PRESEASON POWER RANKINGS: JULY 25, 2012

First off to start these Power Rankings off these are strictly my opinions and have absolutely no effect on what will happen during the season so don't get mad at me if you think I have your team too low just prove it in the regular season and you'll move up. Also before I dive into these I'd like to say ordering the teams 2-9 was very hard there is a clear cut title favorite in my opinion but I'll say this, if your team is ranked 9 or higher you should have championship aspirations this year the league is very balanced this opening year and it's gonna be a dogfight to see who walks away with the first ever Ultimate Dynasty Fantasy Football Championship.

1. Dynasty Kings (Dylan Gibson) - I hate this more than any of you but looking at the team it's hard to see who could be ranked higher. Mathews and Murray are a solid 1-2 punch at running back, they have the best receiver and in my opinion best tight end in the game. Add to that their flex (Gore/S.Johnson) and 2nd receiver (VJAX) are far from slouches. Romo is not a top tier QB but he's safely in the top 8 for 2012 with high upside in that Dallas' offense. This team is one of the best teams you could build for the 2012 season and should be the title favorite.

2. Kory Adams (Kory Adams) - He may do most of his research in the newspaper but Kory Adams is primed to have a very nice season. Acquiring Brees on the cheap yesterday sent him sky rocketing up these rankings. A Brees-Gronk combo with a pretty decent team built around them should be a big time competitor in 2012. The wildcard here is Peterson, if he returns to form then Kory's team is going to be just nasty, I highly doubt he will though. Even without a vintage Peterson this should be a very good team with AP, Sproles, Bowe, and Lloyd sandwiched in between a top 3 QB and top 2 tight end.

3. Scott's Tots (Taylor Ray) - Tray stuck to his old school running back philosophy and built around a strong running back duo featuring Rice and Forte as its top players. SJAX is a great flex option for one more year and Cruz/Colston is not a bad receiving combo while you could do worse than Rivers at QB. Celek at tight end is a weak spot but realistically if you don't have Graham or Gronkowski you're not going to be great there anyway. If Cruz comes close to repeating his 2011 season Taylor Ray will be smiling long into December but then again even if Cruz doesn't he'll be smiling, for those of you who don't know Tray is always smiling.

4. 704 Super McCoys (John Gallimore) - The man of a thousand trades has built a strong team in a similar mold to Scott's Tots with a great runningback duo of McCoy and Charles. This team should be in the thick of the playoff race this season. One thing that put this team behind Scott's Tots for me however was how their top players are all on the same few teams and those that aren't have the same bye weeks. This could be a huge problem this season as in week 7 they will be without Ryan, McCoy, Charles, and Maclin then in week 10 they'll be without both Green Bay receivers which should make wins hard to come by and in league this competitive Mr. Gallimore can't afford to throw away games. If they can survive their bye week trouble and Ryan takes the next step the Super McCoys could be well on their way to a title.

5. Anthony Hatfield (Anthony Hatfield) - I liked this team better for 2012 before the Newton trade but that trade should keep him in the top half of these rankings for years to come so it was a nice move. Right now this team has a ton of upside and is still very strong with the only weakness being Isaac Redman in the starting line up. Marshall, Harvin, and Wallace is a very nice trio of wide receivers and after the big 2 at tight end Hernandez is probably the guy to have, if Chris Johnson gets his head on straight and Newton avoids a sophomore slump this team has the potential to be rolling through opponents and giving Anthony a title to go along with his degree this winter.

Super Cams Deal Cam for McCoy

7/24/12: Anthony Hatfield Gets: QB Cam Newton, WR Mike Wallace, HB Isaac Redman
John Gallimore Gets: HB LeSean McCoy, WR Jeremy Maclin, WR Randall Cobb

This is such a star studded trade and very fair value for both teams. McCoy is arguably the #1 running back in dynasty while Cam's upside is unlimited. This is such a dead even trade it's hard to say who got the better of it but the thing that swings it is Cam will be around a lot longer than McCoy other than that this is an exciting move that should work out good for both teams.

Tick Swaps Brees for Luck

Well Tick got his guy, it may have cost him a bit but when you know someone you want you gotta go get him and Luck has all the makings of being what Brees is, it'll just take a few years. 7/24/12: Kory Adams Gets: QB Drew Brees and WR Greg Little
Tick Gets: QB Andrew Luck, WR Laurent Robinson, 2013 2nd (Kory)

Kory got a huge upgrade snagging Brees and should be a strong competitor rolling with that Brees/Gronk combo.

Luke Acquires Rodgers

Luke Zente Gets: QB Aaron Rodgers, HB Peyton Hillis, WR Anquan Boldin
Caleb Collins Gets: QB Robert Griffin III, HB Arian Foster, WR Steve Smith

Anytime you can get Rodgers in a deal then it's a sick trade for you, with Rodgers Luke will be able to compete at a high level starting now and for at least an 8 year window or so probably longer. Caleb didn't get a bad deal though he acquired Foster who probably has a 3 year window or so of still being a top back so the Foster/Richardson combo is pretty nice to have. Steve Smith definitely helps a lot for this year and can no doubt be a top 15 receiver for 2-3 more seasons. The thing that's going to decide if Caleb made a good deal is how RG3 develops, if he progresses to be a top 5 QB then CLO will definitely have a good deal. Luke has been tearing it up trading wise though turning a team that once looked like it was a few years from competing into a top contender as soon as this year.

A Defense Trade?

Super Manning Gets: D Cardinals, 1st (2013), 2nd (2014)
Anthony Hatfield Gets: D Seahawks

While Anthony can afford to do this I still don't think it's very advisable to invest anything close to that in a defense especially a non stand out D. Anthony now lacks 1st and 2nd round picks for the next 2 years but luckily for him his team doesn't look like it'll need much help any time soon. Heck of a trade for Phil any time you can get a 1st round pick for a defense you have to do it.

Dez is a Shark

Sharks Get: WR Dez Bryant
Tick Gets: HB Fred Jackson, WR Kendall Wright, 2013 1st (CLO), 2014 1st (Sharks), 2014 1st (CLO), 2014 1st (Kings), 2013 2nd (CLO)

This might have been an overpay for Dez but it solidifies the Sharks receivers giving them AJ Green, Julio Jones, and Dez Bryant one of the sickest trios you could have for the future. As for Tick it's a sick trade for him loading up on draft picks and getting Kendall Wright who has a lot of upside to be a strong WR2 for Tick's team in the future. You have to think he'll look to deal FJAX now and collect more picks.

SuperCams Acquire Wallace

After much back and forth the Sharks and Super Cams finally came to an agreement on a deal that sent Mike Wallace to the Super Cams in exchange for CJ Spiller and a 2013 1st (Phil).
This trade is a pretty even deal for both teams while the Sharks aren't looking to compete this year while the Super Cams are trying to gear up for a playoff push. One thing you have to think the Super Cams are planning to do now is send one of their Packer receivers packing.

MEGATRON Involved in MEGA Deal

Kings Get: WR Calvin Johnson, HB Vick Ballard, WR Eddie Royal, HB Jonathan Dwyer, HB Javon Ringer
Sharks Get: HB Jonathan Stewart, HB Fred Jackson, WR Mike Wallace, WR Josh Gordon, WR Vincent Brown, 2013 1st (John G), 2014 1st (Sharks), 2014 1st (CLO), 2015 1st (Kings), 2013 2nd* (Tots), 2013 2nd (CLO), 2014 2nd (Kings)

This trade is a huge get for both teams. Starting by looking at the Kings, their line up is now downright incredible.

QB Romo
HB Mathews
HB Murray
HB/WR Gore
WR Megatron
WR V.Jackson
TE Graham

As for my own team the Sharks, I had to do this deal. As much as I love Megatron the value was just too good.

Silverbacks Snag Another Piece

Silverbacks Receive: HB Michael Turner
Sharks Receive: 2014 1st (Kings)

Another Blockbuster Deal

In a deal that could arguably be bigger than yesterday's both the Kings and the Silverbacks got a bit better.

Kings Receive: HB Ryan Mathews and TE Jimmy Graham
Silverbacks Receive: HB Arian Foster, TE Jason Witten, WR Steve Smith, and a 2014 1st

This trade was a good way for the Silverbacks to get more competitive this season while still keeping an eye on the future. Losing Graham hurts but you can't say this trade doesn't make them more competitive for the 2012 season.

The Kings no doubt got a lot better from this deal though, Mathews is a slight downgrade from Foster but the huge upgrade from Witten to Graham more than makes up for it. The Kings also had more than enough picks and depth to part ways with Smith and a 1st. They honestly still have enough ammunition to pull off one or two more blockbusters as they look like a top contender for now and the foreseeable future.

Camwagon Sends Cam Packing

In undoubtedly the biggest trade in league history to date, two franchises traded star players they had named their teams after. John Gallimore sent HB Darren McFadden, QB Peyton Manning, WR Miles Austin, and WR Malcom Floyd in exchange for QB Cam Newton, WR Jordy Nelson, HB Isaac Redman, WR Nate Washington and a 2013 1st. WOW. While I'm sure Phil has a plan with this deal in my personal opinion he just got robbed. First before even evaluating the deal if he would've put Cam on the block and notified everyone in the league you have to think he would've been able to get a lot more back. Diving into the deal Cam by himself at worst should have been able to net McFadden, Peyton, Austin, and Malcom that would've still been selling Newton low. Add in that Nelson, two okay scraps, and a 1st were also dealt and this trade just looks horrible. Newton is arguably a top 2 dynasty player to own. Looking at what Phil got back, McFadden is definitely a HB1, Peyton if you believe in him is a low end QB1 and Austin is an okay replacement for Nelson but with Peyton's age and the short shelf life of backs Phil should now be in complete win now mode and push all his chips in and go for a two to three year title windown with Peyton. John has to be happy with this deal snagging Newton at way below market value.

Dynasty Kings Awarded WR Gordon in Sup. Draft

In a rare event and the league's 1st ever supplemental draft, Josh Gordon was awarded to the Dynasty Kings in exchange for their 2013 1st and 2013 2nd.