San Francisco 49ers: Season awards at the bye week

Offensive Player of the Year: Carlos Hyde

There was talk of the 49ers trading or even cutting Carlos Hyde in the offseason. Such talk was always misguided and Hyde’s performances this season should have silenced what doubters he had. Durability has been the biggest concern with Hyde, but he has stayed on the field this year and has had a significant impact as both a runner and a receiver.

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His pass-catching had been seen as a weakness, but he has 42 catches on 60 targets for 274 yards so far this season, with his 592 yards on the ground putting him on pace for 1,385 scrimmage yards. Hyde is by far the 49ers’ best offensive player and deserves to be recognized as such with a new contract before he hits free agency.

Defensive Player of the Year: DeForest Buckner

One of the biggest disappointments of this 49ers season has been that DeForest Buckner has not recorded more sacks, because his performances have, for the most part, been excellent. Buckner’s 2017 campaign has seen him consistently dominate offensive linemen one-on-one, displaying power, pass-rush moves and freakish athleticism in the process.

And yet, through 10 games, he has just 1.5 sacks, with quarterbacks getting the ball away just as he has made contact on a maddening amount of occasions.

Disruption is production, though, and there have been few better interior disruptors this season than Buckner, who has also been a force in the run game, excelling at disengaging and finding the football.

Buckner’s play has dropped off somewhat in recent weeks when he has not had the benefit of having Solomon Thomas and Arik Armstead playing alongside him on the defensive front, with opponents able to successfully double team him more often. However, he still has 45 tackles on the season and, while the sack numbers do not back it up, there is no doubt who has been San Francisco’s best defender to this point.