June 23, 2022
By Adam Ruffner
25. Detroit Mechanix (Previously 25th)
Record: 0-7
Upward trend: Joe Cubitt became franchise leader in assists last Saturday; Mechanix offense continues to progress after years as league-worst unit
Downward trend: 23 or more turnovers in five games this season, including 25 in Week 8
24. Tampa Bay Cannons (Previously 24th)
Record: 0-6
Upward trend: Four Cannons throwers—Brandon Perales, Billy O'Bryan, Jaime Perez, and Tannon Hedges—are averaging over a huck completion per game; Tampa Bay is top 10 in the league in hucks per game
Downward trend: The Cannons are last in the league in offensive efficiency and scoring
23. Dallas Legion (Previously 21st)
Record: 0-5
Upward trend: Kevin Richardson and Michael Matthis are averaging over 500 receiving yards per game as a duo
Downward trend: Dallas has just one break in their last two games; only Detroit has a lower break chance this season than the Legion
22. Oakland Spiders (Previously 23rd)
Record: 1-5
Upward trend: Chris Lung is averaging 4.6 assists, 1.6 blocks, 37 completions, 1.6 hucks, and over 500 yards of total offense per game this season; perfect 26-for-26 throwing performance in Spiders’ Week 8 win
Downward trend: Spiders are last in the league in turnovers per game, and bottom five in both offensive and red zone efficiency
21. Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (Previously 22nd)
Record: 3-5
Upward trend: Thomas Edmonds fourth straight game with 300 or more receiving yards; Edmonds is fourth in the league this season with 338 receiving yards per game to go along with six total scores per game
Downward trend: The T-Birds have 50 turnovers in their past two games, and are bottom four in team completion percentage in 2022
20. Toronto Rush (Previously 22nd)
Record: 2-7
Upward trend: Phil Turner has five multi-block games this season; Turner’s third straight season with 15 or more blocks
Downward trend: Toronto is averaging 14.8 goals per game in their last four games, and have converted just nine break scores in that span
19. Ottawa Outlaws (Previously 20th)
Record: 1-6
Upward trend: Ottawa is the first team this season to take half on New York
Downward trend: The Outlaws scored 20-plus in each of their first three games of the season, and have just one such in game in their last four outings
18. Seattle Cascades (Previously 15th)
Record: 2-7
Upward trend: Receiver Tarik Akyuz is tied for the team lead in hucks (11), and is one assist away from tying a career high for a single season
Downward trend: Seattle has not won a road game since June 15, 2019
17. Indianapolis AlleyCats (Previously 19th)
Record: 4-2
Upward trend: Keegan North is averaging seven assists, 3.7 goals, and 774 total yards per game in three home games in 2022
Downward trend: In their last 18 games, six of Indy’s seven total wins have come against Detroit
16. Portland Nitro (Previously 16th)
Record: 2-5
Upward trend: Portland has converted 10 or more red zone scores in every game this season, and are seventh this season in overall red zone efficiency
Downward trend: The Nitro have failed to score 20 goals in three of their last four games despite being third in the league in holds per game (16.4)
15. Boston Glory (Previously 17th)
Record: 3-5
Upward trend: The “Duh” stat of the week is that Boston is 3-0 when Tannor Johnson plays this season
Downward trend: Two of Boston’s three wins have come by a single goal, making them precipitously close to 1-7
14. Montreal Royal (Previously 14th)
Record: 4-4
Upward trend: Jakob Brissette is one of just 12 throwers averaging over 400 throwing yards per game this season
Downward trend: Montreal is sixth worst in holds per game (14.4), and are one of just eight teams averaging under 20 goals per game this season
13. Los Angeles Aviators (Previously 12th)
Record: 3-4
Upward trend: LA is 29-of-38 (76 percent) in their last two games on holds; Brandon Van Deusen is top 15 in a number of per game throwing metrics
Downward trend: Aviators have just eight total breaks in their last three games, and are fourth worst in the AUDL this season in break rate (16.2 percent)
12. Madison Radicals (Previously 13th)
Record: 4-3
Upward trend: Even with Kevin Pettit-Scantling and Sterling Knoche playing full-time offense in recent weeks, the young Radicals defense remains a top 10 unit
Downward trend: Madison had a season-low five blocks against Austin; this season is the first time in team history the Radicals are averaging fewer than 10 blocks per game
11. Philadelphia Phoenix (Previously 11th)
Record: 4-3
Upward trend: Philly has won four in a row, own third place in the East and control their own destiny
Downward trend: The Phoenix had their fifth 20-plus turnover game of the season in Week 8, and rank 19th in the league in turnovers per game
10. Austin Sol (Previously 6th)
Record: 4-3
Upward trend: Evan Swiatek has upped his completion rate six percentage points since 2021, and is top three on the team in total scores, assists, blocks, and total yardage
Downward trend: Austin is third worst in both hucks per game allowed (9.9) and opponent huck completion rate (69.7 percent)
9. San Diego Growlers (Previously 9th)
Record: 5-1
Upward trend: Growlers have won five in a row; SD is third in the league in team huck completion rate (70.2 percent) and fourth in offensive hold rate (77.6 percent)
Downward trend: SD has the third worst D-line conversion rate (33.3 percent), and is the only team with a winning record under 40 percent
8. Salt Lake Shred (Previously 10th)
Record: 4-2
Upward trend: Top scoring offense in the league; first in holds per game (17.5) and fifth in breaks per game (7.7)
Downward trend: Salt Lake has allowed 21 or more goals in every game this season; allowing the second most opponent hucks per game (10) in the league
7. Minnesota Wind Chill (Previously 7th)
Record: 4-1
Upward trend: The Wind Chill are allowing just 14.3 goals per game during their current four-game winning streak
Downward trend: Minnesota is in the bottom half of the league in offensive conversion rate (49.6 percent), and are dead last in offensive holds per game (12)
6. Atlanta Hustle (Previously 5th)
Record: 4-2
Upward trend: The Hustle offense is top six in team completion percentage, offensive efficiency, and turnovers per game; Atlanta is number one in team huck completion rate (83.6 percent)
Downward trend: Hustle produced just four break scores in two games against Carolina so far this season
5. Chicago Union (Previously 8th)
Record: 5-0
Upward trend: Chicago’s offense is top five in scoring and efficiency, with Kyle Rutledge looking like the perfect backfield complementary piece for Pawel Janas; and vice versa
Downward trend: Chicago has nine failed red zone attempts in their last two games; the Union’s 76.2 percent red zone efficiency for the season ranks 14th in the league
4. DC Breeze (Previously 4th)
Record: 4-2
Upward trend: DC finished with 19 blocks in Week 8 against Toronto; Breeze rank second in the league in D-line conversion rate (60.6 percent)
Downward trend: Breeze had a season-high 19 turnovers against the Rush; DC is just 16-for-28 (57 percent) on hucks in their last three games
3. Colorado Summit (Previously 3rd)
Record: 7-0
Upward trend: Colorado’s defense is tied for the fourth most break scores per game (8) this season; fourth in blocks per game (12.1); first in opponent red zone conversion rate (68.1 percent)
Downward trend: Summit are fourth worst in the AUDL this season in red zone efficiency (71.7 percent)
2. Carolina Flyers (Previously 2nd)
Record: 7-1
Upward trend: Flyers had their seventh game of the season with 15 or fewer turnovers; Carolina’s 12.3 turnovers per game, if it holds, would be the fewest mistakes per game by a team in league history
Downward trend: Opponents are completing 93.6 percent of their throws against the Flyers, the sixth highest rate in the league this season; Carolina is in the bottom half of the league in opponent O-line efficiency and opponent red zone conversion rate
1. New York Empire (Previously 1st)
Record: 9-0
Upward trend: New York’s defense is second overall in opponent O-line efficiency, limiting teams to just a 42.9 percent scoring rate on their offensive possessions
Downward trend: Empire only have three games remaining in the next six weeks of the regular season, which could lead to some rust as the playoffs approach
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