Quarterback
MVP: Jordan Love (Packers)
Love made some headlines when he showed up to the game wearing a Brett Favre jersey to honor the former Packers QB following the news that he had been diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. That tribute carried over to the field as Love put together a gunslinger performance (389 YDS, 4 TD's, 3 INT's, 1 2-PT CNV) for the ages as the Packers were down by 21 versus the Vikings at the half and needed his arm to try and mount a comeback-which actually came surprisingly close to happening. Love has a date with a burnable Rams secondary in Week 5.
Honorable Mentions: Baker Mayfield (Buccaneers), Jared Goff (Lions), Jayden Daniels (Commanders)
LVP: Josh Allen (Bills)
The Ravens defense and at times, his own receivers had Josh Allen in HELL on Sunday night-which led to him having one of the quietest games of his entire career (180 YDS, 5 CAR, 21 Rushing YDS, lost fumble) in a lopsided primetime loss. Allen will look to redeem himself in a key game against the Texans next week.
Dishonorable Mentions: Kyler Murray (Cardinals), Kirk Cousins (Falcons), Caleb Williams (Bears)
Running Back
MVP: Derrick Henry (Ravens)
For the 2nd straight week, Henry was simply unstoppable. He absolutely obliterated the Bills pretty good defense to the tune of 199 YDS and a TD on 24 carries and notched another score in the passing game-which marked his first TD catch since 2019. The King has fully acclimated to the Ravens offense after a pretty quiet start, which should scare the shit out of the rest of the league.
Honorable Mentions: Kenneth Walker III (Seahawks), D'Andre Swift (Bears), Jordan Mason (49ers)
LVP: Breece Hall (Jets)
When they needed him most in a low scoring, grind it out game with the Broncos, Hall failed the Jets. The 3rd year back was basically invisible, managing a pathetic 4 YDS on 10 carries and catching just 2 passes for 14 YDS in a crushing 1-point home loss to a team that's by all accounts inferior to them. This was the 1st time this season that Hall has had less than 80 scrimmage YDS and failed to reach the endzone, so his owners have nothing to worry about for now.
Dishonorable Mentions: De'Von Achane (Dolphins), James Cook (Bills), Devin Singletary (Giants)
Wide Receiver
MVP: Nico Collins (Texans)
The absence of Joe Mixon and Tank Dell put more on the plate of Collins this week and he did much more than just pick up the slack. The Texans WR1 caught 12 of the 15 passes that came his away for 151 YDS and a TD in a tight divisional contest with the Jaguars. Collins has already proved that his 2023 breakout campaign was no fluke and if he maintains his current level of play, he should be in the running for overall WR1 honors come January.
Honorable Mentions: Jayden Reed (Packers), Jordan Addison (Vikings), CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys)
LVP: Zay Flowers (Ravens)
Lamar Jackson threw for a season-low 156 YDS as the Ravens run game carried them to a dominant win over the Bills. Flowers was among the top parties impacted by this development-getting targeted only twice and only hauling in one of them for 10 YDS. While Flowers has been really quiet outside of Week 2 versus the Raiders, he remains the top WR in Baltimore by a wide margin and should return to being a solid performer in due time.
Dishonorable Mentions: Calvin Ridley (Titans), Rome Odunze (Bears), Keenan Allen (Bears)
Tight End
MVP: Pat Friermuth (Steelers)
Those who elected to stick with Friermuth after his consistent but unsexy start to the season were rewarded this week as he picked up 5 catches for 57 YDS and scored his 1st TD of the year in a narrow loss to the Colts. As long as the TE-friendly Justin Fields remains the starter in Pittsburgh, Friermuth will be worth starting every week.
Honorable Mentions: George Kittle (49ers), Travis Kelce (Chiefs), Dallas Goedert (Eagles)
LVP: Kyle Pitts (Falcons)
Balance has been restored to the fantasy universe as we've just had our first Kyle Pitts donut of the season. The always infuriating and unpredictable Falcons tight end failed to haul in any of his 3 targets on a day where the offense contributed very little to their winning effort against the Saints. The next stop on the Pitts rollercoaster is a Thursday night date with the Bucs-who've allowed the 10th fewest fantasy points to TE's so far this season.
Dishonorable Mentions: Mark Andrews (Ravens), Isaiah Likely (Ravens), Brock Bowers (Raiders)
Defense/Special Teams
MVP: 49ers
The overhauled, injury-riddled 49ers defense has been pretty poor to start the year. That all changed on Sunday when the league's worst offense rolled into Santa Clara. The Patriots surrendered 6 sacks, coughed up a pair of fumbles and allowed Fred Warner to get one of the easiest pick 6's you'll ever seen in an NFL game in a commanding 30-13 win for the 49ers. Despite their current 2-game losing streak, stopping Kyler Murray and the Cardinals explosive offense should be a far more difficult assignment for this still very much embattled group.
Honorable Mentions: Browns, Ravens, Vikings
LVP: Bills
As I've already mentioned multiple times in this piece, the Bills defense didn't look so hot against the Ravens on SNF. They surrendered 35 points, got just 1 sack and forced a meaningless late turnover on a Lamar Jackson run that helped bring their fantasy point total from -3 to -1. While far from an ideal matchup given the depth of their offensive talent and the vendetta that a certain WR on their roster holds against them, it would be pretty surprising if they struggled to this extent again against the Texans this week.
Dishonorable Mentions: Dolphins, Steelers, Texans
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