2026 MLP Power Rankings: Every Team Ranked by DUPR Rating

Editor's note: This article was written before the recent MLP trades. Some rosters may have changed since we ran these numbers — we'll update the rankings once things settle.

The auction draft is complete. Hot takes are coming in left and right. But here’s what the numbers say.

On February 27, all 20 MLP teams finalized their rosters through the 2026 auction draft — 66 picks, 54 keepers, and over $5 million in draft spending. Now everyone's got an opinion on who won the offseason. We decided to skip the vibes and go straight to the data.

Using DUPR ratings, we ranked every MLP team by the combined ratings of their likely starting four. Here's what we found — and why the top two teams are separated by just 0.009 points.

How We Ranked Them

Every player gets a weighted DUPR score: 70% doubles + 30% singles. Why weight it toward doubles? Because MLP's format plays four doubles/mixed matches and only one singles match (the Dreambreaker) if needed. Doubles ability matters more in this league.

We averaged the weighted scores of each team's projected starting four — top two men and top two women.

Simple. Transparent. Ruthless.

So before we get into it, there’s a few things to keep in mind: DUPR doesn't measure chemistry, clutch factor, MLP experience, or how someone might perform in a tight Dreambreaker down 19-16. It's a snapshot of skill, not a crystal ball. But it's the best objective measure we've got. Let's get into it.

1. New Jersey 5s — 6.536

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Will Howells	Starting	6.457	6.816	6.708
Noe Khlif	Starting	6.546	6.614	6.594
Anna Leigh Waters	Starting	6.534	6.838	6.747
Jorja Johnson	Starting	5.732	6.253	6.097
Martin Emmrich	Bench	5.712	6.362	6.167
Lina Padegimaite	Bench	5.519	5.632	5.598

Kitchen Grade: A+

The 5s didn't just win the offseason — they might have won the season before it started. Paying $800K for Jorja Johnson at pick #2 raised some eyebrows, but pairing her with Anna Leigh Waters gives New Jersey what appears to be the best women's doubles duo in the league. Howells and Khlif are both elite, and the bench depth with Emmrich is legit.

This team has no giant weakness, though the women do outshine the men here.

2. St. Louis Shock — 6.527

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Hayden Patriquin	Starting	6.606	7.044	6.913
Gabe Tardio	Starting	6.462	6.966	6.815
Anna Bright	Starting	5.883	6.553	6.352
Kate Fahey	Starting	6.136	5.981	6.028
John Lucian Goins	Bench	6.396	6.158	6.229
Elsie Hendershot	Bench	4.808	5.121	5.027

Kitchen Grade: A+

St. Louis set the league record at $1.23M for the #1 overall pick — Anna Bright. Was she worth it? By DUPR, she's the highest-rated woman in MLP not named Anna Leigh Waters. But the real story is the men's side: Big H's 7.044 doubles DUPR paired with Gabe's (6.966 doubles) and you've got a men's doubles lineup that's going to destroy people.

The gap between NJ and St. Louis? Just 0.009 points. This is basically a coin flip for the #1 spot, and St. Louis has a case that their men's side is the best in the league.

3. Columbus Sliders — 6.374

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Andrei Daescu	Starting	6.617	7.061	6.928
CJ Klinger	Starting	6.585	6.774	6.717
Parris Todd	Starting	6.105	6.184	6.160
Danni-Elle Townsend	Starting	5.272	5.872	5.692
Alex Crum	Bench	6.348	5.714	5.904
Alli Phillips	Bench	5.043	5.668	5.481

Kitchen Grade: B-

The defending champs made waves by letting Lea Jansen walk and drafting Danni-Elle Townsend instead. It's a bold move. Daescu has the 2nd highest doubles DUPR in all of MLP at 7.061, and Klinger is rock solid, but Townsend is a clear step down from Jansen. The Sliders are banking on their men's dominance carrying them, and honestly? It might work. But that women's side gap is real.

4. LA Mad Drops — 6.359

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Ben Johns	Starting	6.668	7.105	6.974
Max Freeman	Starting	6.188	6.333	6.290
Jade Kawamoto	Starting	5.819	6.241	6.114
Catherine Parenteau	Starting	5.850	6.136	6.050
Gabriel Joseph	Bench	6.341	5.896	6.030
Paula Rives Palau	Bench	4.815	5.328	5.174

Kitchen Grade: B+

Ben Johns has the highest overall DUPR in the league — 7.105 doubles. The GOAT is the GOAT. But here's the thing about team pickleball: one player can only carry you so far. Max Freeman is solid but not super-elite, and while Kawamoto and Parenteau are both good, they're not quite at the Waters/Bright/Tyra tier. LA will win a lot of men's doubles and Dreambreakers on Johns alone, but they need Freeman to level up for a title run.

5. Palm Beach Royals — 6.326

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Dekel Bar	Starting	7.014	6.517	6.666
Tyson McGuffin	Starting	6.241	6.496	6.420
Tina Pisnik	Starting	—	6.164	6.164
Sofia Sewing	Starting	5.853	6.142	6.055
Grayson Goldin	Bench	6.231	6.005	6.073
Tamaryn Emmrich	Bench	5.374	5.379	5.378

Kitchen Grade: B+

Dekel Bar hasn't been playing a ton of singles, but in a Dreambreaker situation, this guy is still terrifying, as his singles DUPR was 7.0+ back when he played singles. McGuffin brings experience and firepower, and the women's side with Pisnik and Sewing is quietly solid. Palm Beach might be the most balanced team in the top 5 — no superstar weakness, no superstar strength. Steady and dangerous.

6. Dallas Flash — 6.276

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
JW Johnson	Starting	6.271	7.039	6.809
Augie Ge	Starting	6.192	6.474	6.389
Tyra Black	Starting	5.713	6.323	6.140
Callie Smith	Starting	5.494	5.903	5.780
Ivan Jakovljevic	Bench	6.006	6.093	6.067
Samantha Parker	Bench	5.604	5.597	5.599

Kitchen Grade: Incomplete

Dallas lost the bidding war for Jorja Johnson and it shows. JW Johnson at 7.039 doubles is elite — one of only four men above 7.0 in the league — but the roster around him feels unfinished. Augie Ge is a nice pickup, and Tyra Black has huge upside, but this team screams "we're making trades." With Trade Window #2 now open, don't be surprised if the Flash look very different by May.

7. Texas Ranchers — 6.220

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Christian Alshon	Starting	6.747	6.891	6.848
Eric Oncins	Starting	6.331	6.661	6.562
Lea Jansen	Starting	5.894	5.874	5.880
Sahra Dennehy	Starting	5.730	5.528	5.589
Luca Mack	Bench	6.153	6.204	6.189
Ava Cavataio	Bench	5.077	5.602	5.445

Kitchen Grade: A-

The steal of the draft? Lea Jansen at pick #4 for just $105K. Columbus let her walk, and Texas pounced. Alshon and Oncins are a legit men's duo, and Jansen is a proven MLP performer though her DUPR isn't elite level. Dennehy is the weak link, but if she can hold her own in women's doubles, this team has sleeper potential. Incredible value draft.

8. Atlanta Bouncers — 6.198

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Jay Devilliers	Starting	6.406	6.704	6.615
Jaume Martinez Vich	Starting	6.514	6.478	6.489
Daria Walczak	Starting	5.546	6.026	5.882
Kaitlyn Christian	Starting	5.857	5.786	5.807
Donald Young	Bench	6.304	6.124	6.178
Keilly Ulery	Bench	5.394	5.256	5.297

Kitchen Grade: C

Atlanta has two very good men in Devilliers and Martinez Vich, plus Donald Young on the bench as a former ATP pro. The women's side is average — not bad, not exciting. This feels like a team that'll hover around .500 and make some noise in individual matches but probably isn't a title contender. The definition of "fine."

9. Brooklyn — 6.161

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Riley Newman	Starting	6.575	6.719	6.676
Dylan Frazier	Starting	6.386	6.630	6.557
Rachel Rohrabacher	Starting	5.632	6.136	5.985
Jackie Kawamoto	Starting	3.500	6.253	5.427
Matthew Barlow	Bench	6.413	6.163	6.238
Hannah Blatt	Bench	5.360	5.175	5.231

Kitchen Grade: A

Don't let the #9 ranking fool you — Brooklyn might be the most underrated team in MLP. Newman and Frazier are an elite men's doubles pair, and Barlow (who just upset the world #1 and #6 at Mesa Cup) gives them absurd men's depth. Jackie Kawamoto's 3.5 singles DUPR is clearly a data artifact from not playing tournament singles — she's a doubles reset specialist. If you adjust for that, Brooklyn jumps several spots. This is a team whose DUPR ranking undersells them.

10. Orlando Squeeze — 6.154

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Federico Staksrud	Starting	6.766	6.745	6.751
Jack Sock	Starting	6.564	6.499	6.519
Lacy Schneemann	Starting	5.180	5.891	5.678
Milan Rane	Starting	5.451	5.760	5.667
Yates Johnson	Bench	6.370	5.924	6.058
Alex Walker	Bench	4.993	5.510	5.355

Kitchen Grade: B+

Jack Sock — former tennis world #8 — brings a level of athleticism and hand speed that DUPR might not fully capture. Staksrud is legitimately elite (6.766 singles, 6.745 doubles), and having Yates Johnson on the bench is a luxury. The question mark is the women's side. Schneemann and Rane are solid but not spectacular. If Sock's ceiling is higher than his current DUPR suggests (and we think it is), Orlando could be a dark horse.

11. Chicago Slice — 6.085

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Hunter Johnson	Starting	6.828	6.485	6.588
Zane Navratil	Starting	5.921	6.425	6.274
Mari Humberg	Starting	5.303	6.041	5.820
Ting Chieh Wei	Starting	5.275	5.822	5.658
Tom Protzek	Bench	6.016	5.929	5.955
Jalina Ingram	Bench	5.217	5.488	5.407

Kitchen Grade: C+

Hunter Johnson (6.828 singles!) and Navratil give Chicago a strong men's side, but there's a big drop-off to the women's roster. Humberg and Wei are competent but not in the same tier as the top teams' women. Chicago will win men's doubles convincingly and then need things to break their way in the women's and mixed matches. The men can carry this team into playoff contention, but a title feels like a stretch.

12. Utah Black Diamonds — 6.022

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Connor Garnett	Starting	6.424	6.604	6.550
Tyler Loong	Starting	5.467	6.223	5.996
Etta Tuionetoa	Starting	5.525	6.051	5.893
Allyce Jones	Starting	5.151	5.860	5.647
Tama Shimabukuro	Bench	6.117	5.861	5.938
Victoria Di Muzio	Bench	5.525	5.540	5.536

Kitchen Grade: C

Utah spent $125K on 14-year-old Tama Shimabukuro, and honestly? We respect the long game. Garnett is a legit anchor, and Tuionetoa has been improving steadily, but this roster is clearly building for 2027 and beyond. Middle of the pack this season, but keep an eye on the kids.

13. Las Vegas Night Owls — 6.015

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Roscoe Bellamy	Starting	6.558	6.218	6.320
Blaine Hovenier	Starting	5.801	6.326	6.169
Brooke Buckner	Starting	5.872	5.858	5.862
Chao Yi Wang	Starting	5.620	5.748	5.710
Liz Truluck	Bench	5.630	5.646	5.641
Braden Jacobson	Bench	5.217	5.320	5.289

Kitchen Grade: C+

Vegas kept 5 players from last season — the most keepers of any team — and used their only draft pick on 16-year-old Braden Jacobson. Bellamy is a strong singles player who could steal Dreambreakers, and Hovenier is underrated in doubles. But this roster lacks a true star. Continuity is worth something in MLP, but is it worth enough?

14. CA Black Bears — 5.995

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Chris Haworth	Starting	6.836	6.206	6.395
Michael Loyd	Starting	6.076	6.324	6.250
Layne Sleeth	Starting	5.888	5.644	5.717
Kiora Kunimoto	Starting	5.762	5.555	5.617
Emma Nelson	Bench	4.946	5.445	5.295
Mohamed Anouar Braham	Bench	5.966	6.062	6.033

Kitchen Grade: C+

Chris Haworth is a sneaky Dreambreaker weapon with a 6.836 singles DUPR. If matches come down to singles, Haworth can steal wins. But the overall roster depth isn't there. The Black Bears will need Haworth to be a hero more often than not.

15. Miami Pickleball Club — 5.912

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Nico Acevedo	Starting	5.967	6.519	6.353
Yuta Funemizu	Starting	5.906	6.221	6.127
Alix Truong	Starting	5.137	5.813	5.610
Estee Widdershoven	Starting	5.455	5.602	5.558
Clayton Powell	Bench	5.102	5.903	5.663
Aiko Yoshitomi	Bench	4.991	5.358	5.248

Kitchen Grade: D

GM Johnny Goldberg went completely off the board here. These are under-the-radar picks across the roster, and either Goldberg sees something nobody else does, or... well. Acevedo is legitimately good (6.519 doubles), and Funemizu is solid, but the women's side is thin. This could be a "they were ahead of their time" team or a "what were they thinking" team. No middle ground.

16. Phoenix Flames — 5.891

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Camden Chaffin	Starting	6.113	6.116	6.115
Wyatt Stone	Starting	5.718	6.282	6.113
Judit Castillo Gargallo	Starting	5.637	5.712	5.690
Jessie Irvine	Starting	5.120	5.871	5.646
Jonathan Truong	Bench	5.674	6.264	6.087
Alexa Schull	Bench	5.232	5.417	5.362

Kitchen Grade: B

Camden Chaffin is 14 years old. Let that sink in. He's starting (or competing for a starting spot with Truong) in professional pickleball at an age when most kids are worrying about freshman year. Whether Chaffin or Truong gets the nod, this is a youth-movement roster. The Flames aren't built to win a title in 2026, but they might be building something special.

17. SoCal Hard Eights — 5.866

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Armaan Bhatia	Starting	5.900	6.327	6.199
Rafa Lenhard	Starting	6.232	5.941	6.028
Meghan Dizon	Starting	5.383	6.016	5.826
Cailyn Campbell	Starting	5.276	5.466	5.409
Will MacKinnon	Bench	5.364	5.930	5.760
Naomi Phuong Nguyen	Bench	4.112	4.994	4.729

Kitchen Grade: B-

Built entirely from scratch with zero keepers, SoCal had to construct a full roster in one draft. Bhatia and Lenhard are a competent men's duo, and Dizon has been improving. They're a fringe playoff contender — not embarrassing, but not threatening anybody in the top 10 either. A solid expansion-style build.

19. Bay Area Breakers — 5.795

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Pablo Tellez	Starting	5.903	6.416	6.262
Luc Pham	Starting	6.001	5.923	5.946
Genie Erokhina	Starting	5.403	5.756	5.650
Mya Bui	Starting	5.128	5.402	5.320
Len Yang	Bench	4.117	6.106	5.509
Ella Yeh	Bench	4.691	5.360	5.159

Kitchen Grade: C

Coming up from the Challenger Level, Bay Area is the youngest team in MLP. Yang is 22, Pham is 22, and Ella Yeh is just 15. Tellez is a solid anchor, but this roster is clearly still developing. The Breakers are here to learn and grow. Respect the long-term vision, even if the short-term results might be rough.

18. Carolina Hogs — 5.797

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Brandon French	Starting	5.973	6.154	6.100
DJ Young	Starting	5.745	6.187	6.054
Isabella Dunlap	Starting	5.497	5.597	5.567
Angie Walker	Starting	5.184	5.591	5.469
James Delgado	Bench	5.767	6.044	5.961
Ava Ignatowich	Bench	4.897	5.058	5.010

Kitchen Grade: F

Carolina spent $2,000 total on the draft. Two thousand dollars. In a league where St. Louis dropped $1.23M on a single pick. The Hogs are... committed to fiscal responsibility. They do have three serviceable men in French, DJ Young, and Delgado, but the women's side is thin. French and Young will be fun to watch in men's doubles, and that might be the nicest thing we can say about this roster on paper. Hey, at least they'll be entertaining.

20. Florida Smash — 5.773

Player	Role	Singles	Doubles	Weighted
Travis Rettenmaier	Starting	6.127	6.318	6.261
Cason Campbell	Starting	6.170	5.773	5.892
Zoey Weil	Starting	5.344	5.724	5.610
Genie Bouchard	Starting	5.844	5.107	5.328
Chris Crouch	Bench	5.701	5.950	5.875
Martina Frantova	Bench	4.653	5.451	5.212

Kitchen Grade: D

Genie Bouchard brings the star power — a former tennis Grand Slam finalist — and her 5.844 singles DUPR suggests she can compete in Dreambreakers. But her doubles rating (5.107) is the lowest of any starter on any team. That's a problem in a league built around doubles. Rettenmaier is a steady veteran and Campbell has upside, but this roster needs Bouchard to figure out the doubles game to have any shot at climbing the standings.

The Big Takeaways

The gap at the top is razor-thin. New Jersey and St. Louis are separated by 0.009 points. Either team could end up as the #1 seed, and we wouldn't be surprised either way.

Ben Johns is still the best player alive. His 7.105 doubles DUPR is the highest individual rating in MLP. But team pickleball is about roster construction, and LA's supporting cast doesn't quite match the top two teams.

The youth movement is real. Camden Chaffin (14), Tama Shimabukuro (14), Ella Yeh (15), and Braden Jacobson (16) are all on MLP rosters. Five years from now, we might look back at this draft as the moment pickleball's next generation arrived.

DUPR has blind spots. Brooklyn is ranked #9 but could easily be a top-5 team. Jackie Kawamoto's singles rating is a data artifact, Jack Sock's DUPR probably undersells his ceiling, and chemistry between proven partnerships matters in ways no algorithm captures.

Columbus made a risky bet. Letting Lea Jansen go — a proven MLP winner — for Danni-Elle Townsend is the kind of move that looks brilliant if it works and baffling if it doesn't.

Texas got the best value. Lea Jansen at pick #4 for $105K is highway robbery. If Dennehy can hold up in women's doubles, the Ranchers are a legitimate dark horse.

What's Next

Trade Window #2 is now open, so these rosters could shift before the season kicks off May 22-25 at Pickler Universe in Dallas. We'll update our rankings as moves happen.

Until then, bookmark this page and come back when someone tells you their team is definitely winning it all this year. The numbers don't lie — they just don't tell the whole story.

Want to dig into individual player ratings? Check out our full player database at tournamentpickle.com.