Most improved player on all 32 NFL teams

Hicks delivered quality work with the Eagles but consistently saw injuries impede his ascent. This season the free agent addition has started all 13 Cardinals games and has registered 121 tackles — third in the league. Hicks' previous career-best tackle number was 91. The fifth-year linebacker has also made a career-most eight tackles for loss, forced two fumbles and intercepted two passes, helping an embattled Cards defense. This signing proved critical for a team that has not seen recent first-round pick Haason Reddick develop into a reliable starter.

Hooper's contract year began with steady production but also included an injury that sidelined him for weeks. But the fourth-year tight end was leading the league in receiving yardage, among tight ends, before going down with an MCL sprain. He re-entered Atlanta's lineup with 608 yards — just 52 off his 16-game career high. Hooper caught six TD passes, including one apiece in his final four pre-injury games, and still has a chance to approach 1,000 yards and hit free agency on a high note come March.

Jackson morphed from questionable passer to a player entering the regular season's final quadrant with the league's second-most touchdown passes (28) and the MVP front-runner. Jackson has continued as an otherworldly run-game threat, and the 1,302-yard pace he's on would make for a great running back season and obliterate Michael Vick's QB rushing record (1,039 yards). Piloting the Ravens to wins over seven teams with winning records, Jackson has a chance to secure the franchise its first-ever No. 1 seed. He's rejuvenated a team that stagnated during the latter Joe Flacco years.

Cases can be made for other Bills starters who have helped place the team on the playoff track. But Allen's work has lifted Buffalo to the precipice of its first 10-win season since Thurman Thomas, Andre Reed and Bruce Smith were still Bills. Since Week 7, Allen has accounted for 17 touchdowns and thrown one interception. Equipped with free agent wideouts John Brown and Cole Beasley, the second-year QB has raised his completion percentage nearly eight points (to 59.8) from his rookie year. The Wyoming alum has become a better pocket passer, and while far from a finished product, Allen has made significant steps. 

The type of player the Panthers tried to equip Cam Newton with for years comes along just as the passer may be on his way out (or a diminished version of himself due to injury). Carolina's 2018 first-round pick, Moore has produced despite undrafted free agent Kyle Allen targeting him. Moore has increased his per-game average by close to 40 yards from last season; his 1,061 yards are fourth in the league. The best Panthers wideout since Steve Smith, Moore's presence on better-equipped Panther teams will be key to open up space for Christian McCaffrey.

Until late November, this was the Bears' sack leader. Williams went six NFL seasons without recording a sack but ended November with six. The 2013 seventh-round Steelers pick-turned-journeyman became a key rotational player for the Bears this season but saw his role change after Pro Bowler defensive lineman Akiem Hicks went on injured reserve. The Bears have turned to Williams to help fill the void and have seen a 2018 rookie minicamp tryout body become a solid interior pass rusher.

This certainly isn't easy. Not much was expected from the Bengals, but the worst 11-game start in franchise history certainly wasn't anticipated. Tate has progressed from a seventh-round pick who played little (four catches last season) as a rookie to a big-bodied target who has kept producing. The 6-foot-5 receiver has posted 575 yards as Tyler Boyd's sidekick, and after escaping a serious neck injury, the Florida State alum returned to catch four passes in Cincinnati's first win. Few NFLers can replace A.J. Green, but Tate has done a surprising job as a fill-in.

The Browns' middle linebacker has produced before, but his status and production jump out this season. Last season, he resided as the other guy in a 4-3 linebacking corps featuring the rare setup of two players earning eight-figure-per-year contracts. But Jamie Collins is gone and Christian Kirksey is injured, leaving Schobert as the Cleveland linebackers' only reliable tackler. Schobert has not disappointed; his 103 tackles he had after his first 12 games were 58 more than any other Brown. Schobert's also helped in the passing game, establishing career highs in INTs (four) and pass breakups (nine).

A case exists for Michael Gallup, but Collins' growth into an upper-echelon right tackle makes Dallas' All-Pro-laden offensive line even more unfair. A middling player until this season, the college left tackle-turned-NFL guard-turned-right tackle rates as a top-tier tackle, per Pro Football Focus. The Cowboys have been one of the biggest NFL letdowns in years, but Football Outsiders rates their O-line tops in pass protection and second in run-blocking. Collins' ascent may not have translated to Dallas wins, but it will matter in the grand scheme.

For a 5-8 team, the Broncos have a few candidates. Johnson has made a bigger leap than Courtland Sutton or Justin Simmons, however. Out of football for three years due to a rape trial (for which he was acquitted), the former Tennessee Volunteer bounced on and off Denver's roster in 2018. He's become a three-down dynamo this season, sitting as PFF's top-graded off-ball linebacker since his Week 5 starting debut. Bigger than most modern 'backers, at 255 pounds, Johnson (two 13-plus-tackle games) has been all over the field. He might be the Broncos' highest-ceiling off-ball 'backer since All-Pro Al Wilson's 2000s run.

The move from guard to center has helped Ragnow as an NFL sophomore. The first-round pick out of Arkansas has played well this season, even as the Lions' promising start preceded a swift downturn. Matthew Stafford was playing like one of the NFL's best quarterbacks before his injury, and the team has coaxed ground-game production from Bo Scarbrough -- a November workout body-turned-fantasy factor. Ragnow has played like one of the league's best centers, particularly in the run game, and profiles as a long-term piece for the Lions.

The four-year, $66 million deal second-year Packers GM Brian Gutekunst gave Smith in the offseason looked like a notable overpay. Smith's Ravens career gave the impression of a contract-year outlier, but the outside linebacker has shed that label. The slightly higher paid of the Packers' pass-rushing Smiths, Za'Darius has a career-high 10.0 sacks and 29 QB hits. The former fourth-round pick is earning his money, looking like an ex-Baltimore edge rusher worth a big payment — unlike some recent contract-year wonders — and will be critical to Green Bay's Super Bowl push.

A Texans defensive line that (again) lost the decade's best defender has benefited from Reader, a fourth-year Clemson alum often overlooked because of the presences of J.J. Watt and former Texan Jadeveon Clowney. But Reader's been a three-down player in his contract year. He's recorded 11 QB hits and has a career-best six tackles for loss. Four of those hits came against Tom Brady in one of the best wins in Texans history. The interior defender has driven up his price for a potential free agency run.

When Andrew Luck's shoulder injury forced him to miss a full season in 2017, Brissett threw 13 touchdown passes in 16 games and finished as one of the NFL's worst passers. While he's faltered a bit lately, a player again thrust into a starting role at the 11th hour has undeniably progressed. Brissett has an 18:6 TD-INT ratio and piloted the Colts to six wins after they compiled four in 2017. The Colts have lost Devin Funchess and Eric Ebron for the season and have been without top skill-position weapon T.Y. Hilton for much of it. This season could be going much worse given the timing of Luck's retirement. 

The prize of the Week 2 fantasy waiver wire, Chark has become an impact player after a nondescript rookie season. Playing 28 percent of the Jaguars' offensive snaps in 2018, the LSU product caught 14 balls for 174 yards. This year, Chark's 956 yards put him well on track to become the Jags' first receiver to reach 1,000 since Allen Robinson in 2015. He's developed a strong downfield and scramble-drill rapport with Gardner Minshew. Chark's season has helped clear up the Jags' muddy wideout picture and gives the franchise a key receiver presence for the future.

Acquired via low-level 2018 trade, Ward has grown into the Chiefs' top boundary cornerback. An undrafted player out of Middle Tennessee who started two games last year, Ward may face issues gaining recognition — especially given the Chiefs' offense-leaning talent base —but the now-full-timer has played well under Steve Spagnuolo. Statistically, Ward has two INTs, a forced fumble and a blocked PAT return. With an edge rush that has not produced like last year's, Ward is a big reason why the Chiefs rank sixth in pass-defense DVOA.

The silver lining amid a Chargers season that's been a little too on-brand: Ekeler becoming the team's most exciting player. While he was productive in 2018, the Bolts have unleashed their passing-down back in his third year. Even after Melvin Gordon's return, the former undrafted free agent has functioned as Los Angeles' best receiving back. Eclipsing his career-best receiving total by 400-plus yards already, Ekeler (830 yards in 13 games) has an outside chance to become the fourth post-merger running back to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards, joining Marshall Faulk, Roger Craig and ex-Charger Lionel James.

This season's seen upheaval on the Rams offense, and the receiving corps is no exception. Kupp and Robert Woods have leapfrogged Brandin Cooks in the team's pecking order. The third-year slot man is not only on the cusp of his first 1,000-yard season, sitting just 10 yards away, Kupp came back from a torn ACL to get here. Oftentimes ACL tears can limit players the following year, but Kupp has been crucial to a Rams offense with less margin for error. Kupp totaled three 100-yard games from 2017-18; he has five this season. 

This breakout would have helped more on one of Adam Gase's better-equipped Dolphins teams, but the 2015 first-round pick has finally shown he can be a reliable NFL wideout. Parker has already topped his single-season yardage high (now at 882 yards), has exceeded 50 yards in eight of Miami's past 10 games and his six touchdowns are five more than he scored in 2018. His jump-ball action bedeviled multiple Eagles cornerbacks in the Dolphins' upset win. The now-Chris Grier-led front office suddenly looks savvy for signing the long-disappointing target to a two-year, $10 million deal.

Utilized as a backup for most of his first three seasons, the former undrafted safety took over for an injured Andrew Sendejo in mid-2018. In his first full season opposite Harrison Smith, Harris has consistently helped the Vikings' defense. The former Virginia Cavaliers ball-hawk has four interceptions this year -- including a crazy, volleyball-style pick-6 of Russell Wilson in Week 13 -- and has registered a career-most 52 tackles. On a Vikings defense filled with proven commodities on big contracts, the 28-year-old free agent-to-be has been vital both on the field and on the payroll.

This may not be as much an example of improvement as it is a return to Bill Belichick's defense, but the Patriots are getting Pro Bowl-caliber play from Collins after the Browns could do little with his skill set. The now-two-time Patriot went from the game's highest-paid off-ball linebacker, who was injured an ineffective in Cleveland, to one of Belichick's top chess pieces. Serving as a true linebacker and pass rusher, the 30-year-old defender has 68 tackles, six sacks, three interceptions and three forced fumbles. Once criticized for freelancing in his first Pats stint, Collins is a unique weapon for the defending champs.

The Saints have done well to assemble a high-end defense after deploying horrendous units in the mid-2010s. Williams has been essential to this ascent, and the third-year safety's taken his game to a higher level this season. Known by many still for his Minneapolis Miracle gaffe, Williams is on the verge of his first Pro Bowl. Grading as PFF's top safety, Williams has four interceptions — one taken back for a touchdown against the Buccaneers — and a career-high (by a wide margin) 13 pass breakups. 

A Giants team desperate for pass rushers after drafting Daniel Jones over Josh Allen has seen one of its additions pay off. Golden, who played for defensive coordinator James Bettcher in Arizona, has a Giants-best 7.5 sacks this season. Stalled by an October 2017 ACL tear, Golden went through 2017 and '18 with just 2.5 sacks. The buy-low success story has helped a reeling Giants edge rush after the trades of Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon. In a season highlighted by his sack-strip-score against the Patriots, Golden has raised his stock for either a Big Blue re-up or free agency raise.

Despite their struggles elsewhere, the Jets lead the league in run defense. A defensive tackle who saw only three snaps last season is a reason why. The Jets used Fatukasi in one game as a rookie, but the sixth-round pick has blossomed into a steady run defender this season. In 278 snaps, the part-time defensive tackle grades as PFF's No. 8 overall interior defender and fourth among that 100-plus-player group against the run. The UConn alum has five tackles for loss for a Jets team allowing only 75.2 rushing yards per game.

Little choice here. Waller has been a borderline revelation for a Raiders team that saw its pass-catching group radically change after the Antonio Brown gamble failed. Closer to playing his way out of the league (due to drug-related suspensions) than into a starting lineup in Baltimore, Waller leads Oakland in receiving (by a lot, with 880 yards) and has rewarded Jon Gruden's and fantasy owners' faith. The ex-Georgia Tech wideout nearly has more yards this season than he posted throughout his college career, and the Raiders rewarded the fifth-year player with a lucrative extension.

Brooks has proved to be an upper-echelon lineman before, but 2018 did not go as well. A torn Achilles suffered in Philadelphia's playoff loss induced a months-long rehab effort, and Brooks has responded by going from a Pro Bowl player to perhaps the NFL's best lineman. Brooks returned for Week 1, and PFF grades the mammoth right guard as the league's top blocker. Although Brooks' work has coincided with a disappointing Eagles season, the team's guard-record $14 million-per-year extension in November shows its belief in the 30-year-old mauler. 

A primary reason the Steelers have pivoted back to a defensively geared team: Fitzpatrick transforming from a player without a position in Miami to a cornerstone Pittsburgh safety. The 2018 first-round pick objected to being forced to play all over the Dolphins secondary, and since his trade to the Steelers, Fitzpatrick has five interceptions, three fumble recoveries, two forced fumbles and two TDs. The fantasy IDP machine is a Pro Bowl lock and, given the fact the Dolphins were on the hook for his signing bonus, a bargain — even at the first-round price Pittsburgh paid.

Armstead's sack total from 2015-18: nine. Armstead QB drops this season: 10. Although Nick Bosa has received much of the credit for elevating the 49ers defensive line, Armstead's belated breakout has been vital. The 2015 first-rounder's work has made this one of the best NFL position groups in many years. A power rusher who can line up at end and tackle, Armstead has a sack in eight games. His most noticeable work came when he dropped Aaron Rodgers twice in a nationally televised showcase for this D-line. Armstead will be a franchise tag or free agency candidate. Either way, he's getting paid.

Probably now lesser-known than his inspirational twin brother/teammate, Griffin has filled Richard Sherman's role as the Seahawks' best cornerback. Not on Sherman's level yet, the third-year defender has improved considerably from a down 2018. His 13 pass breakups rank among the top 10 in that category, and with 59 tackles he's on pace to eclipse his single-season high. The first of the Griffin twins to enter the NFL, Shaquill is playing his way toward a Seahawks extension as an essential member of the team's post-Legion of Boom defense.

The toughest call on this list: Barrett or Chris Godwin. Both flashed previously in part-time roles, but Barrett's breakout has outperformed that descriptor. The ex-Bronco rotational cog was more run-stopper than sack artist in Denver, totaling 14 QB drops over four seasons as one of Von Miller's lesser-known sidekicks. That player has turned into one of the best free agency gets in years. Barrett's 15 sacks and six forced fumbles lead the league, and the suddenly relentless edge attacker is two sacks away from Hall of Famer Warren Sapp's single-season Bucs record. Not bad for a one-year, $4 million deal.

Once playing the lead role for a Dolphins playoff team, Tannehill has produced to a degree in the past. But he hasn't made this kind of impact. At 31, the former top-10 pick has represented the biggest change in a Titans team shut out in Denver to one gunning for an AFC South title. Tannehill's completing 73 percent of his passes at 9.8 yards per attempt — both figures would demolish his previous single-season bests — and is 6-1 since being promoted. The Titans should certainly be leery of the quarterback's injury past, but this has been a fun ride for a team that saw Marcus Mariota fall short of expectations.

Washington recently benched Josh Norman but had already seen one of his former sidekicks usurp him in quality. Dunbar has done more than just become the Redskins' No. 1 corner; PFF has graded him as the NFL's top cover man for much of this season. Dunbar is signed to barely a $3 million-per-year deal but has a career-high four interceptions this season. A 27-year-old ex-undrafted player who's been a part-time starter in four Redskins seasons, Dunbar should be in line for a raise next season — with Norman's contract almost certainly coming off Washington's books.