Week 7 Power Rankings

As we near approach the mid-point of the fantasy football season, let's take stock of the power rankings to date, with some historical trends reversed, and others staying the same. One thing is for sure - for the first time since that Kenyan muslim was elected President, someone other than the Manimals will take home the IShoe fantasy title. Moreover, we have to go back to 2004 to see the last time a team other than the Manimals (4) or melonheads~ (1) won the league championship - so this year is wide open, but with a clear favorite...

1) Stompers - McKeon's kapitalism bashers are running free at the front of the pack at 6-1. A completely dominant starting lineup features fantasy's best at just about every position, and depth to boot. A team that was built to win the IShoe title. Championship odds: 2-1.

2) AJFA - a team that rose from the ashes with shrewd trading and a solid draft, AJFA now has the horses (Rice, White, Boldin) to make a run at the title. When asked about his team's chances, co-owner Mike Mano noted that "Ropes & Gray's 11pm CLE on fantasy football has certainly helped." Odds: 6-1.

3) Greece Lightning - Petros may be consuming a season's worth of antacids, watching his team go down to the wire week after week in razor-thin wins and losses. Despite drafting via Skype, Petros has mixed veterans with youngsters in a team that might be in it till the end this season. When contacted about his team, Petros deflected the question amid charges of "Grecian fantasy football (the American kind) racism." You know, because it's never to early to use the "Grecian fantasy football (the American kind) race card... especially when your brother is 1-6. Odds: 14-1.

4) Vick in a Box - In his second year in the league, owner Otis Carter has learned fast. "Simply do nothing," Otis reported. "That is the best strategy." Remarkably, in a hyper-competitive league, Otis has simply done... nothing. He has zero moves for the season - no adds, drops, or trades. "Transactions are overrated," Otis noted. "Or at least that's what the 1am CLE at Ropes & Gray said." Odds: 12-1.

5) LA Rams - there is no doubt that the Rams, not Athens, is the league's unluckiest team. Despite putting up over 744 points (second in the league - and leaving points on the bench), Anthony's team is 2-5 and barely out of the cellar. "Well, it's another lost season," Anthony noted. "But at least I can sleep at night... with my fantasy baseball t-shirt I got from Yahoo." Odds: 30-1.

6) melonheads~ - You've got to love a team that is comprised of basically one NFL team - the Philadelphia Eagles. With the Eagles on a bye this week, owner Brian Emeson fields essentially a back-up team in an important meeting with the league-leading Stompers. When asked about his Eagle-centric approach and refusal to break up the Eagle hegemony, Emeson merely repeated "Castro can suck it, Manimals suck, Manimals suck, Manimals suck, Manimals suck, Manimals suck...." Odds: 25-1.

7) F.C. Castro - another rebuilding team that has made some nice moves, Castro appears stuck in the middle of the pack, which is not a bad thing in this wide-open season. The team is basically dead-even in terms of points scored and against, reflected in its 3-4 record that could easily be 5-2 or 2-5. When asked about his team's current position, owner Kyle Reeb stated that "I bet I could score a night with Jennifer Anniston and Lady Gaga before Brian trades Jeremy Maclin, no matter what it says on the trading block." Odds: 45-1.

8) Bafana Bafana - Yakima has rebounded nicely from a slow start to position itself just below the contenders. Bafana continues its odd trend of trading away its best players... but somehow winning. "We were never going to win with a best player named Rice," Yakima-based owner Scott Wilson explained. "Or Peterson... or Brees.." Odds: 60-1.

9) Athens - Teams have now scored an astounding 820 points against Athens this year. As we all know, part of the at is explained by having a bad team - if you're team sucks, the other teams have the available points, and will score them against you. But part of that is inexplicable, and simply terrible luck. Now without star QB Tony Romo, owner Stavros Papadopolous sought to amend his infamous Cowboys Eulogy: "Goodbye Tony Romo. Congrats on bagging a series of hot blonds and making millions of dollars. What have you done for this team though? Nothing, in reality. The team is like those blonds you love so much - all style on the outside, no substance inside. I'm confused, because I thought the team was 1-5, not in the closing minutes of a tight playoff game, because that's normally when you fold like a little girl. Go f-yourself." Odds: 1000-1.

10) Manimals - Officially giving up on the season, the Manimals are last in the league in record and in points scored. This past week, they started IR'd Dallas Clark as their TE. "How can you sleep at night?" melonheads~ owner Brian Emeson cried. Answered co-owners Clarence Lee and Ricky Gelboim: "With our 5 league titles, 3 Yahoo! champion tee shirts, 2 Yahoo! bobbleheads, hoards of cash, and beautiful women."