July 7, 2022
By Adam Ruffner
25. Detroit Mechanix (Previously 25th)
Record: 0-8
Upward trend: Detroit is ninth in holds per game (16), and the team has completed 10 or more hucks in each of their last three games; Chris Walsh is tied for the team lead in huck completions (13), and is averaging over 400 passing yards per game
Downward trend: Mechanix are dead last in scores allowed per game (27.1), and have allowed 30-plus in two of their last three games; opponents are converting nearly 65 percent of their offensive possessions against Detroit, the highest mark in the AUDL
24. Tampa Bay Cannons (Previously 24th)
Record: 0-7
Upward trend: Since completing a season-low 6-of-16 (40 percent) of their hucks in Week 1 against Atlanta, the Cannons have connected on 64 percent of their 78 huck attempts in the past six games
Downward trend: Tampa Bay is second to last in red zone efficiency (67.5 percent); Cannons have five games with eight or fewer red zone scores, making the team over reliant on the longball
23. Dallas Legion (Previously 23rd)
Record: 0-7
Upward trend: Kevin Richardson set a career high for receiving yards in a single game (343) in Week 10, and had the most goals (6) since July 2018
Downward trend: It took Dallas 53 games to lose their first seven games as a franchise—yes, including playoffs—from 2016 to 2019
22. Seattle Cascades (Previously 22nd)
Record: 2-8
Upward trend: Jack Brown is averaging career bests in goals per game (2.6) and receiving yards per game (268) in his third season
Downward trend: Despite getting 29 blocks in their last three games, Cascades have converted just 9-of-30 (30 percent) defensive possessions into scores, which would rank last for a full season
21. Portland Nitro (Previously 21st)
Record: 2-6
Upward trend: Portland has scored 20 or more in all four home games so far this season; Leandro Marx is averaging 10 scores and 651 total yards per game at home
Downward trend: Nitro are third worst in team completion percentage (91 percent), with two sub-90 percent games in their last five outings
20. Ottawa Outlaws (Previously 20th)
Record: 1-7
Upward trend: David Colic now has five games with four or more goals in 2022; the fourth year receiver has a career best 28 goals, and still has four games remaining
Downward trend: Ottawa set a season high with 28 turnovers in Week 10; the Outlaws rank 19th overall in the league in turnovers per game (21.8)
19. Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (Previously 19th)
Record: 3-6
Upward trend: Thomas Edmonds has just three throwaways in his last four games, and is currently fourth in the league in receiving yards per game (344)
Downward trend: With their loss to Indy in Week 10, the T-Birds are now 0-6 against potential playoff teams in the Central this season
18. Oakland Spiders (Previously 17th)
Record: 3-5
Upward trend: Excluding an uncharacteristic one-assist, 190-throwing-yard performance against Seattle, Justin Norden is averaging 6.3 assists and 555 passing yards per game in his other four appearances in 2022
Downward trend: Even with 13 blocks in their last performance, Oakland still ranks 20th in blocks per game (8.9)
17. Montreal Royal (Previously 13th)
Record: 4-6
Upward trend: Quentin Bonnaud started to look like the goal scoring phenom of old on the road this past weekend, accumulating eight goals and 477 receiving yards in two games
Downward trend: The Royal have lost six of their last seven games and committed 51 turnovers in two games on the road in Week 10
16. Boston Glory (Previously 18th)
Record: 4-6
Upward trend: Boston improved to 4-1 at home with their Week 10 win over Montreal; in 22 pro games, Ben Sadok has accumulated 11,585 total yards of offense and 113 scores
Downward trend: Glory have committed 20 or more turnovers in five games this season; Boston has attempted 67 hucks in their last five games, and connected on just 57 percent of them
15. Toronto Rush (Previously 16th)
Record: 4-7
Upward trend: Toronto has back-to-back wins for the first time since June 2019; Ryan Poloz has 13 assists, five goals, and 1084 total yards of offense on 62-of-63 throws in the last two games
Downward trend: The Rush were just 4-of-10 in the red zone in Week 10; Toronto is last in red zone efficiency (66.4 percent), and 18th in overall offensive efficiency
14. Madison Radicals (Previously 15th)
Record: 4-4
Upward trend: The Radicals finish their 2022 regular season schedule with three of their final four games at home, with their lone remaining road game coming at Detroit
Downward trend: Madison is just 8-7 at Breese Stevens Field since the start of the 2019 season, and will host Minnesota, Indy, and Chicago in the next three weeks
13. Los Angeles Aviators (Previously 12th)
Record: 3-5
Upward trend: Aviators were tied at the half with the Summit in Colorado thanks to the young playmaking core of Brandon Van Deusen, Matt Miller, and rookie Everest Shapiro, the last of whom leads the team in goals (27)
Downward trend: After scoring 10 goals in the first half, LA finished with just 15 on the game; Aviators had their worst offensive performance of the season, converting just 12-of-30 O-line possessions
12. Indianapolis AlleyCats (Previously 14th)
Record: 5-3
Upward trend: With 10 scores in their Week 10 home win, Cameron Brock became the first player in AUDL history to reach the 800 score plateau; Brock has increased his completion percentage in each of his last four seasons, and has six games this season without a throwaway
Downward trend: Indy’s final four games are all against potential playoff teams in Chicago, Madison, Minnesota, and Atlanta; opponents have the highest D-line conversion percentage (58.5 percent) against Indy
11. Philadelphia Phoenix (Previously 11th)
Record: 4-4
Upward trend: Philly had their second fewest turnovers in a game this season against a top tier DC defense; Sean Mott has just three throwaways in his last three games, and was 21-for-21 against the Breeze
Downward trend: Phoenix had a season-low five takeaways against DC, and completed just 8-of-18 huck attempts; Philly has not beaten DC since 2013
10. San Diego Growlers (Previously 10th)
Record: 5-3
Upward trend: San Diego needs to essentially win one of their final four games to make their fourth straight postseason appearance; Travis Dunn on pace for his fourth straight season with 70 or more total scores
Downward trend: Growlers have just eight break scores in their past three games; San Diego ranks 19th in breaks per game (4.1)
9. Salt Lake Shred (Previously 7th)
Record: 5-2
Upward trend: Joe Merrill is averaging 289 receiving yards per game, and has just two throwaways this season; Jordan Kerr has five or more assists in six of seven games
Downward trend: After going 56-of-84 (66.7 percent) on O-line possessions in their first three games—all wins—the Shred are 62-of-116 (53.4 percent) in their last four
8. Chicago Union (Previously 6th)
Record: 6-1
Upward trend: Jeff Weis finished with a season-high five goals in Week 10, and now has two 400-plus receiving yard performances in his last three games
Downward trend: Chicago finished with their second worst D-line conversion rate this season (29 percent) against Minnesota last Friday; Union have just 12 blocks in their last two games
7. Atlanta Hustle (Previously 5th)
Record: 4-3
Upward trend: Bobby Ley is averaging 4.5 assists and over 300 throwing yards per game in four appearances this year; Ley finished with season highs in assists (7) and throwing yards (443) against the Flyers in Week 10
Downward trend: Hustle are just 4-of-19 (21 percent) on D-line possessions in their last two games against Carolina; Atlanta is averaging 19.3 turnovers per game in their last four
6. Austin Sol (Previously 10th)
Record: 6-3
Upward trend: Without Jake Radack in the lineup, Kyle Henke went 35-of-36 and finished with a game-high seven assists against Dallas in Week 10; Henke has career bests in completions per game (26.4) and completion percentage (97.5 percent) in 2022
Downward trend: Austin ranks 18th in holds allowed per game (15.9); Sol are just 2-3 against non-Dallas teams this season
5. Minnesota Wind Chill (Previously 8th)
Record: 7-1
Upward trend: Wind Chill had 20 holds against Chicago in Week 10, Minnesota’s most offensive holds in a game since 2019; Bryan Vohnoutka has 13 assists, eight goals, and four blocks compared to just four throwaways in his last four games; Minnesota has won seven straight
Downward trend: Minnesota averages the second most turnovers per game (18.9) among teams with winning records this season
4. DC Breeze (Previously 4th)
Record: 5-2
Upward trend: DC’s defense ranks second in D-line conversion efficiency; Christian Boxley has one throwaway in his last four games, and is averaging four scores and 290 yards of offense per game for the season
Downward trend: Opponents have the fifth highest completion percentage (93.8 percent) against the Breeze this season; DC allowed 20 or more goals for the fourth time in five games
3. Colorado Summit (Previously 3rd)
Record: 9-0
Upward trend: Since winning by one against Salt Lake in Week 5, Colorado has defeated their opponents by an average of 6.5 goals over their past six games; Jay Froude is one of just five players averaging at least 3.5 goals and 300 receiving yards per game this season
Downward trend: Two of Colorado’s final three games are on the road; Summit are allowing 20.8 goals per game on the road
2. Carolina Flyers (Previously 2nd)
Record: 9-1
Upward trend: Carolina has 41 blocks during their current four-game winning streak, and is averaging nearly seven break scores per game during that span; Jacob Fairfax has six games with 250 receiving yards or more; Fairfax’s fifth straight season with 40 or more scores
Downward trend: Flyers have 40 turnovers in their last two games; July 2018 is the last time Carolina committed that many errors over a two-game span
1. New York Empire (Previously 1st)
Record: 10-0
Upward trend: New York was a perfect 21-for-21 on red zone opportunities in Week 10; Empire tied a season high with 16 break scores against Montreal; NY averages the second most breaks per game (9.7); Empire clinched their second consecutive East Division regular season title
Downward trend: Empire are just 16-of-27 (59 percent) on hucks in their last three games; NY ranks 17th* in holds per game (14.7)
*They’re still first all-time in offensive efficiency this season, so there’s that
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