Power Rankings: Week 12
Happy Thanksgiving, gentlemen!
May your turkey not be burned like Cole’s lineup. May your plate be chock-full of high upside entrees like Peter & Reese’s roster. May your stuffing not be over-salted like Hank’s attitude after losing four straight.
Loosen up your belt, save room for dessert, and don’t take your eye off the ball - because only two weeks remain! Perhaps it’s the recency bias talking, but I can’t think of another season that’s been as wide open. The talent gap between the top and the bottom is marginal at best. Hell, the 2nd place and 9th place teams are separated by a single game! The iron throne is anyone’s for the taking…. dibs!
Tom (8-4)
Last Week: 4th
Let us give thanks, for order has finally been restored. T$ is atop the power rankings once again. It just feels right, doesn’t it? Winners of six straight, and undefeated since Rashee Rice’s return to action. Assuming Drake London suits up, and if Jettas can do ANYTHING in the home stretch, then ring #3 should be well within reach. With a playoff spot nearly secured, one more win could be enough to secure a first round BYE. Can y’all tell I’m giddy?
Peter & Reese (7-5)
Last Week: 5th
Down week. Even a banger performance would have likely fallen short, as their Week 12 opponent posted a 160 burger. The L concluded an electric five game win streak, so it’s hardly time to panic. There are glaring red flags in the lineup - particularly at the WR position - but those holes are much less concerning when you can essentially bank on 70 points every week between Stafford, CMC, and Achane. When Pittman, Warren, and JMo also come through, this roster is difficult to top. Even at 7-5, as the highest scoring team in the league, a playoff spot is all but guaranteed.
Kyle (7-5)
Last Week: 3rd
Massive win. MASSIVE win. Especially with JT on BYE. Now with Hampton nearing his return from the sideline, Kyle is close to securing his long lost infinity stone. The FLEX is a question mark - as I imagine having to choose between Slayton, Monangai, and Rodriguez is a weekly back-and-forth battle. Quality players for sure, but that’s a matchup-based game of roulette. It would also be nice if DK could live up to his $150M contract. Up next is a GARGANTUAN matchup against an equally talented Brad Kelly-led franchise. The winner becomes a playoff lock. Grab your popcorn.
Brad (7-5)
Last Week: 7th
If Gibbs can mimic that performance again, we’re all toast. He’s so freaking fun to watch. Dude glides on turf like a bar of soap slides on your shower floor - shockingly fast with the potential for a fun surprise at the end! Davante Adams on the goal line has become McVay’s iteration of the tush push, and James Cook is quietly having a marvelous 2025b campaign. When Zay Flowers and Aaron Jones have success, BK’s lineup becomes close to unbeatable. The title is within reach!
Hank (6-6)
Last Week: 2nd
AHHHHHHHH!!!! PANIC! PANIC! PANIC! Panic! At The Disco. I don’t mean to write sins, but I must highlight these tragedies. The scholars will get that one. For weeks I wrote about Hank’s ability to pile up W’s without the help of his 2x MVP QB. Now that Lamar is back though, it begs the question - is he the problem? Lamar’s pedestrian November is compounded by a complete lack of production from Hock, Addison, and Pearsall. On the bright side, the short-handed last place team awaits in Week 13. Let’s go ahead and call this one a must win.
Devon (7-5)
Last Week: 1st
The Puka Pickens duo is nightmare material. It’s the best pair in the league, bar none. Pocket aces. Kittle and Henry have been equally impressive as of late. The loss of Kamara is hardly painful, as he wasn’t doing jack squat anyway. Devin Neal may even be better. A 7-7 finish might be enough to secure a playoff spot, but Devon would need help from others. Picking up a win in Week 13 is the surest path to his first playoff appearance since the inaugural championship campaign in 2018.
Pete (6-6)
Last Week: 10th
There are plenty of good teams in the league. In my opinion, the crown is entirely up for grabs. With that said, this is the team I least want to face in the postseason. Like a scalene triangle, Pete can come at you from a few different angles. 3 RB1s. Ja’Marr and Josh Allen could combine for 60 by themselves in any given week. The bench is stacked, and Wan’Dale Robinson is the WR11. Wan’Dale Freaking Robinson! WR11! Thankfully for the rest of us, the playoffs aren’t a given just yet. Pete needs at least one more win if he wants to make a run at everlasting glory.
Ryan (6-6)
Last Week: 8th
I dropped Kareem Hunt a few weeks ago, and thought nothing of it. No upside right? Surely that won’t bite me in the butt. WRONG. The KC kicker tailback has scored 5 touchdowns in the past 4 games, and has become one of Ryan’s most consistent contributors. It’s been a tough couple of weeks, but you have to admire the resilience. Losing BTJ and Maserati Marv to injury could have been a kill shot, but the likes of Jacoby Brissett, Alec Pierce, and Hunt have been more than serviceable. Week 13 is a big one, pitted against Bacich & Reeso who sit just one game ahead in the standings.
Chet & Mike (6-6)
Last Week: 6th
This team is good. Nothing more, nothing less. I might argue that Amon-Ra and Mahomes are the only “great” fantasy assets, while everyone else is “good”. For reference, these boys have topped 100 points just once over the past month. Ken Walker’s recent emergence gives the lineup an extra layer of oomph, but it’s hard to envision a stretch run in the playoffs unless Trey Benson comes back with a vengeance. But hey! 6-6 means you control your own destiny.
Case (5-7)
Last Week: 11th
We need to give this man a round of applause. Case has won 4 of 5 after an ABYSMAL 1-6 start. This guy was DOA in October, but he stacked one breath on top of another, and he now enters Week 13 with a puncher’s chance at a playoff berth. JSN and Trey McBride have been otherworldly, but the true hero as of late has been Michael Wilson - the reincarnation of Jerry Rice himself. If Case can win out while Pete, Mike, and Ryan fall apart - who knows what can happen! Putting up big numbers will be key though, as it’s likely that the 6th and final spot will come down to the points tiebreaker.
Cole (4-8)
Last Week: 9th
“What if?” Unfortunately, that’s been the overarching theme of JCW’s 2025 campaign. What if Bucky never got hurt? What if Terry didn’t aggravate his quad? What if Garret Wilson never hit IR? If it were September, I’d tell you this is the lineup to beat. But it’s late November, and the fat lady is singing.
Austin (3-9)
Last Week: 12th
You lost the trade. I can admit that now. But hey! Look at Treyveon go! With two weeks left, you have a unique opportunity to kill Hank and Kyle’s championship aspirations. Go get ‘em tiger! Dropping JJ McCarthy might be a good start.
