2023 Week 4 Power Rankings
Leave a commentSeptember 29, 2023 by stevenheitzman
Is this what we waited all offseason for? A plethora of Achilles injuries, most notably to Aaron Rodgers, J.K. Dobbins, and Tim Patrick? Nick Chubb’s knee going in new directions? Lingering nicks to Cooper Kupp and Jonathan Taylor? Mike Williams snapping clean through an ACL? Austin Ekeler and Saquon Barkley battling ankle sprains? After months of meticulous team building and roster prep, there is nothing that can wreck the best laid plans like a catastrophic injury to one of your core players.
But after just three weeks of the regular season it is way too early to throw your plan out the window entirely. Studs who start slow will rebound, and surprise players who got off to a hot start will fall back to anonymity. That guy you’ve been stashing for years will come out of nowhere and fill in admirably for your star who is on IR. Or… he won’t, and your team will crash out of the playoffs in the wildcard round for the third straight year. Really the whole thing is just a probability-weighted outcome simulator that is going to do its thing no matter how many trades and free agency additions you make. Free will is an illusion. Seriously, do you think Chad WANTED to start Jaret Patterson in the 2021 ASU FFL championship matchup? You have far less control over your life than you think you do.
Jaret Patterson’s like “what the hell did I do to deserve getting called out today??”
But we play this crazy, pointless game anyway. We convince ourselves that winning means we know more about football than the owner we just beat. We care more about the health of our quarterback than we do most of our aunts and uncles. And at the end of the day, we worry. For this week’s power rankings we’ll assess the state of each franchise and identify the biggest worry for each fanbase at the moment. Except for The Sons of Liberty, who just won their first “ASU FFL Championship (Of The First Three Weeks Of The Season)” and are still hungover from the parade with no worries in their minds at all.
(Credit to Tom Disney who wrote half of these – I’ll let you try to figure out which half)
Tier 4: See Ya in 2024
12. FANTASY DARWINISM – M. GORI (0-3, last ranking: 11)
They are who we thought they were. Bad, on purpose. Which is good?
As a Fantasy Darwinism fan, I’d be worried if… Matt thought he could turn this rebuild around quickly and compete in 2024 without giving up some major value. Yes, Ja’Marr Chase is a franchise cornerstone WR and guys like Zay Flowers, Christian Watson, Jonathan Mingo, Rashee Rice, and Michael Wilson have flashed to varying degrees early but there aren’t any other locked-in long-term starters on this roster. The other three positions are virtually unmanned, leaving this rebuild still in its early stages with a boatload of picks in the 2024 draft. Look for Fantasy Darwinism to make a move with Jerome Ford sooner than later to offload points so Matt doesn’t play himself out of the 1.01.
11. LEET ‘N’ SKEET – N. WRIGHT (0-3, last ranking: 10)
Considering that Nate rostered 22 wide receivers just before roster cutdown day this year on September 3rd, it’s not surprising that at least a handful of the 14 that he kept have turned out to be useful weekly starters. Throw in the pedigree of many of these guys, combined with the draft capital Nate has used to acquire them, and we really shouldn’t be surprised. While most of the rest of the roster (especially RB) is hot garbage, Leet ‘n’ Skeet is clearly off to a solid start to his rebuild.
As a Leet ‘n’ Skeet fan, I’d be worried if… Nate had any real intentions on earning the 1.01 pick in the 2024 ASU FFL draft. As nice as Marvin Harrison Jr. would be to add to this WR room, Nate has just a little too much firepower at the moment to really compete with the Gori brothers for the fewest all play wins.
How bad do any of these franchises want Marvin?
10. DRINKIN’ AND DRAFTIN’ – G. GORI (0-3, last ranking: 9)
Before the season started it appeared that three franchises were jockeying for position in the race for the 1.01 pick in the 2024 draft while nine teams fancied themselves contenders. Garett, unfortunately, is the one “contender” through three weeks who finds himself on the business end of an 0-3 record and faces the longest possible road to any sort of contention this season.
As a Drinkin’ and Draftin’ fan, I’d be worried if… Garett was hoping to find his 2024 first or second round picks in his pocket anytime soon. The question on everyone’s mind with respect to the Drinkin’ and Draftin’ franchise is: can they scrap together a Cinderella playoff run or are their picks destined to accelerate Matt’s rebuild this season? A best-case scenario for D&D would likely involve trading off unspectacular players such as Najee Harris, Marquise Brown, Jacobi Meyers, Matt Stafford, or Jaylen Warren. But you have to wonder what the best possible return would be, and even with a few lucky breaks and nothing to lose, whether Garett could salvage a run at the playoffs.
Tier 3: Not Dead But Need to Make Moves
9. BRICK SQUAD – A. BLIEBERG (2-1, last ranking: 12)
Brick Squad finds itself up in the Week 4 rankings due to the emergence of a handful of early season darlings. Hot starts from Puka Nacua, Kyren Williams, Sam LaPorta, and Romeo Doubs have propelled Blieberg to perhaps the most surprising 2-1 record currently found in the ASU FFL standings, especially considering his 12th place spot in the preseason power rankings.
As a Brick Squad fan, I’d be worried if… Blieberg thought he could win the title this year with his current roster, as he appears to be a classic fence-sitter at the moment with a very unrealistic path to contending for a championship this season. Additionally, he already has 11 all play wins, far outpacing Garett and Nate with 6 each and Matt with a lowly 1. Will he control his own fate or is he destined for the dreaded last in/first out discussion?
At least through three weeks, Kyren Williams’ music sounds a lot like Todd Gurley’s…
8. RAD TAD’S TERMINATORS – J. HEITZMAN (1-2, last ranking: 7)
There’s an argument to be made that Jared has gotten quite unlucky to sit at just 1-2 through the first three weeks. Austin Ekeler has been out since a week 1 injury, Rad Tad has gotten surprisingly solid RB production, and Jared is 6th in points despite all this but 8th overall in the standings. You could also argue that this team is mediocre and lacks a real ceiling, especially with the struggles of the Cowboys offense and a fantasy roster full of startable guys but few stars.
As a Rad Tad fan, I’d be worried if… Jared stood pat with this roster. It starts at the top: are we sure that Dak is a locked-in starter for Rad Tad if Geno Smith and C.J. Stroud continue to outscore him? Darren Waller has likely become expendable with Mark Andrews now written in pen at TE. Most teams would need to see some consistent wins to make a splash move down the stretch but you can wager that Jared will keep looking for his next trade regardless of his place in the standings.
Tier 2: The Muddled Middle
7. THE LAW FIRM – C. WORKMAN (2-1, last ranking: 4)
Let’s be totally honest here for a second: Chad likes to bang on the Injury Drum more than any other owner in the ASU FFL (I’d have to check with Jared to see if we could run some stats on whether there is any merit to his bitching). This year, however, there is no doubt that the “it doesn’t bend that way!” demolition of Nick Chubb’s knee has resulted in the biggest lineup loss in the ASU FFL. The injury is certainly testing The Law Firm’s depth but there’s no reason to think Chad’s starting eight shouldn’t hang with the best the league has to offer.
As a Law Firm fan, I’d be worried if… anything happened to Christian McCaffrey. Can you imagine Chad’s crying? In all seriousness, running back is a minefield this year so it’s not like many teams have really enjoyed their production at the position, but Chad had a lot of eggs in the Chubb/CMC tandem basket. Meanwhile, the next men up (Alexander Mattison and Khalil Herbert) don’t exactly inspire a lot of confidence for a title contender. Chad has never hesitated to ship off an injured asset like Chubb in the past so look for that as an emergency eject button if he chooses to press it.
6. BROAD STREET BULLIES – M. JACKSON (2-1, last ranking: 2)
After three weeks the Bullies are fifth in points and tied for third in the league at 2-1, so why the massive drop in the power rankings? Well, despite the solid start the headlines around this team have mostly focused on the short-term injury to Cooper Kupp, who hasn’t played a game yet this year, as well as the season-ending knee injury to Mike Williams.
As a Broad Street Bullies fan, I’d be worried if… Marcus panics. Even with the loss of Big Mike Will, this is the best team Marcus has fielded in years (or maybe ever). Justin Herbert is slingin’ it, D’Andre Swift is threatening to finally pay off on his 2020 early-first round draft investment, and the young guys like Chris Olave, Jaylen Waddle, and Rhamondre Stevenson are maturing on schedule. There’s certainly room for improvement but no need to do anything drastic at this juncture.
In a season full of early surprises, Swift is near the top of the list
5. LOIS’ REVENGE – S. HEITZMAN (2-1, last ranking: 6)
Up one spot in the rankings from the preseason, Lois looks solid through the first three weeks of the season riding the steady upside of Josh Allen, Stefon Diggs, Amon-Ra St. Brown, and Mike Evans.
As a Lois’ Revenge fan, I’d be worried if… Steve thought his current depth could carry the team through the season. Lois appears to have struck gold with one of his preseason RB acquisitions in David Montgomery, but his RB4 is Damien Harris (RB46 on the season). And with WR5 depth consisting of yet-to-perform upside plays of Jahan Dotson (WR89), Alec Pierce (WR92), and Quentin Johnston (WR120), Lois has a thin margin of error having escaped the injury bug almost completely so far this season. Steve has limited ammo to make depth trades (a pair of second round picks) and must hit on whatever moves he does make, as bye weeks and one or two key injuries could make for a tough path to a threepeat.
4. THE PROCESS – T. DISNEY (1-2, last ranking: 1)
With a young team you have to understand that there are going to be some bumps in the road, but few expected The Process to be this rattled so early in the season. Joe Burrow clearly isn’t at full health and Justin Fields and the Bears are on the verge of calling in FEMA to manage their disaster. Jonathan Taylor remains out with no signs of budging on his trade demands. Diontae Johnson is on IR. De’Von Achane, Tank Dell, and James Conner all had big weeks while sitting on Tom’s bench during a critical Week 3 matchup that almost saw Tom drop to 0-3. It was supposed to be easier than this.
As a Process fan, I’d be worried if… Tom can’t find consistency across his entire lineup. The starting eight should have a few mainstays going forward in Justin Jefferson, Bijan Robinson, DK Metcalf, and likely Tua Tagovailoa (at least until Burrow gets right), but who else starts on a weekly basis? I count five WRs and nine RBs that could realistically start for other contenders, and the early results of playing lineup whack-a-mole haven’t been great for The Process.
It’s a good time to own a piece of the Dolphins, as long as you don’t leave them on your bench
3. DETROIT 2 – R. FORBES (3-0, last ranking: 8, 2 first-place votes)
The darling franchise of the early 2023 season has jumped up five slots (most in the league) in the updated power rankings, surprising nearly everyone and their mom. This rag tag group is led by a couple of bonafide studs in Travis Kelce (TE4) and Tony Pollard (RB5) but has been supplemented nicely by the unsexy but somehow red-hot production of Kirk Cousins (QB1) and Keenan Allen (WR2). Throw in some back-from-the-dead names like Michael Thomas, Zeke Elliott, DJ Chark, and Tutu Atwell and you have a recipe for early-season success.
As a Detroit 2 fan, I’d be worried if… Forbes thought his hot start was organically sustainable. As nice of a story as some of his bench guys have been, he can’t expect the group of Zeke, MT, Chark, Tutu, Dalvin Cook, and Allen Robinson to carry the load during byes. You don’t have to look long to realize that this is the shallowest team in the league (yes, that includes rebuilding teams) and one injury to any of his big contributors could send this team back to the cellar. Forbes lacks picks and youth as ammo to bolster his depth via trade, so it will be interesting to see which moves he makes to build on his Cinderella story.
2. GHOSTS OF S. TERRACE ROAD – R. MAI (2-1, last ranking: 5)
What appeared to be a very good roster coming into the 2023 season has ridden the best WR production in the league to a 2-1 start. It should be noted that GoSTR (editor’s note: ew) is second in points scored despite weathering slow starts from Josh Jacobs and Joe Mixon, as well as continued inefficiency from Rachaad White.
As a Ghosts of S. Terrace Road fan, I’d be worried if… this roster didn’t win a title in either this season or next. One could reasonably argue that this is the strongest starting lineup in the league, but this all-in roster has come at the expense of depth and youth. Will the pu pu platter of Daniel Jones, Russ Wilson, and (maybe?) Kyler Murray be enough to get GoSTR to the promised land before Mixon and Davante expire, Tyreek retires, and Rachaad White and his 3.0 ypc loses the starting gig in Tampa?
Tier 1: Clubhouse Leader and Title Favorite
1. SONS OF LIBERTY – A. OLSON (3-0, last ranking: 3, 6 first-place votes)
Despite losing J.K. Dobbins for the year and Saquon Barkley for a few weeks to a high-ankle sprain, it’s hard to imagine a better start for Alex in 2023. 3-0 and first in points scored, The Sons of Liberty haven’t gotten off to a start like this since at least 2017. Alex has noticed, apparently, calling his team a “monster” and guaranteeing an appearance in the round of 4. I’m not personally aware of any historical scenarios where early proclamations of playoff appearances have gone poorly in this league so I’m positive Alex definitely won’t regret it in any way.
As a Sons of Liberty fan, I’d be worried if… actually, I wouldn’t worry at all. The team that leads the league after three weeks is automatically awarded the Tillman Trophy every year without exception. Congratulations to Alex Olson and The Sons of Liberty for their first ever ASU FFL Championship!
Back to back ASU FFL champion – 2022 and 2023
ASU Fantasy Football League 