Week 11 Rankings, 2012

We’ve hit the home stretch of the regular season, with only two more games to go. And the playoff race has started to shake itself out. At the top, Chalice and Sack Attack have all but clinched the top two spots and the CPCs thrilling win last week gives them the edge for the number one seed. At the bottom, the Cacti and Minions are definitely out, barring the Minions somehow making up 140+ points on the 8th seeded team (not happening).  Spots 3-7 look very fluid right now; the Schmucks and Mutants have punched their playoff tickets but have fewer points than the next three teams and so could easily slip down with a loss or two. The final playoff slot looks to come down to a coin flip between the Yaks and the Cheeseburgers, with Chi lurking on the outside in case of a collapse by both. However it winds up, it’s looking like a thrilling two weeks!

12. Cactus watch out! (Steve S.)
Average Ballot Position: 12.0 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 9
Standings: 12
W-L: 1-10
Giving thanks for: a good effort last week, and two more chances to avoid tying the league’s all-time futility mark (Minions, last year).

11. Minions (Chris)
Average Ballot Position: 11.0 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 7
Standings: 11
W-L: 3-8
Giving thanks for: this unlucky season being nearly over. And somehow managing to field a full team nearly every week despite being a magnet for the IR list.

10. Bacon Cheeseburgers (Andy K.)
Average Ballot Position: 9.3 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 6
Standings: 9
W-L: 4-7
Giving thanks for: the league’s easiest schedule, which has kept them in the playoff hunt despite a rather mediocre campaign.

9. Yakety Sacks (Jaron)
Average Ballot Position: 8.0 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 8
Standings: 8
W-L: 5-6
Giving thanks for: a huge win last week over the Cheeseburgers, giving them the edge in the race for the final playoff spot and a chance to make magic happen.

8. Chi Don't Dance (Luke)
Average Ballot Position: 7.5 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 10
Standings: 10
W-L: 4-7
Giving thanks for: a shocking upset over the Stars last week keeping their season alive. It’s still on life support, as they need an even bigger upset this week to take down the Carnage, but the fat lady hasn’t quite made it onstage, yet.

7. Obese Geese (Steve E.)
Average Ballot Position: 6.3 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 5
Standings: 6
W-L: 6-5
Giving thanks for: free agency, which (along with a solid trade or two) has kept this aggressive team relevant and dangerous throughout the season.

6. MutantMennoMarauders (Brett)
Average Ballot Position: 6.0 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 11
Standings: 4
W-L: 7-4
Giving thanks for: the Bears defense, which seemed like a pretty big reach in the 8th round, but has far outperformed expectations. How many more wins will it carry them to?

4. The Schmuckernators (Jason)
Average Ballot Position: 5.3 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 12
Standings: 3
W-L: 7-4
Giving thanks for: the ineptitude of Yahoo’s Power Rankings. They’re completely inaccurate when it comes to this team, and allows them to feel the thrill of being an underdog when they shouldn’t be.

4. Z Power (Andy G.)
Average Ballot Position: 5.3 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 3
Standings: 7
W-L: 5-6
Giving thanks for: that week 2 squeaker over the CPCs. Without that victory, this pretty good team might find themselves on the outside needing help to make the playoffs. But they did win, and while they’re not completely in the clear, they’ve got a pretty good chance to get in and then to make a solid run.

3. Stars (Dan B. H.)
Average Ballot Position: 4.0 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 2
Standings: 5
W-L: 6-5
Giving thanks for: experienced players not experiencing that old age drop off. Reggie Wayne, Michael Turner, and especially Tony Gonzalez have kept this team humming rather nicely all year.

2. Sack Attack SuperPAC (Danny K.)
Average Ballot Position: 2.5 (0)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 4
Standings: 2
W-L: 9-2
Giving thanks for: a strong draft, where after trading away a bunch of early picks they basically got lucky with a few picks that absolutely needed to pan out: A. J. Green in the 3rd, Stevan Ridley in the 7th, and heck, even the league’s best kicker in the middle of the 15th.

1. ChalicePastryCarnage (Adam)
Average Ballot Position: 1.0 (4)
Yahoo Power Ranking: 1
Standings: 1
W-L: 9-2
Giving thanks for: RGIII being better than Vick ever was. And AP recovering from the ACL so fast. And the joy that comes from having the league’s best team for the first time in seven years (and it’s not really that close, even). It’s been a blessed season for the CPCs.