The first in-season update of IL's DI Men's Player of the Year Watch.

(Inside Lacrosse Photo: Greg Wall)

A few guys who deserve mention before diving into the top 10:

Zach Currier, M, Jr., Princeton (6G, 5A, 30GB, 8CT in 4 games)

Shane Doss, G, Jr., Notre Dame (61.1% in 5 games)

Dan Grabher, FO, Jr., Army West Point (4G, 1A, 69.9%, 36GB in 7 games)

Will Gural, FO, Sr., Brown (2G, 1A, 75.8%, 30GB in 5 games)

Jack Kelly, G, Sr., Brown (65.9% in 5 games)

Ben Reeves, A, So., Yale (13G, 12A in 5 games)

Sam Talkow, FO, Jr., Boston U. (5G, 1A, 69.7%, 52GB in 7 games)

Ben Williams, FO, Jr., Syracuse (70.1%, 37GB in 5 games)

10. Trevor Baptiste, FO, So., Denver (1G, 1A, 69.2%, 51GB in 6 games)

To this point in the season, Baptiste has more competition for the title as “top FOGO in DI” than one would expect from a returning first-team All-American who’s nearly duplicated his dominance from a year prior. He remains atop the McEwen FOGO Ratings, which take into account previous years’ results to a point, and given the fact that he’s keying the nation’s No. 1 team, his inclusion in the Player of the Year Watch Top 10 is justified.

9. Shack Stanwick, A, So., Johns Hopkins (9G, 17A in 5 games)

As the fourth-leading scorer in DI, Stanwick narrowly edged out classmate Ben Reeves for this spot; the deciding factor is Hopkins’ offensive efficiency, which is second-best in Division I. That’s a remarkable accomplishment given the losses to the Blue Jay personnel, with his overtime game-winning goal vs. Navy serving as a cherry on top.

8. Michael Quinn, D, Sr., Yale (9GB, 4CT in 5 games)

Quinn has clearly entered the conversation of elite defensemen in college lacrosse. He was the third defenseman taken (behind Notre Dame’s Matt Landis, who ranked No. 7 on this list, and Maryland’s Matt Dunn, who’s missed considerable time due to injury), and has helped the Bulldogs to the third-most efficient defense to this point in the season.

7. Matt Landis, D, Sr., Notre Dame (11GB, 9CT in 5 games)

Leading the nation in adjusted defensive efficiency, Landis is clearly the key to Notre Dame’s defense. He can cover all types of No. 1 attackmen — big, small, quick, strong — in spots all over the defensive zone — up top, behind and on the wing. He’s active on groundballs and in support. The Fighting Irish have gotten solid contributions from all over their roster (Mikey Wynne and Shane Doss deserve more-than-expected praise to this point), but Landis appears to be the most important piece to the nation’s No. 2 team.

6. Myles Jones, M, Sr., Duke (15G, 16A in 8 games)

Currently sitting No. 21 in DI scoring at 3.9 points per game, Jones is the first- or second-ranked midfielder in that category (depending on how you classify Jake Froccaro). The returning Tewaaraton Finalist took some criticism after posting just one assist in Duke’s loss to Harvard and a goal and three assists in the Blue Devils’ loss to Richmond, but exploded for five goals and three assists in a dominant top 10 win over Loyola. Postgame, coach John Danowski had some poignant comments about how Jones has dealt with the pressure of being “Mr. Lacrosse,” and it appears he’s on a path back to his dominating heights.

Up Next: Nos. 5-1

5. Devin Dwyer, A, Sr., Harvard (20G, 14A in 6 games)

Known as a feed-first quarterback throughout his career in Cambridge, Dwyer’s added a goal-scoring element to help the 4-2 Crimson unveil a new wrinkle this year; his 20 goals already match the total he posted in all of 2015. Sophomore attackman Morgan Cheek has emerged as a multi-tooled threat alongside Dwyer, helping to take some pressure off the senior triggerman.

4. Dylan Donahue, A, Sr., Syracuse (10G, 15A in 5 games)

The senior attackman has led a balanced scoring output from an Orange offense that boasts five other guys averaging at least two points per game so far. To emphasize how important Donahue’s contribution has been in helping those guys get used to their roles, none of those five topped 17 points all of last season.

3. Jake Froccaro, A/M, Jr., Villanova (27G, 5A in 6 games)

Froccaro has been a revelation in his first season with the Wildcats, showing tremendous versatility as a dodger/shooter who likes to play above the goal. Coach Mike Corrado has had to decide the best way to utilize the Princeton transfer — at attack, midfield or taking face-offs — and 5-1 Villanova seems to have found a good balance using him as a high-volume goal scorer.

2. Dylan Molloy, A, Jr., Brown (15G, 18A in 5 games)

After the Bears’ coaching staff discussed it as an expressed effort heading into 2016, Molloy’s play-making has increased this season. After finishing his sophomore year with 30 assists, Molloy’s on pace for nearly 60 this season. Given that Brown’s offense hasn’t slowed down from last season’s blistering pace, that increased facilitation is a huge benefit — combined with his ability to post three goals per game.

1. Connor Cannizzaro, A, Jr., Denver (15G, 11A in 6 games)

Because he’s 11th in DI in scoring and teammate Zach Miller has two OT game-winners, there’s an aspect to this exercise that makes it hard to have him this high, but it seems foolish to put anyone else up here. Cannizzaro is clearly the leader of DI’s fourth-most efficient offense. He’s so skilled as a dodger, feeder and scorer and he’s helped ensure the Pios’ offense has remained dangerous despite a handful of graduation losses from last year’s champion team.