Let me know if you agree/disagree. I'd especially like to hear from some higher rated players here on my evaluations of these players' play.

1. wagamamatv - last time i checked he was a 1445 and his victory over haftor was really solid and left no question that there's a skill gap. i think his performance vs haftor was the best i've seen in pogchamps.
2. forsen - forsen is always a competitor and he definitely has more experience than many of the other competitors. he's around 1360 classical making him one of the highest rated.
3. haftor - i watched a lot of haftor's training sessions and he's capable of very decent play, it's just unfortunate he got matched up against wagamama, but if we take out wagamama then haftor has a very decent shot at being the #2.
4. gripex - i consider gripex and cizzorz very close, both are decent players with a few holes/blind spots in their game but nothing glaring. both are very capable competitors and certainly capable of giving the top seeds a challenge.
5. cizzorz - see above.
6. easywithaces - good player. while he beat xqc he did allow xqc chances at counter play. my worry about easywithaces is that he can sometimes overextend himself and be a little greedy which could get him into trouble versus a more capable opponent.
7. itshafu - she's a total grind and i'm rooting for her and her play has been very solid, but my main concern with her is just her lack of killer instinct. pakman blundered several times against her but she often didn't capitalize and instead opted for a safer development move. players must punish blunders.
8. davidpakman - i expected more from pakman, but i think he was just a little nervous on his first match. i've seen in his training sessions that he's capable of good chess, but for now until i see that on the field i'll have to place him mid-way in the rankings. too many blunders in his first game.
9. TSM_Zexrox - i was pleasantly surprised by tsm. he might not have the best positional understanding and will sometimes just be lost in the opening, but he's definitely a fighter and a strong blitz player for his level. very resourceful in his game versus dogdog!
10. dogdog - he seems like he has a decent understanding of the game, again, it's the lack of killer instinct. you must be able to finish off an opponent, and for the love of god, if you go into an armageddon match a minute up on your opponent do not end the match getting flagged when your opponent has a minute left.
11. tfblade - i found his level of play to be okay. sure he beat qt but it wasn't the most convincing thing in the world. like a lot of players at this level, they understand that they need to develop in the opening but when it comes to forming a plan and a strategy in the middle game it seems like they struggle a bit. also qt had several tactical shots that she could have done.
12. xQc - the wildcard. you don't know whether he's going to lose in 6 moves or play a good game. he's capable of decent chess and he put up a fight vs easywithaces he just has some glaring holes in his game. i don't think he's been training very hard either so i don't have a ton of high hopes for xqc.
13. Callmecarsonlive - clearly a beginner and was overmatched versus forsen, but i was actually impressed with how he was playing. he was responding to threats and put up a decent battle. from the way he played against forsen i think he's head and shoulders above these last 3.
14. Qtcinderella - she's not a complete beginner, she just doesn't have any real understanding of the game given her match vs tfblade. she doesn't drop as many pieces as a complete beginner, but she can't form a plan it seems.
15. Connoreatspants - very fun to watch victory over austin. clearly a new player but fun to watch. i'll be rooting for him to beat other players now but like other beginners all he needs to do is stop blundering pieces and begin punishing your opponent's blunders.
16. Austinshow - i am not entirely convinced austin completely knows all the rules of the game, but he's certainly fun to watch. i'll definitely be rooting for him against all opposition in the future.