The NFL’s best player doesn’t usually win the Most Valuable Player award. We’re going to keep tabs on the front runners for MVP.

1. J.J. Watt, Houston Texans– He has a legitimate chance to be the first defensive player to win MVP since Lawrence Taylor in 1986. Watt always commands double teams and he singlehandedly changes offensive game plans. Although Watt’s stat sheet from Sunday was thin, he had an MVP moment as he caught a touchdown pass while lined up as a tight end.

2. Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos– The reigning league MVP is off to another spectacular start. Manning leads the league with a 126.5 passer rating, has thrown six touchdowns and no picks and looks overall pretty unstoppable. The offense doesn’t look quite as potent as last year, but that’s to be expected without Eric Decker, Wes Welker and Knowshon Moreno.

3. Luke Kuechly, Carolina Panthers – The reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year is off to another fantastic start as he captains a defense that’s allowed just 21 points in two games. Kuechly is all over the field all the time and is now the very best inside linebacker in football.

4. Brandon Marshall, Chicago Bears Marshall may not have the physical ability of Calvin Johnson (who does?), but he’s been the best receiver in the NFL this season. Marshall almost singlehandedly kept the Bears from dropping to 0-2 as he caught three touchdowns to spark a second half rally against San Francisco on Sunday night.

5. Darren Sproles, Philadelphia Eagles– Sproles is the “Swiss Army Knife” that every team would love to have. He catches the ball like a receiver, is one of the game’s best punt returners, is elusive and simply makes every offense he’s on better. With a mediocre quarterback and no Pro Bowl players on the outside, Sproles has ignited the Eagles’ offense in the first two games. The Sproles trade with New Orleans may go down as one of the most one-sided deals in NFL history (fifth-round pick).