We’re only five weeks into the 2026 NFL season, but the MVP race is already heating up.

There’s still over two-thirds of the season remaining, but we already have ten players who seem to be separating themselves from the rest in the MVP race. Of course, this award is typically won by quarterbacks, and there are quite a few at the top of this list, but there are also some skill position players that absolutely deserve to be in the conversation at this point.

This list is not based on odds to win it at the end of the year, but rather who would win it if the season ended today. Let’s see who the top 10 MVP candidates are through five weeks.

10. Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons

Last Week’s Rank: 10

2026 Stats: 580 rushing yards, 152 receiving yards, 5 total TDs

MVP Odds: +5000

Bijan Robinson manages to hold onto the last spot in our rankings after a solid, but not great, week. The Atlanta Falcons star running back rushed for 86 yards and 17 carries while adding 32 more yards as a receiver. It was his third straight game with 100+ scrimmage yards (all three of which came in primetime), but he also failed to get in the end zone for just the second time this year. He’s already over 700 yards and has five touchdowns this season.

9. Kenneth Walker, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

Last Week’s Rank: 4

2026 Stats: 537 rushing yards, 84 receiving yards, 6 total TDs

MVP Odds: +5500

Kenneth Walker was on a bye this week, and unfortunately for him, quite a few players had great weeks and jumped him on this list. Through four games, Walker has totaled well over 600 yards from scrimmage with six total touchdowns. He has completely transformed Kansas City’s offense, but we’ll have to see if he can keep this pace over a 17-game season.

8. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks

Last Week’s Rank: 7

2026 Stats: 37 receptions, 583 receiving yards, 7 TDs

MVP Odds: +7000

Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the best receiver in football right now. He’s gone for 100+ yards and at least one touchdown in four of his five games this season, and in the one game he didn’t crack triple digits, he still caught five passes for 76 yards. He’s currently on pace to break the single-season receiving touchdowns record by one. It’s kind of surprising that he’s actually been worse with Sam Darnold under center, but they’ll get back on track soon.

7. Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions

Last Week’s Rank: NR

2026 Stats: 504 rushing yards, 243 receiving yards, 9 total TDs

MVP Odds: +4000

Jahmyr Gibbs is right up there with Bijan Robinson as the most dangerous running back in football, and he’s currently the best dual-threat RB. 504 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns through five games is a great stat line for any running back, but to add nearly 250 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver during that span is prime Christian McCaffrey-esque. He’s on pace to shatter the NFL’s single-season scrimmage yards record, which is currently 2,429 yards held by Marshall Faulk. Gibbs is on pace for 2,540 yards.

6. Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals

Last Week’s Rank: NR

2026 Stats: 71.4%, 1,361 passing yards, 48 rushing yards, 12 total TDs, 3 INTs

MVP Odds: +950

Now we get to the quarterbacks, and after a massive performance this past weekend, Joe Burrow has inserted himself into the MVP conversation. He got off to a slow start in Week 1, but has thrown multiple touchdowns in three of his last four games, including four of them this past weekend. He’s also completed over 70 percent of his throws in all but one game thus far. We knew he’d get going eventually, so I don’t expect him to drop off this list for the rest of the year.

5. Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers

Last Week’s Rank: 3

2026 Stats: 62.3%, 1,268 passing yards, 10 total TDs, 2 INTs

MVP Odds: +5000

Bryce Young was also on a bye this week, but he didn’t fall as far as Walker. The MVP is a QB award, and Young’s stats still hold up against the rest, even with one less game. Young is having a career year, throwing for 1,268 yards with 10 total touchdowns and just two turnovers. He’s the reason Carolina stands alone atop the NFC South, but he has to keep it up over the next 13 games.

4. Jared Goff, QB, Detroit Lions

Last Week’s Rank: 6

2026 Stats: 67%, 1,485 passing yards, 13 total TDs, 0 INTs

MVP Odds: +4000

Jared Goff was my sleeper MVP pick at the start of the year, and he’s living up to the hype. Through five games, he’s second in the league in passing yards, has 13 total touchdowns with zero interceptions, and is leading the most potent offense in the NFL. He’s not as flashy as someone like Josh Allen, but statistically, he’s playing some of the best football in the league.

3. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

Last Week’s Rank: 2

2026 Stats: 64.1%, 1,037 passing yards, 41 rushing yards, 10 total TDs, 2 INTs

MVP Odds: +650

Patrick Mahomes is yet another player on this list who was on a bye this past week, but he only falls one spot. Coming off a torn ACL, Mahomes has played his best football of the past three years and has Kansas City cruising in the AFC West. He’s the best player on one of the best teams in the league, and I won’t lie, his name value helps.

2. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

Last Week’s Rank: 5

2026 Stats: 65.9%, 1,249 passing yards, 239 rushing yards, 15 total TDs, 4 INTs

MVP Odds: +250

Josh Allen hasn’t even played super well these past few weeks, but he still has some of the best stats in the league and is leading one of the most explosive offenses in football. With nearly 1,500 total yards and 15 total touchdowns in five weeks, he’s on pace for 5,059 yards and 51 touchdowns this season. If that actually happens, he’ll run away with the MVP award.

1. Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Last Week’s Rank: 1

2026 Stats: 69%, 1,196 passing yards, 128 rushing yards, 14 total TDs, 2 INTs

MVP Odds: +300

If the MVP award were handed out today, it would go to Brock Purdy. He is the best player on the best team in football, and he has the stats to back it up. 1,324 yards, 14 touchdowns, and just two interceptions through five games while facing the Rams, Broncos, and Seahawks, who all have top defenses. I don’t think it’s necessarily that close of a race at the moment.