Pewter Power Rankings is a weekly feature compiled by PewterReport.com’s Fantasy Football Analyst Andrew Scavelli every Tuesday during the regular season. Each week Scavelli will rank the league’s teams from best to worst based on their performance and outlook going forward at that point of the season, with a focus on the Buccaneers.

CURRENT BUCCANEERS RANKING: 8 (+3)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers
No team has jumped higher in my power rankings over the first two weeks than the Buccaneers and they deserve every bit of this placement in the top 10. After an explosive 2-0 start in which they defeated two of my initial top five teams in the Saints and the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, Tampa Bay looks like they’re finally poised to make a serious playoff push for the first time in a decade. Last week I said that if the Bucs defense steps up just enough to help out the team’s league-leading offense they will find themselves in this position, and sure enough that’s exactly what happened.

After Tampa Bay’s week one victory in New Orleans, I could not justify placing the team below one in which they’ve beaten twice in their last two regular season games but this week is a little different. In no way am I trying to diminish the team’s fantastic play against Philadelphia but now that their franchise quarterback Carson Wentz has been medically cleared to play, I believe the Eagles offense will see a dramatic improvement. There’s no question the Bucs will also field a better team once Brent Grimes returns from his groin injury and first-round pick Vita Vea can get back on the field, but an elite level QB like Wentz still gives the Eagles a slight edge over Tampa Bay as these current rankings stand.