Only one week of the 2024 NFL regular season remains, which means we've had plenty of time to assess this year's top players, and identify the best candidates to claim MVP honors.
As we enter Week 18, we've attempted to do just that, polling more than a dozen of our NFL experts for this season's top individual accolade. Below, you'll find our complete list of voters, how we scored top-five votes for MVP, and our collective pick for this season's most valuable player:
Our panel of voters (16): Cody Benjamin, John Breech, Will Brinson, Joel Corry, Jordan Dajani, Jared Dubin, Bryan DeArdo, Josh Edwards, Eric Kernish, Jeff Kerr, Shanna McCarriston, Garrett Podell, Pete Prisco, Kevin Steimle, Tyler Sullivan, Chris Trapasso
Voting rules:
- Each first-place vote counts for 5 points
- Each second-place vote counts for 4 points
- Each third-place vote counts for 3 points
- Each fourth-place vote counts for 2 points
- Each fifth-place vote counts for 1 point
The full MVP leaderboard
- Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (69)
- Bills QB Josh Allen (64)
- Bengals QB Joe Burrow (43)
- Eagles RB Saquon Barkley (36)
- Lions QB Jared Goff (8)
- Vikings QB Sam Darnold (8)
- Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (5)
- Rams QB Matthew Stafford (2)
- Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield (2)
- Chargers QB Justin Herbert (2)
- Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase (1)
Last poll: 1. Allen (81), 2. Jackson (68), 3. Barkley (43), 4. Burrow (24), 5. Goff (24)
Allen may have emerged as a frontrunner for the award early in December, but Jackson is back in pole position according to our crew, and it makes sense: His 121.6 passer rating easily leads the NFL, he edges his AFC counterpart in total scores (43 to 41), and his 6.6 rushing yards per carry lead all quarterbacks. Burrow and Barkley are shaping up to be well-respected runners-up; the former leads the league in passing touchdowns, while Barkley is just the ninth player to ever rush for 2,000+ yards.
Most first-place votes
- Bills QB Josh Allen (8)
- Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (7)
- Eagles RB Saquon Barkley (1)
It's a testament to Barkley's world-class production that he received even a single first-place nod while competing against a slew of elite quarterbacks. It's also clear that Allen and Jackson are neck and neck when it comes to who's viewed as the top overall player, even if Allen was a clear leader just weeks ago.
Last poll: 1. Allen (13), 2. Jackson (4)
Most total ballots
- Ravens QB Lamar Jackson (16)
- Bengals QB Joe Burrow (15)
- Bills QB Josh Allen (15)
- Eagles RB Saquon Barkley (13)
- Lions QB Jared Goff (8)
- Vikings QB Sam Darnold (6)
- Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield (2)
- Commanders QB Jayden Daniels (2)
- Rams QB Matthew Stafford (1)
- Chargers QB Justin Herbert (1)
- Bengals WR Ja'Marr Chase (1)
Last poll: 1. Allen (17), 2. Jackson (17), 3. Barkley (15), 4. Goff (14), 5. Burrow (13)
The most interesting takeaway here: Burrow may not be commanding first-place love as the star gunslinger of a slow-starting Bengals club, but he actually rivals Allen in terms of overall representation; only Jackson has appeared on more total ballots.
Positional representation
- QB (9)
- RB (1)
- WR (1)
No surprise, but quarterbacks still reign supreme here. Baltimore Ravens bruiser Derrick Henry once drew consideration at running back alongside Barkley, but this is very much a one-position race, with almost too many worthwhile signal-callers to include.
Actual MVP favorite
The oddsmakers are somewhat at odds with our experts, as FanDuel still pegs Josh Allen as a clear favorite (-420) over Jackson (+270). Barkley, meanwhile, is tabbed a distant third (+2500), seemingly falling off the wagon as a legitimate possibility to claim the top honor. Burrow is up next as another long shot (+3000), with Darnold (+15000) and Goff (+20000) viewed as almost impossible candidates. These odds, of course, are geared more toward what is expected to happen rather than what should happen, but it's possible the true MVP voters will side with our experts when the time comes.
