2018 Power Rankings-Week 9

For the first time in LOC history, a team sits atop the standings through week eight who has failed to score at least 1800 points. This is also the first time since 2014 that someone other than GBM or TSB is in first place at this point in the season.

At the bottom, this is just the second time in LOC history that a team sits in last place through week eight despite scoring over 1590 points. The last time it happened was in 2012.

Despite there being three 2-6 teams for the second straight year, this still might be the most competitive season to date. Seven teams sit at or above .500, the most in the ten-team era. The separation between 1st and 7th is 2 games, the closest it has ever been.

It’s only fitting, given the kind of year that we are having, that we now reach a milestone in the LOC. This is the 100th week of the LOC regular season. The league started in September, 2011. In the first week, Wes Welker took a ball 99 yards to the house against the Dolphins on MNF and a near-decade of LOC fantasy mayhem was underway.

Five teams will celebrate the centennial with a win. A few may be dealing with the end of their seasons come Tuesday morning.

## Start 'Em if You Got 'Em

This week I realized that I have started way more QBs than anyone else and it got me to thinking: how is everyone approaching the three specialty positions this year? That would be the quarterback, the kicker, and the defense. Let's take a look.

Most QBs Started Through Eight Weeks (2018)
 RIPDab
 Bell of Da Ball
 Paddock 9
 Papa's Posse
 The Shotti Bunch
 Browns4You
 Sweet Dee
 ma ma momma said
 Pain Train WOO WOO

In a year being defined by mind-boggling passing stats, GBM is having a particularly tough time finding the right glass slipper for their dainty feet. They dumped Wilson prematurely and went with Fitz (benched for Winston), Winston (benched for Fitz), Goff, and now Wilson is back. Everyone else has started one QB for the majority of their games, and then subbed in a guy for their main guy's bye week. Almost every QB does well every week, so the fact that GBM is having a problem with this is infuriating.

Most Kickers Started Through Eight Weeks (2018)
 Sweet Dee
 Pain Train
 Bell of Da Ball
 RIPDab
 ma ma momma said
 Paddock 9
 Garoppoblow Me
 Browns4You
 The Shotti Bunch

Bell, who hasn’t done much to remedy their kicker situation, has the fewest field goals this season with 10 (1.25 per game).  GBM, who has only started Gostkowski, is averaging a league best 2.12 FGs per game.

Most Defenses Started Through Eight Weeks (2018)
 RIPDab
 Papa's Posse
 Sweet Dee
 The Shotti Bunch
 Browns4You
 Bell of Da Ball
 Garoppoblow Me
 ma ma momma said
 Pain Train WOO WOO

Paddock 9 is trying desperately to find a defense that works, but he seems to be doing the streaming thing all wrong. He is averaging the fewest defensive points per game, a weak 16.75. That average will drop this week as P9 opted to start their 6th defense of the season. Oakland scored, fittingly, 6 points. The league leader is Papa’s Posse, averaging 25.25 per game.

Of note: Pain Train is the only team in the league to start just one defense and one QB for the entire season (so far). Both will be on the bye next week when they face GBM.

## Roller Coaster Writeup

What a year it has been. Every week it seems a team in 2nd loses and ends up in 6th place. I went through and tracked this (because of course I did) and there have been some wild rides this year.

Shotti dropped from 5th to 10th between weeks 1 and 5, and has since climbed back to 4th from 5-8.

Bell went 7 to 3, then back to 6, before eventually bottoming out at 10.

Paddock 9, between weeks 1-5, went 10, 4, 9, 8, 3.

Dab went from 4th to 8th in just two weeks.

Browns was in 3rd week 1, then was 7 or lower for four straight weeks, then saw 3rd again in week 7.

## Power Rankings

I'm heading to Rhode Island this weekend for the Patriots/Packer QB showdown of the century so I once again need to rush through the rankings in time to get them out and keep my streak alive. This week last year was my bye week, with Nate taking over the rankings. But Nate is on suicide watch so I can't have him touching the rankings this season.

### 1(3). Garoppoblow Me (5-3)

GBM has never missed playoffs after having a three game win streak at some point in the regular season. This time they accomplish that by beating Browns4You on Monday Night Football for the second time this season. Gostkowski has now kicked GBM to two improbable victories.

### 2(2). WhatCanBrownsDo4You (4-4)

After scoring 254.33 in back to back games (yes, that exact same score in back to back games, look it up), Browns4You scores a pathetic 239. I'm joking, of course. 239 is one of the highest scores ever by a losing team. They are now on a four game losing streak to GBM dating back to 2016 and can probably stake their claim as the best 4-4 team to ever exist.

### 3(4). Pain Train WOO WOO (6-2)

This is the second three game win streak for Pain Train this season. They were one of two teams to go 4-1 in the month of October and are heavy favorites to get to 7 wins this week against a Papa team that had their number two receiver get traded into a bye week. Teams with at least 7 wins have never missed the playoffs, so at this time next week we likely have our first team locked in. Pain Train can now turn their focus to the first round bye. What a world.

### 4(1). Paddock 9 (5-3)

A week after declaring a Jurassic Renaissance, Paddock 9 drops their worst game since week 3 and is now behind to Browns4You already in week nine. I don't want to say that it's his fault, but really it sort of is since he didn't see the Mattjinx when it was clear in his face. P9 has gone 11 weeks without back to back losses. A win this week will set a new record for the franchise while a loss will tie the record for the second time.

### 5(5). The Shotti Bunch (5-3)

Yup, here it is. That mid-season win streak that puts everyone in a body bag and makes Shotti who Shotti is. This is the seventh season in a row that Shotti has had a win streak of at least three games. Shotti now has 7 regular season wins against six different teams. He has 6 wins against Browns4You and 5 against ma ma momma said. Those are his "bad" win counts. Shotti is now 25-7 in the month of October, the best performance in any month by any team.

### 6(6). Papa's Posse (5-3)

After Golden Tate got traded into a bye, Papa was put in an even more difficult position than they were in already. David Johnson and Zach Ertz are already off this week. This might be a lost weekend for Papa, but what's important is they broke their losing streak last week and still are two wins away from clinching a playoff spot. Strange scheduling fact: this was the fourth straight October game played between RIP and Papa, who have now played in October in seven of their last eight meetings.

### 7(8). Sweet Dee (4-4)

Another sub-.500 October for Sweet Dee, who actually improves their win percentage in the haunted month. They improve from 3-19 to 5-22. They are 7-16 lifetime in November, suggesting that maybe the four wins they've mustered thus far is enough to get them over the hump and into a playoff spot. To do so, she has to do something very cruel: end her husband's season.

### 8(7). RIPDab (2-6)

In odd years, RIPDab has finished with loss totals of 3, 2, 5 and 4. In even years, he has finished with loss totals of 10, 9, 6 and now at least 6 here in 2018. The even year curse never left, it was just lying dormant for 2016. Desperate times call for desperate measures and RIPDab has to beat his wife in order to keep his hopes and dreams alive. Abuse is such a pathetic circle of sadness.

### 9(9). ma ma momma said (2-6)

Ma ma momma said is 2-6 for the second straight season. They finished last year by going 4-1 and narrowly missing playoffs based on a points tie-breaker. That is well within their grasp again this season, with matchups remaining against the other two 2-6 teams. First up is Bell, the only other team that failed to break 200 last week. One X-factor has to be Brady. We all know the P.C. answers he gave this week about Rodgers throwing 7,000 yards are horseshit. He wants to be considered the best by everybody. He might screw around and throw 7,000 against the Pack just to prove a point.

### 10(10). Bell of Da Ball (2-6)

Bell has 7 wins through the first 21 games of their regular season career. The worst record by any team through two full seasons to start a career is 6-20, set by Sweet Dee in ‘13-’14, followed by Paddock 9’s 9-17 record set in ‘11-’12. After five straight games over 200 to start the year, Bell has now gone three straight without breaking 175. Oh, and Le'Veon Bell still isn't back.

## Matchups

Incredible matchups this week. 2-6 teams in 9th and 10th battle it out, with the loser all but eliminated from the playoffs. Both teams are selling, so the might want to start tanking this for a shot at a better draft spot.

Sweet Dee vs. RIPDab in the first every match between a married couple in the LOC. They both need this win, but Dab could see his season end with a loss. Dab is undefeated against Sweet Dee in the regular season, but that could be about to change.

3-game win streaks collide in Shotti vs. Commish. This matchup has massive playoff seeding implications. Can Shotti continue to climb the leaderboard, or can Commish knock him down a peg?

Paddock 9 vs. Browns4You is the battle of high powered roommates. Browns is projected to win by 50, and Oakland D did not help matters on Thursday night.

Finally, Papa vs. Pain Train in another matchup of two teams who have been in first place at some point in October. Pain Train has the best shot at winning this one, but it's fantasy football so you never really know.