November 4, 2017,  Football  No comments

At the midpoint of the 2017 season, there have been many surprises, the most recent being Deshaun Watson’s torn ACL. Some of my early season predictions may have been different than expected but I will give an update to my award predictions at the halfway mark of this season.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Due to Deshaun Watson’s injury, Leonard Fournette at this point in the season is the rookie of the year. He missed the last game but after a bye, he is healthy and looks to bounce back against the Bengals this week. He has run for 596 yards in 130 carries (4.6 YPC) and 6 touchdowns in only six games. He has looked like the real deal and more impressively, been very consistent. The only other rookie at this point that I could see potentially winning this award is Kareem Hunt. He leads the NFL in rushing still but is only averaging 51 yards per game over the last 3 weeks. If he can begin finding the end zone again (hasn’t scored a TD since week 3), he could possibly win the award as well.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

TJ Watt had an incredible debut with 2 sacks and an interception. He now has 28 tackles along with 4 sacks and the one interception. He’s shown signs of greatness but still needs to develop as a pass rusher some. Myles Garret has looked good having 4 sacks in only 3 games and Marshon Lattimore of the Saints has been playing like a top 5 cornerback in the league to this point. Watt is my favorite at this point but look for Lattimore to be there by the end of the season.

Defensive Player of the Year

I would like to see Khalil Mack repeat but I would have to say Joey Bosa at this point. He now has 19 sacks in 20 career games with 8.5 of those coming this year. He has 38 total tackles and has just been an absolute monster coming off the edge. The pass rush duo of Bosa and Melvin Ingram (combined 17 sacks) is dangerous. My other pick for DPOY could possibly be Demarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys. The 25-year-old leads the league with 10.5 sacks and has been a bright spot for the Cowboys this season. Pending any injuries, Bosa/Lawrence are potential 20 sack guys this season.

Comeback Player of the Year

Once again, the injury bug has ended JJ Watt’s season. While this makes him a potential favorite for the award next year, it puts a real damper on Houston’s injury plagued 2017. Watt aside, I believe Keenan Allen is a potential recipient of the award this year. Allen seemingly couldn’t stay healthy over the past couple of seasons but at the midpoint, he has 40 catches for 548 yards but only 1 TD. On pace for over 1,000 yards, if he can catch a few more TD’s, I believe he has a good chance at the award. Another potential winner is Rob Gronkowski. Looking to become the first player since Chad Pennington to win the award twice, has put up over 500 yards and 5 TD’s. If he doesn’t miss any more games this year, he could very well win the award as well.

MVP

Lastly, we have the usual favorite award. This award could go to Carson Wentz, Tom Brady, or Alex Smith. They all have looked great and I simply think it will come down to whoever finishes with the best record. Wentz is tied for the league lead in touchdowns, while Brady leads the league in passing yards and Alex Smith has yet to turn the ball over. All 3 deserve to win the award and most likely all will be in the playoffs. Only time will tell as to who will pull away, but Wentz has the slight edge now due to the Eagles league best 7-1 record. A sleeper though is Todd Gurley who has put together a great season in the league’s highest scoring offense.