The NFL's Top Offensive Players of the 2015 Season So Far

Let the discussion continue.

On Friday, we took a look at the NFL's top defensive players this season and gave our opinions. And happily, so did a lot of our readers.

Now, we're shifting our focus to offensive players, and we'll use the same methods we did last week. We factored in production and the impact these players have made on their teams to come up with our choices.

Just as we did with the NFL's top defenders last week, we'll rank our best offensive players from 10 to one. And there are 10 additional selections who fell just outside the rankings.

In any case, the list figures to spark another few days of spirited discussion.

Honorable Mention

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Here are 10 offensive players who didn't crack our top 10 this time around but certainly could by season's end.

RB Chris Johnson, Arizona Cardinals

The 7-2 Arizona Cardinals have opened up a three-game lead in the NFC West, and in Sunday's 39-32 win at Seattle, Johnson was limited to 58 yards on the ground on 25 carries. But Johnson has come off the scrap heap to total 734 yards rushing in 2015, second only to Minnesota's Adrian Peterson this season.

QB Cam Newton, Carolina Panthers

The numbers are getting better, but more importantly, Newton is in total command of his team's offense. It's also hard to ignore what he does through the air and on the ground. He's thrown for 15 scores and run for six more, and the Panthers have scored at least 20 points in each of their nine games (all wins) this season.

TE Tyler Eifert, Cincinnati Bengals

Last season, the 2013 first-round pick was injured in Week 1 and missed the remainder of the year. During the Bengals' 8-0 start this year, Eifert ranks second on the team with 37 catches, and they've gone for 434 yards and a team-high nine touchdowns.

TE Gary Barnidge, Cleveland Browns

It may be somewhat surprising to see Barnidge on this list, but he's come out of obscurity to become his team's top pass-catcher. On Sunday, he totaled six catches for 65 yards and scored the Browns' only touchdown against the Steelers. Barnidge has amassed 48 receptions for 667 yards and seven scores in 2015.

T Tyron Smith, Dallas Cowboys

Hey, we can't ignore what some refer to as the "big uglies," and Smith has been the best of the bunch this season, according to Pro Football Focus' rankings. It's been a bad year for the 2-7 Cowboys but another banner year for Dallas' left tackle.

QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers

The Packers are in the midst of a three-game losing streak, and Rodgers has been getting his share of the blame. He's thrown 21 touchdown passes compared to only three interceptions, but Green Bay has been held to 16 points or fewer in two of its last three games.

WR DeAndre Hopkins, Houston Texans

The Cincinnati Bengals defense will get an up-close-and-personal look at the Texans' three-year wideout Monday night. Hopkins has totaled 66 catches for 870 yards and six touchdowns this season, despite playing with two different quarterbacks.

WR Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants

Was it a catch or wasn't it? It's a moot point now, but Beckham bent the New England Patriots defense Sunday for four catches, 104 yards and a score, although 87 of those yards came on one play. On 63 receptions this season, Beckham has amassed 863 yards and eight touchdowns.

QB Derek Carr, Oakland Raiders

While the Minnesota Vikings stifled the Silver and Black on Sunday, Carr has enjoyed a solid year and is perhaps the biggest reason the 4-5 Raiders are in playoff contention. The second-year signal-caller has thrown 21 touchdown passes against only six interceptions and is connecting on 64.2 percent of his throws this season.

RB Todd Gurley, St. Louis Rams

The rookie from the University of Georgia was kept under wraps by the Chicago Bears this weekend but still ranks fourth in the NFL this season with 709 yards rushing. That's despite not playing in the first two games of 2015.

10. Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers

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Unfortunately for both the San Diego Chargers and wide receiver Keenan Allen, it looks like both have seen the end of their 2015 season.

In Allen's case, that's a definitive statement. The third-year pro was injured in the team's Week 8 loss to the Baltimore Ravens. He totaled 67 catches for 725 yards and four touchdowns in eight games this season. But a lacerated kidney has sidelined Allen for the rest of the 2015, as the Chargers placed him on the season-ending injured reserve list.

Who knows what could have been for the talented performer this season? He totaled 12 or more receptions in three games before he went down with the injury.

9. TE Greg Olsen, Carolina Panthers

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In Sunday's 27-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton took aim at tight end Greg Olsen eight times. They connected for eight receptions, good for 80 yards in the 17-point victory.

Olsen's numbers aren't awe-inspiring, but it's worth noting that his 45 catches this season are the most on his team by a margin of 20. He's amassed 664 yards and five touchdowns in nine games and is averaging a robust 14.8 yards per reception this season.

Imagine the Carolina passing attack without Olsen, who's been targeted 11 or more times in four of his nine games this year.

8. WR Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons

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It's been a nice bounce-back season for the Atlanta Falcons following a 6-10 finish in 2014. Despite three losses in the last four games, Dan Quinn's club sports a 6-3 record.

Wide receiver Julio Jones is actually enjoying a better campaign this season than a year ago, when he totaled 104 receptions for 1,593 yards and six touchdowns. In nine games in 2015, the 2011 first-round pick leads the NFL with an impressive 80 catches, good for 1,029 yards and six touchdowns.

We could be in for a great race between Jones and Steelers wideout Antonio Brown for the most receptions this season.

7. RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings

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Look who's getting warmed up to make a run at another NFL rushing title.

On Sunday at Oakland, Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson rolled up 203 yards and one touchdown on 26 carries in his team's 30-14 conquest of the Raiders.

Nine games into 2015, Peterson leads the league with 195 attempts and 961 yards on the ground, averaging a solid 4.9 yards per carry. He's totaled at least 100 yards rushing in three straight games and is a major factor in his team's current five-game winning streak, one that has the Vikings at 7-2 with a one-game lead over the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North.

"Everything hasn't been smooth sailing, but this group, we continue to fight," said Peterson to Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. "It's not one game we've been in where I see guys hanging their heads or you feel the vibe that guys have quit. With that, anything is possible so now here we are, and we're in a pretty good position."

Speaking of good positions, is 2,000 yards rushing out of the question for Peterson this season? Given his recent production, he could certainly be approaching that mark by season's end.

6. QB Andy Dalton, Cincinnati Bengals

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The Cincinnati Bengals are off to the best start in their franchise's 48-year history.

There's little question that quarterback Andy Dalton is off to a sensational start this season as well. In eight games, he's amassed 2,226 yards through the air, good for 18 touchdowns and only four interceptions. In 16 outings in 2014, Dalton threw just 19 touchdown passes and was picked off 17 times.

Add in two rushing touchdowns and fourth-quarter comeback wins over the Baltimore Ravens, Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers, and it is little wonder the fifth-year signal-caller is in the league MVP discussion as well.

5. RB Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons

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As a rookie in 2014, fourth-round draft pick Devonta Freeman showed occasional flashes of potential.

He's done much more than that this season, though. The former Florida State Seminole has totaled 721 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground and ranks second on his team with 48 receptions, good for 420 yards and a pair of scores. His 1,141 yards from scrimmage are second in the league, and his 11 total touchdowns lead the NFL.

Yes, Freeman is coming off a season-low 12 yards rushing on 12 carries in the club's 17-16 loss at San Francisco in Week 9. But he caught eight passes for 67 yards and a touchdown in that game and continues to help his team move the football.

4. TE Rob Gronkowski, New England Patriots

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Get him the football and New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski looks like a freight train on its way to the station.

Or like the league's best tight end (argue if you want) making another trip to the end zone.

In Sunday's stirring 27-26 win over the New York Giants, he bounced off a defender to complete a 76-yard touchdown play that helped the Patriots erase a 20-10 third-quarter deficit.

In nine games this season, Gronkowski has totaled 49 catches for 806 yards (16.4 average) and eight touchdowns. With wide receiver Julian Edelman out indefinitely with a broken foot, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, could quarterback Tom Brady target the big tight end even more down the stretch? We'll keep you posted.

3. QB Carson Palmer, Arizona Cardinals

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What a difference a year and sustained health makes.

On Sunday night at Seattle, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer reminded us that he is indeed all the way back from a torn ACL he suffered last November. All told, the 2002 Heisman Trophy winner played in a total of only six games last season after missing time earlier in 2014 as well.

This year, Palmer has started all nine games and has been as good as he has ever been, perhaps even dating back to his Pro Bowl days with the Cincinnati Bengals. He's thrown for 2,749 yards and 23 scores while being picked off just seven times.

Arizona's field general has totaled 300-plus passing yards six times and thrown two or more touchdown passes seven times in 2015.

2. WR Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers

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Few players in the league have been more dynamic than Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown in recent years.

In Sunday's 30-9 victory over the Cleveland Browns, the six-year pro totaled 10 receptions for 139 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Last week, he had a 17-catch, 284-yard performance in the team's 38-35 victory over the Oakland Raiders. That adds up to 27 catches for 423 yards and two scores in eight days.

Brown ranks second in the NFL with 79 catches and leads the league with 1,141 receiving yards, numbers comparable to a year ago, when he totaled 129 receptions (second-most in a season in NFL history) for 1,698 yards. With Ben Roethlisberger under center, Brown seems almost impossible to stop.

1. QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots

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Forget the little engine that could. In the case of New England Patriots veteran signal-caller Tom Brady, he's the accomplished big engine that has.

Nine games into 2015, the Pats have yet to lose. Brady has thrown for 3,043 yards and 24 scores while being picked off only three times. New England has scored at least 27 points in every game this season, while their prolific quarterback has thrown at least two touchdown passes in each of those outings.

Brady has also thrown for 300-plus yards six times in nine games, and the Patriots are averaging a league-high 33.7 points per game. He has seemingly gotten better with age, and that's saying an awful lot for a four-time Super Bowl champion.

All free-agent information and player signings/transactions are courtesy of Spotrac. Depth-chart information comes via Ourlads. Unless otherwise noted, all player and team statistics come from Pro-Football-Reference.com and ESPN.com. All player ratings courtesy of Pro Football Focus.