June 11, 2026
By Daniel Cohen, Evan Lepler, Adam Ruffner

We've reached the midway point of the 2026 UFA regular season ahead of Week 8 action, and it's time to check in on the top performers from around the league. And while there are plenty of games left on the calendar, just three undefeated teams remain (Austin, Minnesota, Oakland).

As a reminder, these selections are encompassing of the games already played, and are not predictive of what the second half of the season will hold. And for those real sickos out there, take a look at the 2025 midseason selections to get a true grasp of how much the league has changed in just 364 days.

MVP

Alex Atkins, New York Empire

Between Alex Atkins and reigning MVP Tobe Decraene, I’m giving the midseason MVP nod to Atkins due to the offensive transformation we’ve seen with New York (and it doesn’t hurt that New York just handed Boston their first loss last weekend). Atkins has done it all this year for the Empire—big throws, patient drives, downfield playmaking—and he’s the reason they’re leading the league in offensive efficiency. The system has been revamped to fit his playstyle, he’s unlocking the best in his teammates, and the team is scoring on 72 percent of possessions when Atkins is on the field. — Daniel Cohen

Alex Atkins, New York Empire

Surrounded by elite teammates and empowered to orchestrate the attack, Alex Atkins has been a perfect fit so far in New York. Blessed with the size and a skillset that few others possess—not to mention a confident swagger that can fill Central Park—Atkins has brought an electricity to the field every single week. This decision’s not a no-brainer—meaning there are several other candidates who could definitely challenge Atkins for the bigger honor by season’s end—but Atkins is absolutely a worthy midseason MVP. — Evan Lepler

Alex Atkins, New York Empire

The prevailing criticism about Atkins over the course of his short-but-electric career has been his inability to limit turnovers. A high-volume superstar who can make an impact at every level of the field, there were times with Colorado where many times where Kins would simply run into over-use; even during his stat-munching First Team All-UFA season in 2024, Atkins finished sixth in total throwaways and averaged nearly three per game. Atkins left those habits back in the Rockies, it seems, as the new school Bronx Bomber is top four this season in assists, passing yards, and huck completions while completing a ridiculous 97.5 percent of his throws, which is downright Osgar-ian; according to Shown Space, Atkins is in the 100th percentile in basically every advanced passing stat, and he’s surprisingly equitable in his receiver distribution, giving him a Manning-like QB vision cone. His backhand might have the best power in the UFA, but it’s Atkins’ utility forehand (and accompanying hammer) that has the Empire O-line flirting with history. — Adam Ruffner

Rookie Of The Year

Lander Decraene, Boston Glory

After a five-block statement game in his UFA debut against DC, Lander hasn’t slowed down. He’s good for at least one explosive play every game, and he’s making a noticeable impact after turnovers; he’s recorded multiple scores in six of seven games and is currently tied for fifth in the league in blocks (11). — DC

Jacob Louie, Carolina Flyers

At 27 years old, Jacob Louie’s not your average rookie revelation. But he was a relatively unknown commodity in the ultimate world prior to this season, and over the course of the first seven weeks, Louie’s thrown 301 completions, more than all but six players in the league. Furthermore, his 98.4 percent completion rate is fourth best among the 105 UFA players with at least 100 completions. And before you ask, no, he’s not just throwing resets. He’s also sixth in the league in throwing yards, fifth in hockey assists, and top 20 in regular assists. — EL

Nick Whitlock, New York Empire

Over the past couple seasons, and early playoff exits, the Empire have lacked some of the size and presence that marked their championship years. But with the 6’5” New Zealander playing heavy minutes on defense and creating a canopy for New York’s coverages, there’s suddenly and emphatically a big-time stopper that can match the size and speed of receivers in the East Division; good defenders with height come at a premium. Big Nick isn’t the only factor, but it’s not pure coincidence that the Empire lowered their opponent huck rate by nearly 10 percentage points from 2025 to 2026 (63 percent to 53 percent). Add in his end-of-quarter abilities as triple-threat thrower/receiver/defender, and Whitlock could earn more than just rookie accolades by season’s end. — AR

Coach Of The Year

Liam Kreiss, Oakland Spiders

After slowly climbing the West Division standings the past few seasons, the Spiders’ coaching change this year has allowed them to reach new heights as the clear division frontrunner. The offensive and defensive rotations have been in sync from the start—the switch of Daniel Ritthaler to offense and Evan Magsig to defense has been paying dividends—and Liam Kreiss deserves a ton of credit for creating this well-oiled machine. — DC

Xavier Maxstadt, DC Breeze

Superior coaching is often revealed through adversity, and the Breeze have endured arguably more hardship through half a season than any other contending team in the league. With a bunch of All-UFA talent on injured reserve, and despite falling behind by three or more goals in six of their eight games, Xavier Maxstadt somehow has the Breeze at 6-2 and just a half-game behind New York and Boston in the high-pressure East Division. If DC can knock off the Glory on Sunday—when Boston will be shorthanded and on the second day of a back-to-back—the Breeze will have a great chance to host a playoff game for the sixth straight season. — EL

Liam Kreiss, Oakland Spiders

The best kind of coaching makes it seem like it isn’t there most of the time. And with the 2026 Spiders, there's an organic, kinetic energy to their play and runaway successes across both lines that has the fingerprints of not just a good coach and staff, but a player base that is receptive and adaptive to new systems and information. Oakland had specific deficiencies at special teams (pulling, sideline setups, red zone) that led to their fourth quarter collapse in the 2025 West Division title game. And it’s those very same areas that the Spiders now excel at; Oakland is converting red zone chances at a five percent better clip compared to last season, and a really important part of Evan Magsig’s transition to defense has been using his howitzer arm and pinpoint precision to effectively launch artillery discs downrange for pulls, and continually pinning opposing offenses deep inside their own territory. The Spiders’ championship-level roster is continually given leverage by their playbook, and that goes back to Kreiss. — AR

Best Team

Oakland Spiders

The five straight wins of 10-plus goals to start the season, including wins over two quarterfinalists from a year ago, pretty much cemented them as the Best Team back in Week 4. I’d be truly shocked if Oakland isn’t representing the West at Championship Weekend and can’t wait to see how they match up with the other divisions. — DC

Oakland Spiders

While they haven’t had the toughest schedule, there’s something to be said about crushing every team that you’re supposed to destroy. And the Spiders have absolutely hammered everyone, winning all seven games they’ve played by an average of 11 goals per game. They’re also leading the UFA in scores per game (25.7) and number one in fewest goals allowed per game (14.6). The toughest part of their schedule lies ahead—starting with the undefeated Wind Chill invading the East Bay this Friday night—but the Spiders have easily been the league’s most dominant team through the first half of the season.  — EL

Oakland Spiders

The Spiders are having one of those seasons where their successes make it impossible to focus on any one player, which speaks to just how cohesive this team has been through the first seven weeks of 2026. Walker Frankenberg is coming off an All-UFA First Team campaign where he was third in the league in total scores, and yet this year he doesn’t even crack his own team’s top five. Carter Lankford is currently second in the league in blocks, is on pace to become just the second player since 2021 to notch 30-plus in a single season, and yet he just got big-timed by a rookie teammate last Saturday at home. This team is getting to the level where they’re competing for and against themselves, and that should scare the daylights out of their competition. — AR

Best Offense

New York Empire

Their efficiency rating took a bit of a hit this past weekend with less-than-ideal performances at Boston and Montreal, but they’re still leading the league in efficiency (66.7 percent) and hold percentage (79.7 percent). While the stats don’t always tell the full story, New York’s balanced attack passes the eye test every time you watch them. — DC

New York Empire

The Spiders offense has been stellar too, but New York gets the nod based upon their efficiency, their explosiveness, and the fact that they just added Daan De Marrée to their O-line for the first time this season in Week 7. Remarkably, it looked like he’d been playing with them forever, a tribute to the team’s core of stars that De Marrée was able to assimilate into the system so seamlessly. Ben Jagt still has incredible burst, Jack Williams is still Jack Williams, and youngsters like Matt LaBar and Jacob Cowan have settled into their roles absolutely brilliantly. And that Atkins guy hasn’t been bad either. — EL

New York Empire

More than its strengths, there really aren’t any weaknesses to this starting offense. The Empire have size (Atkins, Chartock, Cowan, Jagt), speed (De Marrée, LaBar), throwing power/precision/depth (Atkins, Eberhard, Rueschemeyer-Bailey, Williams), and a lot of confidence and good timing with each other despite numerous new additions integrating on the fly. The system is always valued over the individual, and as a result of that philosophy there’s a lot of side-to-side, selfless fluidity with the frisbee, leading to the Empire getting tremendous looks at favorable matchups downfield; Ben Jagt continues to extend his prime into his mid-30s, and his ability to isolate defenders on an island is still as potent as any receiver in the league. The Empire’s competitiveness makes them savor tough coverages, which could lead to them improving even further as the schedule progresses. — AR

Best Defense

Minnesota Wind Chill

Snubbing Oakland here, but Minnesota remains the elite example of a top defense. Their block numbers have come back down to earth, but they’re still holding teams to the second fewest points per game and are the best unit in the league after turnovers; they’re converting 69 percent of their break chances, which is better than the top O-line conversion rate (New York’s 66.7 percent) this year. — DC

Oakland Spiders

Ten different Spiders are averaging at least one block per game, and Evan Magsig has been a high-quality quarterback to consistently punch in breaks. Among the 106 players who’ve played in at least 70 D-points so far this season, Magsig’s 22 assists are easily number one. In fact, no one else in that group has even thrown 15 scores. Furthermore, the Spiders defense leads the UFA in break rate, scoring goals on almost 47 percent of their D-points throughout the season. If that trend continues, it’ll challenge last year’s Chicago D-line that set a new record for D-line break rate at 48 percent. — EL

Oakland Spiders

With the earned distinction of being number one in blocks and breaks per game in 2026, the Spiders defense has been a nightmare in coverage and on the counterattack. Their collective athleticism and quick reads make many passes into the flat questionable decisions, and their back-end spying on crossfield/over-the-top throws makes it hard to switch the field or expose the back side of the Oakland defense. And as previously mentioned, Magsig usually allows the Spiders to dictate field position, which has yielded numerous short field scores and momentum-swinging defensive runs. — AR

Best Thrower

Alex Atkins, New York Empire

Definitely a tough call in this category, but I’m giving the nod to Kins. He leads the league in ShownSpace’s throwing contribution, and it’s the combination of completion rate (97.5 percent), hucks (15 completions of 40-plus yards, tied for second most in the league), and assists (31, fourth most), that back up what we’ve seen all year on tape. The consistency plus explosiveness is reminiscent of Ryan Osgar’s 2022 MVP season with New York. — DC

Jacques Nissen, DC Breeze

Tough call here, as there are so many great throwers in our league. But as I wrote in the most recent "Tuesday Toss", I feel like Jacques Nissen has been under-the-radar excellent this season.  He’s number one in both total yards and hockey assists, while also being third in completions and seventh in assists. He’s connected on 10-of-11 hucks, and his team has won six of its last seven games. At 25 years old and in his seventh UFA season, Nissen’s clearly having the best season of his career. — EL

Alex Atkins, New York Empire

In terms of power, productivity, and precision as a thrower, only Ryan Osgar’s laser-guided MVP season with the very same Empire team in 2023 is on par with Atkins in 2026. Osgar will likely hold the edge in raw assists and huck completions by the time this season wraps, but Atkins is completing more passes at a higher rate and throwing for 100-yards-per-game more than Osgar did during his best season. That kind of workload has alleviated stresses elsewhere in New York’s offensive system, and has allowed much more motion and role interchanging than over the past couple of years; the Empire offense had a tendency of getting bogged down by over reliance on their stars over the past two years, and that kind of congestion is just gone in the new year with the presence of Atkins. His hammers and blades are coverage busters, he’s sneakily great at following his throws and punishing defenders for momentary lapses, and if anyone can find two players with better range, I’m listening. — AR

Best Receiver

Tobe Decraene, Boston Glory

It feels unfair for Tobe to be the best receiver when he’s also in the running for best thrower, but here we are. He’s always been dominant downfield when put in those spots, though I think it’s his cutting/receiving skills in handler sets that have really been a difference-maker for Boston’s offense this year. As long as he continues operating in this do-everything role for Boston, his ability to get open at any spot on the field will continue to shine all season. — DC

Jacob Fairfax, Carolina Flyers

Unbelievable in the air and super solid coming underneath, Jacob Fairfax is pretty darn close to being a perfect receiver. Sure, he’s still human and will have the occasional hiccup, but the combination of consistency and mind-bending athleticism is really hard to comprehend. Presently, he leads the UFA in receiving yards, sits eighth overall in total scores, and has a completion rate north of 96 percent. He’ll turn 30 years old next month and became a father for the first time this past offseason, but everything Fairfax is showing on the field suggests he’s still in the heart of his prime, and perhaps even still getting better. — EL

Jacob Fairfax, Carolina Flyers

Giving Fairfax superlatives for his receiving prowess at this point in his legendary career is starting to feel like coming up with descriptors for “water is wet”. But with Carolina changing out half of their starting offense from 2025, and still missing Allan Laviolette since mid May, Fairfax’s ability to absolutely own his matchups has been more important than ever for a Flyers team building their backfield midflight. He’s also just nine goals away from entering the top five all-time in league history. — AR

Best Defender

Carter Lankford, Oakland Spiders

An All Defense Second Team selection last year, Carter Lankford is looking like a Defensive Player of the Year frontrunner. He leads the league in blocks per game (3.0), and my jaw is still on the floor from his layout-block-to-double-block-combo against San Diego. — DC

Carter Lankford, Oakland Spiders

With spectacular highlights, lock-down defense, and everything in between, Carter Lankford has established himself as one of the premier young players in our sport. Across five games, he’s averaging three blocks per contest, a feat only replicated by one player in the past nine years—Salt Lake’s Ben Green also had 15 blocks in five games played in 2022. Astonishingly, Lankford has registered multiple blocks in 10 of the 15 games he’s played since the start of last year. No one else—who’s played in at least 15 games—has a higher percentage of multi-block performances in UFA history. — EL

John Randolph, New York Empire

With all due respect for the defensive seasons Magsig, Carter Lankford, Lander Decraene, and Cooper Williams are having, this was my easiest choice on the ballot, and I don’t believe it is particularly close at the moment. Randolph entered the season “in the zone”, and his lane-blitzing, fist-pumping, crashout-inducing coverage has only increased as the heat gets turned up. He’s currently tied for third in the league in blocks, while also being the best weapon on the counterattack in the UFA. And while a return to form for New York’s vaunted defense isn’t surprising, we’re underselling how many new parts and rookies they’re putting in the lineup because it’s mitigated by Randolph’s motor. The Callahan against Boston was the best example, but Randolph has had a handful of one-man-break-train scores already at the midway point. — AR

Best New Addition

Alex Atkins, New York Empire

There shouldn't be any debate here. See MVP and Best Thrower sections. — DC

Malik Auger-Semmar, Montreal Royal

If you want to argue that Malik Auger-Semmar, as someone who’s only played for the Royal in his seven-year UFA career, doesn’t count as a new addition, that’s fine. But we’ve got some leeway with these Midseason Awards, so I will not apologize for including the 28-year-old Auger-Semmar in this spot. After not playing in 2024 or 2025, Auger-Semmar has been an undeniably massive addition for the 2026 Royal, accumulating 20 more scores than anyone else on his team through the first seven weeks. While Montreal only has one win, the Royal have been relentlessly competitive in every single game, and Auger-Semmar has truly been tremendous all season long. — EL

Elliot Hawkins, Indianapolis AlleyCats

For a team that was winless and completely on the ropes after a barnburner offseason of signings, Elliot Hawkins could not have arrived at a better time for the ‘Cats. He followed up his 15-assist, record-setting season debut with another stat-packed performance against Minnesota, routinely bettering a Wind Chill coverage lineup that features multiple potential DPOTY candidates. Indy lacked any sense of rhythm or confidence in their first two games of 2026, and then on Saturday they made it rain against the best deep defense in the league, with Hawkins being a feature piece as a thrower and receiver. AlleyCats still need to pick up more wins quickly if they want to be in contention as planned, but Hawkins has already been a revelation in his second stint in Indy. — AR

Most Improved Player

Miles Grovic, DC Breeze

Who knew Miles Grovic had the throwing arsenal that’s been on display in recent weeks? He’s always been a strong downfield athlete for the Breeze, particularly on the defensive side, but the explosiveness he’s added to the offense this year has been a huge part of DC’s success. On a 65/35 split of O- and D-points, he’s already set single-season career highs in assists, scores, completions, total yards, and plus/minus. — DC

Cooper Williams, Carolina Flyers

Admittedly, the Most Improved Player category in the past has featured individuals who finally got the chance to put up big numbers after switching to O-line. But that’s not the case with Cooper Williams, who’s currently tied for 284th in the league in O-points played. On the flip-side, only teammate Suraj Madiraju has played more D-points than Williams’ 153, and he’s compiled 16 blocks, nine goals, and five assists, surpassing his totals in each of those three categories from a season ago. Last season, Williams was tied for 225th in the league in plus/minus. This year, he’s 13th. — EL

Elliot Hawkins, Indianapolis AlleyCats

I was really, really high on Hawkins coming into the season, and what his role would mean on the AlleyCats offense. But I did not anticipate anything close to this. Last year with Colorado, Hawkins didn’t complete more than 15 passes or throw for more than 143 yards in any of his four starts, and positionally resembled a continuation receiver because of his vertical skills. In his first start with the AlleyCats, Hawkins more than doubled his cumulative 2025 season passing totals, and showed the kind of big throw control of league legends; some of those outside-in, rolling forehand assists from Week 6 were right out of the Bobby Ley Academy. — AR

All-UFA First Team

Alex Atkins, New York Empire
Tobe Decraene, Boston Glory
Jacob Fairfax, Carolina Flyers
Kyle Henke, Austin Sol
Jacques Nissen, DC Breeze
Daniel Ritthaler, Oakland Spiders
Austin Taylor, Atlanta Hustle
— DC

Alex Atkins, New York Empire
Tobe Decraene, Boston Glory
Jacob Fairfax, Carolina Flyers
Walker Frankenberg, Oakland Spiders
Miles Grovic, DC Breeze
John Randolph, New York Empire
Daniel Ritthaler, Oakland Spiders
— EL

Alex Atkins, New York Empire
Tobe Decraene, Boston Glory
Jacob Fairfax, Carolina Flyers
Miles Grovic, DC Breeze
Evan Magsig, Oakland Spiders
John Randolph, New York Empire
Daniel Ritthaler, Oakland Spiders
— AR

All Defense First Team

Justin Burnett, Minnesota Wind Chill
Lander Decraene, Boston Glory
George Gust, Austin Sol
Carter Lankford, Oakland Spiders
Evan Magsig, Oakland Spiders
John Randolph, New York Empire
Cooper Williams, Carolina Flyers
— DC

Matt Armour, Austin Sol
Lander Decraene, Boston Glory
Tanner Gesell, DC Breeze
Carter Lankford, Oakland Spiders
Evan Magsig, Oakland Spiders
John Randolph, New York Empire
Cooper Williams, Carolina Flyers
— EL

Lander Decraene, Boston Glory
Carter Lankford, Oakland Spiders
Evan Magsig, Oakland Spiders
John Randolph, New York Empire
Wiebe van den Brink, DC Breeze
Nick Whitlock, New York Empire
Cooper Williams, Carolina Flyers
— AR

All Rookie First Team

Chander Boyd-Fliegel, Oakland Spiders
Lander Decraene, Boston Glory
George Gust, Austin Sol
Jacob Louie, Carolina Flyers
Charlie Panarella, New York Empire
Max Pettenuzzo, Toronto Rush
Nick Whitlock, New York Empire
— DC

Chander Boyd-Fliegel, Oakland Spiders
Lander Decraene, Boston Glory
Jacob Louie, Carolina Flyers
Max Pettenuzzo, Toronto Rush
Wiebe van den Brink, DC Breeze
Nick Whitlock, New York Empire
Eric Zhuang, Toronto Rush
— EL

Chander Boyd-Fliegel, Oakland Spiders
Lander Decraene, Boston Glory
Jacob Louie, Carolina Flyers
Charlie Panarella, New York Empire
Max Pettenuzzo, Toronto Rush
Wiebe van den Brink, DC Breeze
Nick Whitlock, New York Empire
— AR