KID - Week 4 Power Rankings: Time to Panic?

Each year, eleven of my best friends and I participate in a keeper fantasy football league, dubbed "Keeper? I Don't Even Like Her!" (KID, for short).  This post, ranking the teams in our league after their Week 3 performances, is for them.

Three weeks seems like a short time, but us in the fantasy football world know that it's not too early to panic about our teams.  Considering that you'll need to finish the season at 7-6 to make the playoffs, or 10-3 if you want that elusive first round bye, you may not have much leeway left for the final 10 games of the fantasy regular season.

Take me, for instance.  I think I have a pretty decent team that will develop over the next few weeks, but due to lackluster performances and some bad luck, I'm 0-3.  A loss this week, and my fantasy season will be over before it started.

This week, I'll note where your team stands and if it's time to panic or not.

1. Room For Regret (Last week's rank: 2) 3-0, 408 points
Last week: Tom Brady and LeSean McCoy combined for nearly 60 points to lead Kevin to victory.  Why do I get the feeling I'll be typing that sentence again?
Time to panic? As the only undefeated team in the league, Kevin is in the best shape to grab the 1 seed.  If Brady replicates his 2007 season, as he looks to be doing, Kevin will be tough to beat.

2. Rice and Breesy (3) 2-1, 388 points

Last week: Wes Welker's 43 points gave Sumit the win and vaulted the Patriots receiver above every other fantasy RB or WR.  Randy Moss is no longer there to draw coverages, yet Welker is doing better than ever. 
Time to panic? Sumit is in very good shape.  Whereas Will's team is built on balance, Sumit has a core of Welker, Drew Brees, Greg Jennings and Ray Rice that can explode in any given week. 

3. A Few Good Chicks (1) 2-1, 380 points

Last week: Philip Rivers came up small in a favorable matchup against the Chiefs, and Will couldn't keep up with Sumit.
Time to panic? Will is in a fine position to make the playoffs, but the Kenny Britt injury weakens him significantly.  If he wants a bye, he'll need a better WR2 than Johnny Knox.

4. Aluminum Pint (4) 2-1, 307 points
Last week: Not that he needed it against Ward, but Matt Hasselbeck performed well for Dave in place of a banged-up Tony Romo.
Time to panic? Dave's decent start to the season will only get better as Romo, Roddy White and Chris Johnson heat up.  He'll make the playoffs and threaten for a bye.

5. Father Superior (6) 1-2, 273 points
Last week: Nick suffered the most heartbreaking loss of the season so far, losing by 0.32 points to his brother.  Rashard Mendenhall has been sneakily bad this year.
Time to panic? Despite being 1-2, Nick's team is solid from the top-down.  If he can make the playoffs with a healthy Matthew Stafford, he'll be a force to be reckoned with. 

6. Beast Mode (7) 2-1, 307 points

Last week: Hunt did not miss Miles Austin much, as Lance Moore put up 19 points in a shootout versus Houston.

Time to panic? Hunt has weathered Arian Foster's injury so far, and he'll be in even better shape once the stud RB returns.  Aaron Rodgers is as steady as they come. 

7. The Mighty Kegs (8) 2-1, 288 points

Last week: For the first time in his last 11 starts, Michael Vick didn't throw or run for a touchdown.  Still, Darren McFadden's domination of the Jets gave Mike a narrow win. 
Time to panic? Mike has a good record and he improved his receiving corps by trading for Brandon Marshall this week, but, like most Vick owners, he will live and die with the Philly QB.  I'm not a believer. 

8. Dirty Mike & The Boys (5) 1-2, 306 points

Last week: Colin suffered a tough loss despite scoring 102 points.  DeSean Jackson did not take advantage of a banged-up Giants secondary.
Time to panic? I hate to say this, given how good I thought his draft was, but Colin is in trouble.  His receiving corps of Jackson, Larry Fitz, Steve Smith and Miles Austin is the best in the league, but fantasy championships are won by QBs and RBs. 

9. Lambs_of_Combat (12) 2-1, 290 points
Last week: Matt Schaub took advantage of the New Orleans secondary to lead Scott to a hard-fought victory over Colin.  LaDainian Tomlinson is repeating his early season heroics of last year.
Time to panic? Now that Scott has cleaned up his bench, I feel much better about his chances.  He's in good shape in the standings, although he will have to trade for a RB at some point.

10. The Pudgy Pelican (9) Yours Truly, 0-3, 284 points
Last week: I failed to capitalize on a week when Hunt was missing both Foster and Austin.  10 combined points from my receiving corps isn't going to cut it.
Time to panic? At 0-3, my back is against the wall.  My team has balance, but it's lacking a top performer to carry it every week.  It's very tough to win in this league without a stud QB, and Josh Freeman has not taken the leap that I expected him to.

11. STD? Fine By Me! (11) 0-3, 200 points
Last week: 40 points might be the lowest single-week point total in our league's history.  Six of Ward's nine starters had less than three points.  Awful.
Time to panic? Like me, Ward needs to win this week.  But believe it or not, he has a competent  team that's just been underperforming.  Matt Ryan, Frank Gore, Peyton Hillis, Anquan Boldin and Marques Colston all have the ability to be top tier performers at their positions.

12. Doctor Asshole (10) 1-2, 264 points
Last week: Jason mistakenly started Cam Newton over Ryan Fitzpatrick, but it wouldn't have changed the outcome of his match anyway.  Every other position player on his team scored in the single-digits.
Time to panic? Jason should have been panicking immediately after his draft.  If Fitzpatrick and Newton keep it up, and if Michael Turner and Cedric Benson reach their potential, I still don't see how Jason will make the playoffs with this roster.

Image found here.