The midway point of the NFL regular season is still two games away for most teams, but amazingly enough, we've already reached the halfway point of the fantasy football season.

With playoffs starting in Week 13, the fantasy regular season is half in the books. That

means it's time to hand out some midseason awards:

Fantasy MVP: Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis — The best player in real

life is also the best fantasy player. Manning's stats are slightly behind some other

quarterbacks, but one must remember Manning's team has already made it through its bye week.

Manning has made Austin Collie a regular name for fantasy players and kept Reggie Wayne and

Dallas Clark owners very happy. He's the glue that keeps the Colts together and a perfect

player to build any fantasy team around.

Best QB: Matt Schaub, Houston — A huge Week Six against Cincinnati (392

yards, four touchdowns) pushed Schaub ahead of Drew Brees and Tom Brady. Schaub leads the NFL

with 14 touchdowns and is second in passing yardage with 1,810 (behind only Ben

Roethlisberger's 1,887).

"Things are starting to click and we are understanding our capabilities and what we can do

when we play well," Schaub said.

Best RB: Adrian Peterson, Minnesota — No surprise here. The No. 1 pick

in most drafts, Peterson has lived up to the hype with 624 yards and seven touchdowns. He

faces a tough test in the Pittsburgh Steelers this week and has been limited in practice

because of an ankle injury, but as his 143 yards on 22 carries against the Baltimore Ravens

showed last week, there isn't a defense that has proved capable of completely shutting him

down.

Best WR: Andre Johnson, Houston — Again, not a shocker, especially

considering Schaub's strong start. Johnson's numbers — 36 catches, 572 yards, four

touchdowns — are right in line with what fantasy owners were expecting entering the

year, although a few more trips to the end zone would be nice. There's no reason to think

those won't come, however.

Best TE: Owen Daniels, Houston — The nod here could also go to Clark or

Pittsburgh's Heath Miller depending on what touchdowns are worth in your league. Daniels has

been the target of 46 passes and has made 32 catches, good for 374 yards and four touchdowns.

Best defense: Denver Broncos — The new "Orange Crush" held opponents to

a total of 26 points in the first month of the season. Denver's worst game of the year came

Monday night against the Chargers, but that was offset by two return touchdowns from Eddie

Royal.

Best kicker: Admittedly, this category is as irrelevant as the best sound

mixing Oscar, but the winner is Lawrence Tynes of the Giants. Tynes has had multiple field

goals in all but one game and has scored double-digit points in four of New York's six games.

Biggest surprise: Steve Smith, WR, N.Y. Giants — And to think, he was

the second "Steve Smith" drafted at wide receiver, if he was picked at all. Smith led the

league in receiving yardage for most of the year before being passed by Pittsburgh's Hines

Ward and Johnson. His 525 yards and four touchdowns are a huge bonus for owners smart enough

to draft Smith, or pick him up on waivers.

Biggest bust: Royal, WR, Denver — His two return touchdowns Monday were

nice, but they don't do much for owners starting Royal on offense. Eighteen catches for 184

yards is not what owners had in mind when they drafted Royal. With the Broncos going good and

quarterback Kyle Orton developing some chemistry with fellow wideout Brandon Marshall, don't

expect things for Royal to change soon.

Analyzing the Bills

The Ryan Fitzpatrick era begins. Yawn. Fitzpatrick is owned in all of 0.5 percent of ESPN

leagues. Translation: he shouldn't be starting.

Lee Evans and Terrell Owens owners probably don't have better alternatives on the bench, so

they're worth a flier to see if Fitzpatrick puts the ball up deep. Marshawn Lynch and Fred

Jackson are decent starts this week against a poor Carolina run defense.

On the Carolina side, DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are no-brainers coming off a

267-yard rushing game in Week Six and facing the NFL's worst rush defense. Jake Delhomme's

free-fall this year has left him worthless in fantasy play. Smith is whining about not getting

the ball, so he's worth a start to see if the Panthers try to appease him.