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 gets your vote for first-half Fantasy MVP?
SAM HENDRICKS
Hands down it is Tyreek Hill. I know traditionally it is a quarterback. They score the most points and help their case as the on-the-field general. But who can doubt Hill's numbers? He's at 211.8 fantasy points (PPR), 26.48 per game! He is the first player in the Super Bowl era to reach 1,000 yards in 8 games. He is on pace for 2,155 yards, 130 catches and 17 TDs! Ok temper that with "in 17 games" before you throw every record out. Still the guy is amazing and consistent. If I am drafting before the season starts and I somehow know what he will do until now. I am taking Hill. MVP all the way.
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.
JASON WOOD
It has to be Puka Nacua. No other player was almost universally available after drafts and has had as big an impact since being the top waiver claim. Nacua currently ranks WR9 in PPR (on a per-game basis) and likely has been a fixture in lineups since early in the season. The fact fantasy managers have gotten the vast majority of his breakout performances is why he gets the edge over players like Kyren Williams, Zack Moss, and DeVon Achane. Each of those players was on waivers or benches for a big chunk of their most impressive weeks, whereas Nacua has been a consistent must-start throughout the first two months.
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.
MIKE NAZAREK
This is an easy one... Christian McCaffrey. Why? He's by far the most consistent lead running back in the league for fantasy and he's stayed healthy. Even with an oblique injury, he played and produced 20+ PPR points for his fantasy teams!
Nazarek is the CEO of Fantasy Football Mastermind Inc, celebrating 25 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 web site, 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 nearly $30K in recent seasons of the FFPC High Stakes Main Event. Nazarek can be reached via email at miken@ffmastermind.com.
IAN ALLAN
If we use a balance of what the players have done and where they were picked, my halfway point All-Star team would consist of: QB Kirk Cousins, RB Raheem Mostert, RB D’Andre Swift, WR Puka Nacua, WR DJ Moore, TE Sam LaPorta and PK Jake Elliott.
Allan is the senior writer for Fantasy Football Index magazine. He is a member of the FSGA’s Fantasy Sports Hall of Fame and the Fantasy Sports Writers Association Hall of Fame. He is an avid runner, swimmer and cyclist.
DAVID DOREY
This is a real toss-up. It has to be between Tyreek Hill who is angling towards a 2,000-yard season or Christian McCaffrey who is money every week and a lock for at least one touchdown. I guess if I had to choose between the two elite players, I'd want McCaffrey who just never has a bad game because he always scores. Boy - wish I had to make this choice on all my fantasy teams.
Dorey co-founded The Huddle.com in 1997. He's ranked every player and projected every game for the last 23 years and is the author of Fantasy Football: The Next Level. David has appeared on numerous radio, television, newspaper and magazines over the last two decades.
SCOTT PIANOWSKI
Christian McCaffrey scores touchdowns every week at fantasy football's trickiest position. He's also a busy receiver. Only injury can stop McCaffrey; opposing defenses won't be able to.
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.
ANDY RICHARDSON
If considering players who were expected to be good -- and have in fact been great -- Tyreek Hill and Christian McCaffrey top the list. Among later picks who have dramatically exceeded expectations, two co-MVPs on my best team are Adam Thielen and Sam LaPorta. Those guys have been great almost every week. My only regret is I left Thielen on the bench for a couple of his big weeks.
Richardson has been a contributing writer and editor to the Fantasy Football Index magazine and www.fantasyindex.com since 2002. His responsibilities include team defense and IDP projections and various site features, and he has run the magazine's annual experts draft and auction leagues since their inception. He previews all the NFL games on Saturdays and writes a wrap-up column on Mondays during the NFL season.