Cowboy Nation Week 4 Power Rankings

“Kick my brains around the floor
These are the days
It never rains it pours
Under pressure!” – David Bowie “Under Pressure”

The pressure is indeed on. Week four brings a new element into the fantasy season. By now, if your draft day golden-picks aren’t producing, it might be time to scramble for salvation. Three teams remain unbeaten. Add one to that and Cowboy Nation only has four teams above .500 after three weeks of play. Everyone is still alive. Even 0-3.

1) The Raging Sherpas – Shea Dixon: (3-0) Tom Brady, with a QB rating of 141.8, is the hottest passer on the hottest team in the league. Marion Barber III, while splitting time, is the 12^th leading rusher in the league. He also happens to lead the league in rushing TDs. Terrell Owens sits among the top five WRs in both the TD and receiving yards categories. Calvin Johnson hasn’t been much of a disappointment either, though the move for Brandon Marshall or Isaac Bruce could come any week now. Still, the #1 pick LT remains slow to start, with only 130 yards rushing and 1 TD on the ground through three weeks of play. The Sherpas will need him to get going if they hope to hold off the opposition for the long run.

Last Week’s Ranking: 1

2) Walker TX Ranger – Brian Norris: (3-0) Is this team the real deal? We know Carson Palmer’s passing attack is. Maroney has looked great, and I’m sure I don’t need to even start to explain the rookie explosion Adrian Peterson is having on the Minnesota turf. Greg Jennings, who was overshadowed as a rookie last season by Marques Colston, is off to another hot start in Green Bay. Then there is Mr. Moss, who is proving that he is still among one of the top WRs in the league (given you’re on the right team). This team is looking solid. At 3-0, and the only other team (Sherpas) to drop 100 points in all three weeks of play, owner Brian Norris might have a top-notch playoff team on his hands after all. Yet on a sidenote, we all remember the great Jim Rome conversation with Saints QB Jim Everett. http://youtube.com/watch?v=9HNgqQVHI_8

A similar conversation recently ensued after Week 3 of play between TX Ranger owner Brian Norris and Raging Sherpa owner Shea Dixon:

Norris: Continue to call me the WAC and Sun Belt

Dixon: I bet I do.

Norris: I bet you won’t.

Dixon: Sun Belt

See you in Week 7

Last Week’s Ranking: 4

3) Shreveport Battlewings – Lou Fleming: (3-0) The Battlewings remained hot once again, and fantasy stud Marc Bulger added a whopping 1 point to the Battlewings 97 point total. Fortunately, Brian Westbrook was part of the melee in Philly, adding 40 points at the RB spot. Chad Johnson is one of the top WRs in the league, and Bulger hasn’t performed, but this team may not make it all season running three mediocre WRs and one solid RB. Loosing Brandon Jacobs will eventually take its toll on the undefeated Battlewings.

Last Week’s Ranking: 2

4) Hurricane Dean – Dean Mijalis: (2-1) Hurricane Dean is sitting pretty. McNabb is on point. Plaxico Burress is having a Pro Bowl season. Marvin Harrison is, well, Marvin Harrison (though the numbers hadn’t reflected it yet). Only 2 cowboys caught passes in Sunday night’s game. Of course their was T.0. But then there was Jason Witten. With Phillips in charge, Dean is sitting pretty with Witten as the #2 option behind T.O. in one of the league’s most explosive offenses. But wait. Steven Jackson out three weeks? No worries. The young Marshawn Lynch is waiting on the bench, and thus far this fantasy season he is the hotter commodity. And that is that. The lone 2-1 team in the league rounds out the top four. It’s a dogfight from here on out.

Last Week’s Ranking: 3

5) I’m 40, I’m a Man – Jon Kastanos: (1-2) Kastanos is the first team to pull through from the 1-2 ranks. Tony Romo is back in at QB after sitting the week in place of Jake Delhomme, who was injured in the Carolina game. Joe Addai is looking better than his rookie campaign. Willie Parker and Donald Driver look on par through three weeks. Solid draft picks have this team in good shape heading into Week 4. The one question that remains is Reggie Brown. The Eagles let out a barrage of offense this weekend. Yet Brown was nowhere to be found, amassing just two points. Team Kastanos will need more from Brown, who they expected to be the top contributer at the #2 WR spot.

Last Week’s Ranking: 5

6) Intramurals Brothers – Matt Conway: (1-2) What is there to say? This team was losing because Ronnie Brown was not producing at all, and Boldin and Roy Williams weren’t throwing out gaudy numbers to make up for it. Now, everyone is. Mark Roy Williams down for 26 points. Add another 30 points for Boldin. Toss in Ronnie Brown’s 40 points and you have a winner right there. No need to mention Rivers got his first start for the Brothers, which makes him 1-0 as the QB of Coach Hawkins team. This team is hot. P.S. Rudi Johnson did nothing this weekend. The Brothers could have made it much worse on team WHO DAT.

Last Week’s Ranking: 12

7) Greek Mafia – Andrew Mijalis: (1-2) Now this team is kicking into gear. They have a win under their belt and are ready to roll. Papa Vince is bringing in respectable numbers at the QB position, while Shaun Alexander and Clinton Portis looked great. Boot that with Larry Fitzgerald and TJ Housh and this team looks really, really strong. And word out of Mafia-land is that deals are looking to be done to acquire a TE for this team. Guess that Ben Olsen “steal of the draft” didn’t pop off as planned. No worries. This team is heading nowhere but up.

Last Week’s Ranking: 8

8) WHO DAT – Jason Burklow: (1-2) Leinart or Cambell? That is the question. It was Cambell this week, where he performed a little below par for what team owner Burklow expects out of a QB. Then again, Leinart did worse. Reggie Wayne was quiet, while Santonio Holmes, as can be expected, was quieter. Could DeShaun Foster make a push for the starting line-up this week? 24 points is a lot to have sitting on the bench. DAT better find out, for they have dropped two straight and are on their way down the power chart.

Last Week’s Ranking: 6

9) Kirilenko Meets Ivan Drago – Patrick Crawford: (1-2) This team is roller coaster-like. Lose one week. Win the next. Lose one week. Well, you get the picture. Frank Gore finally stopped bulldozing people, which wasn’t good for Drago’s cause. Kitna remains on fire, as well as big daddy LaMont Jordan. Steve Smith only drug up 1 point in the QB fiasco that was in Carolina. Then there is that #2 WR spot. Hell, might as well leave it empty. Lee Evans does nothing. Patrick Crayton did nothing when he was asked to step up. Guess its is time for Lions WR Shaun McDonald too take over….

Last Week’s Ranking: 7

10) Baby Matrix – Andrew Ashby: (1-2) Calling all WRs? Javon Walker? Are you out there? Jericho Cotchery? Is that you I see with 5 fantasy points? Times are tough in Matrix camp. Being 1-2 is definitely in the thick of things, but no help at WR is tough. Travis Henry was a nice touch this weekend, and the season-ending injury to Deuce McAllister should give Reggie Bush more touches. At least Hasselback is getting points. Then again, so is Matt Schaub, who remains on the bench. Will a QB decision be made or will we see the Matrix stick with the gameplan. Dropping three straight games is nothing to smile about.

Last Week’s Ranking: 9

11) Team Beastmode – Daniel Roane: (1-2) Levee! Get this team together, son. This team badly needs a running game. Trade time! Who wants Maurice Jones Drew? Silence. Carnell Williams? Silence. Brian Leonard? “Ohh, me!” screamed undefeated Walker TX Ranger coach Brian Norris. “I can let him sit in the “empty” roster spot I have on my bench and I can laugh that you drafted him.” Oh, and the Saints suck. Which means Brees is having a bad year. Which means Colston is as well. At least Braylon Edwards is doing well. And there is always the 15-30 points of Peyton Manning. Outside that, team owner Roane needs to think trade talks before his team drops a second game in a row.

Last Week’s Ranking: 11

12) The Bottom Dwellers – Ryan Smelley: (0-3) Word out of Cowboy Nation is that people are beginning to root for the Bottom Dwellers to go 0-13. Drew Brees is in the downward spiral that is the Saints. Torry Holt is in the downward spiral that is the Rams. Larry Johnson is the bust of the draft. Even the Bears defense got trounced on. Hell, nothing is going right for this team! Oh wait, they have Jacobi Jones!

Last Week’s Ranking: 10