2014 Power Rankings-Week 12

Posted 11/20/14 at 6:42 am
And then there were four. 
And three. 
And another three. 
Three teams have received their Golden Ticket to the post season. 
Three teams have received their shit stained ticket to the consolation round. 
Four teams remain fighting for the final three spots. 
With two weeks left in the regular season, anything is possible. But only a couple of things are likely. 
First, the worst 
So long, hope. PeytoninthePlayoffs was upset by Winter Soldiers this week and was thus eliminated from playoff contention. Meanwhile, Becky the Icebox not only lost and was eliminated from the post-season but because of their league-low 1784 points they move into 10th place. 
Second, the best 
Let the games begin! The top three teams all won this week, securing spots in the big dance. Ma ma momma said holds on to the top spot, while Flags on the Play has a one game lead in the 2 spot over Money Manziel, who beat fellow contender “The Shotti Bunch” to improve their record to 8-3. 
Third, the sorta good but might be bad but who really knows 
Here is what we know. 7 wins is a guaranteed playoff spot. 5 wins is guaranteed elimination. It is possible that all teams 4 teams finish with 6 wins, at which point it will be the three teams with the highest point totals that get in. This is the case because IAMGROOT and The Show Offs play this week with matching 5-6 records. One of them will win and go to 6-6, setting the low water mark for the 6 spot. 
The Fantasy Gods were not Pleased 
The Commish postulates that two performances this week were determined by displeased Fantasy Gods. IAMGROOT neglected to remove two players who were on the bye. Had they only made substitutions in the empty WR and DEF slots with players sitting on his bench, he would have beaten the number one seed in the league by close to 10 points. He elected instead to not set his lineup and is now facing elimination. Meanwhile, PeytoninthePlayoffs spent the afternoon on the road, socializing and not watching football. This did not please the Fantasy Gods nor the Football Gods and thus they teamed up to produce the minor upset. 
THE RANKINGS 
I am also including current records as well as teams records through week 11 in previous seasons to see how they matchup with their past teams. 
*indicates teams in playoff position 
(x)indicates teams eliminated 
NOTE: Not an indication of final standing, just where they were in Week 11. You’ll notice Papa’s Posse, at 5-6 in 2011, was not in a playoff spot at the time. For those around in season one, you'll remember that 5-6 team went on to win the Super Bowl. 
1(0). ma ma momma said: Second time this season that they escaped a matchup with a win that could have very easily been a loss. Is this a team of destiny? Now with a 9 game streak of games scoring over 200 points, they face a tough matchup with Money Manziel next. 
*2014 record: 9-2 
*2013 record: 8-3 
*2012 record: 8-3 
x2011 record: 3-8 
2(0). Flags on the Play: Fought off a big surge by Becky the Icebox to hold on to one of the bye spots. A week after losing Hillman for the season, FOTP now stares down the barrel of another key Denver injury, this time to star WR Sanders. All this really does is threaten his bye spot, but the bye might be necessary in order to get everyone healthy for the championship push. #FunFact: this is the only team who has made the playoffs every year the league has been in existence. 
*2014 record: 9-2 
*2013 record: 6-5 
*2012 record: 9-2 
*2011 record: 8-3 
3(0). Money Manziel: This team is hitting its stride at just the right time. Longest win streak of their season and longest current streak in the league, MM has set themselves up nicely to unseat one of the two Big Wigs for a bye spot if either slips up. MM has scavenged the free agent market all season for bargains and backups who have come up big. The most recent example of this is RB Alfred Blue. This type of gamble pays off, but it is just that: a gamble. This team lives and dies by the boom or busts and it will be a thrilling team to watch in the playoffs. 
*2014 record: 8-3 
*2013 record: 8-3 
x2012 record: 4-7 
*2011 record: 8-3 
4(+2). Papa’s Posse: Best score in the league this week and the easiest schedule over the final two weeks has them primed for a fourth place finish and a deep playoff run. Concerns at the Flex spots leave PP out of the talk for a championship, for now. Hill and Bradshaw were two top scorers week in and week out, but with Bernard closer and closer to bouncing Hill to his backup role and Bradshaw on injured reserve with a fractured fibula, he’ll have to rely on some of his inconsistent bench players to pick up the pace starting next week. 
*2014 record: 6-5 
x2013 record: 2-9 
x2012 record: 3-8 
x2011 record: 5-6 
5(-1). The Shotti Bunch: Another year of quiet ascension for Shotti, whose under the radar performances dipped a little too low this week and cost him a much needed win. He doesn’t have the bite he had last year but he will only need one more win to clinch a playoff spot nonetheless. Took a big hit with Ball aggravating his groin injury but the Luck/Arizona Defense tandem will keep TSB in games every single week. 
*2014 record: 6-5 
*2013 record: 8-3 
*2012 record: 8-3 
2011 record: NA 
6(-1). The Show Offs: Another tough break for The Show Offs, who fell victim to the top score in the league this week with Papa’s Posse. What matters most is that they continue to outpace IAMGROOT in the scoring column heading in to their season-deciding matchup in Week 12. Brady and Wilson both go against top NFC defenses, making the QB decision more difficult than ever. Will Josh Gordon help TSO punch their ticket? Intriguing team to watch. 
*2014 record: 5-6 
x2013 record: 4-7 
*2012 record: 6-5 
x2011 record: 2-9 
7(+3). Becky the Icebox: Credit where credit is due. Becky gave a hell of a fight and despite dropping to tenth place, they have steadily improved on their weekly score each of the last five weeks. If they can improve on their most recent total they could actually win a game. 
x2014 record: 2-9 
x2013 record: 2-9 
2012 record: NA 
2011 record: NA 
8(+2). Winter Soldiers: Deceptive win this week as they scored the second lowest total in the league. So they really didn’t get any better, another team just happened to get really bad at the right time. WS’s players have had the uncanny ability to fall short of their projections every week this year. The frightening truth is that they might have two or three more wins if they had stuck it out with Brady. 
x2014 record: 2-9 
x2013 record: 2-9 
*2012 record: 6-5 
*2011 record: 6-5 
9(-1). PeytoninthePlayoffs: Finding the root of the problem is not easy. Let’s start by the fact that they have outscored IAMGROOT on the season and have faced the second toughest schedule in the league. Other than being a victim of the schedule, Johnson and Stafford have both been major disappointments and the loss of Bernard down the stretch really hurt. 
x2014 record: 3-8 
*2013 record: 10-1 
x2012 record: 3-8 
*2011 record: 9-2 
10(-2). IAMGROOT: What is the only thing the commish hates more than a bad team? What is the only thing the Fantasy Gods punish more than a poor draft? Not setting lineups. To think we made it almost an entire season without someone neglecting to set lineups in this league. That is astonishing. But here we are, and here you are, Groot. At the bottom. Not much left to say. The force is weak with this one. 
x2014 record: 5-6 
x2013 record: 5-6 
2012 record: NA 
2011 record: NA 
WEEK 12 Clinching Scenarios 
-ma ma momma said: Clinches bye spot with win 
-Flags on the Play: Clinches bye spot with win or Money Manziel loss 
-The Shotti Bunch: Clinches a Playoff spot with a win. 
-Papa’s Posse: Clinches a Playoff spot with a win. 
Matchup of the Week 
Two big time matchups this week. At the top we have ma ma momma said vs. Money Manziel with playoff implications that only really affect things if MM wins but a loss by MMMS could bump FOTP back in to the one spot. Meanwhile, at the bottom we have the determined The Show Offs vs. the napping IAMGROOT. I’m inclined to call this the matchup of the week with so much on the line but I expect The Show Off’s to take care of business, so our battle for the top of our matchup of the week.