Forget the generic all-star list everyone is so willing to come up with midway through the season.  We get it, Peyton Manning can throw and Adrian Peterson is fast. So here’s a list of great players who upon the season’s start had nowhere to go but up, and went there. Some are rookies who may not have been drafted to start right away, players who have changed teams to their benefit, and those who simply have been sticking out at a position unexpectedly and to the surprise of the league.  These players should mostly continue their newfound success, and may soon enough be the standard at which other players are held to.

QB: Josh Freeman (Buccaneers) – In leading the surprise Bucs to a winning record thus far in the season, Josh Freeman has showed poise and command of the pocket, as well as having multiple 4^th quarter comebacks.

RB1: Arian Foster (Texans) – Some fantasy football pundits may be able to claim they knew Foster was going to be a breakout player, but no one seriously predicted that he would be leading the league in both rushing yards and TDs.

RB2: Peyton Hillis (Browns) – The legend of Hillis has been well circulated: An afterthought by Denver in trading for Brady Quinn. Hillis has dominated with his tough running and soft hands, notably in his performance against the Patriots.

FB: Mike Tolbert (Chargers) – Unlike the original plan to combine high draft pick Ryan Matthews and return-specialist Darren Sproles in replacing LT, it’s been the 3^rd year, undrafted FB leading his team in rushing yards and TDs.

WR1: Brandon Lloyd (Broncos) – After bouncing around the league for eight years, he is now is averaging 20+ yards a catch and leading the league in yards (878 yards in eight weeks), with 92.9% of his catches resulting in 1^st downs.

WR2: Hakeem Nicks (Giants) – New York has been enjoying its three young receivers in Nicks, Mario Manningham, and Steve Smith, and this year Nicks has rotated into being the key member of the trio, and for the foreseeable future too.

WR3: Steve Johnson (Bills) – Having done nothing much for the Bills in his first two seasons, Johnson has finally emerged as a catch machine, taking the place left vacant by T.O. by doing an even better job.

TE: Aaron Hernandez (Patriots) – Certainly less hyped than his fellow rookie TE Rob Gronkowski, picked two rounds earlier, but Hernandez has shown himself to be the more valuable of the duo with his playmaking abilities.

LT: Rodger Saffold (Rams) – Not that last year’s 2^nd overall pick Jason Smith wasn’t good as the team’s LT, but when Saffold was drafted this year he almost immediately replaced Smith, simply because he did so well right away. 

LG: Wade Smith (Texans) – A big reason why Arian Foster has been able to breakout was not succeeding as a tackle, but has now contributed nicely to the left side of Houston’s offensive line as a guard.

C: Maurkice Pouncey (Steelers) – Recent years of success have come no thanks to miserable offensive line play, and the Steelers were both wise and lucky to find a rock solid center to anchor their line for the next decade.

RG: Josh Sitton (Packers) – At this point last year, Aaron Rodgers was getting sacked nearly 5 times per game. This year Sitton has helped bring the average to under 2, and kept rookie right tackle Bryan Bulaga from getting overwhelmed.

RT: Marshal Yanda (Ravens) – Jared Gaither was serviceable as the Ravens right tackle, but the organization must be thankful his injury gave way for Yanda to switch from guard to tackle, as he has played at a high level all season. 

DE: Lamarr Houston (Raiders) – Another prototypical athletic and “crazy” pick by Al Davis, but unlike JaMarcus Russell and Darrius Heyward-Bey, the high draft pick has actually exceeded expectations as a presence on defense so far.

DE: Wallace Gilberry (Chiefs) – Sure, the third year player is still behind Glenn Dorsey, but while Dorsey holds the line and tackles, Gilberry leads Kansas City’s defensive line players in sacks on the season.

DT: Jason Jones (Titans) – Replacing Albert Haynesworth is no easy feat, and in his first season as starting defensive tackle for Tennessee, Jones has done well to anchor the defensive line on a sturdy defense.

OLB: James Anderson (Panthers) – Finally given a starting role on a defense after four years as a backup showing flashes of talent, Carolina must be thankful that Anderson has been all over the field this season.

OLB: Cameron Wake (Dolphins) – A solid rookie campaign last year coming undrafted out of Penn State led to being a fulltime starter this year, and his 8.5 so far is second in the league to only Defensive MVP candidate Clay Matthews.

MLB: Kevin Burnett (Chargers) – Burnett has been a revelation for a underperforming Chargers squad, anchoring the middle of the defense, forcing fumbles, deflecting passes, and already at a career-high in sacks with five.

CB: Alphonso Smith (Lions) – With five picks already for Detroit, I see now why Denver traded up to draft Smith.  I’m also puzzled why they keep trading away players that do well elsewhere (see Hillis, Peyton & Orton, Kyle).

CB: Brandon Flowers (Chiefs) – He is steadily approaching that elite level of ability within the realm of true shut-down corner backs, the way the Chiefs envisioned him when they drafted him in 2008. Kudos to Romeo Crennel.

FS: Earl Thomas (Seahawks) – All four of his interceptions this year have not looked like they came from a rookie, as Thomas makes the highlight-reel plays only clever veterans typically can pull off.

SS: T.J. Ward (Browns) – Not the player many would have chosen as a high second round pick, Cleveland now looks good for taking a chance on the hard-hitting safety, leading all rookies in tackles, with 20 more than the next-highest.

KR: Brandon Tate (Patriots) – After only returning 4 kicks last season in his first year, Tate is fourth in the league in average kick return yards, plus has taken two back for touchdowns already.

PR: Dez Bryant (Cowboys) – Still finding his feet as a possible number one receiver for Dallas, Bryant has at least found a role for himself on special teams as one of the most dangerous—and fun to watch—punt returners in the league.

K: Josh Scobee (Jaguars) – Scobee has not had as many attempts as he has in past seasons with some offensive struggles, but he has been perfect when called up, having made 100% of his 13 field goal attempts this season.

P: Daniel Sepulveda (Steelers) – Following a decent rookie season in ‘07, Sepulveda tore his ACL, was out for a year, and the following year his play regressed. This season Sepulveda has rebounded in a way that showed the potential Pittsburgh must have seen when they drafted him in the fourth round.