NFL Midseason Check-In: Award Races with Josh Allen, Puka Nacua, and More

The experts at FantasySP have opinions. They give them to you every week with fantasy football picks, but since we are halfway through the season, it seemed like the perfect time to take stock of the happenings of the league.

Brant Tedeschi, Morgan Rode, and Daniel Hepner answered five questions about what we've seen so far in 2025, including player awards and some of the teams exceeding or falling short of expectations.

Use FantasySP's fantasy assistant to link your teams and get advice on roster moves, lineup decisions, and more!

Who is your most surprising team of the first half of the season?

Morgan: It's definitely the Colts, even after their loss to the Steelers in Week 9. Daniel Jones has mostly looked great leading the offense, and Jonathan Taylor is a legit MVP candidate. The trade for Sauce Gardner should help the defense and gives the Colts a real chance to emerge as AFC champions.

Daniel: It has to be the Colts, but just for the sake of being different, I'll go with the New England Patriots, who were tied for the best record in football entering Week 10 (7-2). They have a victory over the Bills already and a schedule that still includes matchups with the Bengals, Giants, Dolphins, and Jets twice. The Patriots are set up well to compete for both the division and the wild card.

What about the most disappointing team?

Morgan: It's the Commanders for me. Injuries to Jayden Daniels have hurt, but this team definitely has taken a step back after being one of the biggest surprises last year. At this point, making the playoffs seems incredibly unlikely.

Brant: Texans should certainly be on the list. They had high hopes as one of the most explosive offenses a year ago, but the C.J. Stroud and Nico Collins connection seems lackluster, with only one game over 100 yards.

Daniel: Injuries have played a part in many of the biggest disappointments, which is usually the case. I'll give you Miami not because of the expectations this season but more because of how far they have fallen in just a few years. The Dolphins are one of the saddest teams right now, and that's a pretty big disappointment given what we expected even last year.

Which player would be your pick for Defensive Player of the Year through nine weeks?

Morgan: I like taking players from teams that are actually good, so I'll say Denver's Nik Bonitto. He has 9.5 sacks and 32 tackles across 10 games after the team edged the Raiders on Thursday night. If he keeps racking up sacks, he's got a real shot to win the award with all the winning the Broncos are doing, especially with Denver being a lockdown defense.

Daniel: The only two guys with more sacks than Bonitto are Brian Burns (11) and Myles Garrett (10). Those players also lead the league in tackles for loss (14 and 15, respectively), showing some of the biggest statistical impact. Burns has also defended five passes and forced two fumbles (Garrett has one), so I'll give him the slight advantage.

How about Offensive Player of the Year (top non-QB)?

Morgan: I mentioned him before, but it's Jonathan Taylor. He has been the best offensive player for the Colts, so if they continue to win and make the playoffs, I don't know how Taylor doesn't take that honor.

Brant: Christian McCaffrey has had an unbelievable bounceback season when people had doubts if he still had it or could handle the same volume. The 49ers have dealt with injuries all season long, but CMC has been the solid foundation that offense desperately needed.

Daniel: Jaxon Smith-Njigba is fifth in the league in receptions, and he has 117 more receiving yards than anyone else despite already having his bye. He is on pace for over 2,000 yards on 123 catches; if he reaches 2,000 receiving yards, it will be really hard for anyone to beat him for this award.

Who is your pick for MVP of this 2025 half season?

Morgan: I think Josh Allen is going to turn things on and help the Bills eventually grab the AFC's No. 1 seed. He's been good so far, but he has another level or two that he can take it to. What's wild is that he might be the MVP if the season ended today, and he hasn't really played that great yet - I think the award is his to lose.

Brant: I'll go with Puka Nacua. Before he got hurt, he was off to a blistering pace and certainly won a lot of games for fantasy owners. I have no doubt he will finish the second half of the season strong and chase season-long records. He is on pace for roughly 130 receptions and 1,500 yards.

Daniel: It's fun to see a guy win who has never gotten the award before, and that's truest when thinking about veterans having career years; remember Matt Ryan winning the award the year Atlanta went to the Super Bowl? Matthew Stafford is averaging 268.4 passing yards per game, the most of anyone to play at least three games, and his 21 touchdowns also lead the league (and look nice next to just two interceptions). Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Drake Maye, and others have compelling cases, but I like what the Rams' quarterback is doing so far.