The theme of week 9’s power ranking’s is…remaining SOS (Strength of Schedule). The higher ranked the SOS, the stronger the remaining opponents. The lower ranked the SOS, the weaker the remaining opponents.
1. Knockn On Evans Door (↔️)
Record: 8–1
Remaining SOS: E-Z-P-Z (14th)
Danny has had an easy schedule so far, and it looks like the remaining schedule will only get easier. But this team’s record is far from a byproduct of the schedule. Even if this squad was projected to get the 6th seed in the playoffs, it would still be the overwhelming favorite to win the championship. Also, Kamara, Cooper, and Mahomes have yet to be deployed together. 😬
2. Revenge of Charky (↔️)
Record: 6–3
Remaining SOS: Coasting Time (11th)
Jesse has faced the 6th easiest schedule so far, and the remaining schedule gets even easier. Jesse’s team dodged a major bullet by trading away the Cardinals RB’s right at the nick of time. Armed with Michael Thomas, Jesse has found his elite receiver. He has slack in his schedule to play whac-a-mole with his receivers:
3. Parris Hilton (↑3)
Record: 5–4
Remaining SOS: Challenging (5th)
Gordon’s squad has had a difficult schedule so far, and the schedule will remain similarly difficult. Fournette’s recent allergy to the end zone is not helping. Thankfully, Singletary and Melvin returned strong RB2 performances (combining for 48.90 points) to bring some calm to Gordon’s RB committee.
4. Vincent’s Team (↓1)
Record: 5–4
Remaining SOS: Challenging (6th)
Vincent’s Team faces a decently challenging climb, holding the 6th most difficult remaining schedule. Despite the recent success streak, Yahoo projections has Vincent’s Team narrowly missing the playoffs. The projections are low on Mixon (and possibly McKissic?). The league still likes this team’s chances to make the playoffs, especially with Barkley in his arsenal.
5. Hyde Yo Chubb (↓1)
Record: 5–4
Remaining SOS: Coasting Time (12th)
PC has had the easiest schedule, but the schedule is only going to get harder— though not much harder. Facing the 12th easiest remaining schedule, PC’s squad may not even feel much of a difference. Thankfully, with explosion games from Godwin and Chubb, PC has been able to capitalize on weak matchups. Chubb is currently a top running back option, though he has barely exceeded 10 PPR points in three of his past four games. With Hunt returning soon, this squad’s playoff strength could be waning.
6. ReleaseMe (↑2)
Record: 4–5
Remaining SOS: Coasting Time (10th)
Having faced the most difficult schedule in the league so far, the infamous “schedule matrix” gives Sammy a break with a weak slate of remaining opponents. There may be playoff seeding tie that could very well be decided by points scored. As one of the top scoring teams in the league, the record doesn’t reflect the quality of Sammy’s team. This upcoming schedule might help improve that perception.
7. ZEKE is my cow (↓2)
Record: 4–5
Remaining SOS: Challenging (4th)
Having already faced the 2nd most difficult schedule, Caleb’s team is hoping to catch a breath. Caleb’s squad faces the 4th most difficult remaining schedule. With a strong and balanced team, Caleb’s chances of overcoming the competition and making the playoffs still remain solid, largely due to Diggs and Sutton’s rise in value over the past month.
8. SBBEndgame (↓1)
Record: 5–4
Remaining SOS: Hell (3rd)
The first half of SBB’s endgame scenario was easy, but the second half is projected to be one of the most difficult schedules in the league. While the playoff calculator had given SBBEndgame a very high probability of making the playoffs (>90%), the loss of Kerryon Johnson (and possibly Adam Thielen) combined with the 3rd most difficult remaining schedule puts that playoff berth in jeopardy.
9. pop_$ecret (↔️)
Record: 4–5
Remaining SOS: Average (9th)
This squad has faced the 4th most difficult schedule so far, and it gets a little bit easier with an average schedule. A tie may also be a difficult path to the playoffs with several teams boasting above average points scored. If Mahomes is back sooner than later, that would certainly nanoboost Tyreek and Watkins’ ceilings (Watkins has 12 receptions over his two games since returning from injury).
10. Revenge of the Cooks (↑1)
Record: 4–5
Remaining SOS: E-Z-P-Z(13th)
Kong’s squad faced an average schedule, and the remaining slate gets easier. The projections like this squad’s chances of making it to the playoffs. The acquisition of Pascal was key for keeping those odds alive. The projections also like the chances of Le’Veon playing up to pre-draft RB1 expectations, and with an easy remaining schedule, that is within realm of possibility.
11. why so derrius? (↑1)
Record: 4–5
Remaining SOS: Hell (1st)
Ramon has had the second easiest schedule, but hasn’t been able to fully capitalize with a 4–5 record. It will be a challenging climb moving forward with the toughest remaining schedule, but Ramon’s bid for J. Samuels several weeks ago is keeping his team afloat, as his Cardinals running backs (D. Johnson, C. Edmonds) take time to return back to full strength.
12. ████████████████ (↓2)
Season Record: 3–6
Remaining SOS: Average (7th)
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13. Leegion of Boom (↑1)
Record: 3–6
Remaining SOS: Average (8th)
In the first 9 games, Josh’s team had one of the easier schedules in the league. The schedule does get a little more difficult, but it may not matter much. This squad had trouble exploiting early matchups with Tyreek Hill’s injury and Julio Jones’ odd performances. Armed with a couple late bloomers (K. Drake, E. Sanders), Josh could make several teams’ push for the playoffs more difficult.
14. James White Claw (↓1)
Record: 3–6
Remaining SOS: Hell (2nd)
Benny amassed an early lead, having landed among the top tier of power rankings. But after trading several league-winning pieces away pennies on the dollar, that lead will not be enough to sustain his hurting squad. Benny faces the 2nd strongest schedule in the league, just behind Ramon. Relying on A. Green to save the day is a dicey bet.
