QB
Justin Herbert / LAC – Round 1
In a back and forth battle against the division foe Raiders, Herbert threw for 326 yards on 28/42 passing with 2 touchdowns. He also added 24 yards on the ground. He went 17/25 in the second half where this game really seesawed back and forth and this was despite the fact he had to be taken out of the game for a short amount of time because of a nasty hit he took to the sternum. Herbert is proving to be calm and poised way beyond his years, now the rest of the LAC team needs to match it.
RB
James Robinson / JAX – UDFA
Another week, another All Rookie team for the undrafted free agent. Despite playing behind a rookie 6th round pick, Robinson gained 99 yards on 25 carries with a touchdown. He isn’t a big play back by any means, but has consistent ability to push the pile forward and break through initial contact.
WR
Jerry Jeudy / DEN – Round 1
Jeudy is starting to figure it out mentally and the rest of the league better take it as a warning. His elite stop and go quickness as a route runner has always been there, but now he is displaying the knowledge of the mental game to trick defensive backs into thinking he is going somewhere he isn’t. This created even more separation against ATL that helped lead him to a 7 catch / 125 yard / 1 touchdown performance.
TE
Adam Trautman / NO – Round 3
In NO’s blowout win over TB, Trautman caught 3 passes for 39 yards and a touchdown. With Michael Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders back in the fold, Trautman’s solid game makes the outlook of this offense seem even stronger. The Saints are about to get hot.
OT
Tristan Wirfs / TB – Round 1
There wasn’t much to be happy about from a TB perspective in their blowout loss against NO. Wirfs, however, continues to be one of the brightest lights on the team. He completely shut down Cameron Jordan outside of one pressure for the second time this year.
OG/OC
Ezra Cleveland / MIN – Round 2
The MIN running game has been good all year. However, ever since MIN put Cleveland in at right guard, Dalvin Cook has been running like a back in a league of his own. His ability to pull laterally and get out into space has added a new dimension to the offense that two straight NFC North opponents have yet to slow down.
EDGE
Alex Highsmith / PIT – Round 3
Highsmith isn’t making a volume-impact for the 8-0 Steelers, but his presence is being felt weekly. He added a sack and 2 tackles, playing under 20% of the snaps in their win at DAL. PIT has the best pass rush in football and while he may not be a feature guy, he has the ability to rotate and provide rest for TJ Watt and Bud Dupree while also adding his own production for this defense.
DT
Neville Gallimore / DAL – Round 3
DAL nearly pulled off the upset of the year against PIT. The defense had a different look as Gallimore saw a season high 36 snaps and responded with his most impactful performance of his young career to this point. He finished with 3 tackles, 1 TFL, and a QB hit.
LB
Malik Harrison / BAL – Round 3
Harrison saw a season high in playing time and responded with a season high 6 tackles. Known for his run game prowess, Harrison was on the field for multiple third downs where he showed off his length and speed to create a wide-range cover bubble that was a part of the game plan that gave Philip Rivers issues in the second half. He had a couple highlight reel matchups in space against Quenton Nelson, the top guard in football, in which Harrison came out on top.
CB
Jeff Gladney / MIN – Round 1
The broken MIN secondary had one of their best games of the year against DET in their win on Sunday. Gladney is seeing the majority of his time at nickel, a new spot for him, and he continues to show steady progression and improvement. He finished with 7 tackles and 1 TFL in a game where he kept most of the action in front of him and came up with multiple key 3rd down stops.
S
Kamren Curl / WAS – Round 7
With Landon Collins sidelined, Curl stepped up and led the team with 11 tackles while adding a sack and 2 pressures. He did a lot of damage in the box and Ron Rivera appears to be comfortable putting him in a versatile role that can impact the game in multiple ways. His sack late in the game forced a punt as WAS nearly pulled off the comeback win.