ASK THE EXPERTS appears weekly from training camp through the Super Bowl with answers to a new question being posted Thursday morning. How the guest experts responded when we asked them: Who was, and will be, the 1st- and 2nd-half MVP?
TOM KESSENICH
My first-half MVP is Jahmyr Gibbs. Yes it's the easy call but I'll stand by it. He was 1.1 this season for a reason. He was the best player in fantasy and he's been the best player in fantasy, averaging 28.83 points per game. Prior to Week 8 he had a TD in every game (and he should've scored last Sunday but gave up on one). He's just ultra reliable for 20+ points nearly every week. That's what you want in not only a first-round pick but THE first-round pick.
My second-half MVP is Joe Burrow. He'll finish with a playoff schedule of the Panthers (Week 15), Colts (Week 16) and Ravens (Week 17). He could be a fantasy playoff gold mine for every team he leads to the postseason. That three-week sprint schedule looks fantastic.
Kessenich is the Director of High Stakes Contests for SportsHub Games. He runs the NFFC, NFBC and NFBKC and is a fantasy sports Hall of Fame inductee.
MIKE NAZAREK
The first half MVP was clearly Kansas City running back Kenneth Walker, especially since he didn't cost you the No. 1 overall fantasy pick of your draft. Second-half MVP? It remains to be seen, but JSN has a leg up right now.
Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc, celebrating 30 years online! His company offers a preseason draft guide, customizable cheat sheets, a multi-use fantasy drafting program including auction values, weekly in-season newsletters, injury reports and free NFL news (updated daily) at its website, www.ffmastermind.com. He has been playing fantasy football since 1988 and is a four-peat champion of the SI.com Experts Fantasy League, a nationally published writer in several fantasy magazines and a former columnist for SI.com. He's also won more than $40K in recent seasons of the FFPC High Stakes Main Event. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
Both of my first-half MVPs have Seattle ties -- Jaxon Smith-Njigba stayed in Seattle, while Kenneth Walker left the champs. Both players are crushing just about every week despite little help on their respective offenses. Jahmyr Gibbs wouldn't be far behind on the fantasy MVP ballot, and he should crush in the second half, even with a couple of Minnesota games to come. Detroit's overall schedule is a dream. If you prefer to give MVPs to value picks, Jaylen Warren, Christian Watson, Bucky Irving and Chuba Hubbard wave hello.
Pianowski has been with Yahoo Sports since 2008, covering a variety of sports. On the rare occasions when the computer is turned off, he enjoys word games, poker, music, film, game theory, and a variety of condiments. He lives in suburban Detroit. Pianowski was inducted into the FSWA Hall of Fame in 2021.
JASON WOOD
There are always surprises in both directions, which is what keeps this hobby engaging. At quarterback, you have to shout out Jared Goff and Brock Purdy who are both putting up Top 5 numbers but came at QB2 costs. At tight end, Isaiah Likely is delivering huge value regardless of who's under center in New York. At receiver, the Packers tandem of Christian Watson and Matthew Golden are joined by Jaguars Parker Washington as the early value standouts. But if I have to pick one MVP through the first half, it's the Chiefs Kenneth Walker. Walker came off the board as a mid-range RB2 in many leagues but is outperforming everyone not named Jahmyr Gibbs.
For the second half, how about we got out on a limb and say D'Andre Swift? Swift is already producing at a high level, but most still don't view him as a truly elite, top of the roster asset. Yet, the Bears are getting healthy now and they have an incredibly favorable schedule when it matters most. Chicago plays Miami, Buffalo, and Green Bay in Weeks 14 through 16; three of the easiest defenses for opposing running backs.
Wood is Senior Editor at Footballguys.com and has been with the company since its start in 2000. For more than 20 years, Footballguys has provided rankings, projections, and analysis to help fantasy managers dominate their leagues.
SAM HENDRICKS
First half.....Josh Allen is averaging 30+ FP (thru 6 games). His nearest competitor is Brock Purdy with 23.93. Granted Purdy had a 25 avg until this week's disappointment in ATL. So Brock gets to be the runner-up. Allen just brings a flair to the QB position that gives him an additional vote in my book. Add in the fact that the Buffalo defense has been nonexistent and the Bills possibly could be sub .500 without Josh.
Second half....Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Seattle has no run game and I am not convinced that a return from their rookie RB Price or the imminent return of Zach Charbonnet will be much help. I predict a new single-season record of over 2,000 receiving yards.
Hendricks is the author of Fantasy Football Guidebook, Fantasy Football Tips and Fantasy Football Basics, all available at ExtraPointPress.com, at all major bookstores, and at Amazon and BN.com. He is a 30-year fantasy football veteran who participated in the National Fantasy Football Championship (NFFC) and finished 7th and 16th overall in the 2008 and 2009 Fantasy Football Players Championship (FFPC). He won the Fantasy Index Open in 2013 and 2018.
SCOTT SACHS
It's a tie, both Jahmyr Gibbs and Jaxon Smith-Njigba have around 200 points already! Looking ahead, I would think that -- barring injury, of course -- both players should continue to lead and dominate. However, in comparing the two, I would give the edge to Gibbs for overall fantasy MVP. One factor is the bye week. Gibbs already had his and, other than 2 games with Minnesota, does not face any other top tier defenses going forward. Another not to be overlooked factor is that Detroit plays the majority of their remaining games in domes and warm weather. Game 18 at Green Bay is after the fantasy championship for most leagues. It bears mentioning that Detroit has a balanced offense, too, WR, TE, and O-line are all elite or very good. Defense is another matter, so the Lions need to score a bunch. As far as JSN, Seattle has a questionable run game, an up and down QB, and not much else on offense. The over reliance on JSN is great for fantasy, but concerning for injury risk. Their excellent defense will keep the scoring down, so Seattle won't have as many shootouts as Detroit, plus they still have a late bye week, too.
With 2 perfect seasons and multiple league championships to his credit, Sachs runs Perfect Season Fantasy Football, featuring LIVE Talk & Text Advice. He is a 3-time winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Auction League, as well as a previous winner of the Fantasy Index Experts Poll. Follow on X: https://x.com/ffbcoach
ANDY RICHARDSON
First-half MVP, for me, is the remarkable Jaxon Smith-Njigba. The reason is that in my most important league, picking 6th overall, I was debating Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua and Amon-Ra St. Brown. Puka has missed two games, while St. Brown has had two relatively quiet games and of course his bye week. JSN, meanwhile, has gone for 26, 42, 35, 23, 26 and 31 points, with 13 in his worst game. He's single-handedly made the difference in a couple of close matchups for me. As for the rest of the way, lots of options, but it feels like one of those elite wideouts -- either JSN, or Ja'Marr Chase, or perhaps Nacua -- is going to be really good. Negative for Nacua and St. Brown is they have some tougher defenses ahead (Lions have both Vikings games, Rams have both Seattle games).
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. He is responsible for various site features, writes a weekly gambling newsletter, Index Bets, during the NFL season and also previews all the games on Saturdays.
