I actually think this is kind of an interesting topic. For the first time in a long time, no QB is a real stand out this season. So, that makes other positions more in play than in the recent past.
Question is, which player is really doing the most to contribute to his team winning consistently.
The first name that jumps out to me is Christian McCaffrey. Without him, San Fran is just an okay team. He really makes that entire engine go for them. When they traded for him last year, their entire outlook as a team changed. He's a playmaker and a dual threat. His immediate comparison is to Marshall Faulk. CM is 5-11; 210 and Faulk was 5-10; 211. So, with that in mind, we can compare Faulk's 2000 MVP season to McCaffrey.
Faulk (14 games)
1359 Ru. Yards
18 TDs
5.4 Avg
81 Receptions
830 Re. Yards
8 TDs
Total TDs: 26
Total Yds: 2189
McCaffrey (16 games projected)
1369 Ru. Yards
16 TDs
4.9 Avg
70 Receptions
565 Re. Yards
8 TDs
Total TDs: 24
Total Yds: 1934
In general, looking at Faulk's MVP season by comparison, you see McCaffrey is projected to have a similar season (if he maintains his averages), but clearly does not have the advantage of the same passing attack that Faulk was a part of in 2000.
5500 Passing Yards/37 TDs
vs
4000 Passing Yards/27 TDs (Projected for 16 games)
McCaffrey in the 2000s Rams offense would likely produce similarly to Faulk as a receiver (maybe better) especially considering McCaffrey's best three receiving seasons (1005, 867, 741 --> Last year).
I think there is an argument to be made that McCaffrey is the most valuable offensive player in the NFL and considering Brock Purdy is his quarterback is probably the MVP on his team. If San Fran closes with 13 wins, I think McCaffrey is a legitimate contender for MVP this year.
Defensively, the only player I would consider is TJ Watt. He's on pace to have another 20 sack season and you can make a legitimate argument that if he was not on the Steelers, they would be a bottom dweller right now. His case will largely depend on whether or not the Steelers can manage to keep winning. If they win 10-11 games, I can see a consideration for Watt assuming he maintains production.
Just looking around, TJ Edwards is looking like the STEAL of Free Agency this year and it is not even close.
Projections:
180 Tackles
8 TFL
3 INT
3 Sacks
If anyone suspected that we would receive that production from him, I'd like to read that post. I do not believe anyone saw that coming and just a great grab by Poles this offseason. Adding Sweat is only going to make players like Edwards more effective. 7 INT in the last two games has changed the way the entire defense works and the defense projects to be even better next season with the majority of players being under contract.