2021 Power Rankings-Week 2

## Introduction

Week one winners, how good did that feel? It's a weight off your shoulders. Getting that first win is like nailing the job interview and getting hired. Nevermind the fact that the job could be shit and that could be the only happy moment of your career. You did it. You've got a foot in the door. You can officially consider yourself in the running for the Glory Bowl.

Week one losers, kinda blows right? Even if you played well, like Momma and Idiots and Paddock, a loss is a loss. But hey, cheer up. Every Glory Bowl winner in LOC history lost at least three games in the regular season. Some lost as many as seven games. And everyone can do the math in their heads. Five teams won this week. There are six playoffs teams. One of these losers has a 100% chance at making the playoffs, they just don't know it because time only runs in a single direction (and that's towards death for us all).

Renew Nate's vow this week: don't get too high, don't get too low. Stay the course. Just think of week one as a bonus game. You didn't need that game. We've only ever played 13 regular season matchups. How many matchups are left? 13!? Okay, than the season starts today. Everyone with a loss, fuggedaboutit. Everyone with a win, nice! Bonus win! That might come in handy later.

## Stat Chat

* Sweet Dee becomes the 9th team to 50 combined wins.
* Ma ma momma said becomes the 3rd team to reach 80 combined losses.
* Papa breaks the record for most weeks in last place (19).
* Shotti breaks the record for most weeks in first place (27).
* Shotti becomes the first team to score over 200 points in 90 regular season games.
* RIPDab becomes the 3rd team to score over 200 points in 80 regular season games.
* Paddock 9 scored 223.70 in week one in a loss, but scored just 224.39 last season to win the Glory Bowl.
* With their week one wins, Shotti and Mattness both match their longest 2020 win streaks. One will surpass that this week.
* Despite the loss, Momma has the longest active streak of games above 200 points (4). Her team record is 11, set in 2014, while the league record is 17 (TSB from 2015-2017).
* Duck Punchers has the longest ever streak of week one wins (five).

## Matchup Recaps

* Mattness has now won eight of the last ten games against ma ma momma said (9-8). **Next Matchup: Week 14**
* RIPDab avenges his Salty Dolphin defeat by taking down Idiots for just the second time (2-6). **Next Matchup: Week 12**
* Duck Punchers upholds tradition by beating Paddock 9 and tying the closest head-to-head in sports (11-11). **Next Matchup: NA**
* Sweet Dee breaks a three-game losing streak against Pain Train in a week one revenge victory (6-11). **Next Matchup: NA**
* The Shotti Bunch has their best game since the 2017 semifinals in taking down Papa's Posse (11-5). **Next Matchup: NA**

## Updated Week One Standings

Updated 9/15/21

Every year Pat is SHOCKED that he lost opening week even though he has the 2nd worst week one record in the league. You mean to tell me the worst drafter lost to the best drafter? WAHHH?

## Longest Losing Streaks to Start a Season by Team

Since no one really sifts through the hundreds of pages I've created on the site, I figure I better take advantage of the power rankings and highlight some of the more obscure charts I've created over the years.

Bad news for Sweet Dee: Stupid Idiots has never lost two games in a row to start a season in the LOC.

## List of Most Consecutive Games Without Back-to-Back Wins by Team

By winning in week 13 of last season and opening 2021 with a victory last week, Shotti ends his longest ever streak without back-to-back wins. It stands at 16 games, which seems like a lot but is still among the lowest in the league.

## Week Two Power Rankings

Week one showed us the unpredictability of fantasy in a big way. Late round picks turned up, while studs shat the bed. There isn't enough time in the day to go through all the star players who underperformed in week one, but for each team I'll highlight one big player who was a bust and whether or not I think that team should start to panic.

### 1(2). RIPDab (1-0)

* Brandon Aiyuk: Time to Panic

When Aaron Jones put up 4.68 in a humiliating loss, there was a real possibility that the heavily-favored RIPDab was going to drop game one to Stupid Idiots. Luckily, David Montgomery elevated to supreme being on Sunday night and bailed the team out. Jones will be just fine, but 4th round pick Aiyuk is a legitimate threat to ghost his owner in 2021. Shanahan refuses to play him until he "shows more," whatever that means, and a fourth round pick returning punts and not getting first team looks is a BAD sign.

### 2(5). The Shotti Bunch (1-0)

* Zeke Elliot: Don't Panic

Shotti began his campaign by watching his first round pick get outscored by Tony Pollard. It was a discouraging start and I dare say if he didn't have five other players break 30 points he may have been in trouble (but probably not). I wouldn't worry about Zeke just yet. He faced arguably the toughest front he'll see all season. To me, the bigger concern is if guys like Gronk, Deebo, and Thielen can sustain that high level of production all year.

### 3(3). The Multiverse of Mattness (1-0)

* Trey Sermon: Time to Panic

Drafted in the 6th round, Trey Sermon had been talked about as the second-coming of Christ (or at least Alvin Kamara), and Mattness's propensity to hit on buzzed about rookies in mid-to-late rounds is unmatched (see: Michael Thomas, Justin Jefferson, Jonathan Taylor). But reaching for him early, only to have him get scratched week one is an awful sign, no matter how you slice it. Kyle Shanahan is going to play his best players, and if he doesn't think Trey is one of those guys than it seems Eli Mitchell was the droid Matt was looking for.

### 4(6). Duck Punchers (1-0)

* Saquon Barkley: Don't Panic

It was always going to be rough the first couple of weeks, and 5.15 from your first round pick is always easier to stomach in a win than in a loss. With a short week, I don't expect Bark to be let off his leash against Washington, but I could see him returning to 20+ touches in week three against an abysmal Falcons team. Overall, Duck is looking well-balanced and just needs to stop grabbing guys like Davonta Freeman FOR THE LOVE OF GOD.

### 5(1). Ma Ma Momma Said (0-1)

* James Robinson: Time to Panic

Momma may have been better off letting Pain Train keep this guy. He had just five attempts and 3 Rec in an offense that is clearly going through Trevor Lawrence. Granted, there's no way Urban Meyer wants the Jags throwing the ball 51 times, but the fact that he split carries with Carlos Hyde is borderline insulting. The silver lining is that Hyde hasn't played a full season since 2017, so there's a chance that Robinson becomes the featured back at some point. For now, just simply not worth a third round pick.

### 6(7). Sweet Dee (1-0)

* Austin Ekeler: Don't Panic

I'm exhausted doing this every season with Sweet Dee. Week one they go bananas, beat the piss out of some poor innocent team, and the hype train leaves the station. By week six the train is broken down in the middle of the mountains and the wilderpeople are tearing it to bits. That being said, let's talk about Ekeler. Austin falling 10 below projection after it was reported that he had a hamstring issue isn't all too bad unless the hammy lingers. It's possible his lack of involvement in the passing game had something to do with that, or it could just have been the way they scripted against a stout Washington D. Either way, the bigger concern here is Robert Tonyan starting at tight end...

### 7(8). Pain Train (0-1)

* Terry McLaurin: Don't Panic

Scary Terry has seen a new QB an average of every three games in his career. That stat is almost as disturbing as this picture from my wedding that looks like I'm trying to make out with my own mother.

But the man has been dealing with this his whole career and that hasn't stopped him from posting over 900 yards each of his first two seasons. And who knows, maybe Heinicke is the guy over there in Washington? Despite a 178.25 point performance, I actually came out of this thinking Pain Train was better than I gave them credit for. If you think Davante, Najee, Terry, and Metcalf are all going to suck all season than check your fucking self.

### 8(9). The Stupid Idiots (0-1)

* Julio Jones: Time to Panic

Stupid Idiots actually had both his starting WRs suck this week, with Mike Evans catching just three balls for 24 yards. But Evans has had games like that before and he can follow them up with 200 yards and be just fine. But Julio Jones? Three balls for 29 yards. Very similar statline, very different story. He's only recorded a game of under 30 yards 11 times in his whole career, and I can't tell you how many of those were because he left early so it's obviously less when you factor that in. There's trouble in paradise over there, and there are mouths to feed in that offense even when things are going well.

### 9(10). Paddock 9 (0-1)

* CEH: Don't Panic

CEH was underwhelming but he was getting the targets and touches and I think he will be just fine. Obviously, in an offense with Mahomes, Kelce, and Hill, he's the fourth best player on the field. But the offense is just that good and it's going to move the ball all season. If the ball is moving, the lead back is going to get involved. Similar to Sweet Dee, the tight end situation is what's scary. Freiermuth, I can't even say the guy's name.

### 10(4). Papa's Posse

* Just Panic

This is not good. And by "this" I mean this team. There are way too many high-caliber offenses in the LOC this season for a team to be dropping 160 at any point. Now, let's be fair, he had Brady on his bench go for 58. So add 53 (58-Rodgers 5) and this team broke 200. But they lost Mostert and Jerry Jeudy and the best replacement on his bench is Nelson Agholor. Maybe not a terrible replacement, but it's just all around an ugly sight to start the year. Papa comes in every year with the weakest keepers and it shows.

## Matchup of the Week - Return of the Nutwals

While Nutwal Chris faces off against his sworn enemy, two other Nutwals will duke it out for a share of first place. Shotti and Mattness each won just three games last year and neither had a win streak. Projections currently have them within a single point and both are looking like contenders early. As of now neither have any players going on Thursday and Shotti has his whole team going on Sunday. In all likelihood this means that Mattness will be looking to stage a Monday night comeback with TJ Hockenson, which could make for some fantastic early season theater.

Updated through 2020 season:

If history holds, it is Shotti's turn to get one back from Mattness. I would bet the house that they score more than a combined 338.62 points this week.

## Conclusion

That's all for now. Have a great week and catch you on the flip-flop.