The first half of the fantasy season was a wild blur of outrageous performances and surprising disappointments.

And as we prepare to make playoff runs, let's look at the candidates for season-ending honors. In leagues in which Week 16 is the title game, you might have only five regular-season weeks left. What has happened so far.

MVP: No obvious MVP has emerged. The best candidates are AFC South quarterbacks who face off this week, the Houston Texans' Matt Schaub and the Indianapolis Colts' Peyton Manning. Both failed to throw a touchdown pass in Week 8. But Schaub led the league in TD passes before that, and Manning had at least two in every other game except Week 1.

Otherwise, the elite fantasy players have been up and down. New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is elite during his best weeks but has had too many duds.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has been steady, just not at the top level we expected. The Jacksonville Jaguars' Maurice Jones-Drew has had explosive games but a couple of duds. Colts wideout Reggie Wayne has been steady.

Busts: Running backs fill up the midseason list of busts. Thanks to injuries, the Philadelphia Eagles' Brian Westbrook has been virtually non-existent. The same with the Washington Redskins' Clinton Portis; he already is wearing down. The San Diego Chargers' LaDainian Tomlinson and the Chicago Bears' Matt Forte had strong games last week but are unlikely to live up to their draft status this season.

Wide receiver Terrell Owens has given the Buffalo Bills two TDs and has not had more than 60 receiving yards in a game. Also, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner is starting to show his age at 38. He has yet to have a three-TD-pass game, is three interceptions shy of last season's total of 14 and is taking way too many hits. Wideouts Steve Smith of the Carolina Panthers and Santana Moss of the Redskins have been hurt by poor quarterback play.

Breakout players: Dallas Cowboys wideout Miles Austin has taken a commanding lead. He has 482 yards and five TD catches in the last three games, becoming an automatic start. Another starter who probably was not a draft pick is Jaguars wideout Mike Sims-Walker, who has had four games with at least 81 yards. Two Giants, running back Ahmad Bradshaw and wideout Steve Smith, were perhaps throwaway late-round picks at best.

Best rookies: The story has been at wide receiver, where players such as the Vikings' Percy Harvin, the Bears' Johnny Knox, the Giants' Hakeem Nicks, the Eagles' Jeremy Maclin and the Colts' Austin Collie have commanded attention. In leagues that award points to individual returners, Harvin is almost an automatic start. The others might not be consistent, but they have shown hints of stardom.

New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez made his mark early but has slowed. The rookie running backs — the Denver Broncos' Knowshon Moreno, the Colts' Donald Brown and the Cardinals' Chris "Beanie" Wells — are splitting time.

Best sleeper: This goes to the middle-round pick who provides the best return. An easy pick is Cincinnati Bengals running back Cedric Benson, who went into Week 8 as the league's leading rusher, though you probably could have drafted him as your fourth back. Minnesota wide receiver Sidney Rice took off from a slow start to turn into a regular starter for the last six weeks.

Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice was a popular breakout candidate, which inflated his draft status, and he hasn't disappointed. Texans tight end Owen Daniels was on his way to being one of the best at his position before last week's knee injury.