Abbreviated Pre-Season Power Rankings

In lieu of a more detailed power ranking, here are the pre-season International Shoe power rankings.

1) Manimals - 4 titles in 7 years, and on paper, the team to beat. Although the author is admittedly biased, the team has the pre-season #1 QB and #1 RB to pair with 2 other top-10 RBs (MJD, Gore) and fantasy stalwarts Anquan Boldin and Dallas Clark. Team depth could be an issue.

2) Bafana - a surprise #2, but perhaps the most well-rounded team in the league. Tom Brady is an absolute steal if he even does 60% of what he did in 2007, but they also have... Peyton Manning. Matt Forte is a fantasy stud, and the WR's have depth in two Mosses and Owens. Witten could be the #1 TE. A legitimate title contender.

3) Melonheads~ - this team has 2 titles, and is always in the running for most overall points. Like the Manimals, this team is top heavy (LT, Turner, Jacobs) and built to win this year. Can the QB position give them enough to contend?

4) Kapitalizm Stompers - A playoff team from last year returns a lot of the top talent. Jackson, Brown, and C. Johnson matchup with any other team's RB's (the Stompers, Melonheads, and Manimals seemingly own all the top 12 RB's). Jennings and Cooley provide good starters for the WR and TE positions. QB is a question mark here too.

5) F.C. Castro - Perennial league doormat is looking to break out. More than the top 4 teams, this team (and the ones below it) need significant breaks to contend. Here, the Castro need Warner to reprise his best years and stay healthy, plus either McFadden of Beanie Wells to break out. But a very solid team, with great depth at WR.

6) LA Rams - Resident wheeler/dealer Anthony Khoury has put together an ever-changing team with disparate pieces. DeAngelo Williams was probably the league's best RB at the end of last year, but there are a lot of question marks. Who is the starting QB? Who plays RB until Lynch comes back? Are there any #1 caliber WR's on this team?

7) Greece Lightning - after a tough1st year in the league, Petros tries to start moving his inherited team upwards, and should. Some good moves have put him in a strong position. Aaron Rogers may be the #1 QB at the end of the year. Marion Barber leads a whole host of time-share RB's - if any break out, the team could contend. The receivers have potential, but lack depth.

8) AJFA - a year after having 4 top-10 RB's, AJFA has done away with 3 of them. Only Steve Slaton is left to pick up the pieces, this time teaming with Clinton Portis to try to push AJFA over the top. Behind Roddy White, though, there is not enough depth to make a deep run.

9) My Vick in a Box - inheriting the old Stingrays, the owner Otis Carter tries to engineer a worst-to-first turnaround. Despite the snickers over keeping 3 TE's (seriously?), the team has some balance with 2 of the premier WR's. Like most of the teams from #4 on down, the team lacks RB's and needs Larry Johnson to return to the 2005 days.

10) Athens - never has this team occupied the cellar of the power rankings, but this year's team is short on star power. Normally a fantasy stalwart, only three players appear to be legitimate fantasy starters on a contending team - Rivers, Johnson, and Wes Welker. A lot of upside in RB's like Stewart and Moreno, but this team looks to be rebuilding after a very good run.

Due to the short nature of the rankings, here's a bizarre ad for Budweiser: