Halfway through the 2026 NFL season, the All-Pro picture is starting to sharpen, and Sporting News’ midseason team is packed with the usual stars plus a few names making a louder case than anyone expected. The roster is limited to 26 players - 12 on offense, 11 on defense and 3 on special teams - and the headliner is the same one driving the MVP conversation in Buffalo.
At quarterback, Josh Allen has separated himself again. He leads the NFL with a career-high 8.7 yards per attempt and 13.3 yards per completion, is on pace for 4,354 passing yards and 27 passing touchdowns, and also tops the league with nine rushing touchdowns.
That puts him on track for 22 on the ground, which would obliterate his previous high. Barring injury, it would be shocking if Allen didn’t finish with his second MVP.
The backfield spots go to Jahmyr Gibbs and Kenneth Walker III. Gibbs has been a workhorse for Detroit, leading the league with 50 rushing first downs, 110.4 rushing yards per game, 191 touches, 1,058 scrimmage yards and 10 total touchdowns. Walker has cooled a bit lately, but he’s still averaging 110 rushing yards per game at 5.5 yards per carry, giving the Chiefs a strong complement to Gibbs.
At receiver, Jaxon Smith-Njigba is making the biggest statistical noise of the bunch. After a breakout year in which he had 119 catches for 1,793 yards and 10 touchdowns, he’s on pace for 136 receptions, 2,093 yards and 19 touchdowns, which would be the greatest wideout season ever.
CeeDee Lamb is right there too, producing at an elite level for Dallas with smooth route-running and sure hands; he’s on pace for 128 catches, 1,506 yards and 13 touchdowns while leading the league with 93 targets. Tee Higgins gets the third spot over Ja’Marr Chase because the numbers are bigger: he’s averaging 16.9 yards per catch and has topped 90 receiving yards in five of seven games.
Brock Bowers owns the tight end spot after a ridiculous six-game start. He has 41 catches for 547 yards and five touchdowns, and he’s averaging more than 91 receiving yards per game as the clear go-to target for Kirk Cousins.
Up front, Trent Williams and Penei Sewell are the tackles. Williams remains the indispensable piece of San Francisco’s balanced, explosive offense, while Sewell’s agility at 6-5, 335 pounds keeps opening running lanes and protecting Jared Goff.
The guard spots belong to Chris Lindstrom and Quenton Nelson. Lindstrom is the run-blocking anchor for Bijan Robinson and still holds up against inside pressure, while Nelson is expected to be a huge factor in helping Seattle re-boost its between-the-tackles run game.
At center, Zach Frazier gets the nod for being the massive reason Pittsburgh has developed such a dominant rushing attack with Jaylen Warren and Rico Dowdle piling up chunk gains.
On defense, Dexter Lawrence and Jeffery Simmons are the interior picks. Lawrence has been better than anyone could have imagined after arriving from the Giants, bringing energy and inside pass-rush juice to Cincinnati’s defense.
Simmons gets the edge over other strong performers up front because of the way he disrupts plays in the backfield for Chicago. Aidan Hutchinson and Will Anderson Jr. are the edge rushers.
Hutchinson has been dominant against both the run and the pass despite constant attention, and he’s a worthy favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. Anderson has 7.5 sacks and has been everywhere all at once, even if Houston’s back end hasn’t always matched his effort.
The linebacker group features Fred Warner, Blake Cashman and Ernest Jones IV. Warner’s presence in the middle changes everything for San Francisco, where he keeps making tackles and impacting coverage like the future Hall of Famer he is.
Cashman has been central to Brian Flores’ aggressive, blitzing defense, with 4.5 sacks, 10 passes defended and seven tackles for loss among his 64 stops. Jones is an unsung piece of Seattle’s loaded defense, but he’s doing everything at a high level in Mike Macdonald’s scheme and building on his breakout second-team All-Pro season.
At corner, Jamel Dean and Trent McDuffie make the cut. Dean has been a terrific free-agent pickup from the Buccaneers, bringing shutdown coverage and playmaking on the ball.
McDuffie has settled in quickly on his new defense with two interceptions and eight passes defended, looking a lot like his best Kansas City season in 2023. The safety duo is Jevon Holland and Jessie Bates III.
Holland has three interceptions and two forced fumbles while thriving in Dennard Wilson’s active scheme. Bates is putting together his fourth superb season in Atlanta and has added the first fumble return touchdown of his career.
Special teams rounds out the list with Ka’imi Fairbairn, Jordan Stout and Chimere Dike. Fairbairn has made 15 of 16 field goals, including 6 of 7 from 50 yards or more, and he’s perfect on 16 extra points.
Stout is averaging 51.6 yards per punt and has placed 12 of his 27 kicks inside the 20. Dike, who set a rookie all-time record with 2,427 last season, has kept rolling with 32 kickoff returns for 829 yards and a 12.5-yard average on 11 punt returns.
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There is plenty of reason for the 49ers to feel good about where they stand, especially with the way the standings have broken in their favor so far. Still, the next phase is less about the record they already own and more about how they handle a series of opponents that can make life uncomfortable in different ways, from tricky venues to teams that have a history of making these kinds of late-season games matter. [Read more 🡒]