May 21, 2025
By Adam Ruffner
24. Detroit Mechanix (-)
Record: 0-1
Last result: 22-17 (L) vs Pittsburgh
Next game: May 24 at Indianapolis
Former All-Star Joe Cubitt is set to make his first start in nearly two years with the Mechanix this Saturday. And while Cubitt is the Detroit franchise leader in virtually every throwing category, he lacks one crucial stat: A single win in 48 career starts coming into 2025, having missed last year’s streak-breaking victory. The Mechanix have come tantalizingly close to knocking off the AlleyCats for multiple seasons in a row, and Cubitt’s presence in the lineup this coming weekend could be the tipping point for Detroit get the W, and reach their first .500 record since 2017.
23. Vegas Bighorns (-)
Record: 0-3
Last result: 23-13 (L) vs Seattle
Next game: May 23 vs Oregon
Another former all-star selection, Jaime Perez, is set to make his 2025 debut with the Bighorns on Friday night. Vegas will be the fourth pro franchise in eight seasons since 2014 for the journeyman Perez, who will provide another much needed big arm to the lineup. Perez posted a career year in his last active season in the league in 2022, and could be a sparkplug for Bighorns offense still searching for reliable scoring options.
22. Indianapolis AlleyCats (-1)
Record: 0-2
Last result: 32-17 (L) vs Minnesota
Next game: May 24 vs Detroit
A quartet of ‘Cats—Nick Betsch, Carson Chamberlain, Jack Havey, and Robby Davenport—will be going against their former Mechanix teammates in the coming Week 5 matchup. Detroit’s losses have become integrable veteran contributors in Indy for one of the league’s youngest teams, and the player movement has added a dimension to an already fiery regional rivalry. The ‘Cats converted on 93 percent of their red zone chances in their 2025 debut against Pittsburgh before dipping to a 67 percent rate in their last game versus Minnesota. Indy will struggle all season to consistently produce short distance scoring chances, so they will need to capitalize when they’re in range.
21. Los Angeles Aviators (-1)
Record: 0-4
Last result: 21-16 (L) at San Diego
Next game: May 30 vs Houston
It would be easy to discount this developing Aviators team by just glancing at box scores and final results. And with four straight losses by at least five goals each game—and the league’s worst red zone conversion rate—there’s good reason to be skeptical. But there’s some juice here, too, with James Franklin and rookie Jonathan Lyle showing off a nice one-two punch in the open field on offense with Sean McDougall absent, the Aviators having numerous opportunities to tie the Growlers throughout their Week 4 contest. The problem for this young LA team has been surrendering runs, and disastrously slow starts. In just their last two games, the Aviators are getting outscored 13-3 in the first quarter.
20. Pittsburgh Thunderbirds (-4)
Record: 2-1
Last result: 20-14 (L) at Madison
Next game: May 24 vs Minnesota
Down three offensive starters in Week 4, the Thunderbirds O-line got overcooked in Madison and yielded 25 turnovers and 10 break scores to the opposition in the road rout. The normally smooth decision making of the Pittsburgh backfield was disrupted by the Radicals smoke-and-mirrors double teaming, which had T-Birds throwers seeing ghosts and resulted in an 8-2 opening frame deficit for the visitors. The real sore spot of the loss is the fact that Pittsburgh will not face Madison again during the regular season, giving the Radicals an all-important tiebreaker come eventual playoff seeding. Now Pittsburgh hosts the reigning champs with a chip on their shoulder, and coming off their own divisional beatdown at the hands of a rival.
19. Seattle Cascades (-5)
Record: 1-3
Last result: 20-19 (L) at Oregon
Next game: May 23 at Salt Lake (Friday Night Frisbee)
Following their overtime loss in Oregon, and with upcoming road games against Salt Lake and the current division leaders in Oakland, the Cascades are not just in jeopardy of losing their grip on the West Division throne, but of missing the 2025 playoffs entirely. Seattle has gone from top eight to bottom eight in turnovers per game in the past year, and have 21 or more mistakes in three of their first four games in 2025; in a game decided by a single goal in extra time, the Cascades had nine turnovers inside the red zone alone last Saturday against the Steel. Garrett Martin and Zeppelin Raunig continue to be two of the most potent scorers in the association, but the depth of this team’s playmaking has dropped off drastically after the semifinals run in 2024.
18. Oregon Steel (+4)
Record: 1-2
Last result: 20-19 (W) vs Seattle
Next game: May 23 at Vegas
Despite struggling from range in their first two losses of the season, the Steel bombarded the Cascades from deep and connected on 12-of-18 hucks to get their first win of 2025. Unsurprisingly, the team’s success with the longball coincided with the season debuts of Ben Thoennes and David Barram, two of the most dynamic handlers in the UFA. The two bombers combined for nine assists, nine huck completions, and over 800 passing yards against Seattle, and showed that when they’re active in the Oregon lineup, the Steel can play the David to any Goliath in the West. A win against the Bighorns this Saturday would give the Steel their first winning streak in franchise history.
17. Colorado Summit (-8)
Record: 1-2
Last result: 18-16 (L) at Austin
Next game: May 24 vs Oregon
The many high expectations that the Summit held for the 2025 season were sharply halted by Colorado’s two-loss, 51-turnover trip down to Texas. And with just 23 scores to show for 54 combined possessions against Houston and Austin, the Summit O-line once again looks shambolic. Something is off with Colorado’s spacing and timing, which has resulted in many early possession mistakes for the Summit and easy transition scores for opposing defenses. The bright side has been the Summit’s tidiness with short field situations, should they get within striking distance. Colorado is top 10 in red zone efficiency, and has at least 12 scores inside 20 yards in all three of their games this season.
16. Houston Havoc (+3)
Record: 1-3
Last result: 23-17 (W) vs Colorado
Next game: May 30 at Los Angeles
What a win for a Houston franchise that has been grinding for the right breaks against the right playoff-level opponent for going on three years. And completely unsurprisingly, the Havoc get their first franchise victory against a non-Dallas opponent on the same night they submit a franchise low in turnovers. Veteran throwers Jimmy Zuraw, Chase Cunningham, and Dalton Smith provided a masterclass in navigating tough Texas wind, and Tyler Reinhardt has become indispensable as a two-way player just games into his first year with the team. A couple weeks ago I knocked on this team’s ability (or lack thereof) to define roles, but that lineup versatility was vital in their victory against the visiting Summit.
15. Montreal Royal (+3)
Record: 1-3
Last result: 24-23 (W) vs New York
Next game: May 31 vs DC
After a narrow defeat in Week 3, the Royal got sweet revenge in Week 4 with their overtime win against the Empire. And similar to their first meeting of the season, Montreal’s offense played with absolute confidence and attacked NY’s coverage all game long, with Christophe Tremblay-Joncas and Quentin Bonnaud often leading the charge. The Royal converted on a crisp 68 percent of their offensive possessions against the Empire—Montreal’s highest offensive success rate since 2022—and vaulted their O-line into the league’s top 10 in efficiency for the young season. Four out of the six teams in the East Division already have multiple losses, so the Royal just need to take it one game at a time from here on out.
14. Toronto Rush (+1)
Record: 0-3
Last result: 24-21 (L) vs Philadelphia
Next game: May 30 vs DC
With a bye week for themselves, the winless Rush quietly benefitted from the Week 4 results that handed losses to New York and DC. Toronto still needs to make their own mark in the win column yet this season, but with three upcoming games against Montreal, two against New York, and a remaining home game against the Breeze, the Rush have ample opportunity to make their schedule work in their favor. Rookie Tom Blasman really found his rhythm as a thrower in his last start, tossing for five assists and 420 yards on an array of releases.
13. Madison Radicals (+2)
Record: 2-1
Last Result: 20-14 (W) vs Pittsburgh
Next game: May 30 vs Indianapolis
The Radicals tallied just eight breaks total in their first two games of the season before pouring in 10 against the Thunderbirds in the Madison home opener last Saturday. And after a few seasons in remission, the Madison zone defense has returned with force and a few new wrinkles. What used to be a more lumbering two-man affair is now a trap-and-release, any-defender-might-double-anywhere scheme that presents opposing throwers with a dizzying amount of variables, and leaves them trapped in their heads; Pittsburgh attempted nearly twice as many throws as Madison in Week 4, and often took 10 or more throws just to initiate drives from out of their own endzone. Madison is very clearly a playoff-level team, but can they be a sneaky contender for another divisional title appearance?
12. New York Empire (-5)
Record: 2-3
Last Result: 24-23 (L) at Montreal
Next game: May 23 at Philadelphia
Calvin Brown is throwing heaters for the Empire offense, and amassed 10 assists and over 1,100 throwing yards during the team’s two away games. Ben Jagt is currently on pace for his most goals during a regular season ever, which is quite a feat given his legendary resume and number two ranking on the league’s all-time leaderboard. Yet the Empire committed just 25 turnovers combined on their Week 4 road trip, and couldn’t avoid an 0-2 result facing fired up divisional competition. New York is off to their worst start since 2017, the last time this franchise missed the postseason, and it doesn’t get any easier in Week 5 against the upstart Phoenix.
11. Carolina Flyers (-3)
Record: 0-3
Last Result: 22-18 (L) at Atlanta
Next game: May 23 vs San Diego
Without a win to their name, the Flyers have been the victims of a tough—two Atlanta games, and a home opener against peak-performance DC—and disjointed schedule through the first four weeks of the season. And while this weekend’s game against the Growlers isn’t completely win-or-go-home, Carolina cannot afford another early season loss and further slippage in the South Division standings with Atlanta, Austin, and San Diego all looking good-to-great. Allan Laviolette continues his streak as a top-five continuation thrower in the UFA since returning from injury, and is now just eight assists shy of 200 for his career.
10. San Diego Growlers (+3)
Record: 3-1
Last Result: 21-16 (W) vs Los Angeles
Next game: May 23 at Carolina
The newly realigned Growlers will get a good old fashioned South Division baptism this coming weekend with their road back-to-back in Carolina and Atlanta. And after feasting on LA for three wins already in 2025, this fresh-look San Diego pack will need to prove themselves and their preference for the deep ball against two of the league’s biggest and best defenses in Week 5. The Growlers are currently just one of six teams this season to average at least eight huck completions per game, with Travis Dunn tallying a team-high seven in four starts. Returners Khalif El-Salaam and Marcel Osborne have been the primary targets downfield, with Matt Miller sneaking out of the backfield to provide an additional receiving threat. El-Salaam had five goals and 22 completions without a turnover in the first meeting with his former team this season, and figures to be a major factor again against the Hustle.
9. Minnesota Wind Chill (-8)
Record: 1-1
Last Result: 16-11 (L) vs Chicago
Next game: May 24 at Pittsburgh
The Minnesota defense still did damage by getting heady blocks in the lane and converting on 5-of-8 (63 percent) of their break chances in Week 4. But the Wind Chill offense took another one of their unfortunately habitual steps backwards and converted on just 20 percent (6-of-20) of their O-line possessions in a five-goal loss in the home opener. The Union did nothing fancy in coverage, and yet Minnesota could just not string together more than two or three passes without feeling pressure. And now including last year’s wind-riddled Championship Weekend event, the Wind Chill have 25 or more turnovers in three of their last four games, which spells a disconcerting trend for a team trying to defend a title. Minnesota is on the road at Pittsburgh before a pivotal “Friday Night Frisbee” showcase at the end of the month versus Atlanta.
8. DC Breeze (-2)
Record: 2-2
Last Result: 14-11 (L) vs Boston
Next game: May 30 at Toronto
Before a late game run pushed them into the low double digits, DC had just eight goals midway through the fourth quarter against Boston last Sunday. And while there’s no question about this team’s talent or potential ceiling, after four games and two losses the Breeze are bottom six in goals per game and red zone efficiency, and dead last in hucks per game, with no ability to stretch opposing defenses over the top. Jacques Nissen leads a phenomenally deep DC attack, but there’s some diminishing returns emerging with the amount of passes it takes for the Breeze to push the disc downfield.
7. Philadelphia Phoenix (+3)
Record: 3-0
Last Result: 24-21 (W) at Toronto
Next game: May 23 vs New York
Through two games as a pro, teen phenom Sam Grossberg has 11 scores, over 800 total yards, and is 97-of-98 on passing attempts while showcasing clear chemistry with primary movers Sean Mott and Scott Heyman. Grossberg’s lethality starts with his quickness, but his route running exceeds his years as he takes defenders on tours before finishing drives near the front cone with finesse. And with older bro Adam Grossberg making his own definitive debut to the 2025 season versus Toronto, Philly has two homegrown playmakers that could prove the difference against New York this Friday. One nice correlation since the Grossbergs activated in the lineup: the Phoenix have back-to-back games with at least six break scores and a 60 percent O-line conversion rate.
6. Salt Lake Shred (+4)
Record: 1-1
Last result: 22-12 (W) vs Vegas
Next game: May 23 vs Seattle (Friday Night Frisbee)
Since their impressive showing against the formidable Hustle in Atlanta in Week 1, the Shred have softly faded into the background as drama unfolds throughout the league. But after last year’s loss at home in the divisional finale, Salt Lake is eyeing this Friday’s primetime matchup as a wakeup call for a Shred team that has three straight 10-win regular seasons under its belt and a chance for revenge against the rival and reeling Cascades. The Shred defense was not-so-quietly super effective against Seattle in their two meetings to close out 2024, banking 16 of their 21 break chances (76 percent), and could be effective again versus a ‘Scades offense that has struggled to find a rhythm this season. .
5. Austin Sol (+7)
Record: 4-0
Last Result: 18-16 (W) vs Colorado
Next game: June 6 at Los Angeles
The Sol O-line hit their first snare of the season against the Summit, and converted on just 38 percent of their offensive possessions in the two-goal win. But the Austin defense continues to create havoc with the pursuit speed and ball hawking. Former Dallas All-Star Connor DeLuna has been a near-perfect fit with his length and range in coverage in his Austin homecoming, third-year breakout Noah Powell might be the fastest player in the league, and the immortal Mick Walter still makes one statement play on D-line per game. Not to mention Mark Henke, who is joining his older brother as one of the premier playmakers in the league. Austin enjoys a pre-summer siesta until a trip to LA, and with just one game on their calendar against the division-leading Hustle, the Sol have set up nicely for a potential one seed in the South if they stay hot.
4. Oakland Spiders (+1)
Record: 4-0
Last result: 26-21 (W) vs Seattle
Next game: May 24 vs Seattle
Minus several starters on offense, the Spiders have one of the more intriguing lineup activations in recent memory with the addition of Nate Prior for Week 5. A former center handler for the Breeze, Prior had the fourth most completions in the league the last time he played in 2019, and figures to be potent alongside Evan Magsig in the Oakland backfield. Speedsters Walker Frankenberg and Adam Rees will be in the rotation, and Dylan Burns has made emphatic plays as a two-way talent, so the Spiders will be flush with receiving talent again.
3. Chicago Union (-)
Record: 1-0
Last Result: 16-11 (W) at Minnesota
Next game: May 31 vs Atlanta
Even though their season debut was several weeks delayed, the Union played like the reigning champs as visitors in Minnesota’s home opener. The Chicago defense was disciplined and dogged, bashing the Wind Chill with several breaks to begin the game and holding the home team to just two huck completions while generating 15 blocks. Daan De Marrée is the latest European to look like the real deal, and his shadowstep cuts gave him continual separation as a distributor in the midfield against a top tier defense. Kyle Rutledge was also standout for his relentlessness in attacking Minnesota coverage, and his pairing with De Marrée will be a handful for defenses to deal with all season. Add in the Xavier Payne plus Jeff Weis Chicago counterattack, and it’s time to start buying the Windy City hype.
2. Boston Glory (-)
Record: 4-0
Last Result: 14-11 (W) vs DC
Next game: June 6 vs Philadelphia
After vanquishing the Empire in overtime on Friday, Boston put DC in a sleeper hold on Sunday to keep Glory’s record perfect to start the season. Jeff Babbitt and Tobe Decraene are averaging nearly seven goals and over 500 receiving yards per game as a duo, and Boston’s man-on-man coverage on defense might be the best in the association. Tannor Johnson-Go has been reformatted into a nightmare guard on opposing handlers, and leads the team with seven takeaways. Boston now has a multi-week break atop the East Division standings before a suddenly serious showdown with the Phoenix at Hormel Stadium.
1. Atlanta Hustle (+3)
Record: 5-0
Last Result: 22-18 (W) vs Carolina
Next game: May 24 vs San Diego (Game Of The Week)
It’s finally time to crown the kings of the early season from the ATL, who have looked nothing short of phenomenal stampeding to their first five wins of the season. Brett Hulsmeyer, Austin Taylor, Hayden Austin-Knab, and Adam Miller form the best offensive foursome in the league right now, and their slate of goal scoring finishers is second to none. And after having his DPOTY-like 2024 season derailed by injury, Lukas McClamrock is back to being a demon in the lane with a team-high seven blocks. His footspeed and agility make him virtually impossible to shake in one-on-one scenarios, and McClamrock is spying more as an off-side defender that can blitz from nowhere to generate the turn.
