QB
Justin Herbert / LAC – Round 1
It was a close call between Herbert and Hurts, but the former gets the nod with his overtime, come from behind victory against LV. He went 22/32 with 314 yards and 2 touchdowns in addition to 14 yards on the ground that included the game winning 1-yard touchdown run in a do or die situation after LV took the 3 point lead in overtime. Herbert completed a 51 yard pass a few plays before that once again displayed his top shelf deep ball accuracy that we have seen all year.
RB
Jonathan Taylor / IND – Round 2
Taylor remains hot as the IND squad is making the surge for the playoffs and he appears to be one the more important catalysts. He scored for the 3rd straight week, giving him 7 over that span, in the team’s 27-20 win over HOU.
WR
Brandon Aiyuk / SF – Round 1
Aiyuk led the team with 9 catches, hauling in 73 yards and a touchdown. He has crossed the goal line in 4 of their last 5 games and is ending the year with a lot of positive momentum. It has been a trying year for the banged up Niners, but he may be the most encouraging component to a team that will be ready for Super Bowl contention in 2021.
TE
Cole Kmet / CHI – Round 2
Kmet added 2 catches for 12 yards but continued to make significant contributions to the running game with his plus blocking. Kmet is showing plus power with his hands while displaying twitch and understanding of angles. He is going to be a key focal point of that offense in 2021.
OT
Mekhi Becton / NYJ – Round 1
Becton didn’t allow a single pressure in the Jets first win against LAR. The mountain of a man has had an up and down year when it comes to injuries and staying on the field, but his play has been dominant at times. We saw more of that against a woefully talented group of LAR defensive linemen and edge rushers.
OG/OC
Lloyd Cushenberry / DEN – Round 3
The DEN offensive line might be the most overlooked and underrated position group in all of football. Cushenberry took a lot of rookie punches earlier in the year, but has been lights out in recent weeks. DEN got whooped by BUF on Saturday night, but they had a lot of success running up the middle behind the presence of Cushenberry and guard Dalton Risner. Both are rising stars along the inside.
EDGE
Alton Robinson / SEA – Round 5
Robinson’s playing time took a hit when the team acquired Carlos Dunlap last month. Even though his potential for production went down, his confidence and spark off the edge has not. He finished with 3 tackles, 1 sack, and a forced fumble in SEA’s 5-point win against WAS.
DT
Derek Brown / CAR – Round 1
Brown’s sheer dominance and power were on display against GB, a team that has been protecting MVP candidate Aaron Rodgers very well. Brown had 3 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 pressure. His bull rush was enough to send GB guard Lucas Patrick airborne and onto his back on one of those sacks in a woefully impressive display of strength by Brown.
LB
Patrick Queen / BAL – Round 1
Queen led the way for a dominant front seven performance against a JAX rushing attack that has beat a lot of defenses this year. He had 6 tackles, 1 sack, 3 TFL, and 3 pressures and the defensive play calls had him blitzing seemingly non stop. He is a weapon for a defense that is going to be a tough matchup in the postseason.
CB
Michael Jacquet / PHI – UDFA
The undrafted rookie got the start for an injured Darius Slay and had an eye opening performance. He forced a fumble in the red zone on a tackle of DeAndre Hopkins, sacked Kyler Murray, and led the team with 7 tackles in addition to breaking up 2 passes.
S
Antoine Winfield / TB – Round 2
Sometimes you can’t only look at production when searching for the most impactful performances. Winfield finished with 2 tackles and a pass break up but that PD was one of the most impressive ones I’ve seen in the league all year in a very key situation that helped TB complete their comeback win at ATL. The rookie is playing like a seasoned pro.