As Season 1 of the NSFL is drawing to a close, the MVP race is heating up. There is no clear frontrunner at the moment. Discussions have centered around four main candidates, one from each of the playoff teams. The pool of candidates is very diverse, each with different strengths, so it is hard to determine who is in the lead. I will discuss each candidate in alphabetical order and then give my personal prediction. (Note: For tied stats, I am listing the highest position. For example if 3 people are tied for 2nd in a stat, they are all listed as 2nd, Running back receiving stat rankings are only counting receiving among running backs, Quarterback stats are among quarterbacks with at least 200 pass attempts)
Bubba Nuck
Stats: 1040 Rushing Yards (1st in league), 4.4 YPC (3rd in league), 6 Rushing Touchdowns (1st in league), 51 Receiving Yards (13th in league), 1 Receiving Touchdown (2nd in league)
Bubba Nuck is the league’s best bell cow running back. He dominates in volume statistics as he leads the league in rushing yards and is tied for the lead in rushing touchdowns. In addition to his impressive volume stats, he is also an efficient runner with the 3rd best yards per carry in the league. His receiving stats are not as impressive, but that’s not much of a concern as he is more of a pure runner rather than a receiving threat. Nuck is the best running back in the league at moving the ball down the field. It’s not enough to just state that he leads the league in rushing yards, he dominates the league in rushing yards. Nuck’s 1040 rushing yards are a substantial 182 yards ahead of the next highest total in the league. In addition to exceling at driving the ball down the field, Nuck is also one of the best running backs at punching the ball into the endzone and giving his team points.
Logan Noble
Stats: 2255 Passing Yards (4st in league), 13 Passing Touchdowns (2nd in league), 8 Interceptions (1st least in league) 58.8% Completion Percentage (2nd in league), 78.5 Passer Rating (1st in league)
Logan Noble is the most efficient quarterback in the NSFL. Although his yardage is not as high as some other quarterbacks, he makes up for it with his excellent decision making. Rather than slinging the ball down the field, he prefers to pick apart defenses with his surgeon-like precision. He makes few mistakes as seen by the fact that he has the league's best quarterback rating and is tied for the least amount of interceptions thrown. Noble is also the 2nd most accurate passer in the league (He is just 0.1% away from the 1st place completion percentage). He is also one of the league's top quarterbacks at converting in the red zone as he has thrown the 2nd most touchdowns. Noble's excellent decision-making and efficient play have been key to the Yeti's success.
Omar Wright
Stats: 858 (2nd in league), 4.7 YPC (2nd in league), 3 Rushing Touchdowns (5th in league), 146 Receiving Yards (3rd among running backs), 1 Receiving Touchdown (2nd among running backs)
Omar Wright is the league’s best duel threat running back. Not only does he provide the Otters with one of the best rushing threats in the league, but he is also a serious receiving threat. Wright trails some of the league’s other running backs in volume statistics due to sharing a backfield with Leroy Jenkins, but he makes up for it with efficiency as he averages the 2nd most yards per carry of any running back in the NSFL. Despite sharing carries with another back, Wright has still managed to gain the 2nd most rushing yards in the league. In addition to his heavy rushing load, Wright has the 3rd most receiving yards among running backs in the league. Wright is perhaps the most versatile weapon among the NSFL’s backfields. (I would also like to provide an honorable mention to Leroy Jenkins, the Otters other running back. Jenkins has very similar stats to Wright, with Jenkins averaging more yards per carry and yards per reception but Wright holding slightly higher totals of rushing yards, receiving yards, and touchdowns. I chose to highlight Wright because the sim engine has him higher in the MVP rankings, but I still think Jenkins’s impressive resume deserves a shoutout.)
Vincent Draxel
Stats: 2516 Passing Yards (1st in league), 18 Passing Touchdowns (1st in league), 11 Interceptions (4th least in league) 51.6% Completion Percentage (6th in league), 76.2 Passer Rating (2nd in league)
Vincent Draxel embodies a gunslinger playstyle: he makes risky plays, but they pay off more often than not. Draxel has been the most productive quarterback in the league as he leads by comfortable margins in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. Draxel has thrown for 165 more yards than the next best quarterback and 5 more touchdowns than the next best quarterback. His playstyle has enabled him to dominate volume stats, but has also lead to consequences. Draxel’s completion percentage is the league’s lowest and he has thrown the 3rd most interceptions among quarterbacks. However, despite these drawbacks, Draxel is still one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks as he ranks 2nd in passer rating. Vincent Draxel takes big risks, and they often pay off with big rewards as he has helped lead the Outlaws to the league’s best record and the highest scoring offense.
After discussing the candidates, it is hard to come to a conclusion. It’s hard to decide whether to value volume or efficiency and whether production is more impressive as a running back or a quarterback. For my personal prediction, I will compare each candidate to their peers at their position. Nuck, Noble, and Draxel all lead the league in two categories. However, Draxel is the only candidate to outright lead the league in two categories as Nuck is tied for most rushing touchdowns and Noble is tied for least interceptions. Draxel’s passing yards and touchdowns are not only leading the league, but they are leading by large margins. Yardage and touchdowns are the most important stats to winning games and Draxel’s impact has been felt as he has led his team to the league’s best record as of right now. If the season ended today, I think Vincent Draxel would be the MVP of the NSFL. However, the top four candidates all make very convincing cases. The MVP race will likely sway even further in the last two weeks of the season as the four playoff teams will compete for seeding and will play against each other. Each candidate will have a chance to prove themselves as the best as they lead their team in to the postseason.
Bubba Nuck Stats: 1040 Rushing Yards (1st in league), 4.4 YPC (3rd in league), 6 Rushing Touchdowns (1st in league), 51 Receiving Yards (13th in league), 1 Receiving Touchdown (2nd in league)
Bubba Nuck is the league’s best bell cow running back. He dominates in volume statistics as he leads the league in rushing yards and is tied for the lead in rushing touchdowns. In addition to his impressive volume stats, he is also an efficient runner with the 3rd best yards per carry in the league. His receiving stats are not as impressive, but that’s not much of a concern as he is more of a pure runner rather than a receiving threat. Nuck is the best running back in the league at moving the ball down the field. It’s not enough to just state that he leads the league in rushing yards, he dominates the league in rushing yards. Nuck’s 1040 rushing yards are a substantial 182 yards ahead of the next highest total in the league. In addition to exceling at driving the ball down the field, Nuck is also one of the best running backs at punching the ball into the endzone and giving his team points.
Logan Noble Stats: 2255 Passing Yards (4st in league), 13 Passing Touchdowns (2nd in league), 8 Interceptions (1st least in league) 58.8% Completion Percentage (2nd in league), 78.5 Passer Rating (1st in league)
Logan Noble is the most efficient quarterback in the NSFL. Although his yardage is not as high as some other quarterbacks, he makes up for it with his excellent decision making. Rather than slinging the ball down the field, he prefers to pick apart defenses with his surgeon-like precision. He makes few mistakes as seen by the fact that he has the league's best quarterback rating and is tied for the least amount of interceptions thrown. Noble is also the 2nd most accurate passer in the league (He is just 0.1% away from the 1st place completion percentage). He is also one of the league's top quarterbacks at converting in the red zone as he has thrown the 2nd most touchdowns. Noble's excellent decision-making and efficient play have been key to the Yeti's success.
Omar Wright Stats: 858 (2nd in league), 4.7 YPC (2nd in league), 3 Rushing Touchdowns (5th in league), 146 Receiving Yards (3rd among running backs), 1 Receiving Touchdown (2nd among running backs)
Omar Wright is the league’s best duel threat running back. Not only does he provide the Otters with one of the best rushing threats in the league, but he is also a serious receiving threat. Wright trails some of the league’s other running backs in volume statistics due to sharing a backfield with Leroy Jenkins, but he makes up for it with efficiency as he averages the 2nd most yards per carry of any running back in the NSFL. Despite sharing carries with another back, Wright has still managed to gain the 2nd most rushing yards in the league. In addition to his heavy rushing load, Wright has the 3rd most receiving yards among running backs in the league. Wright is perhaps the most versatile weapon among the NSFL’s backfields. (I would also like to provide an honorable mention to Leroy Jenkins, the Otters other running back. Jenkins has very similar stats to Wright, with Jenkins averaging more yards per carry and yards per reception but Wright holding slightly higher totals of rushing yards, receiving yards, and touchdowns. I chose to highlight Wright because the sim engine has him higher in the MVP rankings, but I still think Jenkins’s impressive resume deserves a shoutout.)
Vincent Draxel Stats: 2516 Passing Yards (1st in league), 18 Passing Touchdowns (1st in league), 11 Interceptions (4th least in league) 51.6% Completion Percentage (6th in league), 76.2 Passer Rating (2nd in league)
Vincent Draxel embodies a gunslinger playstyle: he makes risky plays, but they pay off more often than not. Draxel has been the most productive quarterback in the league as he leads by comfortable margins in both passing yards and passing touchdowns. Draxel has thrown for 165 more yards than the next best quarterback and 5 more touchdowns than the next best quarterback. His playstyle has enabled him to dominate volume stats, but has also lead to consequences. Draxel’s completion percentage is the league’s lowest and he has thrown the 3rd most interceptions among quarterbacks. However, despite these drawbacks, Draxel is still one of the league’s most efficient quarterbacks as he ranks 2nd in passer rating. Vincent Draxel takes big risks, and they often pay off with big rewards as he has helped lead the Outlaws to the league’s best record and the highest scoring offense.
After discussing the candidates, it is hard to come to a conclusion. It’s hard to decide whether to value volume or efficiency and whether production is more impressive as a running back or a quarterback. For my personal prediction, I will compare each candidate to their peers at their position. Nuck, Noble, and Draxel all lead the league in two categories. However, Draxel is the only candidate to outright lead the league in two categories as Nuck is tied for most rushing touchdowns and Noble is tied for least interceptions. Draxel’s passing yards and touchdowns are not only leading the league, but they are leading by large margins. Yardage and touchdowns are the most important stats to winning games and Draxel’s impact has been felt as he has led his team to the league’s best record as of right now. If the season ended today, I think Vincent Draxel would be the MVP of the NSFL. However, the top four candidates all make very convincing cases. The MVP race will likely sway even further in the last two weeks of the season as the four playoff teams will compete for seeding and will play against each other. Each candidate will have a chance to prove themselves as the best as they lead their team in to the postseason.
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