This is the second-to-last top 10 list before the final 10 players are revealed. If you haven't checked out the previous players, here they are.
20. Jamal Adams
In today's NFL safeties are expected to be versatile and Jamal Adams is as versatile as they come. The New York Jets safety has become one of the premier safeties in the NFL in just two seasons.
Adams led all safeties with 22 pressures on the quarterback and he was impressive in the red zone, allowing a passer rating of 39.6 in the red zone.
19. Fletcher Cox
When talking about the league's best interior defenders, everyone has Aaron Donald at number one. Number two should be a lock as well with Fletcher Cox of the Philadelphia Eagles taking the spot.
What Donald and Cox do as interior linemen is uncanny. Getting to the quarterback is in their nature and Cox led all interior defenders with 24 hits on the quarterback in 2018.
18. Stephon Gilmore
In 2017, Stephon Gilmore signed with the New England Patriots in hopes to win a Super Bowl. Gilmore did just that in 2018 and he became one of the league's best shutdown cornerbacks.
Last season, Gilmore had majority coverage on guys like DeAndre Hopkins, Davante Adams, Stefon Diggs, and Antonio Brown. All four of those receivers combined for just 23 receptions for 216 yards and two scores.
17. Andrew Luck
At this time last year, there was a huge question mark surrounding Andrew Luck and his health. Despite that, Luck had one of the best seasons of his career.
In 2018, Luck won the NFL's Comeback Player of the Year after missing the entire 2017 season, throwing for 4,593 yards and 39 touchdowns.
16. Antonio Brown
Antonio Brown might be dawning silver and black now for the Oakland Raiders but that doesn't mean he still isn't one of the best receivers in the NFL.
Over the past six seasons, Brown has averaged 114 receptions, 1,524 yards, and 11 touchdowns. Even at 31-years old, Brown isn't showing any signs of slowing down anytime soon.
15. Saquon Barkley/Christian McCaffrey
Sometimes, running backs are hard to rate and that's why Saquon Barkley and Christian McCaffrey are one of two ties at the position.
There aren't enough words in the English dictionary to describe Saquon Barkley's magnificent rookie campaign in 2018. The New York Giants running back totaled 2,028 yards from scrimmage—which led the entire NFL. With no more Odell Beckham Jr., we should see even more of Barkley this year.
One of the up and coming stars at the running back position is Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey has quickly become one of the Carolina Panthers' most reliable weapons on offense.
Last season, McCaffrey was nearly unstoppable after the catch, totaling 860 yards after the catch—which led all running backs in 2018.
14. Russell Wilson
This offseason, the Seattle Seahawks made Russell Wilson the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL and deservedly so. Wilson has led Seattle to six playoff berths and has won a Super Bowl in the process.
Wilson's escapability allows him to survey downfield while he rolls out of the pocket. In 2018, Wilson averaged 9.7 yards per attempts and had an adjusted completion percentage of 75%.
13. Aaron Rodgers
A ton of people are criticizing Aaron Rodgers for the Green Bay Packers' shortcomings in the past two seasons. Along with many others, Rodgers deserves some of the blame but let's not forget just how great he is.
Turnovers have never been a part of Rodgers' game with the Packers quarterback having a turnover-worthy throw rate that ranked lowest of all quarterbacks in 2018 (0.8%).
12. Todd Gurley/Ezekiel Elliott
Some people may think Todd Gurley has fallen off the face of the Earth after his knee injury but make no mistake, he is still one of the league's best dual-threat backs. The Los Angeles Rams may lighten his workload but he will still be effective with the touches he's given.
As for Ezekiel Elliott, the Dallas Cowboys offense revolves around him and the running game. Without Elliott, the Cowboys offense would struggle. Besides, Saquon Barkley, Elliott was the only other running back to eclipse 2,00 yards from scrimmage in 2018.
11. Julio Jones
What more needs to be said about Julio Jones. The Atlanta Falcons pass-catcher is one of the league's best at what he does.
In the past five seasons, Jones has had at least 1,400 yards receiving in every season, including 1,677 in 2018. The next player on the list is a receiver who you can argue is better than Jones.
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