Week 8 Playoff Picture

After seven games, here we are:

American Conference:

1. Team Vote 4 Pedro (6-1) – Takes over the top spot after beating the Cocks last week.
   Has a 2-game division lead over the Assassins and LOBs.
   
2. Fighting Cocks (5-2) – Falls to #2 after picking up their second loss. Has the largest divisional lead of any division leader, up 3 over the second place Boobs.
   
3. Avalon Park Assassins (4-3) – Tied with division rival LOBs for the record-based playoff spot, the Assassins are here based on their total points. Despite seeing their overall average score drop by nearly five points, the Assassins still lead the league in scoring and lead the next closest non-division leader by more than 170 points.
   
4. The Legend of Bo (4-3) – Increased their lead over the Boobs, now holding a 97-point advantage.
   

Outside looking in:

• Estelle Getty's Boobs (2-5) – The Boobs will need to pick up the scoring, with time running out on their chances based on their record.
  
• Auburn Hills Alley Cats (0-7) – Their playoff hopes continue to get bleaker. They are not mathematically eliminated based on record and there's always the hope that they blow up points-wise (they're 144 points out of the last playoff spot).
  

This picture hasn't changed much, other than the top two teams swapping places. In fact, these teams actually strengthened their playoff chances this past week.

National Conference:

1. Amesbury Lake Armadillos (6-1) – Still feeling the heat from the Turtleheads with a 1-game lead in the ND2, but won a big matchup against the WOPs last weekend.
   
2. Wings of Pastrami (4-3) – ND1 lead shrunk to one game after a loss to the Armadillos and a Pricks victory.
   
3. Floating Turtleheads (5-2) – Continuing their strong play, the Turtleheads trail the Armadillos by a game, yet lead the conference in scoring.
   
4. Afton Creek Monsters (2-5) – Saw about 10 points shaved off their lead in total points over the Pricks.
   

Outside looking in:

• Cottonwood Hills Pricks (3-4) – Still 2 games back of the WOPs, but a little closer to the 4-seed after gaining some ground on the Monsters.
  
• Reflection Ra-Tards (1-6) – The lowest scoring team in the league also faces a 5-game deficit within the division. 192+ points out of the last playoff spot.
  

The National Division 1 is shaping up to be a very intriguing matchup. No team has run away with the division, and there is only about 30 points difference between the top team (WOPs) and the bottom team (Pricks, scoring-wise). With the Armadillos and the Turtleheads looking in good shape, if things hold, we're going to have three fairly even teams fighting for two playoff spots.

Week 7 Hawkins Power Rankings

1. Assassins (3-3, last week's rank: 1) – All the Assassins did in a Week 6 loss to the Legend of Bo was increase their league-leading scoring average to 169.9 per game. The record is deceptive—the Assassins have yet to put up under 130 and have cracked the 190 mark three times, something no other team has done. To put this in perspective, half the league's teams have yet to even reach that mark once. Concern: This team has pinned its hopes on the Texans' offense (Schaub, Slaton, and Johnson). If the Texans falter, will the Assassins?
   
2. Wings of Pastrami (4-2, last week's rank: 6) – The WOPs have reeled off three straight W's, with last week's 200+ point outing being their most impressive of the year (and that was without starting QB Tony Romoand star WR Calvin Johnson). This makes them the highest risers on this week's HPR. As long as this team's stable of WRs continues to produce, it should put up big numbers. Concern: How confident can a team feel about its playoff run with Pierre Thomas and Clinton Portis as the guys at RB? **EDITOR'S NOTE: This was written prior to the WOPs trade of Romo and Portis for Warner and Jacobs, but you might be able to substitute Jacobs for Portis in the above concern, at this point, since Jacobs has yet to get untracked.**
   
3. Cocks (5-1, last week's rank: 3) – Week 6 illustrated some of the concerns we've had with this team—Benson and NYG's Steve Smith were somewhat held in check, and the result was an "adequate" 120-point outing. That said, it was still a win (and it was done without Frank Gore), and it gave the Cocks a sizable 3-game division lead, setting this team up nicely for a playoff push. Concern: The same as last week: How comfortable are the Cocks relying on Cedric Benson and Steve Smith?
   
4. Vote 4 Pedro (5-1, last week's rank: 4) – The Pedros put up their highest score of the week last week, making the HPR's look prophetic, as Brady and Welker exploded. Unfortunately, Brady and Welker don't face the Titans' D every week (and the Pats still have a bye week upcoming), but it's an encouraging sign. Brady alone can propel a team to success. Team him with an elite TE in Gates and an Ochocinco-of-old, and this team looks promising. Concern: There are several, as is the case with most of the teams from here on down the list. For one, the Ravens D/ST has looked pedestrian of late (the Pedros picked up the Bills from waivers this week, and that squad has only score ONE fewer fantasy point than the Ravens). Also, there are major question marks at RB, as LT put up a season high 11.5 points this week. Barber is the team's go-to back, but he's had some health issues lately. Can a team win without an elite RB?
   
5. Armadillos (5-1, last week's ranking: 2) – We don't want to overreact to one bad week (and it was a bad one: sub-80 points bad), but the Week 6 loss illustrates the concerns this team has. Manning was on a bye and Peterson and Owen Daniels were the only Armadillos to put up more than 11 points. Now, Manning, Peterson, and the Vikes' D/ST (plus Daniels) is a good core, but this team needs all of those players to step up every week, and we all know what can happen when you rely on Peterson down the stretch. Concern: This team has only one WR in the top-40 in points scored, and that receiver, Burleson, has had only one 100-yd game and hasn't cracked the top-15, despite not having had a bye yet.
   
6. Floating Turtleheads (4-2, last week's ranking: 6) – Not much has changed from last week following the Turtleheads big win over the Armadillos (which pulls them within a game of the division lead), though I suppose that alone could be a case for them being ahead of the Armadillos. This week could get ugly with Warner facing a tough Giants defense and Flacco on a bye, but with Hines Ward surpassing expectations and Michael Turner playing well (a TD in four straight games), things are holding steady for the Turtleheads. Concern: Brandon Jacobs has yet to crack the 100-yd mark and only has 1 TD; when the weather turns cold and teams look more to the running game (except the Patriots, apparently), does this affect a team relying heavily on the arm of Flacco and the hands of Ward, Vincent Jackson (although weather in SD may not be an issue), and Greg Jennings? **EDITOR'S NOTE: Again, the Turtleheads-WOP trade changes this things slightly, but not a lot.**
   
7. Legend of Bo (3-3, last week's ranking: 7) – The bitter taste of Week 5's embarrassing 65-point loss still remains, despite a big win against the rival (and top-ranked) Assassins. The LOBs 200+ point output was the second time this team has reached 190 or more, a feat unmatched by any other team but the aforementioned Assassins. Until this team shows it on a consistent basis, though, they'll remain in the middle of a strong group of mid-tier teams, rankings-wise. Concern: Inconsistency and an underperforming WR corps. It's difficult to believe that a group consisting of Boldin, Braylon Edwards, Steve Smith, and DeSean Jackson has yet to produce a week-in, week-out threat.
   
8. Cookie Monsters (2-4, last week's rankings: 8) – The Monsters thought their ranking last week was a little generous. Well, they could make a case that this week is a little too harsh, as this team has notched season-high scores in back-to-back weeks. The acquisition of Ben Roethlisberger has turned the Monster's fortunes around and made them a dangerous team to face. Concern: Outside of Roddy White, there's not a lot of WR depth on this team. Manningham's played well, but most of his value so far has been tied to his ability to produce TDs; can he keep that up?
   
9. Pricks (2-4, last week's ranking: 9) – Like the Boobs below them, this team is actually performing adequately, scoring-wise. The Pricks have increased their score each of the last three weeks, yet all three were losing efforts. And before we get too excited about this scoring trend, we should mention that last week was a season high, and it was still a hair shy of 160 points. Concern: A popular preseason sleeper, Carson Palmer has yet to put up more than 275 yards passing and has thrown multiple TDs only twice. All this adds up to him being the 16^th-ranked fantasy QB. Why do I say this? He's the Pricks' best QB.
   
10. Estelle Getty's Boobs (2-4, last week's rank: 5) – The bubble burst a little on the Boobs, as they are the league's biggest fallers in the HPR this week. A week after putting up a season high 171.8 points, the Boobs sagged to a middling 101.5. There's still good talent on this team, so a run isn't out of the question, but for now, we must face the fact that this is a team that has yet to string together back-to-back wins. Concern: Amazingly, Ryan Grant has scored in double-digits every game this season; yet, the strongest RB on this team's roster is a backup, Giants RB Ahmad Bradshaw. The Boobs continue to need Forte to step up his production.
    
11. Alley Cats (0-6, last week's ranking: 11) – The losing continues, as the Cats dropped another tough game, this time to the Pedros. Once again, the Cats put up a respectable score, going over the 140-pt threshold, yet they were, once again, outscored. The Cats have now have the highest points-against total in the league, at 999. To put that in perspective, only three other teams have had 900 or more points scored against them. Concern: For all that "respectable scoring," this team is still 11^th in the league in total points, so while the Cats can perhaps hang with other teams (I wouldn't be surprised to see them get multiple Ws still this season), they're don't have the firepower to blow anyone out.
12. Ra-Tards (1-5, last week's ranking: 12) – The Ra-Tards got back on the right side of 100 points this week, but couldn't out-duel the Monsters, dropping their 4^th straight. Once again Brees was the main contributor, with nearly half of the Tards point total (no other player put up over 20). They don't face a team with a winning record again until Week 10, so maybe the Tards can establish some momentum. Concern: Westbrook and Parker have been major disappointments at the RB spot and the team's two best WRs, Cotchery and Harvin (that says something right there), are dinged up. Maybe Brees can put up 100 this week.

best / worst draft choices

Half way points are a good way to speak your mind and hedge your bets. If you say "this guy has been awesome" and then he sucks the rest of the way, we'll you we right at least half the time.

Round by round best / worst choices

1st round
Best - Mo Jones Drew
Worst - Matt Forte

2nd Round
Best - Ronnie Brown
Worst - Steve Smith (Car)

3rd Round
Best - Aaron Rogers
Worst - Roy E Williams

4th Round
Best - Vincent Jackson
Worst - Darren McFadden

5th Round
Best - Dallas Clark
Worst - Derrick Ward

6th Round
Best - Matt Schuab
Worst - Donnie Avery

7th Round
Best - Cedric Benson
Worst - Lendale White

8th Round
Best - Knowshon Moreno
Worst - Chris Wells

9th Round
Best - NY Giants D/ST
Worst - Michael Crabtree

10th Round
Best - R Mendenhall
Worst - Willis McGahee

11th Round
Best - Ben Rothlisburger
Worst - Earnest Graham

12th Round
Best - Joe Flacco
Worst - Chester Taylor

13th Round
Best - Colts HC
Worst - Chargers HC

14th Round
Best - Vernon Davis
Worst - TENN HC

15th Round
Best - Saints HC
Worst - Derrius Haywood Bay

16th Round
Best - Steve Smith (NYG)
Worst - Jake Delhomme

17th Round
Best - SF D/ST
Worst - Joey Galloway

18th Round
Best - ARI S/ST
Worst - Chad Pennington

19th Round
Best - Denver HC
Worst - Issac Bruce

20th Round
Best - Nate Washington
Worst - Michael Vick

Week 7 Playoff Picture

Playoff Picture

We're nearly at the halfway point of the regular season (6 weeks down, 7 to go), and it's never too early to start thinking about the playoffs. (Okay, there probably is a time when it's too early, and we may still be in this time, but it's fun to look at anyway.) If the playoffs began today, here's the breakdown. (We'll update this weekly from here on out.)

American Conference:

1. Fighting Cocks (5-1) – Owns the top spot by virtue of Division 2-leading 5-1 record and more total points than the Division 1-leading Pedros. Key matchup this week against the Pedros. Dark cloud: Has yet to face a team who currently has a winning record. (Opponents' record? 10-20)
   
2. Team Vote 4 Pedro (5-1) – Trails the top-seeded Cocks by about 70 total points, with a key H2H matchup this week likely factoring into the playoff-seeding picture. Dark cloud: Only managed a split with divisional foe The Legend of Bo and trails the other divisional foe, the Assassins, by nearly 180 total points.
   
3. Avalon Park Assassins (3-3) – Firmly settled into a playoff spot right now by way of total points; the Assassins have outscored the next closest team by over 100 points and have given the top-seeded Cocks their only loss. Dark cloud: All three of the Assassins' losses have come within the division, including a sweep at the hands of the Pedros.
   
4. The Legend of Bo (3-3) – Leads Estelle Getty's Boobs by 65 total points to slide into the last spot. Dark cloud: Among the league, only the hapless Ra-Tards have had a lower scoring game than the LOB's Week 5 65-point disaster.
   

Outside looking in:

• Estelle Getty's Boobs (2-4) – Being 3 games back in the record department (and 0-2 against division-leading Cocks) means this team needs to score big in the coming weeks. Trails the LOBs by 65 total points.
  
• Auburn Hills Alley Cats (0-6) – Getting in based on record is probably a lost cause, at this point. The Alley Cats trail 4^th-seed LOBs by a little over 100 points.
  

Oddity: If these rankings hold true, American Division 1 will send all three representatives to the playoffs.

National Conference:

1. Amesbury Lake Armadillos (5-1) – Holds a one-game lead over 2^nd-seeded Wings of Pastrami with a key H2H battle against them this week. Also leads the conference in scoring (despite a 79-point effort this week), so a playoff spot is looking good right now. Dark cloud: Has only a 1-game divisional lead over the Turtleheads and gained only a split in two H2H matchups against this divisional rival.
   
2. Wings of Pastrami (4-2) – Leads ND1 by two games, is 3-1 in the division, and is presiding over a 3-game winning streak. After a victory over the Turtleheads last week, a win against the Armadillos this week pushes the WOPs into the top seed. Dark cloud: A 1.6-pt heartbreaker to division foe Pricks might factor into the playoff picture.
   
3. Floating Turtleheads (4-2) – After a throttling of the division-leading Armadillos, the Turtleheads are now a game back in the division. They only trail the Armadillos by 11.5 total points and lead the 2^nd-seeded WOPs by about 4 total points. Dark cloud: 3 of 4 wins have come against teams with a losing record.
   
4. Afton Creek Monsters (2-4) – Two games off the mark, record-wise, the Monsters are in right now via their total score, which is 33.5 points better than the Pricks. This point spread over the Pricks was greatly aided by a 40.5 win over the Pricks in Week 5. Dark cloud: Faces only two more matchups against teams that currently have a losing record.
   

Outside looking in:

• Cottonwood Hills Pricks (2-4) – Two games back of the division lead and trailing the Monsters in total points. The Pricks face only two teams with a winning record (as of now) from here on out.
  
• Reflection Ra-Tards (1-5) – A four-game slide and back-to-back sub-55 point games means the playoff picture is bleak for this team no matter who you slice it. A matchup against the Pricks this week could provide a little momentum, though.
  

Oddity: Once again the American Division looks a little stronger than the National, as the National's best team, the Armadillos, has still scored about 51 points less than the American Division's #2 team and is only about 23 points better than the #4 seed from the American Division.

Interestingly enough, the schedule was set up to pit teams against their division early on, so all the games featuring divisional opponents are done. There are only a few games featuring teams from the same conference, so making up ground in the standings could become a little more difficult.

New Hawkins Power Rankings

1. Assassins (3-2) – The Assassins have the highest scoring average in the league (165/ppg), and this isn't the case of a team who has blown up a few weeks and had mediocre performances the rest of the time; the Assassins have yet to put up less than 130 in any week. The Assassins are the only team to post multiple 190+ point games, and they've done it with balance, with a top-10 fantasy scorer at every major position (i.e. everything but the kicker). Their downfall so far? Both losses have come to the division-leading Pedros. (And they should be embarrassed for starting JaMarcus Russell at any point in the season.)
   
2. Armadillos (5-0) – The Armadillos, the three-headed monster of Manning, Peterson, and the Vikings D/ST, has carried this team to a perfect record. With these three in the lineup, big scores are always a possibility, and steady scores are nearly guaranteed. (The Armadillos have yet to score under 138.) Beyond those three players there is not a lot to get excited about with this team, although Owen Daniels will likely be a top-10 TE at the end of the year. Manning's bye week this week will tell us a lot about this team.
   
3. Cocks (4-1) – I wanted to hedge and put them at a tie for the #2 spot, but I'm still having a hard time buying into the staying power of a team relying so heavily upon Cedric Benson. So far, though, Benson looks for real, and he's helped the Cocks reach at least 138 points every week. Benson is joined by the underrated Derrick Mason and the potential steal of the draft, Steve Smith (the one with the Giants) to make the Cocks a success story. The only reason this team is #3 and not #2 is that they're relying on some fairly unproven fantasy players, raising questions about the Cocks' future.
   
4. Vote 4 Pedro (4-1) – In this team's two lowest-scoring contests, they split games with middle-of-the-pack Legend of Bo. Yet, the Pedros have found a way to beat the top-ranked Assassins twice, and also scored a W against those respectable Boobs of Estelle Getty. With the exception of Week 1, Brady hasn't looked very Brady-like. When he comes around (and it's a matter of when, not if), Wes Welker likely comes with him, and then this team looks even better.
   
5. Estelle Getty's Boobs (2-3) – The Boobs have been real, if not yet spectacular. There's more talent on the roster than the team's two wins show, but it's only a matter of time before the combination of Matt Forte, Terrell Owens, Dwayne Bowe, and Matt Ryan start producing more W's. Of course, many if not all of those players have question marks, so this ranking might be more speculation than anything. In reality, this team's only wins have come against the lowly Alley Cats, but they've increased their output the last two weeks, a promising trend.
   
6. Floating Turtleheads (3-2) – While Kurt Warner looks to have been overrated on draft day, Vincent Jackson, Hines Ward, and Joe Flacco have been good "finds" (if 4^th and 5^th rounders like Jackson and Ward can be classified as "finds"). The result of their play is a winning record for the Turtleheads, even if two of those wins have come against the struggling Ra-Tards.
   
7. Wings of Pastrami (3-2) – The first team on this list with a sub-100 point game, the WOPs are an enigma. They'll put up 140 one week, only to score under 100 the next, then come back to put up 170 in the next. The WOPS beat the Turtleheads in their only H2H matchup, so there might be room for controversy here. The team has made a series of trades in an attempt to patch some potential holes (perhaps a sign that their own owner is not yet confident in his team), but if Romo doesn't play with more consistency, it could be an interesting year for the WOPs. As of now, another championship run looks questionable.
   
8. Legend of Bo (2-3) – A tough loss against the rival Assassins, in which the LOBs put up nearly 195 points, makes the W/L record a bit deceiving, but that doesn't hide the fact that this team put up an embarrassing 65 points last week. The Ray Rice for Steve Smith (the CAR one) trade was a risky gamble, but if it works, this team has one fewer hole, and should put up consistent numbers on the other side of the bye weeks. A payback win against the Assassins this week might help this team move up the rankings.
   
9. Cookie Monsters (1-4) – This team got on the right side of the win column for the first time last week with an impressive 180-point output. Roethlisberger has been huge, and Roddy White finally put up a big week, so maybe things are turning around for the Monsters. That said, the team is only 1-3 within the division, so more 180-pt efforts are what it will likely take to make a playoff trip a reality.
   
10. Pricks (2-3) – The Pricks are actually 2-1 in their division, with wins against each division opponent. However, they've yet to score over 140 (okay, 140.1 to be exact) and they lost a key H2H matchup against the Monsters last week. They're also the lowest scoring team in their division. Finally, the roster is a bit of a mess with four QBs and Michael Crabtree all languishing on the bench. Crabtree sees his first NFL action this week; does this mean better things are ahead for the Pricks?
    
11. Alley Cats (0-5) – The first of the two cellar-dwelling Richardson Bros., the Alley Cats have yet to post a W. However, this team has been a hard-luck loser in a couple of contests, putting up 150+ and 140+ in losing efforts. Manning the Younger has proven to be a better fantasy QB than many anticipated, and if his Giants can keep from blowing folks out, that asset may be even greater for the Cats. Acquiring fantasy's #3 RB in Ray Rice may also give this team a boost.
    
12. Ra-Tards (1-4) – Where to begin? Has there ever been a fantasy team whose success relied on one player more than the Tards? This team could be named the Breeses. As Brees has slowed, so have the Tards. The decision to designate Brees as a keeper looked genius after a 180-pt effort in Week 1 (of which Brees contributed 76.6!), even though that outage wasn't enough to produce a W. However, Brees has slowed in recent weeks, and the Tards have failed to crack 54 points in the last two contests. As a result, the Tards have scored nearly 100 points less than the next lowest-scoring team. The Tards have faced the most difficult schedule in the league (opponents' record: 19-6), so perhaps things will get turned around in the weeks ahead.