The latest Rankings on Dashboard Metrics graphic appears below, and reveals that team rankings on the following metrics are most highly correlated with ladder position:

Own Scoring Shots per Game (+0.85)
Percent of Quarters Won (+0.8)
Own Points per Game (+0.78)
Own Goals per Game (+0.76)
MoS Win Production Function Expected Wins (+0.75)
Q1 Performances (+0.73)
Q3 Performances (+0.6)
Opponent Scoring Shots per Game (+0.53)

Least highly correlated are:

Opponent Scoring Shot Conversion (+0.2)
Own Scoring Shot Conversion (+0.22)
Q2 Performances (+0.37)
Opponent Goals per Game (+0.39)
Opponent Points per Game (+0.4)
Q4 Performances (+0.46)

The varying correlational results for performances in the different quarters is interesting if hard to provide a sensible rationale for: Q1 and Q3 performances have been far more important than Q2 and Q4 performances, it seems.

A review of this table and the detailed Team Dashboard below reveals:

Essendon still rates no higher than 7th on any Dashboard metric, and is in the bottom half of teams for a majority of metrics
The teams with the second-worst Own Scoring Shot Conversion (Port Adelaide) and second-worst Opponent Scoring Shot Conversion (Carlton) are both in the top 8 on the ladder. Meanwhile the teams ranked 1st on these metrics are 17th (North Melbourne) and 15th (Adelaide) on the ladder
Western Bulldogs are ranked no lower than 8th on all but one two metrics (Opponent Scoring Shot Conversion and Q3 performances)

The larger Team Dashboard also reveals that:

Only two teams have a winning streak extending beyond two games: Fremantle and Brisbane Lions
Only two teams have a losing streak extending beyond two games: West Coast and Richmond
North Melbourne have converted at 60.5% across all four quarters
Port Adelaide have converted at only 47% across all four quarters
Geelong, Essendon, and Port Adelaide have won only 44% of Q2s
Essendon have generated fewer scoring shots than their opponents have in Q1s and Q2s, and have a sub-100 percentage for Q2s and Q4s
Richmond, North Melbourne, and West Coast have been outscored by their opponents in every quarter
The only teams to have outscored their opponents in every quarter are Collingwood, Fremantle and Western Bulldogs. Fremantle, Port Adelaide, Sydney, and Western Bulldogs are the only teams to have registered more scoring shots than their opponents in all four quarters. North Melbourne, Richmond, and West Coast are the only teams to have registered fewer scoring shots than their opponents in all four quarters.
Port Adelaide have converted at only 42% in Q4s and Richmond at 34% (and 42% in Q2s). West Coast have converted at only 41% in Q3s.
Carlton have converted at 64% in Q4s as have Geelong in Q1s, and North Melbourne in Q2s.
Sydney’s opponents have converted at only 35% in Q2s whilst they themselves have converted at 62%.
West Coast’s opponents have converted at 65% in Q2s, and Gold Coast’s at 64% in Q4s.