2021 CTDB: Power Rankings - Final Regular Season

And with that, the 2021 regular season in the books!  Before we officially kick of the 2021 playoffs, here's a quick power rankings recap.  For the most part, the rankings matched our final statistics except for two teams - Jammers and Gang Green.  Before we move into playoff and consolidation brackets, an interesting visit back to the season to see how one of these teams ended up solidly in the playoffs and the other, out (despite winning last year's championship).

The Jammers officially finished the season 3rd in the standings with a decidedly solid 8-6 record while Gang Green finished 8th with a 6-8 record.  However, taking a closer look,  Greg's team averaged more than 10 pts scored each week as compared to Lei's team and the final standings with one in the playoffs while the other playing in the consolidation brackets were basically a result of two matchups.  

For Greg, it was their week 6 matchup against the Monkeys and their week 13 matchup against Mastermind.  Gang Green combined for nearly 280 points in those two weeks but simply ran into bad luck and lost to juggernaut weeks.  On the flipside, the Jammers were able to eek out wins in weeks 9 and 11 despite scoring only 99.65 and 103.9 pts respectively.  Both crucial wins in the stretch run that flipped their record to 8-6 when they could've 6-8.  Lei won both games by less than 2 points.  Nuts.

Each lucky win (and unlucky loss) made a huge difference.  And with that - the final power rankings for 2021.  

2021 CTDB: Power Rankings Week 6

With the fantasy season, nearing it's half way mark, here's another look at the league's power rankings.  

1.  Chunky Monkeys.  After a middling start through the first 3 weeks (literally), the Monkeys are surging.  Jumping 4 spots to claim the top spot, the Monkeys have averaged 161 points scored in the last weeks along with a 3-0 run.  They currently have the best record but with injuries hitting Saquan and Gibson, there's some trouble brewing in the waters potentially ahead.  

2.  Fat Jubas.  Despite a blip in Week 4 where the Jubas failed to score 80 points, the Jubas have been a juggernaut the past two weeks.  Kyler and team have averaged a crazy 175 points in weeks 5 and 6 and show no signs of slowing.  In fact, they're the only team to have scored 150+ points in at least 4 games.   

3.  Gang Green.  The hottest team outside of the Monkeys.  Team Green has also surged in standings despite a still somewhat mediocre record though they're much improved from their start.  Green will be without CMC for awhile but they can still put up points even after a heart breaking loss to the Monkeys in week 6.  

4.  Battle Angels.  Will's team is faltering a bit esp after two pretty mediocre games in Week 5 and 6.  Week 6 was the biggest dud with no player eclipsing the 20 point mark.  The team has been hurt by injuries to Kittle and Russel Wilson and also week 6 byes have not been kind but the Angels need a bit of a pick me up.  

5.  Custom J.  Josh's team is one of the biggest fallers since the Week 3 rankings.  They're still scoring well but a .500 record is mostly what impacts their lower power ranking score.  They did just win the hard fault brother matchup in week 6.  We think there's a lot more run for the Js and expect to see them a solid playoff contender.

6.  Crunch Bunch.  Eddie's team has been remarkably consistent with a week 6 blip as the only sign of weakness.  Sporting a 4-2 record, the only reason the Bunch is this far down the rankings is that they haven't truly had a breakout week like the teams above.  For the first 5 weeks, the Bunch has scored no less than 127 pts but also, no more than 137 points.  The breakout will come - give it time.  

7.  Phreaks.  Ping's team moved up a slot stemming mostly from a week 4 blow out week with 162 points.  That being said, the bottom 4 teams are clearly a step below the top 6 teams.  The Phreaks, Buffy, Mastermind and Jammers all sport a 2-4 record and have sub 120 pt/week averages.  

8.  Jammers.  Lei's team swapped with Ping's.   The Jammers have shown a bit of life after back to back 120+ pt showings.  Darrell Henderson has been a steal and Ja'Marr chase is the runaway ROY of the year.  There's definitely talent here but likely will take another year before we're talking playoffs.  

9.  Mastermind.   Similar to the Jammers, Mastermind has shown life the past two weeks.   This will be tricky with the Cowboys on a bye but Masterminds needs to start pulling out some wins.  

10.  Buffy.  Last time we wrote that Buffy really needs some of his unorthodox draft picks and keepers to payoff.  They haven't yet and unfortunately, Buffy remains in the cellar in these rankings.  They've really struggled to break the 100 pt mark in recent weeks but despite Hunt on IR, they are getting reinforcements in Bobby Trees showing some improvement, the return of Michael Thomas.  Who knows - its fantasy football!

2021 Power Rankings: WK3

With the first three games in the books, we're rolling out the CTDB 2021 power rankings which combines average score, score variance, and of course, win percentage.  We’ve got some teams rising back thanks to strong drafts and a few that definitely are work in progress. Without further ado:

1.  Custom J.   Josh's team is surging back after a very mediocre 2020 season.  Early picks of David Montgomery and TJ Hockenson have yielded reliable starters at the flex and TE positions and Custom J earns the top spot mostly due to his blow out week 1 performance of 182 points.  Josh is also tied for the best record and second highest average weekly scores.

2.  Battle Angels.  Will's team is a close second and is basically the opposite of Josh's Jekyll and Hyde team.  Angel's first 3 week scores - 136.6 , 138.5, 138.6.  He's consistently good   (and technically getting better!) Will's team has weathered a somewhat poor start with their running game with a strong pass game.  At this rate, Will might break 140 by week 5.

3.  Fat Jubas.  Eric's team has been our unluckiest team.  Despite having the league' highest average score of 148.4 points per week, the Jubas have only a 1-2 record to show for it.   While Carson and Taylor have been really disappointing, Kyler is the early favorite for MVP and Mike Williams has been the find of the draft so far (D'Andre Swift is probably a close 2nd).  Eric's team likely going to move up the rankings as his luck evens out so watch out rest of league

4.  Crunch Bunch.  Eddie's team came in to the draft strong and has started off the year strong.  He hasn't had a blow out week (highest score of 137.5) and hasn't seen really a bad week either.  Steady Eddie shall we say?  Ekeler and Aaron Jones have taken turns carrying the load while they wait for their pass game to come together.

5.  Chunky Monkeys.  The Monkeys have a very similar power rankings score to the Crunch Bunch except they've had a bit more variance to their weekly scores.  The running backs with Saquon and Antonio are showing life while the passing game is also hoping showing signs of improvement with finally a big game from Josh Allen in week 3.  If Tyreek and Diggs can combine for big games, the Monkeys just might have a shot.

6.  Jammers.  The league-drafted Jammers are showing some pop in their lineup (despite not playing Jamarr Chase!). They’re 2-1, had a strong score in week 2 and have shown an ability to put up some wins.  Key now is whether they can find a run game.  Gordon is in a time share and Singletary has regressed each week this season.  The team has talent and needs to get healthy - the Jammers are a borderline playoff team right now.

7.  Gang Green.  Last year's champion has had a middling start esp now with CMC hurt for a few weeks.  However, Green still sports a dangerous offense averaging nearly 135 points per week - good for 4th best in the league.  His power rankings mostly reflect Greg's 1-2 start but we wouldn't be surprised if Gang Green started pushing for a 1st week bye in the playoffs when the team gets healthy.

8.  Phreaks.  This is the part of the league that needs some work.  The next three teams average significantly lower scores and have some of the lowest weekly scores in the league so far (i.e. high variance).  Harris hasn't had quite the start the #1 overall pick was projected to have and Ping's Eagles-centric draft strategy really has hurt the team's onfield performance.  Devonta Smith, Eagles D and Jake Elliott have all been, well, bad.  If Najee and Javonte come on in the second half, that could make things interesting.

9.  Mastermind.   Mastermind has a very similar power ranking score to the Phreaks.  They haven't broken 130 yet and had a near-dud in week 3 with a score of 99.4 points (there've only been 4 scores under 100 this year). The team has some legit firepower with Brady/Dak at the helm but 50% of the bench is being occupied by QB, DEF and K players.  Mastermind needs another full time starter or two before we see them start climbing the ranks.

10.  Buffy.  Roger's had a tough start to the year after a self admitted 'unorthodox' draft.  Like Mastermind, Buffy hasn't been able to score more than 130 points a week and in fact, find themselves at the bottom of the rankings due to a horrific week 1 score of 72.8 points (only score under 90 so far this year).  Buffy doesn't have a standout player at any position - in fact, their best player in week 4 looks to be Chuba Hubbard who is slotting into a juicy role now that CMC is hurt.  Buffy really needs some of his 'unorthodox' keepers to start paying off - Tonyan, Steelers DEF have not delivered the goods so far.

Super Bowl XVIIII

Saquon Barkley, the Chunky Monkey's team captain, stepped up when it counted most.  The sophomore back tallied 422 yards and four touchdowns in the Monkey's two playoff games after disappointingly only accounting for 902 yards and three touchdowns the first fourteen weeks of the season. Barkley scored a season high 41.9 points in the championship game, culminating the in Monkey's fourth championship trophy in franchise history -- tying them with Dirty Birds for best in CTDB history.

The Monkeys overcame the feared Lamar Jackson (who should be the obvious MVP) and Mark Andrews stack who delivered with 62 points, but it wasn't quite enough for Custom J. Saquon and midseason waiver wire pick, Ryan Tannehill, delivered 74 combined points, which was the difference in the game. The Monkeys beat Custom J 139.2 - 123.8.

So how did the Monkeys get here?  After missing the playoffs with a near rock bottom 4-9 season in 2017, the Monkeys hit the lottery with their Toilet Bowl win by drafting Barkley with the first pick in 2018. The team finished 9-4 in 2018 improved to 10-3 this year, en route to its first championship in six years. [ Previous titles: 2006, 2010, 2013 ] In only his second year in the league, Barkley has set the pace for resetting the Monkeys franchise.

Along with the help of an emergent Chris Godwin and the ageless Tom Brady, the Pats defense led the charge for the Monkeys in the first part of the season.  The Patriots averaged sixteen points per game over the first eight weeks -- good enough to help the Monkeys to an 8-0 streak to start the season. While Brady and the Pats D eventually faded, it was good enough to secure the Monkeys a regular season second place finish and a first week playoff bye...and the rest is history.

The Monkeys have a bit of transformation more to do this off season. While Godwin has secured his spot on the keeper roster, there are a few question marks remaining. Hunter Henry failed to live up to expectations, Mark Ingram is on the wrong side of thirty, and is Stefon Diggs is really a WR2. For now though, the Monkeys can enjoy being the first franchise to four titles: no ties, no asterisks, just titles!

Some notable season highlights:

• Mark Ingram.  Gritty performance by the thirty year old running back. Ingram finished as the #8 back on season despite being an unheralded older keeper for the Monkeys. He was a steady starter all season and locked down an unseasonably turbulent running back corps especially when Barkley was out.
• Chris Godwin.  Probably the best pick of the draft.  Godwin was snagged at the end of the first round and ended up being the #2 overall WR behind Michael Thomas.
• Tom Brady. The Monkeys long planned to stream quarterbacks but Brady, like the Patriots D, gave the team a surprisingly steady hand at QB.  Brady was a team top three performer six out of the first eight weeks and played a big role in the team's roaring start to the season.
• Ryan Tannehill. A late season pick up that clinched the playoffs with two 30+ point performances, Tannehill was the lynchpin to the late season run especially after Brady faded late in the season.

As for Custom J, Josh's first season in CTDB has to counted as a huge success since they won the regular season crown by only losing one game all season. Led by Lamar Jackson, Nick Chubb, Leonard Fournette, DeAndre Hopkins, Joe Mixon, and Mark Andrews, Custom was close to a title but fell just a bit short. A new rivalry brews between them and Chunky and we'll see where Lamar can take them next season!

Super Bowl Preview 2019

#1 Custom J (12-1) vs #2 Chunky Monkeys (10-3)

Here we are, the first Cousin Bowl in CTDB history! It could have been a Brother Bowl but after Evan took our Eddie last week with a stellar 175.6 - 116.5 stomping, the stage is set for the best and second-best teams this season to face off in a Super Bowl XVIIII. (Yes, that’s nineteen!) Josh’s Custom J took care of business by taking out LA Buffy, 153.2 - 99.4, ending Roger’s upset hopes. Let’s take a look at the matchups.

QB: It’s Lamar Jackson versus Ryan Tannehill. While I haven’t been following football very closely this year, even I know that Lamar Jackson is the new MVP and mega superstar this season. So while there’s a Tannehill resurgence or something, we’re gonna go with the historic season from Jackson. Edge: Custom J

RB: Last year’s number one overall pick, Saquon Barkley powered Chunky Monkeys back to relevance but he’s going to have a tough time going up against fellow 2018 NFL draftee Nick Chubb. He’ll have Mark Ingram — the #8 rated back on the season — alongside him but Chubb has Leonard Fournette, giving Custom J two top ten backs. Still, we like Barkley’s upside and it’s possible that he and Ingram will have a standout Super Bowl. They’ll have to, for Monkeys to stand a chance. Both teams have flexed running backs, with Custom going with Joe Mixon and Monkeys starting Mike Boone. We’re pretty sure Mixon has been trash this year so I guess we’ll just go with big cousin Evan on this one… Edge: Chunky Monkeys

WR: Tannehill will have deep threats Tyreek Hill, Stefon Diggs, and Curtis Samuel facing off versus DeAndre Hopkins, Courtland Sutton, and Terry McLaurin. That, um, seems like a wash. Hill had a big game last weekend and he’ll have to again to keep up with Hopkins and Co. The big story here is who’s missing for both teams. Monkeys will be without the services for their number one receiver, Chris Godwin, while Custom doesn’t seem to be playing Cooper Kupp or Jarvis Landry. Will Josh’s big gamble on McLaurin turn out to be the right move? Edge: Even

TE: Ah, good old Hunter Henry. Did he finally break out this year? I guess being a top eight tight end means he sort of did, but it seems like his run of double digit scoring is over. He’ll be facing off against Mark Andrews, who is capable of multiple touchdowns and is Lamar Jackson’s safety net, meaning he averages about ten points a game. Edge: Custom J

DST/K: Where art though vaunted Patriots Defense? Monkeys rode the historic start by Patriots DST to the top of the league but they’ve been much less impressive of late. Even a matchup against the Bills might not be enough to push them back to their league crushing ways. While Custom J features the second best defense in the league in Pittsburgh, much of their success was earlier in the season as well. I guess we could talk about kickers then, with Evan’s Younghoe Koo going up against the second-best kicker in Will Lutz. I guess we’ll go with Chunky for this one, since in theory Patriots have more upside and we have to support our ex-Charger and still Korean Koo. Edge: Chunky Monkeys

Intangibles: Everything has lined up for Custom J to take the title this year. A stellar disbursement draft, a MVP candidate in Lamar Jackson. And most of all, the new/old Dirty Birds franchise has never lost to the Chunky Monkeys when its counted (is this even true? I want to say it is...) and we think cousin Josh will keep that streak alive. We predict a close win for Custom J!