells must now be praying that Theo Riddick proves that Week 1 was no fluke.

Bold predictions

First things first, no predictions from last week were correct, 0-6 to start the season. Last year we got 3 predictions right all season, so this isn’t so shocking I suppose. It doesn’t sound too ambitious to beat 3 does it? Well, you have the honour of watching me try.

The Tuckfards vs. Forge Flyers: Roethlisberger has a history of burning the Bengals, but Newton is going to take burning opponents to a whole new level this week, putting up half of Forge Flyers’ points.

Burdettinators vs. ADRZ: Oh the matchups for Green and Beckham… when 50 points just doesn’t seem bold enough, we are hitting 60 here.

Bear Necessities vs. The Bunch: The two highest scorers from last week both top 100 points again, the top scorer? Seahawks D, because LA are that awesome.

The Dream Team vs. Patistan: Whose excited about McCown being back?? I heard you Coach Allen, Barnidge makes up for the zero last week with an 18 point performance.

Cash4Gould vs. IKNAN: Everyone just seems to have good matchups this week, the receivers for these two teams will top 600 yards between them.

Tom’s Tyrants vs. Gridiron Gang: This game is going to be real close, Tom’s Tyrants will be winning half way through the Monday night game, but a garbage time Chicago touchdown rains all over that parade and Gridiron Gang pip it.

Well, there they are, fresh, bold and ready to be right(ish)! In the meantime, I wish you all the best of luck for the week coming, let’s see some big scores people! Okay okay, I’m too competitive for that, Coach Stubbs Jr., let’s see all those big scores left on the bench, good man. See you next week!

2016: Opening Weekend and Wee 2 Preview

Co-Host Chris Leach rejoins the podcast after finally getting out of traffic to recap the opening weekend of the LOC season and look ahead to Week 2. We also have a dynamite coach call this week with none other than Corona Bowl V winner Coach Burdett.