Quarterback
MVP: Jalen Hurts (Eagles)
Hurts' hot streak continued for another week as he lit up the Giants overmatched, undermanned defense for 294 total YDS (217 passing, 77 rushing) and 3 TD's (2 passing, 1 rushing) on Sunday. A Week 15 showdown with the lowly Bears gives Hurts a golden opportunity to keep rolling.
Honorable Mentions: Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Jared Goff (Lions), Kirk Cousins (Vikings)
LVP: Tom Brady (Buccaneers)
Brady's Northern California homecoming got spoiled in a big way by the 49ers #1 ranked defense. Constant pressure from every possible angle knocked Brady out of rhythm very early on and that led to an uncharacteristic ugly 4 quarters (253 YDS, 2 INT's, 1 garbage time TD) from TB12. While he's basically a lock to not return to the QB basement in Week 15, he'll be a risky start against a Bengals defense that has looked really good over the past few weeks.
Dishonorable Mentions: Tua Tagovailoa (Dolphins), Dak Prescott (Cowboys), Derek Carr (Raiders)
Running Back
MVP: Christian McCaffery (49ers)
Brock Purdy made quite the impression in his 1st career start against the Bucs, but in the fantasy realm it was all about McCaffery. He racked up 153 scrimmage YDS (119 rushing, 34 receiving) and 2 TD's on 16 touches before getting the final quarter and a half off in the unexpected blowout victory for the 49ers. CMC should have another highly productive game on Thursday against a porous Seahawks run defense that has gotten steamrolled for 150+ YDS in 3 straight games.
Honorable Mentions: Miles Sanders (Eagles), Tony Pollard (Cowboys), James Conner (Cardinals)
LVP: Travis Etienne (Jaguars)
Part of the reason that Trevor Lawrence erupted against the Titans was due to Etienne's inability to get anything going on the ground. The 2nd-year back got repeatedly stuffed against the Titans tough front, picking up just 32 YDS on 17 carries and didn't haul in a single reception to offset his poor day on the ground. Another long day could be ahead for Etienne as the Jags have to tango with the Cowboys similarly stacked front in Week 15.
Dishonorable Mentions: Saquon Barkley (Giants), D'Andre Swift (Lions), Jammal Williams (Lions)
Wide Receiver
MVP: Jerry Jeudy (Broncos)
Anybody who toughed it out with Jeudy through yet another injury-prone, erratic season was rewarded for their patience this week. The 2020 1st round pick took full advantage of Courtland Sutton's absence and the Chiefs vulnerable secondary with a strong 8 REC/73 YD/3 TD performance, which might as well be a 20 REC/250 YDS/3 TD performance considering how anemic the Broncos passing offense has been this year. As delightful as this explosion was for Jeudy owners, he's very likely to return to his volatile WR3/FLEX status for this Sunday's game against the Cardinals-especially if Russell Wilson remains in concussion protocol.
Honorable Mentions: Justin Jefferson (Vikings), Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals), Mike Williams (Chargers)
LVP: Jaylen Waddle (Dolphins)
Prior to the 4th quarter, Waddle was posting a donut as the Chargers secondary surprisingly put the clamps on him and Tyreek Hill and pressured Tua into making the kinds of tight window, relatively deep throws that he historically struggles with. While his 2 catches for 31 YDS in the final frame were appreciated, it's still a massive letdown for one of the most explosive WR's in the league in a matchup that was considered to be excellent considering how banged-up the Chargers secondary-who isn't even particularly good at full strength-was. Waddle will look to return to his top 15 overall wideout status in the arctic tundra of Buffalo on Saturday night.
Dishonorable Mentions: Gabe Davis (Bills), Stefon Diggs (Bills), CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys)
Tight End
MVP: Evan Engram (Jaguars)
The only thing more shocking than Engram being the back-to-back TE MVP is the performance against the Titans that earned him that honor. Trevor Lawrence decided to feed Engram all game long for some reason and he was able to turn that smorgasbord of targets (15) into 11 REC/162 YDS/2 TD's. Betting on Engram to do this again on Sunday against the Cowboys would be ill-advised, but it's impossible to sit him after such a preposterous display of dominance.
Honorable Mentions: David Njoku (Browns), Dawson Knox (Bills), Dalton Schultz (Cowboys)
LVP: Mark Andrews (Ravens)
While it's necessary to lower the expectations for Andrews without Lamar Jackson under center, him only catching 2-of-6 targets for 17 YDS against the Steelers is still a shocking letdown regardless of circumstances. Even with the high likelihood of Jackson sitting once again in Week 15, he's a must-start in a plus matchup against the Browns.
Dishonorable Mentions: Tyler Higbee (Rams), George Kittle (49ers), Gerald Everett (Chargers)
Defense/Special Teams:
MVP: Patriots
When the Patriots offense can't get things going in a winnable game against a poor opponent, leave it to their defense to bail them out. Bill Belichick's pride and joy were able to tee off on old school pocket passer Colt McCoy-who replaced Kyler Murray on the 4th play from scrimmage after he suffered what is believed to be a torn ACL- and took advantage of an uncharacteristically stupid play by DeAndre Hopkins-as they registered 6 sacks, an INT and a FUM REC for a TD on the aforementioned dumb play by Hopkins to secure an easy 27-13 road victory. They'll likely need a repeat performance from the defense to secure another pivotal road win against the Raiders this week.
Honorable Mentions: Chiefs, Bills, Ravens
LVP: Titans
Anybody who opted to stream the Titans in a seemingly good matchup against the Jaguars were reminded of the dangers of picking up this group. Their inconsistent pass rush and flat-out awful secondary makes them susceptible to having miserable outings like the one they had on Sunday in Jacksonville (36 points allowed, 0 sacks or takeaways) as Trevor Lawrence and co. eviscerated them through the air with absolutely zero resistance. Resist the urge to play them this week in another decent matchup against the Chargers by any means necessary.
Dishonorable Mentions: Buccaneers, Seahawks, Cowboys
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