2018 Power Rankings (Week 1)

Who is starting the season off with a bang?

Hello everyone! Welcome to the first week of our 2018 Power Rankings. Feel free to skip ahead to the rankings if you want but in case you are curious, here's how the scoring works...

Each team was ranked in six categories for the week:
-Total fantasy points scored.
-Fantasy points averaged per game by starters.
-Total amount of points produced by the bench.
-Games missed due to inactivity (doubled for starters).
-Fantasy points per game gained or lost through transactions (using last 30 averages)
-The standings.

Then, each team was given points depending on where they were in the rankings. The better a team performed in the rankings, the less points I gave them.

I doubled the scores in the weekly total and per game categories as a final touch because this game is ultimately about scoring fantasy points.

From there, I totaled each team's score across the six categories and used those final scores to sort my power rankings. 52 points would be average with the lower scores being above average.

I will also be adding everyone's running season average (and ranking) beneath their week's score beginning next week. Just another way to consider how things are shaking out.

Here are my results:

12. MAMA said Knock u out - Rich (0-1)

Week Total: 506 points (12th)

Per Game: 22 ppg (12th)

Bench Scoring: 111 points (10th)

Missed Games: 13 games (2nd)

Transactions: +8.8 ppg (8th)

Standings: (7th)

Week 1 Total: 75

 

Rich's squad missed a lot of games last week but that can't cover everything. The bench gave very little and the starting lineup gave even less. Despite making a positive change by dropping Mozgov for CJ Miles, the lowest point total at the lowest pace will usually land a team here. Rich may need to find sources of scoring pop beyond Miles if he hopes to move up the ranking this season.

11. Love Kaman My Bibby's - Danny (0-1)

Week Total: 556 points (10th)

Per Game: 23.2 ppg (11th)

Bench Scoring: 76 points (12th)

Missed Games: 10 games (4th)

Transactions: +11.4 ppg (6th)

Standings: (7th)

Week 1 Total: 71

Much like with Rich's team, Danny's guys started the season with a general lack of fantasy points. The scoring pace of the starting lineup and output of the bench were alarmingly low when put side-by-side. Yes, Danny's squad missed more games than most and the addition of Allen Crabbe in lieu of Dwyane Wade should help but the real issue is with what to expect from Danny's team overall.

10. Balls to the Wall - Brett (0-1)

Week Total: 583 points (9th)

Per Game: 24.3 ppg (9th)

Bench Scoring: 204 points (4th)

Missed Games: 4 games (9th)

Transactions: 0 ppg (9th)

Standings: (7th)

Week 1 Total: 65

It was a rough first outing for Brett last week. The starting lineup was missing the punch we became accustomed to last year. The might have something to do with the injury to Gordon Hayward. On the bright side, Brett's bench was very strong and his team exhibited good health outside of Hayward. It's hard to tell what is going to become of this team this season but week one was certainly painful.

9. All-NBA 5th Team - Matt (0-1)

Week Total: 546 points (11th)

Per Game: 26 ppg (8th)

Bench Scoring: 175 points (5th)

Missed Games: 8 games (5th)

Transactions: +16.7 ppg (5th)

Standings: (7th)

Week 1 Total: 60

Despite the low weekly total, Matt's squad was able to slot in at ninth due to the quality rankings in other areas. The bench scoring was above average, the starting lineup's pace was reasonable and the addition of Tyson Chandler can only help. Meanwhile, Matt also experience a fair amount of missed games. All of this is to say that I think this team is better than the point total suggests.

8. RIM JOBS - Alex (1-0)

Week Total: 636 points (7th)

Per Game: 23.6 ppg (10th)

Bench Scoring: 146 points (7th)

Missed Games: 2 games (10th)

Transactions: +25.5 ppg (3rd)

Standings: (1st)

Week 1 Total: 55

The lowest ranked team that won last week is put here due to the mundane point total and surprisingly low points per game pace by the starting lineup. The bench was alright and the addition of Dillon Brooks should make it even better but I'm not so sure I like these numbers overall for Alex. I think there might be more work to be done here than expected.

7. Draymond Green Tornado Kick - Nathaniel (0-1)

Week Total: 605 points (8th)

Per Game: 27.5 ppg (4th)

Bench Scoring: 174 points (6th)

Missed Games: 11 games (3rd)

Transactions: +11.3 ppg (7th)

Standings: (7th)

Week 1 Total: 47

The week total wasn't good but the per game pace actually was. Nate's bench also put up some decent numbers despite a high amount of missed games. Factor in the addition of Ed Davis for Jahlil Okafor's dead weight and Nate had a better week that it may appear at first glace. If Nate is able to reduce his amount of missed games, his team could climb even higher.

6. TimAin't Duncan - Nick (0-1)

Week Total: 651 points (6th)

Per Game: 27.1 ppg (6th)

Bench Scoring: 105 points (11th)

Missed Games: 14 games (1st)

Transactions: +46.7 ppg (1st)

Standings: (7th)

Week 1 Total: 44

Nick has the highest ranked team that lost for a few reasons. The weekly total and per game average were both marginally above average, his team missed the most games, and he added the most fantasy production this week by attaining Terry Rozier and Darren Collison for the remains for Jeremy Lin. All of this implies that Nick's team is primed for an even more productive week two.

5. Deng Girl - Freddy (1-0)

Week Total: 745 points (3rd)

Per Game: 26.6 ppg (7th)

Bench Scoring: 308 points (1st)

Missed Games: 1 game (11th)

Transactions: 0 ppg (9th)

Standings: (1st)

Week 1 Total: 42

Freddy's squad came out looking better than they had all last year. Coming in third on the weekly total at a reasonable pace is even more impressive since Freddy also had the most productive bench this week. The main issues deterring a higher ranking is the lack of missed games combined with the pedestrian per game average. Freddy may need to find more pop if he wants to climb higher.

4. Emperor Kuzma - Tyler (1-0)

Week Total: 652 points (5th)

Per Game: 28.3 ppg (3rd)

Bench Scoring: 136 points (9th)

Missed Games: 8 games (5th)

Transactions: +33.3 ppg (2nd)

Standings: (1st)

Week 1 Total: 33

A solid weekly total and particularly high per game average has this team looking good. The bench was sub par but that should change since Tyler bolstered his lineup with Al Farouq-Aminu, Trevor Booker and Larry Nance Jr. Really though, the biggest thing to note here is the per game pace since it is not too far off from the highest in the league.

3. Admiral Kryptonite - Me (1-0)

Week Total: 742 points (4th)

Per Game: 27.5 ppg (4th)

Bench Scoring: 261 points (2nd)

Missed Games: 8 games (5th)

Transactions: 0 ppg (9th)

Standings: (1st)

Week 1 Total: 33

My team put out an above-average weekly total, per game pace, and bench total. I missed a fair amount of games as well. My team gives widespread production which makes me feel like my team will be reliably in the top half of the rankings but will struggle to get much higher than this. That is, unless some major changes are made.

2. Team Greek God - Chris (1-0)

Week Total: 808 points (2nd)

Per Game: 29.9 ppg (2nd)

Bench Scoring: 141 points (8th)

Missed Games: 7 games (8th)

Transactions: +23 ppg (4th)

Standings: (1st)

Week 1 Total: 29

Chris' squad looked much like it did last year. The only difference here is that Chris' team would often claim the 1st place ranking in the per game pace last year. This week, Chris came in second in both the weekly total and per game pace. For anyone else, that would be great. But for a team with championship expectations, that isn't where he wants to stay. Added points for picking up Kelly Oubre Jr., which should help the below-average bench.

1. Team Penetration - Michael (1-0)

Week Total: 876 points (1st)

Per Game: 32.4 ppg (1st)

Bench Scoring: 217 points (3rd)

Missed Games: 0 games (12th)

Transactions: 0 ppg (9th)

Standings: (1st)

Week 1 Total: 29

This story is an old one but a true one. First place in the weekly total and per game pace by significant margins. Also, Michael's bench was one of the best. The only thing to knock this team for is the lack of additions made and lack of missed games. Both of which are flimsy weaknesses. If anyone wants to dethrone this team, it is clear that they will need to add firepower. This is quite a team.

2018 JBL Preseason Rankings

2018 JBL Preseason Rankings

Hello and welcome to another season of dynasty basketball! It has been an exciting off-season with many big changes. As usual, I am here in an attempt to make sense of everything. To do that, I decided to rank all our teams from bottom to top. I evaluated each team on their ability to produce fantasy points this year while factoring in their prospects of adding more firepower over the course of the season.

I judge all this based on three main resources: production, prospective upside, and contract values. I also considered if a team has extra picks that could be used to trade for production in-season. However, above all else, these ranks are about expected production because that is what everything comes back to.

Enjoy!

Tier 4 - Pining for the Playoffs

Who can elevate their team to the playoffs?

12. TimAin't Duncan (Nick)
Top Producers: Nikola Vucevic, Carmelo Anthony, Jeremy Lin
Top Prospects: Lonzo Ball, Luke Kennard
Top Trade Assets: Lonzo Ball, Nicolas Batum, Evan Fournier

Many improvements have been made on last year's regular season sacko squad. Carmelo, Gallinari, Batum and Fournier are all quality assets that could help any playoff team. Meanwhile, Lonzo Ball is one of the most interesting incoming rookies on what should be an above-average rookie class. An improvement on last season's win total seems inevitable but the overall production is still below average. Work may still need to be done for a coveted playoff spot.

11. MAMA Said Knock u out (Rich) 
Top Producers: Chris Paul, Paul Milsap, Klay Thompson
Top Prospects: Jamal Murray, Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum
Top Trade Assets: Jamal Murray, Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown

This team is bizarre because while it has a lot of quality individual assets, the group really sputtered last season. I like the acquisitions made but I'm not sure it will be enough to jump start this team back into playoff contention. I love the core of prospects but it is hard to see them always pulling their weight this season. This bunch strikes me as a team that could either trade all their prospects for a push this season or trade all their producers for top tier prospects. Either way, I believe this is the season where a major move is made.

Tier 3 - Playoffs or Bust

Who will be spectators come playoff time?

10. All-NBA 5th Team (Matt)

Top Producers: Hassan Whiteside, Kyrie Irving, Blake Griffin
Top Prospects: Lauri Markkanen, Caleb Swanigan
Top Trade Assets: Isaiah Thomas, Kyrie Irving

The surprisingly good team of last season may see a regression this time around. The squad relies mostly on veterans with injury histories. Meanwhile, there is a general lack of resources here which puts the unit at a disadvantage for making improvements through trade. All this leads me to believe that Matt will have to be one of the more attentive wavier wire owners if he wants to experience the same sort of success he did last season.

9. Balls to the Wall (Brett)

Top Producers: John Wall, Kyle Lowry, Gordon Hayward
Top Prospects: De'Aaron Fox, Skal Labissiere, Thon Maker
Top Trade Assets: De'Aaron Fox, Skal Labissiere, extra picks

Brett's squad has been a reliable playoff team since he took charge of the sputtering franchise. However, this season may be his biggest challenge yet. Although I feel uncomfortable ranking what I know to be a good team so low, I think there is going to be a real battle at this range of the league. I imagine a lot of shuffling of the standings this season and Brett's depth has questionable immediate production. Fortunately for Brett, his team appears to be a more attractive trade partner than most which should come in handy over the course of the season.

8. Draymond Green Tornado Kick (Nathaniel)

Top Producers: Marc Gasol, Kristaps Porzingis, Dennis Schroder
Top Prospects: Markelle Fultz, Malik Monk, Frank Ntilikina
Top Trade Assets: Dennis Schroder, Draymond Green, Avery Bradley

One of the more intriguing collection of assets, Nate might have the most trade-able roster in the league. Last season has pretty disappointing but we can excuse a lot of that with injuries. Meanwhile, Nate might have had the best rookie draft out of all of us since he is entering this season with three NBA rookies who all ought to see rotation minutes by season's end. The on-court production is still a slight question mark but there is more than enough here to have playoff expectations.

7. RIM JOBS (Alex)
Top Producers: LeBron James, DeAndre Jordan, D'Angelo Russell
Top Prospects: Kris Dunn, Justin Jackson
Top Trade Assets: DeAndre Jordan, extra picks, D'Angelo Russell

After the most productive season in franchise history, this year's most mysterious team had a bit of an awkward off-season due to it's changing of owners and, in turn, visions. As the team's fourth owner in six seasons, Alex will hopefully bring some lasting stability to our cursed franchise. There are certainly tools to work with here, including the King himself and Alex is an owner that brings championship experience. All things considered, there is a lot to be optimistic about here since this team could very well be in the finals hunt if everything breaks right.

Tier 2 - Contenders or Pretenders?

Who are the real contenders?

6. Love Kaman My Bibby's (Danny)

Top Producers: DeMar DeRozan, CJ McCollum, Eric Bledsoe
Top Prospects: Hernangomez, Saric
Top Trade Assets: McCollum, Randle, Saric

Since taking over this team, Danny has consistently produced a playoff-level squad. This off-season was the most active I've ever seen Danny be and I believe it will pay off for him this year. The additions of McCollum, Randle and Aldridge will prove a big boost while Gasol and Wade should provide nice value from the end of the bench. The only thing holding this group back is the general lack of trade appeal. Danny may have to look to waiver wire for a majority of his improvements this campaign.

5. Deng Girl (Freddy)

Top Producers: Damian Lillard, Stephen Curry, Paul George
Top Prospects: Josh Jackson
Top Trade Assets: Jusuf Nurkic, Gary Harris, Clint Capela

The most disappointing team of last season has two more seasons with the core we all know and love. This year demands a bounce back and I believe Freddy has every intention of making that happen. This team finished our first three regular seasons as a serious championship contender and everything that made that happen is still on the team. While the core is undoubtedly elite, the difference will come down to what kind of production Freddy can get from the ends of his roster. If that is right, true contention is definitely possible.

4. Blow Me (Tyler)

Top Producers: Karl Anthony-Towns, Kawhi Leonard, Kemba Walker
Top Prospects: Ben Simmons, Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen
Top Trade Assets: Kawhi Leonard, Ben Simmons, extra picks

Tyler has one of the rare collections of top tier talent, prospects and assets all on one team. It is easy to see all kinds of moves being made that could put Tyler into serious championship contention and that bodes well for his squad. Most teams don't have any round one talents and this group might have two. Meanwhile Simmons, Mitchell and the extra picks are all assets that could field serious firepower in the trade market if it came to that. All of this is to say that Tyler is a clear front-runner to break up the Chris-Michael trilogy.

3. Admiral Kryptonite (Me)

Top Producers: Miles Turner, Kevin Love, Devin Booker
Top Prospects: Dennis Smith Jr., Brandon Ingram, Taurean Prince
Top Trade Assets: Devin Booker, Miles Turner, extra picks


This feels like possibly the most abundant glut of assets I have ever had yet the team lacks obvious pizazz due to noticeable absence of any first round talent. I may have the deepest team in the league but it is going to take much more than that to actually knock on the championship door. Much like with Tyler, I feel prime to make some moves but moves are most certainly going to need to be made if I want to elevate to the next tier. It's hard to tell if I'm so close or so far.

Tier 1 - Championship or Bust

There can only be one Fantasy King

2. Team Greek God (Chris)
Top Producers: Russell Westbrook, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Durant
Top Prospects: Marquese Chriss, Jonathan Issac, Dragan Bender
Top Trade Assets: Giannis Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid, Jabari Parker

Three first round talents, two second round talents and two third round talents. In any other league, this would be an outlier champion but, in our beloved league, there happens to be two outlier, champion-level teams. It really is remarkable how close these two teams are while being so dominate, like two perfectly paired outliers, battling it out. Chris made a lot of intriguing acquisitions this off-season, injecting his squad with a lot of youth on useful contracts. However, the investment in guys like Parker and Embiid might be the difference in this razor thin race for supremacy.

1. Team Penetration (Michael)
Top Producers: Anthony Davis, James Harden, DeMarcus Cousins
Top Prospects: John Collins, Buddy Hield, Juan Hernangomez
Top Trade Assets: Nikola Jokic, Anthony Davis, Rudy Gobert

The defending champions start this season where they left off last season: in pole position for the first back-to-back championship ever. I hope it doesn't happen! Really though, this team is going to be tough for anyone to beat and that includes Chris. With five first round talents all on one team and one of the most attentive owners around constantly uncovering diamonds in the rough, there is no doubt that this team will be a team to be feared come playoff time. Until something dramatic happens, this is the team to beat.

That's it! Good luck everyone! I hope you all beat each other and lose to me!