Storyline: It may be early on in the NFL season, but the stat leaders have done great things so far. It’s a long season, though. We’ll just have to wait and see who’ll end up on top. Written by Bennett Rhodes
The 2015 NFL season is about a 1/4 of the way in, and some players and teams have made big impressions so far. The standouts of this season are leaving their mark early. But who will finish on top? Here’s my analysis and predictions.
Most Fantasy owners know the importance of running backs and how big their performances can be. Leading the pack–and coming off of a season with only one game–is Adrian Peterson.
Courtesy: Associated Press
Peterson entered the season with a lot of questions and he has answered them with 372 yards in the first four games. In second place is Matt Forte of the Chicago Bears. He’s performed well even though his team has struggled.
Chris Ivory finds himself in third place. He impressively put together a 314-yard season in only three games. Ivory’s performance in London against the Miami Dolphins was very impressive: he put up 166 yards on 29 carries.
While Ivory has been impressive and put up outstanding numbers in only three games, my prediction is that Peterson and Forte will stay on top (without any setbacks from injuries). Another candidate to move up the list by the end of the season is Jamaal Charles of the Kansas City Chiefs. Charles has performed pretty well so far against some of the toughest teams in football. The question is whether or not he will be able to get the touches to finish at top statistically.
The tightest race comes from the wide receivers. At the top (in a tie) are Julio Jones and Antonio Brown. Antonio Brown was great against the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, and St. Louis Rams–posting over 100 yards in each of those games. Brown got an incredible 195 yards on 9 receptions against the San Francisco 49ers. But, in Week 4, he was held to only 42 yards against the Baltimore Ravens.
Courtesy: CBSports
Brown has lost his quarterback, Ben Roethlisberger, to a knee injury. We’ll have to see how backup Michael Vick will use Brown. Julio Jones has stood out for the Falcons as Matt Ryan’s first choice. But Jones was held to under 50 yards in Week Four, just like Brown, when the Atlanta Falcons took on the Houston Texans. His numbers were impressive in the first three games, though, as he put up over 100 yards in each game. I expect these two to remain on top. I also see A.J. Green as the best candidate for third place.
Finally, for the quarterbacks, two men stand at the top with over 1200 passing yards through the first four games: Philip Rivers of the San Diego Chargers is in first place with 1248 yards, including a 403-yard performance in Week One against the Detroit Lions. In second place is Matt Ryan, who has lead the Atlanta Falcons to a 4-0 start. Ryan is currently 46 yards behind Rivers and has looked very sharp. Tom Brady has performed well coming off of his off-season controversy. Brady is 136 yards off the lead in only three games played.
Courtesy: Getty Images
My prediction is that Brady will ultimately rise to the top in yards, while Rivers and Ryan will be close throughout the year. Some familiar faces, like Drew Brees and Peyton Manning, have fallen out of the top 15, but I see them joining the Top Ten by season’s end.
Aaron Rodgers is also someone whom you might expect to be higher. While he sits at twelfth currently, I see him pushing into the top five before the season is over.
It may be early on in the NFL season, but the leaders have done some great things so far. It’s a tough game, though, with plenty of injuries. Leaders can change each week. We’ll just have to wait and see who’ll rise to the top.
