I haven't done my NSFL MVP Rankings yet, mostly because I want more than one game to draw my data from. That and the whole thing would be about 2000 words of me going HOLY SHIT THE BALTIMORE HAWKS ARE THE FUCKIN DREAM TEAM. (Also, this took a couple of days to come out, and Baltimore has since come back down to Earth.) But since two games in the DSFL schedule are in the books, let's go ahead and start talking about them. Unfortunately since this year's draft class was noticeably smaller than last years, I might give the nod to an IA or two every so often. I'll try to focus on active players more, but sometimes that may not happen. With that out of the way, let's get started.
Portland Pythons
RB Beauregard Smallwood-Chess (@4D Chess)
The Portland Pythons have a plethora of quality running backs, so it makes sense that some of them might play at other positions to maximize the number of good players they have on the field. As such, Beauregard Smallwood-Chess has been seeing extended time as a receiver (just like I predicted Portland should do in my roster post), and it's been a great success, even if the Portland passing game has seen some speed bumps. BSC is Portland's best receiver right now, throwing down a huge (by DSFL standards) eight reception, 118 yard, one score game in their Week 2 win over Kansas City. Last season, no one had more than 110 receiving yards in a single game, and what's even more impressive is that the Portland passing offense struggled mightily in that game, managing only 130 passing yards. Yes, the rest of the team combined for 12 receiving yards. Oh, as he also rushed for 71 yards on just 12 carries, and picked up another touchdown, giving him 199 total yards and two scores. Those are Performance of the Year numbers. And he's actually rushed for and caught a touchdown in both games so far. BSC is playing lights out ball right now, and if the Pythons want to make another trip to the Ultimini, it may be on his shoulders.
LB Lanzer Grievous (@Rising Equinox)
NINETEEN FRIGGIN' TACKLES. Do I need to say any more? Well, if I wanna get paid, I do, so let's start with this. In Portland's Week 1 win over Norfolk, Lanzer Grievous recorded a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and the aforementioned 19 tackles. Looking through the Defensive Top Performances page from last season, I didn't see anyone get anywhere near 19 tackles. If these stats were the combined total of two games, I'd still strongly consider Grievous for this spot, but in the Week 2 win over KC, Grevious had 11 tackles, a TFL, and a deflection. Grievous is going to be the centerpiece of the Portland defense, and if he keeps up this pace, or even just comes close to it, DSFL Defensive Player of the Year could be in the cards for him.
Tijuana Luchadores
RB Forrest Gump (@TomHanks)
Tijuana had a nightmare game against Kansas City. Perhaps it would've been easier to manage if they had gone to Forrest Gump more. Gump finished with 77 rushing yards on just 15 carries, for a very respectable 5.1 yards per carry. Maybe they should've gone to him more instead of letting Corvo Havran throw picks like a charitable guitarist. Tijuana seemed to adjust accordingly, as they dominated in Week 2 against Palm Beach, and relied much more on both Gump and Zoro Roronoa, with both receiving more than 20 carries. Gump had fewer yards than Roronoa, but he still finished with 23 carries, 108 yards, and two scores. So, even if the high powered passing game of Tijuana stumbles, Gump and Roronoa will be there to pick up the slack.
CB Troy Bryant (@sharksisback)
Troy Bryant wasn't someone I pegged to be a key contributor on the Luchador defense, but he's showing me how wrong I was. Week 1 was good enough for him, five tackles, a pick, and a deflection. Pretty good, but not outrageous numbers for a starting cornerback. Week 2 though was another story. Six tackles, two deflections, a forced fumble, and a pick six that gave Tijuana a two-score lead over Palm Beach. Bryant's starting to make updates again, so not only does it look as though Tijuana has found their man at corner, but Arizona found a steal in the eighth round of this year's draft.
Kansas City Coyotes
RB Jay Quick (@Ramrod18)
I think the NSFL Draft may've brought a few people back into the fold, because here's another guy who's back to making updates. Jay Quick is now receiving the lion's share of the Coyotes rushing attack, and if we're being honest, he's putting up numbers that are surpassing what we saw from the Yotes last season. He reached 110 rushing yards in both weeks, and while he's yet to score a touchdown, the KC offense has been having trouble scoring lately, with just one offensive touchdown in two games. That being said, if there's any reason to be excited about what the Coyotes are doing on offense, it's Jay Quick.
LB Lightsout Lewis (@flyeaglesfly29)
I guess we shouldn't be shocked as to who's leading Coyotes's defense, it's the guy who's leading the whole team. Star linebacker/Co-GM Lightsout Lewis kicked off the season with an impressive showing against Tijuana, where he got 11 tackles and a sack. He followed that up in the next week with eight tackles, two sacks, and a blocked punt. Very good numbers across the board. However, shoutout to the rest of the Coyote defense who secured five interceptions against what I thought was going to be the best offense in the D-League. If either William Tell or Jaylen Storm did anything of note in the Norfolk game, they'd be featured, but still. Props.
Palm Beach Solar Bears
RB Ludicolo Bigby (@TheWoZy)
Maybe it's because of the recent release of Detective Pikachu, a movie in which Ludicolo Bigby makes a brief cameo, but there seems to be an extra pep in Bigby's step. In Week 1 against San Antonio, Bigby picked up 108 yards on a mere 14 carries. That's nearly eight yards per carry, and he threw in a rushing touchdown to boot. And then he followed that up with a 12 carry, 75 yard game that included a receiving touchdown, the only touchdown Palm Beach scored in that game. It seems like if they were to put more of an emphasis on Bigby, good things might happen.
LB Guy Nikko (@Duress)
OK, so maybe 19 tackle games aren't so hard to come by, as we've now seen two in the span of two weeks. Guy Nikko had himself a tacklefest in Week 2's loss to Tijuana. Granted the Palm Beach defense was on the field for a long time, but still, dang. Along with those 19 tackles, he also forced and recovered a fumble, and the week prior, he had 13 tackles, a TFL, a deflection, and even an interception that led directly to Palm Beach points. Nikko is doing it all for this team, and if he can keep this up, by the time he hits the majors, people will be saying his name in hushed tones.
Norfolk Seawolves
RB Dorfus Jimbo (@ScorpXCracker)
Last season, there was a two back system in Norfolk starring Dorfus Jimbo and Apollo Reed. Reed got called up, Jimbo stayed behind, and Norfolk gave Reed's carries to Jimbo, along with any other carries the had laying around. No one is getting the kind of workload that Jimbo's getting; 54 carries in the first two games of the season (and spoilers for the next of these posts, that number is going up). But worry not, he's doing plenty with those yards. In Week 1 against the defending champs, he carried it 26 times for 117 yards, and the next week, 28 carries for a staggering 173 yards and a score. Despite having a strong quarterback and a maxed out receiver, Dorfus Jimbo is the main focal point of the Seawolves offense, let's see how far he can take them.
LB Allen Josh (@NamelessNate)
The Norfolk defense aren't putting up flashy numbers, and a lot of the big plays are happening by bots. They're doing a decent enough job of keeping the offense in front of them and keeping points off the board. So the best out of the human players for the Seawolves would probably be last year's #1 pick, Allen Josh. Through the first two games of the season, he has 21 tackles and a TFL. Not amazing numbers, especially compared to some of the other players I've seen on this list, but they're good enough for right now.
San Antonio Marshalls
RB Bast Foija
I really didn't want to give the offensive nod to a bot, but there wasn't a lot to go on. This San Antonio team is about as bad as I thought they'd be. At least Foija is doing something to keep this offense above water. Week 1 had him go for 17 carries and 96 yards. Week 2, he had 24 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown. Both games saw Foija top 5.5 yards per carry. Trust me when I say I was looking for anyone else to put here, but new QB Peter Larson has been unremarkable, the receivers have been inconsistent, and Boija is far eclipsing fellow rusher Max Vaz. I even thought of the kicker, but he just has four field goals and two extra points through two games. So there you go San Antonio. If you want any of your actual humans to get the spotlight, do better.
LB Pierce Van Buren (@adam2552)
A lot of the people on this list are senddowns, and that makes sense, they have the highest TPE in the D-League, but Pierce Van Buren has been playing really well right out the gate and has established himself as the leader of this rebuilding San Antonio defense. In Week 1, he secured nine tackles. Good, but unremarkable. Week 2 though, he gets 15 tackles and a sack. Much better. He's already the third highest TPE on the team. If he keeps this up, he won't have to wait until the second round to be drafted again.
1821 words
![POR POR](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/POR_thumb.png)
![POR POR](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/POR_thumb.png)
RB Beauregard Smallwood-Chess (@4D Chess)
The Portland Pythons have a plethora of quality running backs, so it makes sense that some of them might play at other positions to maximize the number of good players they have on the field. As such, Beauregard Smallwood-Chess has been seeing extended time as a receiver (just like I predicted Portland should do in my roster post), and it's been a great success, even if the Portland passing game has seen some speed bumps. BSC is Portland's best receiver right now, throwing down a huge (by DSFL standards) eight reception, 118 yard, one score game in their Week 2 win over Kansas City. Last season, no one had more than 110 receiving yards in a single game, and what's even more impressive is that the Portland passing offense struggled mightily in that game, managing only 130 passing yards. Yes, the rest of the team combined for 12 receiving yards. Oh, as he also rushed for 71 yards on just 12 carries, and picked up another touchdown, giving him 199 total yards and two scores. Those are Performance of the Year numbers. And he's actually rushed for and caught a touchdown in both games so far. BSC is playing lights out ball right now, and if the Pythons want to make another trip to the Ultimini, it may be on his shoulders.
LB Lanzer Grievous (@Rising Equinox)
NINETEEN FRIGGIN' TACKLES. Do I need to say any more? Well, if I wanna get paid, I do, so let's start with this. In Portland's Week 1 win over Norfolk, Lanzer Grievous recorded a sack, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and the aforementioned 19 tackles. Looking through the Defensive Top Performances page from last season, I didn't see anyone get anywhere near 19 tackles. If these stats were the combined total of two games, I'd still strongly consider Grievous for this spot, but in the Week 2 win over KC, Grevious had 11 tackles, a TFL, and a deflection. Grievous is going to be the centerpiece of the Portland defense, and if he keeps up this pace, or even just comes close to it, DSFL Defensive Player of the Year could be in the cards for him.
![TIJ TIJ](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/TIJ_thumb.png)
![TIJ TIJ](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/TIJ_thumb.png)
RB Forrest Gump (@TomHanks)
Tijuana had a nightmare game against Kansas City. Perhaps it would've been easier to manage if they had gone to Forrest Gump more. Gump finished with 77 rushing yards on just 15 carries, for a very respectable 5.1 yards per carry. Maybe they should've gone to him more instead of letting Corvo Havran throw picks like a charitable guitarist. Tijuana seemed to adjust accordingly, as they dominated in Week 2 against Palm Beach, and relied much more on both Gump and Zoro Roronoa, with both receiving more than 20 carries. Gump had fewer yards than Roronoa, but he still finished with 23 carries, 108 yards, and two scores. So, even if the high powered passing game of Tijuana stumbles, Gump and Roronoa will be there to pick up the slack.
CB Troy Bryant (@sharksisback)
Troy Bryant wasn't someone I pegged to be a key contributor on the Luchador defense, but he's showing me how wrong I was. Week 1 was good enough for him, five tackles, a pick, and a deflection. Pretty good, but not outrageous numbers for a starting cornerback. Week 2 though was another story. Six tackles, two deflections, a forced fumble, and a pick six that gave Tijuana a two-score lead over Palm Beach. Bryant's starting to make updates again, so not only does it look as though Tijuana has found their man at corner, but Arizona found a steal in the eighth round of this year's draft.
![KCC KCC](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/KCC_thumb.png)
![KCC KCC](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/KCC_thumb.png)
RB Jay Quick (@Ramrod18)
I think the NSFL Draft may've brought a few people back into the fold, because here's another guy who's back to making updates. Jay Quick is now receiving the lion's share of the Coyotes rushing attack, and if we're being honest, he's putting up numbers that are surpassing what we saw from the Yotes last season. He reached 110 rushing yards in both weeks, and while he's yet to score a touchdown, the KC offense has been having trouble scoring lately, with just one offensive touchdown in two games. That being said, if there's any reason to be excited about what the Coyotes are doing on offense, it's Jay Quick.
LB Lightsout Lewis (@flyeaglesfly29)
I guess we shouldn't be shocked as to who's leading Coyotes's defense, it's the guy who's leading the whole team. Star linebacker/Co-GM Lightsout Lewis kicked off the season with an impressive showing against Tijuana, where he got 11 tackles and a sack. He followed that up in the next week with eight tackles, two sacks, and a blocked punt. Very good numbers across the board. However, shoutout to the rest of the Coyote defense who secured five interceptions against what I thought was going to be the best offense in the D-League. If either William Tell or Jaylen Storm did anything of note in the Norfolk game, they'd be featured, but still. Props.
![PB PB](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/PB_thumb.png)
![PB PB](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/PB_thumb.png)
RB Ludicolo Bigby (@TheWoZy)
Maybe it's because of the recent release of Detective Pikachu, a movie in which Ludicolo Bigby makes a brief cameo, but there seems to be an extra pep in Bigby's step. In Week 1 against San Antonio, Bigby picked up 108 yards on a mere 14 carries. That's nearly eight yards per carry, and he threw in a rushing touchdown to boot. And then he followed that up with a 12 carry, 75 yard game that included a receiving touchdown, the only touchdown Palm Beach scored in that game. It seems like if they were to put more of an emphasis on Bigby, good things might happen.
LB Guy Nikko (@Duress)
OK, so maybe 19 tackle games aren't so hard to come by, as we've now seen two in the span of two weeks. Guy Nikko had himself a tacklefest in Week 2's loss to Tijuana. Granted the Palm Beach defense was on the field for a long time, but still, dang. Along with those 19 tackles, he also forced and recovered a fumble, and the week prior, he had 13 tackles, a TFL, a deflection, and even an interception that led directly to Palm Beach points. Nikko is doing it all for this team, and if he can keep this up, by the time he hits the majors, people will be saying his name in hushed tones.
![NOR NOR](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/NOR_thumb.png)
![NOR NOR](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/NOR_thumb.png)
RB Dorfus Jimbo (@ScorpXCracker)
Last season, there was a two back system in Norfolk starring Dorfus Jimbo and Apollo Reed. Reed got called up, Jimbo stayed behind, and Norfolk gave Reed's carries to Jimbo, along with any other carries the had laying around. No one is getting the kind of workload that Jimbo's getting; 54 carries in the first two games of the season (and spoilers for the next of these posts, that number is going up). But worry not, he's doing plenty with those yards. In Week 1 against the defending champs, he carried it 26 times for 117 yards, and the next week, 28 carries for a staggering 173 yards and a score. Despite having a strong quarterback and a maxed out receiver, Dorfus Jimbo is the main focal point of the Seawolves offense, let's see how far he can take them.
LB Allen Josh (@NamelessNate)
The Norfolk defense aren't putting up flashy numbers, and a lot of the big plays are happening by bots. They're doing a decent enough job of keeping the offense in front of them and keeping points off the board. So the best out of the human players for the Seawolves would probably be last year's #1 pick, Allen Josh. Through the first two games of the season, he has 21 tackles and a TFL. Not amazing numbers, especially compared to some of the other players I've seen on this list, but they're good enough for right now.
![SA SA](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/SAM_thumb.png)
![SA SA](https://forums.sim-football.com/images/smilies/isfl/SAM_thumb.png)
RB Bast Foija
I really didn't want to give the offensive nod to a bot, but there wasn't a lot to go on. This San Antonio team is about as bad as I thought they'd be. At least Foija is doing something to keep this offense above water. Week 1 had him go for 17 carries and 96 yards. Week 2, he had 24 carries for 139 yards and a touchdown. Both games saw Foija top 5.5 yards per carry. Trust me when I say I was looking for anyone else to put here, but new QB Peter Larson has been unremarkable, the receivers have been inconsistent, and Boija is far eclipsing fellow rusher Max Vaz. I even thought of the kicker, but he just has four field goals and two extra points through two games. So there you go San Antonio. If you want any of your actual humans to get the spotlight, do better.
LB Pierce Van Buren (@adam2552)
A lot of the people on this list are senddowns, and that makes sense, they have the highest TPE in the D-League, but Pierce Van Buren has been playing really well right out the gate and has established himself as the leader of this rebuilding San Antonio defense. In Week 1, he secured nine tackles. Good, but unremarkable. Week 2 though, he gets 15 tackles and a sack. Much better. He's already the third highest TPE on the team. If he keeps this up, he won't have to wait until the second round to be drafted again.
1821 words
![[Image: YiIFAGN.png]](https://i.imgur.com/YiIFAGN.png)