It’s time for a way-too-early power rankings of the NPIFL‘s two divisions. First, though, the award for the best bench goes to Tyreek or Treat with 80.80 points, the second time they have collected this honor this season. This also means ToT holds the top two bench scores in 2024 after their 86.84 points in Week 1.
Another side note, congratulations go to the Brymbo Saxons, who recorded a 21-1 regular season in the BBFL and then carried that form into the postseason. The Saxons put on a clinic and won the BBFL World Series by a 797-599 score over the Aigburth Riversiders.
Back to the NPIFL and everyone’s favorite game, Nathan’s Pix, saw the under-fire Brymbo manager go 2-4 in Week 4, bringing his season totals to 9-15. Some managers may draw parallels between this and the Brymbo Originals’ form in 2024, but NFLFantasyQs believe their luck could change.
With the St. Lewis Rams the No. 1 seed, are they serious contenders or high-profile pretenders? Is the season over for the Plas Coch division’s two winless teams? These and other questions to be answered, along with Week 5 predictions, are below in the NPIFL power rankings:
#12, Eagles Raid Steelers (0-4)
PF: 397.22, PA: 493.74, Form: L4
It’s been a nightmare start for the ERS and HC Dan Gittins fumbled the ball in Week 4, fielding players ruled out days in advance. The ERS has the 10th-worst offense in the NPIFL and with some very questionable lineup tactics (Zamir White and Davante Adams stack) having been on display for multiple weeks, there is little hope the ERS can bounce back.
A Week 5 game against fellow 0-4ers, the Brymbo Originals, will all but end one team’s postseason hopes, and as per Nathan’s Pix, the ERS is dead in the water after five games. There are some good players here, but they can’t manage themselves and the front office’s one total waiver move as we enter Week 5 is a real concern for fans.
As per Nathan Adams, the ERS will be going 0-5, and that would surely be all she wrote for the ERS in 2024.
#11, Brymbo Originals (0-4)
PF: 399.34, PA: 497.88, Form: L4
There have been multiple statements about forthcoming changes and improvements coming from the Brymbo O’s since about Week 2. However, they find themselves at 0-4 on the back of a bitter defeat to their cross-city rivals, the Brymbo Miners. That game was all but over and despite some garbage-time heroics from Kenneth Walker, the O’s are circling the drain.
There are some positives for Mt. Sion’s team, as other than their opposition in Week 5, there are signs of life in a healthy Kenneth Walker III and the pickup of Kareem Hunt, the now-RB1 in Kansas City. Factor in Jordan Addison returning and an already stacked RB room and the O’s could turn their season around. They are one to watch out for in the coming weeks and could find themselves putting together a few wins.
Nathan’s Pix has the O’s taking their first win this week, and it will be interesting to see if that is the case.
#10, Wardiefence Wins Championships (1-3)
PF: 397.18, PA 464.20, Form: L2
It has been an unfortunate start for the NPIFL’s perennially most unlucky team, and the WWC lost their Week 2 game by less than a point. WWC HC Chris Ward would be the first to admit that performances on the field have not been consistent and that can be seen in their No. 11-ranked offense featuring 397.18 points scored.
The WWC take on the NPIFL’s No. 1-ranked team in the St. Lewis Rams, and the projections are not overly promising. If they do go 1-4, this could be too deep a hole for the ‘ironically named team’ (as per Pats HC Aminul Hassan) and it might be time to consider the trade market.
Ward is not a manager who often takes part in trades, but time could be running out and it may be time to hit that panic button for a fresh outlook. As per Nathan’s Pix, WWC fans will be going 2-3 with a win over the undefeated SL Rams.
#9, Lloyds Leviathans (1-3)
PF: 410.18, PA: 508.68, Form: L1
In the preseason, the Leviathans proclaimed their ‘Screaming Eagle’ would be the terror of the NPIFL. Unfortunately for the team from Lloyds, their wings have been clipped by an injury to A.J. Brown. Factor in a serious injury to Rashee Rice, an Eagles bye week and the Leviathans could be in big trouble against the Old England Pats.
Lloyds’ sole win of the season came by the narrowest of margins, with their 114.74-114.18 win over the WWC one of the closest games in NPIFL history. The Leviathans are piecing together a fractured WR room and hope to claw another victory in Week 5, after which they should have their Screaming Eagle back in play. If they can hit Week 6 at 2-3, they could push up the Metropolitan in due course.
As per Nathan’s Pix, they are going 1-4, so that rise could be delayed another week.
#8, Tyreek or Treat (1-3)
PF: 450.46, PA: 477.86, Form: L3
Tyreek or Treat have fallen hard since Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa was put on injured reserve. HC Jordan Clough is likely furious at the Dolphins’ front office for not finding a suitable replacement who can throw short passes to ToT’s talisman, Tyreek Hill (Ryan Tannehill is right there, surely they will pick him up).
Without Hill’s normal bonanza of points, the Treat are being tricked. Seeing their bench options put up points causes headaches for a manager with such a talented receiver corps, made all the worse by Travis Etienne’s form falling off in 2024.
ToT could just blow back into their 2023 form in the space of a week, and this is one of the most unpredictable teams in the NPIFL. Can they get back on track in Week 5 against Metro rivals, Santos XI? Nathan’s Pix says no.
#7, Old England Pats (2-2)
PF: 386.96, PA: 398.18, Form: W2
The Old England Patriots are back at .500 after back-to-back wins. The ship appears to have been righted and with Lions QB Jared Goff exploding into form this week, the Pats are sneaky good. If Sam LaPorta can really get going, the Patriots should follow, and they are very much in playoff contention in the Metro.
This doesn’t help Old England in Week 5, as Detroit is on a bye week, however, with capable replacements like Brock Purdy, the Patriots will think they have enough to just about get past an injury-hit Leviathans.
The Pats have one of the NPIFL’s best receiving groups in Stefon Diggs, Mike Evans and Chris Olave, and they will be hoping Bijan Robinson is cleared for Thursday Night Football.
Nathan’s Pix has them taking the win, and it will be interesting to see if that is the case.
#6, The Love Train (2-2)
PF 454.28, PA 452.06, Form: L1
Love Train HC Damen Griffiths has been as noisy as ever in the 2024 NPIFL season, and while the team seems to swing wildly in form and fortune, they have found some stability at QB. As such, they could be primed for another postseason run if they can find consistency in the flex/WR2 spot.
They have elected for anything but in Week 5’s game against Plas Coch rivals the Miners, and are currently set to start the boom-bust coin toss that Dontayvion Wicks represents. If TLC can add a dominant flex on top of an elite RB duo, and Deebo Samuel can regain his opening two weeks form, the Love Train could be about to break a three-game losing streak against the Miners that dates back to 2022.
As per O’s HC Nathan Adams, the Love Train is again running late and the Miners are taking the win.
#5, Santos XI (3-1)
PF: 442.16, PA: 365.72, Form: W1
Certain managers around the league might whisper in dark rooms about Santos XI’s fortune in having teams put up so few points against them. While the XI have only seen teams score a league-low 365.72 points against them (significantly fewer than the No. 11 Pats at 398.18), they have the NPFL’s 7th-best offense (442.16).
These kinds of stats won’t worry HC Christopher Faulkner, who knows from 3-1 another postseason run could be on the horizon. The XI will look to do whatever it takes to get past their opponents and with CeeDee Lamb and De’Von Achane’s ability to go big in any given week, they could do that in Week 5.
Santos’ next opponent is Tyreek or Treat, and this is a fascinating, tough-to-call Metro matchup that Nathan says will go their way.
#4, You are in Chubble (3-1)
PF: 506.02, PA: 454.76, Form: W2
YAIC would have found themselves in an even more impressive spot in the power rankings if they had not been hit so hard by the Miners in Week 2. Chubble hit the season hard and rebounded from that loss in a big way, and have the NPIFL’s second-best offense at 506.02 points scored.
With Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry putting up monster scores on top of Saquon Barkley’s incredible start to the season, “You are in Chubble” is a warning that many managers would do well to take heed of.
Seeing Terry McLaurin get a place in the lineup in place of Calvin Ridley could be huge for YAIC, and their battle with fierce Plas Coch rivals, the San Wrexham 49ers, will be one to keep an eye on.
As to who to back, You are in Chubble gets the L in Nathan’s Pix.
#3, Brymbo Miners (3-1)
PF: 503.12, PA: 441.90, Form: W1
The Brymbo Miners entered the season with a 0-15 prediction and were quick to put that nonsense to bed. The Miners had two real questions in the draft, with rookie WRs Marvin Harrison Jr. and Malik Nabers being something of a mystery box.
Opening that box has been less Pandora and more Christmas for Brymbo HC John Maxwell, who has one of the most exciting WR and RB rooms in the NPIFL.
The main issue in Brymbo is the QB room, as Anthony Richardson has been something of a nightmare for the franchise since he was drafted in 2023. Can he find his form and stay injury-free? The latter question also applies to superstar WR Cooper Kupp.
Aside from that, the return of CMC does loom large for the Miners, as Jordan Mason will find his role diminished, and the question of whether Javonte Williams or J.K. Dobbins can replace the 49er is a valid concern. For now, as victors of the Battle for Brymbo, the Miners will look to take down the Love Train in London and have the perhaps concerning backing of Nathan’s Pix.
#2, San Wrexham 49ers (4-0)
PF 480.74, PA: 400.38, Form: W4
San Wrexham has the No. 4 offense in the NPIFL, but they haven’t let that stop them from going 4-0. The 49ers are checking all boxes and are an almost complete team. The only issue comes at the WR2 slot, and with Amon-Ra St. Brown on a bye week, their Week 5 game vs. Chubble is a tough one.
Joe Mixon’s return against his former owner is huge for San Wrexham, and he completes a potentially dominant RB room. The greatest strength of this team is in its QB, and if Josh Allen can resolve his fluctuating performances, the 49ers will be very hard to beat.
San Wrexham looks set to be in the playoffs, barring any injuries, and Nathan’s Pix has them getting to 5-0.
#1, St. Lewis Rams (4-0)
PF: 531.08, PA: 403.38, Form: W4
The NPIFL’s No. 1 offense and the Metro’s only undefeated team is the hot topic right now, so it’s no surprise to see the St. Lewis Rams atop the power rankings. The Rams have an interesting strategy that has thus far reaped rewards, and it will be interesting to see how long they can go undefeated on the back of only one fantasy-relevant RB.
The return of the 2024 NFL draft’s first running back off the board could be season-defining for the Rams, but when Jonathon Brooks will return and what his role be are open questions.
Given that Jonathan Taylor is currently producing enough points for two RBs, the Rams can afford to be confident. However, Taylor suffered an ankle sprain to the same ankle that needed surgery in 2022, so his status is a concern.
With 2024’s QB1 in Jayden Daniels and WR1 in Nico Collins being complimented by Justin Jefferson and the resurgent Diontae Johnson, the sky could be the limit for St. Lewis.
Will the Rams go undefeated? Almost certainly not, but they do look like an 11-win team. As per Nathan’s Pix, they will taste their first defeat in Week 5.