In the olden days, Week 8 was the true midseason mark of the NFL campaign. Now, with the addition of a 17th game, there’s no clean split. Nevertheless with (almost) half of the 2022 season behind us, it’s time to take stock of how things have unfolded in the world of fantasy football.
SI Fantasy is handing out superlatives to put what’s happened so far this season in context. That means crowning an MVP, deciding which player has been the biggest bust, picking the best surprise and handing out rookie of the (half) year honors.
See which players on your teams earned recognition—good or bad—through the first eight games.
MVP: Josh Allen, Bills
Allen is far and away the best player in fantasy football, and his worst game of the season actually did well to further establish him as such. He finished with 17.62 points against the Packers on Sunday night, which was still good for a top-12 finish for the week, and he’s had 23-plus in every other game this year.
Allen already has more than 190 points this season, 21 more than the next closest player (Tyreek Hill) and Buffalo already had its bye week. He scores 2.3 more points per game than the next closest quarterback (Jalen Hurts) and is more than 10 points better than the QB12. He wins in multiple ways, which is what gives him such a high floor and a sky-high ceiling: Allen ranks second in the league in passing yards (2,198), second in passing touchdowns (19) and fourth among quarterbacks in rushing yards (306).
The consistency with which Allen delivers top-end fantasy finishes (six weeks in the top five and one overall QB1 outing) makes him the most valuable player thus far and well worth his high price in drafts.
Honorable mention: Austin Ekeler (LAC), Stefon Diggs (BUF), Travis Kelce (KC)
Biggest Bust: Najee Harris, Steelers
There’s always letdowns at the top of drafts, often due to injury. But Harris, a late first-rounder, has been active every week for his sophomore season; he just hasn’t been able to repeat any of what made him successful as a rookie.
Harris led the NFL in total touches in 2021 on his way to an RB3 finish and his fantasy viability was always going to be dependent on volume. Now, he’s getting the ball less often in a worse offense and doing less with the touches he does get. Harris is tied with Joe Mixon for the fewest yards per carry for a player with 100 or more rushes this season (3.3), he’s less involved as a receiver and his longest play of the season went for just 18 yards.
Players like Khalil Herbert and Antonio Gibson, effectively RB2s on their own team, have scored more than Harris. He has just one week in the top 12 at his position and two outside the top 40. Pittsburgh has the lowest-scoring offense in the NFL and is 2-7 entering its bye week. It’s not out of the question that we see a bit more of rookie Jaylen Warren down the stretch. Warren has run better than Harris, albeit on limited opportunities, and had a season-high nine touches in Week 8.
Honorable Mention: Kyle Pitts (ATL), Cam Akers (LAR), James Conner (ARZ)
Best Surprise: Josh Jacobs, Raiders
Stock on Jacobs was down before the season began after Las Vegas played him plenty in the preseason, did not pick up his fifth-year option and drafted a running back in the fourth round. The Raiders brought in a new regime and it seemed as if Jacobs would not be very involved in what could be his final year with the team.
A couple months later, Jacobs is a top-five fantasy back. He ranks fourth in the league in rushing (676 yards) and 13th in yards per carry (5.6). This is the best season of Jacobs’s career to date, the highlight being a three-game stretch in which he totaled at least 150 scrimmage yards in each game and scored all six of his rushing touchdowns.
Jacobs was an absolute steal for managers at the end of the fourth round or possibly later. He had his worst game of the season Sunday against the Saints as the Raiders were shut out, but Jacobs’s three top-three finishes—each with better than 30 points—more than make up for one down week.
Honorable mention: Geno Smith (SEA), Rhamondre Stevenson (NE), A.J. Brown (PHI)
Best Rookie, Dameon Pierce, Texans
It felt like the Pierce hype might have hit a breaking point in the preseason and there was no way the first-year pro could live up to expectations. Fantasy-wise, his career got off to an inauspicious start when Rex Burkhead led the Texans in rushing Week 1. But from there, Houston has been riding with its rookie, who has led the team in yards on the ground every week since.
Pierce is just outside the top 12 running backs in fantasy scoring and ranks 12th in the NFL in rushing yards (539). From Week 2 on, he’s been at least a top-30 back in every outing and that includes three top-12 finishes. Pierce ran all over the Chargers for a season-best 131 yards and a score a few weeks ago and he has four games this season with 20-plus touches, and he’s steadily getting more involved in the passing game as well.
If it weren’t for Breece Hall’s devastating injury, this honor would certainly go to the Jets’ first-year star (who still has a few more points than Pierce on the year). But so far this season, Pierce has been a gem in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts and he’s only getting better as the year goes on.
Honorable mention: Chris Olave (NO), Kenneth Walker III (SEA), Breece Hall (NYJ)
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