This is where I remind everyone that I told you so, about so many many things. It’s ok, I don’t expect you to listen. I fully expect you all to still say silly things like “The A’s are going to the world Series”, and the “Twins will beat the Yankees”. It’s going to happen, I know one article can’t change the world and make it better, but I’m still going to try.

Special Note: Out of respect for our Dodger fans, Pat and Chris, there will be no timely but inappropriate Dodger references in what follows. Nothing cheeky, no snark. In fact, before reading further, I ask that everyone in the league please take a moment of silence to remember what was the 2019 Dodger baseball season.

<Deep Breath>

and begin….

1. Blind Squirrels – UP 7 – “The core here should deliver as expected, and there is potential for the starting 3 WR’s to be very good”.  And that has been the case. But the ceiling has admittedly been higher than expected early on.  Leading the league in points and wins, who else could be #1?  Still, heading into the bye I have lingering doubts about the bench depth here.  If not for a strong manager with a proven track record, I’d call this #1 position tenuous at best.
2. Congo.natty – No Change – No change means I nailed this prediction right?  I hate it when the league rankings match the power rankings, but in this case it only makes sense.  If you remember I did say “This might be the best team on paper. No obvious weaknesses and a nice mix of upside and useful players on the bench.”  The useful players on the bench has proven most accurate, as the Nats have managed consistent production despite a few players underproducing. With injuries starting to set in, now the true tests come.
3. Niners R Metal – Down 2 – “Talkie Two Belts; the King, Emperor, and Sultan of Mr. Talkies Egotistical World”. Well all that is definitely still true.  No longer in the top spot, but still right in the mix after producing the highest single week score of all time with 247. So yes, NRM’s best day, is still truly unbeatable, but there has been some early season inconsistency and a few underwhelming picks that have knocked them down a peg. It happens, lets not be to hard on them.
4. Just Win Baby – Down 1 – Yep, pretty much exactly how I called it again.  “A damn scary roster honestly, but I see the holes.” Hilariously, the one Raider Joe didn’t pick up “Waller” is probably the guy he should have.  Considering the #1 pick has been out most of the year with an injury, and AJ Green isn’t even back yet, we may not even have seen the best version of Just Win Baby yet.  However, the holes mentioned have not yet been filled, and at times so far they have been glaring.
5. Kali Kine – No Change – Yet another team right where I said it would be.  Some may say this slot is controversial, overhyped just to demonstrate how prescient my Power Rankings truly are.  Pfft. Yes, Herb is 8th in the standings and middling in points, but they are headed in the right direction as the winners of 2 straight .  I may have implied his roster was ho-humm with statements like “Lindsey and Moore and Fitzgerald who just seem really unlikely to win you a league.”, but those players have been mostly ho-humm.  What hasn’t been ho-humm, was the acquisition of Dj Chark (doo doo, da doo doo doo) who will bring some sizzle to the Kali Kine roster now that Jacksonville’s offense has finally been semi-unlocked.
6. Big Lunch – No Change – “No change” again… it’s almost like I knew what I was doing.  If anything doing these every 5 weeks gives things a chance to settle and the accuracy of my forecasting to really surface. It grows better like an aging wine.  “This is the worst wide receiving core I’ve seen on a Big Lunch team.” True. In fact, huge ceilings, pitiful lows, this team has been all over the map this year.  Nevertheless, with McCaffery looking like a league winning type of RB and one of the league’s most proven Coaches at the helm, this is still one of the more dangerous teams and I’d be more likely to bet on them moving further up than further down.
7. Sweet Baby Jesus – Up 3 – Ranking is simple here.  If I look at the next six teams in the league, this is the one I’d least like to face.  I said the running game after Aaron Jones was a “debacle”, and I was right. Still, a few good trends have started to emerge, most noticeably Aaron Jones has shown he can truly dominate in the running game, and that puts a lot less pressure on his RB2.  If Odell can start to gel better with Baker in the second half, this team will contend for the playoffs for sure.
8. Miki’s Mokes – Down 5 – Despite pretty meager points and a brutal 1- 4 start that will be hard to overcome, there are still some pieces to work with.  I might have got it wrong (hey, I’m human) with “it’s a surprisingly safe group for the Mokes”, as none of the players have been particularly consistent or safe.  Still, the Lions have been a nice surprise, Freeman’s role has started producing, and the Moke’s know what they’re doing.  Playoffs feel like a stretch, but I don’t see a Bromo contender here.
9. Ronan Machines – The Machines might have been a little underrated.  I think I may have said a slightly derogatory thing or two. “You simply can’t play Fantasy Football for 10+ years and come away from a draft with Ronald Jones as your RB3.”  But it was trueeeeeee. You can’t do that… but it may just work, with Jones starting to settle into a nice role on a good offense. There are some significant fantasy pieces starting to standout on this team with Allen, Chubb, Boyd and White all giving what you’d expect or hope for.  Game script has been great for Goff. Who knows what can happen, they might be just one move away from being in real contention.
10. Z’Smashmouths – Down 3 – I’m kinda being harsh on myself with this ranking.  Did I really miss by 3 on this team? They are 6th in the rankings, surely I could find an excuse to move them higher?  No… I really can’t. I just don’t see a team that’s coming together, more one that’s trying to hang in there and has had some good fortune with H2H matchups.  Sutton has been a nice development, and Johnson and Evans can have a big day, but the QB play has been a struggle, and I neither see anyone performing like a league winner nor any names that are about to on this roster.  If someone wants to question my bias they could swap Z’Smashies and the Mokes and make a case for it I guess, both these teams feel kinda the same.  
11. El Paso Roughnecks – No Change – Another prognostication spot on the money.  If you remember, I rested El Paso’s fortunes on the extent to which Brees was able to lead this team, and Brees is currently out for half the season.  Elliot and Henry are a very stable core which can win some games, but the QB play of Rivers has been uninspiring, and the receivers are all over the map as predicted.  There is still room for hope, but while forever our inaugural champion, the track record for El Paso hasn’t been good in recent years.
12. Jake & Elwood Blues – Down 3 – I didn’t rank J&E very highly in the first place, but this is uncharted territory for a team that had been dominant from 2015-2017.  Everything about the Blues has been properly sad so far, so this ranking should be no surprise. Still some very viable players on the roster, but overall the coaching staff is going to have to outscheme their opponents to stay out of the Bromo. (it’s ugly, and heavy, you don’t want it)