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Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Top five NFL Offensive Player of the Year candidates

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated 11/1/23

Nearing the midway point of the 2023 season, the race for NFL Offensive Player of the Year is heating up. Here are the top five candidates to win OPOY this year:

1. Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins

Hill stated he wanted to become the first player to reach 2,000 receiving yards in a season, and he’s well on his way to doing just that. Through eight games, the 29-year-old wideout leads the NFL in yards (1,014), touchdowns (eight), yards from scrimmage (1,028) and yards after the catch (382). He ranks second in receptions (61) and third in targets (87).

With 91 receiving yards against Kansas City in Frankfurt on Sunday, Tyreek Hill (1,014 receiving yards) will surpass the record he set last season (1,104) for the most receiving yards by a player in their first nine games of a season in the Super Bowl era.
— David Furones (@DavidFurones_) November 1, 2023

Hill is on pace for 2,154 receiving yards, which would best Calvin Johnson’s NFL record by 190 yards, and the single-season record for receiving yards per game (129) is well within his reach as well. He’s also on track to be just the seventh player in league history with 129 or more receptions in a single season.

2. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers

With his two-yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals, McCaffrey scored a touchdown from scrimmage in 17 straight games (including the playoffs), tying Hall of Famer Lenny Moore for the NFL record.

The 27-year-old RB leads the NFL in rushing yards (652) and is second in touchdowns (nine). He also leads all running backs in receiving yards (292) and receiving touchdowns (four), and he ranks second in receptions (32). The only player with more yards from scrimmage than McCaffrey’s 944 is Hill.

3. A.J. Brown, WR, Philadelphia Eagles

If not for Hill, Brown would be the unquestioned No. 1 receiver in the NFL right now. He’s had 100 yards receiving in all but two games this year, and his six consecutive games with 125 or more receiving yards is a new NFL record.

A.J. Brown: 38 receptions gaining 10+ yards this season

Most in the NFL pic.twitter.com/B0NAhLRcoS
— PFF (@PFF) October 31, 2023

Brown is third in the league in yards from scrimmage, just five yards behind McCaffrey, and he ranks second in receiving yards (939), fourth in receptions (60), fifth in targets (83). He’s on pace for 1,995 receiving yards, which would also break Johnson’s single-season record.

4. Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Miami Dolphins

Tagovailoa began the year with a 466-yard, three-touchdown game against the Los Angeles Chargers, and he hasn’t looked back. He’s thrown for 300 yards or more in four of eight games, and he leads the league in passing yards (2,416), touchdowns (18) and passer rating (108.8), and he’s fourth in completion percentage (70.4).

Tagovailoa is on pace for 5,134 yards passing, which would rank ninth all-time and make him the 11th QB in NFL history with 5,100 single-season passing yards or more. He’s also on track to throw 38 touchdown passes, which would be the third-most in Dolphins history and make him the only QB not named Dan Marino to top the 30-TD mark.

5. Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles

Hurts is tied for sixth in touchdown passes (13) and seventh in passing yards (2,140). He also has the sixth-best QBR (65.5). Among QBs, Hurts ranks first in rushing touchdowns (six), second in rushing yards (280) and total touchdowns (19), and third in total yards (2,420).

The 25-year-old signal caller has three 300-yard games this season, he’s had a passer rating of 100 or better in back-to-back weeks, and his chemistry with Brown helped him break the NFL record most consecutive games with 125 or more receiving yards.

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