July 28, 2022
By Adam Ruffner
25. Detroit Mechanix (Previously 25th)
Record: 0-10
Upward trend: With two games to play in the final weekend of the regular season, Joe Cubitt sits at 4,864 throwing yards for the season; Cubitt would become just the fourth player to surpass 5,000 throwing yards in a season; Cubitt leads the AUDL in throwing yards per game (486) in 2022
Downward trend: For all the hype heading into this season, Detroit is two games away from completing their fourth consecutive winless season
24. Dallas Legion (Previously 22nd)
Record: 0-11
Upward trend: Tyler Reinhardt has emerged as the Legion’s primary thrower since the end of June, and the second-year handler is averaging two assists, 40 completions, and 271 passing yards per game in his last six appearances
Downward trend: After qualifying for the playoffs in five straight seasons—including three championship game appearances and a 2016 AUDL title—Dallas is one game away from becoming the sixth franchise to go winless
23. Portland Nitro (Previously 23rd)
Record: 2-8
Upward trend: With 476 receiving yards in Week 13, Leandro Marx pushed his per game average to 404 through 10 games played; no AUDL player has previously held a 400 receiving yard per game average beyond three games
Downward trend: Portland was outscored 87-53 in their last three home games—all losses—and committed a combined 87 turnovers; New York finished their 12-game regular season schedule with just 162 total turnovers
22. Tampa Bay Cannons (Previously 24th)
Record: 1-9
Upward trend: Michael Arbutine and Garrett Knobel combined for six blocks against Dallas; the Cannons are averaging over 10 blocks per game in their last four games; Tampa Bay converted a season-high seven breaks in Week 13
Downward trend: Tampa Bay is just 34-of-89 (38 percent) on offensive possessions in their last three games; Cannons have committed 20 or more turnover in nine out of their 10 games this season
21. Seattle Cascades (Previously 21st)
Record: 2-10
Upward trend: Fourth-year handler vet Jeff Zhao completed a career high 60 throws in Week 13; with the exception of a Week 11 start on defense, Zhao is averaging over 300 throwing yards per game in his last six appearances
Downward trend: Seattle is 7-29 over the last three regular seasons; Cascades have not qualified for the playoffs since 2016
20. Ottawa Outlaws (Previously 19th)
Record: 2-8
Upward trend: With two games to play Jeremy Hill has career highs in scores (50), completions (213), completion percentage (93.4 percent), throwing yards (1158), receiving yards (2324), and points played (279) in his seventh season with Ottawa
Downward trend: Ottawa hasn’t registered more than three wins in a season since 2016 (13-45 record); Outlaws defense hasn’t ranked higher than 19th in scores allowed in the last five seasons
19. Boston Glory (Previously 20th)
Record: 4-8
Upward trend: Despite playing in only nine games, Cole Davis-Brand collected 50 total scores and averaged nearly 500 yards of total offense in his second season as a pro; Davis-Brand has four different multi-goal games in 2022
Downward trend: Glory concluded their season by tying a season-high in turnovers (27) for the third time in 2022; Boston averaged 22 turnovers per game over their last seven contests (2-5 record)
18. Montreal Royal (Previously 18th)
Record: 4-8
Upward trend: 22-year-old Jakob Brissette is averaging 498 total yards per game in his last 20 starts; Brissette has 67 assists (and 61 hockey assists) in that span
Downward trend: After starting the season with two straight wins against US teams, Montreal went 0-6 down the stretch against international competition; Royal were outscored 144-92 in those final six matchups against US teams
17. Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (Previously 17th)
Record: 4-8
Upward trend: Max Sheppard finished his fourth straight regular season with at least 30 assists and 30 goals; Sheppard tied a career high with 11 blocks in 2022
Downward trend: Thunderbirds missed the playoffs for the third time in four seasons; Pittsburgh was just 7-of-13 in the red zone against Chicago in Week 13; T-Birds rank 23rd this season in red zone rate (70.9 percent)
16. Los Angeles Aviators (Previously 14th)
Record: 3-8
Upward trend: Another seventh-year vet having his best season as a pro, Michael Kiyoi is tied for the team lead in goals (28) after scoring nine in two road games in Week 13;
Downward trend: LA has lost five in a row and has four straight games with 20 or more turnovers; Aviators have just 15 total break scores in their last five games; LA ranks fourth worst this season in breaks per game
15. Toronto Rush (Previously 15th)
Record: 4-8
Upward trend: Ryan Poloz had 23 assists and just two throwaways in his final three games of the season; one of the best mobile passers this season, Poloz averaged 298 receiving yards in his final three games as well
Downward trend: From 2013-2018, Toronto led the league in breaks per game four different times; Rush rank 23rd in breaks per game (3.3) in 2022; Toronto never had more than six breaks in a game this season
14. Oakland Spiders (Previously 16th)
Record: 4-6
Upward trend: Spiders are 4-1 in their last five, averaging 12 blocks per game during that stretch; Oakland is averaging nearly nine break scores per game in their last five matchups; Evan Magsig has 10 assists in his last three starts while playing 82 percent of his points on defense
Downward trend: Spiders got hot too late in the season and will miss the playoffs for the fourth straight season; Oakland is allowing the sixth-most opponent takeaways per game this season
13. Madison Radicals (Previously 13th)
Record: 6-5
Upward trend: Kevin Pettit-Scantling has career highs in assists (24) and completions (187) this regular season, and has already doubled his throwing yards from last season (751 in 2021; 1536 in 2022)
Downward trend: Madison has lost four of their last six games; Radicals are averaging just 18.8 goals per game during that stretch; Madison is just 48-for-117 (41 percent) on offensive possessions in those four losses
12. Indianapolis AlleyCats (Previously 12th)
Record: 6-5
Upward trend: The ‘Cats defense is one game away from shattering the all-time single season defensive efficiency rate record; Indy is converting 69.3 percent of their D-line possessions in 2022; Madison set the record last season (56.9 percent)
Downward trend: Despite averaging just 15.8 turnovers per game in their last five games, ‘Cats are just 2-3 down the stretch; in an ironic twist, opponents have the second highest defensive efficiency against Indy this season
11. Atlanta Hustle (Previously 11th)
Record: 7-4
Upward trend: Karl Ekwurtzel registered season highs in goals (3) and receiving yards (244) against Dallas in Week 13; Austin Taylor has 96 assists and 7,505 throwing yards in his last 22 regular season games; Atlanta has five games this season with 11 or fewer turnovers, including back-to-back games with 10 turnovers
Downward trend: For the third straight season, Atlanta is bottom three in completions per game as a team; Hustle live (and die) with the longball, which can make them streaky
10. Philadelphia Phoenix (Previously 10th)
Record: 5-6
Upward trend: After playing less than 100 offensive points in his first three seasons with the Phoenix, James Pollard has 71 scores and nearly 4,700 yards of total offense so far in 2022; Pollard had 10 total scores and over 450 yards of total offense on just 21 touches against New York in Week 13
Downward trend: With their loss to NY in Week 13, Philly is now 0-4 this season against their potential playoff opponents in the East, including three losses to DC and NY since the start of July; Phoenix are just 22-of-29 (76 percent) on red zone opportunities in their last two games
9. Minnesota Wind Chill (Previously 9th)
Record: 8-3
Upward trend: Since the start of July, Minnesota is 91-of-142 (64 percent) on offensive possessions in their last five games, which would rank third overall for the full season; Quinn Snider is averaging 4.8 goals and 235 receiving yards per game during that stretch
Downward trend: After averaging 9.9 break scores per game through their first eight games, Wind Chill’s defense is averaging just five per game in their last three outings
8. San Diego Growlers (Previously 8th)
Record: 8-3
Upward trend: San Diego clinched their fourth straight playoff appearance with a sweep of the Northwest road trip in Week 13; Growlers have scored 20 or more goals in four straight games; Paul Lally is one of just seven players this season averaging more than 50 completions per game
Downward trend: Besides Lally and Tim Okita, no Growlers player is completing above 93.5 percent of their throws with at least 65 completions; San Diego ranks 12th as a team in completion percentage (92.8) in 2022, the second lowest of any potential playoff team
7. Salt Lake Shred (Previously 7th)
Record: 9-2
Upward trend: Rookie Luke Yorgason had his most complete game in Week 13, collecting four total scores and over 400 yards of offense without a turnover, including the game-changing bookends score in the second half; Joe Merrill has 81 goals in his first 21 regular season games as a pro
Downward trend: Shred were just 12-of-20 (60 percent) on red zone possessions in Week 13; Salt Lake is just 33-for-78 (42 percent) on break opportunities in their last four games
6. Austin Sol (Previously 6th)
Record: 8-3
Upward trend: A win at home against Tampa Bay, and the Sol are in the playoffs; Jake Radack is one of just eight players averaging over 400 throwing yards per game this season; Radack, Kyle Henke, Evan Swiatek, and Mark Evans are all averaging over five scores per game in 2022
Downward trend: Austin has given up 20 or more goals six different times this season; Sol are just 32-of-44 (72 percent) in the red zone their last two games
5. Chicago Union (Previously 5th)
Record: 9-1
Upward trend: Chicago committed a season-low 10 turnovers in Pittsburgh in Week 13; Pawel Janas has his fifth straight regular season with 50 or more assists; Janas is averaging 5.9 assists and 56 completions per game in 61 career regular season starts; Janas is second all-time in assists (376), 11 behind Jonathan Helton
Downward trend: Chicago averaged over 12 blocks per game in the first five games this season, and are down to just 6.6 takeaways per game in their last five
4. DC Breeze (Previously 4th)
Record: 9-2
Upward trend: DC has 43 takeaways in their last three games; Moussa Dia has seven blocks in his last three starts; Breeze are averaging eight break scores per game over their last six games
Downward trend: The Breeze committed a season-high 23 turnovers in Boston in Week 13; DC has the third worst red zone defense in the league this season, allowing opponents to convert on nearly 82 percent of their red zone opportunities
3. Colorado Summit (Previously 3rd)
Record: 10-1
Upward trend: 21-year-old Danny Landesman is coming into his own as a thrower, and already has career highs this season in assists (17), completions (236), completion percentage (96.7 percent), hockey assists (20), and has almost tripled last year’s throwing yards total; Landesman has eight assists, 87 completions, and 577 throwing yards compared to just two throwaways in his last two games
Downward trend: Injuries are starting to become a factor for a Summit team that once looked a tier above the rest of the West; Colorado ranks 17th in red zone efficiency, second worst among potential playoff teams
2. Carolina Flyers (Previously 2nd)
Record: 11-1
Upward trend: Jacob Fairfax led the team in blocks despite playing nearly 93 percent of his total points on offense; opponents have the lowest break rate (10.9 percent) of all-time against the Flyers in 2022; Flyers committed a season-low eight turnovers in their last regular season game
Downward trend: Carolina has finished with 10 or more regular season wins four times before this season, and only made Championship Weekend once (2015)
1. New York Empire (Previously 1st)
Record: 12-0
Upward trend: Since joining the Empire, Ryan Osgar has 126 assists, 52 goals, and 11,895 total yards of offense in 22 regular season starts; Osgar finished 2022 with one huck incompletion on 22 attempts; it’s just the sixth time in AUDL history that a player has 80 or more scores and fewer than 10 throwaways in a season
Downward trend: New York is just 9-of-31 (29 percent) on break opportunities against Philly this season
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