Detroit Lions — Golden Tate, WR
There’s a case for Matthew Stafford here, but without Tate, the Lions quarterback wouldn’t be as good as he is. The veteran wide receiver only has two touchdowns, but he easily leads the team in yardage and catches, with 363 yards on 36 grabs. When Calvin Johnson retired, the Lions needed a new No. 1 receiver. Tate has quietly been one of the best in the league at racking up yardage over the past several years. He’s set to miss a few weeks with a shoulder issue, and Detroit will badly miss him.
Green Bay Packers — Aaron Rodgers, QB
If you ever need a reminder of what Rodgers means to the Green Bay Packers, you need only look and see what happened to the team after he went down with his collarbone injury. A bunch of talented receivers suddenly stopped producing, and the offense couldn’t get going. Rodgers means everything to this franchise, the difference between a playoff contender and a middling team that doesn’t pose a huge threat to anybody. He’d thrown 13 touchdowns through six games, and it’s a shame he’ll miss out on most of, if not all of the remainder of the season.
Houston Texans — Deshaun Watson, QB
It’s unlikely that even the biggest optimist would have expected Watson to make this much of an impact in Houston this soon. The No. 12 overall pick has already racked up 15 touchdown passes in only five starts, looks well on his way to 3,000 yards passing, and has more or less turned Houston from one of the early season’s biggest disappointments into a capable team that has regained stable footing. He looks like he’s going to be a star for years to come, and he’s the early leader for Rookie of the Year honors.
Indianapolis Colts — T.Y. Hilton, WR
It’s tempting to sarcastically put Andrew Luck here given how barren Indianapolis looks without its franchise quarterback, but Hilton has still managed to step up and produce even without a good quarterback throwing his way. Though he’s been limited in terms of scoring touchdowns, the fact that he’s at 512 yards receiving with Scott Tolzien and Jacoby Brissett throwing to him is nothing short of remarkable. Now, if only he could just stop publicly ripping some of his teammates…
Jacksonville Jaguars — Leonard Fournette, RB
It’s hard to ignore Calais Campbell and his ten sacks, but it’s even harder to ignore the league leader in rushing touchdowns — as a rookie, no less. Fournette has been everything the Jaguars could have hoped for and then some, piling up the yardage — he’s at 596 on the ground — and scoring seven touchdowns in total, six of them rushing. He’s Deshaun Watson’s main competition for Rookie of the Year so far, and he’s helped take a lot of pressure off quarterback Blake Bortles, too.
Kansas City Chiefs — Kareem Hunt, RB
It’s hard to ignore a guy who has thrown 15 touchdowns and no interceptions as Alex Smith has, but Hunt has been just that good for an ascendant Kansas City team. Hunt’s 717 rushing yards and 102.4 yards per game both lead the NFL. He’s a threat in the passing game as well, compiling 285 yards and two touchdowns that route. All of that combined makes Hunt the best offensive player in the NFL on yards from scrimmage — he’s already at 1,002, which leads the NFL.
Los Angeles Chargers — Melvin Ingram, DE
The best thing about the Chargers in 2017 has been their pass rush, and Ingram is leading the charge. Though Joey Bosa has been impressive, Ingram has been even better, having already surpassed his 2016 sack total with 8.5 in seven games. He is, without any doubt, one of the NFL’s best and most productive pass rushers, and should get at least a little bit of consideration for Defensive Player of the Year honors when all is said and done.
Los Angeles Rams — Todd Gurley, RB
After a very underwhelming second season in the NFL, Gurley has not only regained his rookie form, he’s actually improved on it. First, he’s become a more well-rounded player, posing a major threat as a pass-catcher now. In fact, three of his touchdowns this year have been receiving. He’s also running the ball extremely effectively to the tune of 627 yards and five touchdowns. The Rams look like a much better outfit in 2017, and a lot of that is down to Gurley bouncing back from a down year.
Miami Dolphins — Cameron Wake, DE
As the Miami offense struggles with inconsistency, the team has been forced to lean heavily on their defense. Wake has been up to the challenge. One of the league’s elite pass rushers is at it again, with 15 tackles and six sacks in six games. His career-high in sacks is 15. That might prove to be a bridge too far, but he had 11.5 sacks last year — a mark he could easily surpass if he keeps up this pace for the remainder of the year.
Minnesota Vikings — Everson Griffen, DE
Another man who gets his fair share of sacks, Griffen has been the key to a Minnesota defense that has won the team some games in 2017. At nine sacks in seven games, he’s already moving closer to his career high of 12, and he’s been in on 20 tackles too. Minnesota has a quality secondary as well, but Griffen’s pressure is a vital part of what makes the Viking defense such a quality unit — and there looks to be much more to come from him.
New England Patriots — Tom Brady, QB
It couldn’t really be anyone else. The defense has been bad, the offense has coped with injuries, but the Patriots are 5-2 anyway, mostly because Brady remains elite even after his 40th birthday. No one in the league has completed more passes in 2017, and he’s thrown 15 touchdowns to just two interceptions. His 2,208 yards lead the NFL as well. There is nobody better — the fact that the Patriots are playoff-bound once more is pretty much down to him.
New Orleans Saints — Drew Brees, QB
It’s not quite his peak anymore, but Brees still gets the job done and remains the core of the franchise. His passing yards are down a tiny bit, he’s still over 1,500 yards — 1,652 to be exact — and has still thrown 11 touchdowns. The Saints are off to a very good start, and while their defense has had its moments, it’s still the offense — led by Brees — that tends to make or break New Orleans every Sunday. Brees is still playing well, and likewise, so are the Saints.
