NFL's best offensive players at each position midway through the season
As Week 8 in the NFL comes to an end, we have reached the halfway mark of the 2020 season. While there have been a couple of hiccups along the way, this season has still produced quality football for its fans despite COVID-19 restrictions keeping the stadiums mostly empty.
All of this wouldn't have been possible if not for the NFL players, who even during these tough times have week in and week out doled out top-drawer performances to the delight of their fans.
Here are the best players and the runners-up at each offensive skill position at the mid-season point:
NFL's best quarterback: Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks)
Since Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll gave him the license to kill, Russell Wilson has been on a rampage, lighting up opposing defenses with his pinpoint accuracy and big-play ability.
Wilson's 26 passing touchdowns are the highest by any QB at the halfway mark of the 2020 season. His 71.5 percent completion rate is the 3rd-best among QBs right now.
Wilson's 120.8 passer rating is the best among all QBs at the mid-season mark. His 41.8 first-down percentage is tied for second-best among QBs with at least seven starts this season.
Wilson has thrown at least two touchdowns in all seven games the Seahawks have played so far, and his team is a serious title contender at 6-1. His 260 rushing yards are the fifth-highest among QBs right now.
Runner-up: Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)
Patrick Mahomes, the enigmatic Kansas City Chiefs signal caller, is doing business as usual dismantling opposing defenses with his unorthodox play style.
Mahomes' passing touchdowns (21) and passer rating (115) are only bettered by Russell Wilson at this point of the season. He's second in the league in passing yards (2,315) and fifth in first down percentage (41.2) among QBs with at least seven starts this season.
NFL's best running back: Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans)
Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry picked up from where he left off last season, as he currently leads the NFL in rushing yards at the midseason mark.
Henry has amassed 775 rushing yards in total and is on track to top his rushing record of 1,540 yards from last season. He's also tied for second in the NFL in rushing touchdowns this season with eight TDs to his name.
Henry has over 500 rushing yards after contact and has created over 25 missed tackles this season, which ranks him first in both categories. He also recorded the longest rushing touchdown this season when he broke for a 94-yard score against the Houston Texans in Week 6.
Henry has one 200-yard and three 100-yard rushing games this season. He has also scored at least two touchdowns in three of the seven games he's played so far.
Runner-up: Dalvin Cook (Minnesota Vikings)
If there's anyone in the league who can give Derrick Henry a run for his money, it is Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook.
Cook has been spectacular whenever he's been handed the ball, rushing for 652 yards on 122 attempts and averaging an awesome 5.35 yards per attempt. He currently leads the league in rushing touchdowns with 10 visits to the end zone.
Cook has had two 150-yard and one 100-yard rushing games this season and has scored a touchdown in all the games he's played so far.
NFL's best wide receiver: DeAndre Hopkins (Arizona Cardinals)
A change in scenery and quarterback doesn't seem to have affected DeAndre Hopkins one bit as he continues to be one of the leading receivers in the NFL this season.
Hopkins is the league-leader in receiving yards (704) and receptions (57) at the halfway mark this season. He has been QB Kyler Murray's go-to man for every situation and has repaid his Murray's trust in him by catching 78 percent of the balls thrown his way.
Hopkins has four 100-yard receiving games and has caught at least six receptions in six of the seven games he played so far this season.
Runner-up: D.K. Metcalf (Seattle Seahawks)
About 5-10 years in the future, when people do a re-draft of the 2019 NFL Draft, one name that's going to end up in the top 10 picks is Seattle Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, who is currently making GM's feel stupid for letting fall into the Seahawks' lap at 64th overall.
Metcalf, along with QB Russell Wilson, is setting the NFL on fire. At the halfway mark he has 680 receiving yards on 36 receptions, averaging a mind-boggling 18.89 yards per reception. He has seven receiving touchdowns at this point of the season which places him first among receivers.
Metcalf has one 150-yard and two 100-yard receiving games this season and has scored a touchdown in five of the seven games he's played so far.
NFL's best tight end: Travis Kelce (Kansas City Chiefs)
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce has been one of the main reasons for the franchise's recent resurgence to the top of the NFL.
Kelce was the projected to be the NFL's best tight end coming into this season by football experts all across the country, and he hasn't disappointed them one bit as his receiving yards total of 610 is 136 yards more than the nearest tight end (George Kittle).
Kelce's six receiving touchdowns and 48 receptions rank him inside the top-10 in the league for all pass-catchers, including wide receivers. He has two 100-yard receiving games and has scored a touchdown in five of the eight games he has played so far this season.
Also Read: Who is Travis Kelce’s Girlfriend, Kayla Nicole?
Runner-up: George Kittle (San Francisco 49ers)
The 49ers announced Monday that Kittle will miss eight weeks with a broken bone in his foot, grinding to a halt one of the best seasons of any tight end in the NFL.
Since being drafted in fifth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Kittle has only defied expectations by finishing as a top-3 tight end in the last two seasons.
This season he's right up there with the NFL's best. Kittle has 474 receiving yards at the halfway mark, a number only bettered by Travis Kelce among tight ends. His 37 receptions rank him third among tight ends.
Kittle has had one 150-yard and one 100-yard receiving game this season.