- Jaxon Smith-Njigba takes the midseason MVP award: The Seahawks receiver leads all running backs, wide receivers and tight ends with 195.6 PPR points, averaging 27.9 per game while earning an NFL-leading 93.3 PFF receiving grade.
- Christian Watson has delivered exceptional draft value: Drafted at a preseason ADP of WR35, the Packers receiver has climbed to WR3 with 129.5 PPR points, six touchdowns and nine end-zone targets.
- Justin Herbert headlines the fantasy disappointments: The Chargers quarterback ranks QB29 with 74.4 fantasy points across six games, while his 42.1 PFF passing grade ranks last among qualifying quarterbacks.
The fantasy season has reached the point when draft-night screenshots become either treasured possessions or evidence for the prosecution. Some picks have delivered everything promised. Others have left managers wondering whether their draft app briefly connected to a parallel universe.
With plenty still to play for, here are my midseason awards, from the bargain worth bragging about to the quarterback who has made Sunday afternoons unnecessarily complicated.
Offseason hype that has flopped: RB Jonathon Brooks, Carolina Panthers
The Brooks breakout campaign had a persuasive sales pitch. His preseason work with Carolina’s starters helped fuel expectations that a long-awaited opportunity was finally arriving.
The production has barely left the driveway. Brooks has scored 9.3 PPR points, ranking RB88, across two appearances. His nine carries have produced 30 yards, while two catches have added 43. He has yet to score a touchdown.
His 62.5 PFF rushing grade offers little encouragement, though nine attempts provide only a small sample. This has primarily been a failure to deliver usable volume. Eleven touches have given fantasy managers very little return on an offseason spent imagining considerably more.
The pick that makes us think we could be a real GM: QB Tyler Shough, New Orleans Saints
Drafting Shough has been excellent for fantasy teams and potentially dangerous for their managers’ egos. One successful quarterback selection and suddenly everyone has opinions about rebuilding an NFL roster.
Shough has accumulated 137.9 fantasy points, ranking QB4, and averaged 19.7 across seven games. He has thrown for 1,721 yards and 13 touchdowns, adding 111 rushing yards and two scores on the ground. That's been quite a return for a quarterback with a 13th-round preseason ADP.
There has been substance behind the fantasy output. His 74.4 PFF passing grade ranks 10th among qualifying QBs. His 12 big-time throws tie for fourth, while his 78.2% adjusted completion rate ranks ninth.
The front-office job offer remains pending. The victory lap has been earned.
Outperforming his ADP: WR Christian Watson, Green Bay Packers
Watson has turned a supporting investment into a headline act. A late-August PPR ADP of WR35 has become 129.5 points and the WR3 position. That is a rather pleasant accounting error.
He has caught 34 passes for 595 yards and six touchdowns, averaging 18.5 points per game. His 2.45 yards per route run ranks 11th among qualifying WRs, supporting the production beyond the touchdown column.
Those scoring opportunities have also been substantial. Watson has drawn 18 red-zone targets, fifth among qualifying WRs, and nine end-zone targets, second at the position. Five of those end-zone looks have become touchdowns.
Managers have received both productive receiving efficiency and a prominent role where the most valuable catches happen. The draft screenshot can stay pinned to the group chat.
Bust of the season…so far: QB Justin Herbert, Los Angeles Chargers
The nomination list has required overflow parking. Sam Darnold has scored 76.8 points to sit QB28. Jeremiyah Love has produced 51.1 points as RB34, Justin Jefferson has managed 70.1 as WR29, and Dalton Kincaid has supplied 60.5 as TE18.
But Herbert gets the unwanted hardware.
He has scored 74.4 fantasy points, ranking QB29, and averaged 12.4 across six games. His passing line has featured 1,141 yards, five touchdowns and eight interceptions. Even 168 rushing yards have failed to turn that into a dependable fantasy return.
The underlying performance has been particularly discouraging. Herbert’s 42.1 PFF passing grade ranks last among qualifying QBs, while his 5.8% turnover-worthy play rate is the second highest. His passing grade from a clean pocket has been only 56.9, so the problems have extended beyond plays disrupted by pressure.
Jefferson, for comparison, has still earned an 86.1 receiving grade, 10th among qualifying WRs. Herbert’s managers have had far less statistical reassurance to accompany the disappointing points total.
MVP: WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle Seahawks
Smith-Njigba has scored 195.6 PPR points, leading all running backs, wide receivers and tight ends. He sits 20.6 ahead of the next closest player, Jahmyr Gibbs, and 42.1 clear of the next closest receiver, CeeDee Lamb.
Gibbs has played one fewer game, but Smith-Njigba’s own average of 27.9 points has hardly required an attendance bonus to look spectacular.
His 75 targets have become 58 receptions, 867 yards and eight touchdowns. His 93.3 PFF receiving grade ranks first among qualifying WRs, while his 3.72 yards per route run ranks second, just behind Zay Flowers’ 3.73.
That combination of volume, efficiency and scoring has created a weekly advantage large enough to annoy everyone else in the league. Smith-Njigba has provided the midseason MVP performance. His fantasy managers can handle the acceptance speech.
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