The balls have fallen and the first moves have already been made. Only Super League can generate so much fantasy action in July. Every team has something interesting going for them at this point, and even the teams at the bottom I am excited for. This is shaping up to be an excellent season already.

-Commish

12. The team formerly known as Shit Eating Skunks (Tyler and Stratton)

Someone had to come in last in the first power rankings, and it's none other than last year's Shit Eating Skunks back on Skunk watch for this season. Part of this is purely based on the price it took to make the playoffs and acquire Jonathon Taylor last season, which leaves the team with less picks that most of the 2026 Super League field. The Skunks had a chance to compete for a championship last year because of that, but the road back to the playoffs would need to consist of sharp drafting in later rounds. Their biggest opportunity is to win their divisional matchups and get in off the new divisional title automatic berth - with Nathan and Noah also on the decline compared to last year, you never know. I'm interested to see a new team brand emerge and to see how these guys approach a season with low pick capital.

11. Need for K1Speed

Joe enters the 2026 season with the number one pick in the draft after his balls were the first to fall on Thursday night. 'God Save the King' played before the proceedings to honor Joe, and it brought him good luck. Once the pick window officially opened, Joe was active, making two trades to pick up keepers for this season using 2026 and 2027 pick capital, not depleting his chances to have a competitive team in either year. This was easily the best day in his SL tenure, but I still have him down at 11 because we have yet to see Joe make a winning mark on Super League. His choice at 1.01 will be a very interesting one and could define his season. Knowing Joe, we probably haven't seen the last of trades before the draft happens, so we'll just have to keep an eye on him for now.

10.For(th)ky Down

This team could be alot better than this ranking suggests this season. This is the first year where its felt like there is a real chance this team makes the playoffs under Jackson's control. The major things going for them are JSN and extra pick capital in rounds 2, 4, and 5. The major drawbacks are obvious: Jackson hasn't piloted this team to the playoffs in SL, the keepers outside of JSN have questions attached to them, and the division is pretty strong overall compared to last year. There is alot of room to rise, but for now I can't put this team higher than bottom 3.

9. Zark's Sharks

The Sharks have been very busy in the opening hours of the 2026 season, effectively running a supercharged version of the Pirates rebuild from last season. Josh Allen's run on the Sharks is nothing short of legendary, as his impact led to multiple scoring titles and playoff appearances over the 5 year run. But that's over now. Gibbs is still here to provide a path forward, plus the Stepien rule has forced him to draft in the first round coming up. It's clear what the Sharks are aiming for - 2027 dominance. They will continue to work every angle on that front as the season develops. The only reason I don't have this team in the bottom three is the proven draft record of Zark. It's almost a guarantee that he picks up players in the later rounds that provide value and avoid Skunkdom.

8. Bona Vista Beer Wolves

The Beer Wolves are in a very interesting spot. Just a few years ago, they completed a perfect fantasy season and took home the SL ring. They rebuilt for last season, and got the scoring title, but were beaten by GIRTH in the playoffs. It feels like this team has been in a two-year cycle since Super League started, one year contending, and one year repositioning. This is the repositioning year. The most fascinating thing about this team will be the keeper decisions they make (and already made in Achane's case). There are multiple risky upside players on this team that I could see Noah and Nick keeping, and some of them should carry some nice trade value in this opening pick window. The Beer Wolves will ultimately have to choose if they want to push in for this season or next, where familiar foe Zarks Sharks have already staked the deck. The one thing that could push them to go all in on this year would be the state of their division. It's not unthinkable to imagine this team being the scrappy divisional title team this year if they play their cards right. For now, I'll stick to the repositioning year idea.

7. Sacks in the City

The back-to-back champions come into the season depleted in picks but rich in player value. The willingness of the league to deal with Nathan has reached an all-time low due to his historic run, but I think some teams will inevitably make a deal with the devil. I've said it from the expansion season with this team, Nathan just gets how to run his franchise. He's already the SL GOAT as it stands, so whatever he wants to do would be valid this year. Push all in to go for the threepeat? Sure. Rebuild for another run next year? Absolutely. There's no wrong answer for this team right now. The only real thing on the line is Nathan's prestigious streak of making the playoffs each of his three seasons in the league, but that's honestly just a footnote compared to the two rings. If the league truly embargoes Nathan in August, then he might be fucked, but for now, I think he will be right in the mix for another playoff appearance.

6. SLATTS SLIMES

Slime season approaching. Fuck whatever y'all been hearing. Really like year two Jeanty, love the Devonta Smith acquisition, and St Brown is very good. He's only missing a second round pick from the default pick set, which shouldn't cost him too much. The biggest thing in the Slimes way is the emergence of GIRTH. Sam has proven himself to be a good manager capable of making decisions that benefit the Slimes. I think another playoff season is very possible if Sam is locked in for the Super League draft.

5. Shit Eating Skunks

Curry and Austin come into this season as the unknown factor. On paper, this team is already in a nice place, with a real keeper big three and an extra third round pick on top of stock picks, and getting to add a real piece at 1.04. Curry and Austin individually have proven to be respectable managers in the NGFL league, but we have seen time and time again in this league that collaboration can take a team to the next level. They will have to overcome a historically cursed franchise, though. Despite being an original franchise, the team has NEVER made the playoffs, and its record for wins in a season is only 6. If I had to bet, I'd parlay that both of these things will not be true by the end of the year. It could be a special season for the Shit Eating Skunks.

4.The Bridge Road Orcas

The Orcas dipped their toes in the water of pick trades in previous years, but come into this season with the most pick ammo they've had, boasting an extra first, second, and fifth from last year's CMC trade. While CMC would be very nice to have on this squad, the rule changes make Brock Bowers one of the most valuable players in the league this season, and with Olave getting extended, he projects as another stud. They have options at the third keeper, including guys on the roster or dipping into 2027 picks to go get another guy. This team has the major advantage of facing a weaker division this season, with the rest of the division being down stock picks. The path to success is simple - lock in a solid keeper core, hope Brock stays healthy, and beat up on a weaker division all the way to the automatic berth for division winners. The lotto balls did not fall in their favor, but it doesn't effect their season outlook very much in my opinion. Borderline playoff lock.

3.GIRTH

I gotta give flowers to GIRTH and Truly for the turnaround they've done since being one of the worst teams in league history their first season. They are fresh off a finals appearance, and the conventional SL way would be for them to sell this year to build back up for next year. GIRTH says fuck that, and sends it on acquiring Josh Allen in a massive deal of 2027 picks. While his 2027 season may be in jeopardy already, his 2026 season is shaping up to be excellent. There's still player value left on this team, and the franchise very quickly cashed in on that with the Nico Collins trade to Joe. GIRTH are moving like a team on a mission, and I now have them ahead of the pack in their division, especially if they can get 1-2 more trades done with these players. They should be in the championship mix once again.

2. Washington Fantasy Team

WFT finally did what they had never done in the history of this league - they decided it was time to punt a season to build for the next. The lottery balls (quite dramatically) bounced their way, giving them the 1.03 pick, and they already had 1.07 in tow from last year's Jonathon Taylor trade. To replenish the high-level talent Curtis likes to keep around, he's already made two blockbusters - acquiring Achane for a bevy of mid-rounders, and dipping into his 2027 stash for a bona fide stud in Trey McBride, who should be a top asset this season due to the scoring changes. Extra picks and stud keepers are a recipe for success, and when you're as good of a manager and drafter as Curtis, the sky is the limit. Very few teams are in the position that WFT has pieced together.

1. Parma Pirates

My Pirates enter the season with possibly the biggest collection of draft capital the league has ever seen, and two S-tier players in Chase and Lamb to anchor everything. The balls falling in my direction was simply the cherry on top. Other teams have some positive pick accumulation (WFT, Orcas namely), but no other team comes close to this level of pick hoarding in 2026. The team literally owns 30% of the picks in the top two rounds. Enough self-sucking about the picks though, as many Super League seasons have started with the team with the most picks at the top of this list, just for them to go on to not actually win the title. The third keeper might be the only question mark available for my team right now. I feel that I've proven my elite managerial skills in NGFL by hoisting that trophy two times in a row. Now it's time for me to hoist this one. The commish curse is going down.