Teams are reaching the midway point this week and there have been plenty of first half surprises. If someone told you at the beginning of the season that Devonta Freeman would be leading the league in rushing yards heading into Week 8, that person would have been raked over the coals. How about that Gary Barnidge from the Cleveland Browns would have the second most yards out of any tight end and is tied for the second most receiving touchdowns across the entire league.

It’s hard to imagine things being any different watching those guys play up until this point. It’d be safe to say that every season brings surprises and often times, you can even split those unsuspecting events into two halves. To help imagine what could be in store between Weeks 8 and 17, we’ve asked the most accurate experts in the industry to give us one bold prediction with the rest of the season in mind.

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Q: Please give us one bold prediction for the remaining half of the season.

“Since returning from his four-game suspension, Martavis Bryant has racked up 182 yards and three touchdowns in two weeks, all while catching passes from Mike Vick and Landry Jones. Bryant showed improved chemistry with Ben Roethlisberger down the stretch last year, and that carried into the preseason. With Big Ben nearing a return to the lineup, the Steelers’ offense is on the verge of erupting. Antonio Brown’s value as one of fantasy’s best receivers will be restored, and Bryant will join him as a WR1 the rest of the way.”

– Justin Boone (The Score)

“The long-awaited breakout from Ladarius Green appears to be in motion. He’s been productive even in the two games that Antonio Gates played, and it looks like Gates could be out for a while with a balky knee. Even if Gates makes it back on the field, we could see more setbacks – he’s 35, after all. San Diego’s offense has to be pass-happy these days, given a terrible offensive line and a messy defense. Green has an excellent chance at being a Top 10 tight end, and for the purpose of this column, let’s say he’s a Top 5 guy the remainder of the year.”

– Scott Pianowski (Yahoo)

“Charcandrick West will post top-20 numbers the rest of the way. West’s stellar Week 7 is a sign of things to come. He received 24 of the team’s 27 running back touches, which indicates that Andy Reid isn’t interested in working Knile Davis or any other RB into the offense. West’s rest-of-season schedule is among the best at his position, including tasty matchups with the Chargers and Browns in the fantasy playoffs.”

– John Paulsen (4for4.com)

“Mike Evans will be a top-5 WR the rest of the season. Although it might not be crazy bold, it is a realistic prediction. He appears to be close to 100% finally and Tampa Bay just lost Murphy for the season and Vincent Jackson for a couple weeks. He will see a ton of targets from Winston here on out as they have a very easy schedule against pass defenses the rest of the way.”

– Sean Koerner (STATS)

“Despite the Cowboys head-faking us last week by hinting about an expanded role for Christine Michael, only to anoint Darren McFadden as their new feature back, I’ll predict that Michael becomes the lead RB in Dallas by Thanksgiving. Maybe Michael is such a knucklehead behind the scenes that he’ll never get that chance. But can he really be *that* much more of a knucklehead than Joseph Randle? This is a double wager, really — a bet on Michael’s talent, and a stack of chips on the “Don’t Pass” line with regard to McFadden.”

– Pat Fitzmaurice (The Football Girl)

“Titans rookie Marcus Mariota will outscore Carson Palmer for the remainder of the season. Arizona’s signal caller currently has the 4th most fantasy points amongst QBs. With that said, his remaining schedule is horrendous. He has two matchups against Seattle (although if you’re league doesn’t play Week 17, then just one) as well as St. Louis and Minnesota. On the flip side, Tennessee goes up against Houston twice, Jacksonville twice, New Orleans and New England. That’s the weakest schedule amongst all QBs. FINE PRINT: Mariota faces the Jets in Week 14.”

– Adrian Pereira (eDraft)

“Thomas Rawls outscores Marshawn Lynch from Week 8 on. This is obviously somewhat of a bet on Lynch being unable to stay healthy. But the purpose of the prediction is to point out that Rawls has been far more efficient than Lynch, albeit with a shorter workload. Rawls is fourth in the league in yards per carry at 5.6 while Lynch is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry. Seattle’s offensive line is top ten in adjusted line yards, so Rawls could really do damage if Lynch were to miss time.”

– Brett Talley (The Fantasy Fix)

“I would have said Todd Gurley is a top 3 RB the ROS, but that was bold three weeks ago and not now, ha. So, I will say Eddie Lacy will return to being a Top 10 RB the ROS. Lacy didn’t suddenly lose his talent. That ankle injury was rather severe, and he should have taken time off. The bye week and limited action in Week 6 will help him get back to 100 percent. That offense is still one of the best, giving Lacy plenty of scoring chances, and he was the third best RB from Weeks 4-17 last year.”

– Jake Ciely (RotoExperts)

“The fantasy football world patiently awaits demolition of the unstable QB1 house that Blake Bortles has built himself this season. Telescopes and binoculars everywhere are trained on the structure from afar as viewers anticipate ignition of fake football’s freshest dumpster fire, but the detonator is nowhere to be found. I predict the combination of Jacksonville’s mediocre defense and poor running game will force Bortles to keep chucking it. Meanwhile, a soft schedule will help him avoid truly disastrous games en route to a top-12 finish, rather than the collapse so many expect.”

– Greg Smith (The Fake Football)

“You may not be a believer yet, but Tavon Austin will continue to be and finish the year as a top 25 WR. You have every right to be hesitant, reluctant or even offended; however, the Rams have the easiest WR strength of schedule from here on out. The emergence of Todd Gurley opens things up for this offense in a tremendous way. Austin is the new Percy Harvin, except healthy and hopefully without the drama.”

– Matt De Lima (ScoutFantasy)

“Jonathan Stewart will be a top-10 running back to close out the season. Those who drafted Jonathan Stewart after his late surge last season were highly disappointed by his output at the beginning of this year. Stewart was limited to 62 rushing yards and seven standard fantasy points or fewer in each of his first four games, gaining 3.7 yards per carry or worse in three of those four contests. However, something seems to happen to Stewart during these bye weeks. He struggled last season as well until the bye before taking off. This year, he has broken that 62-yard barrier in both contests thus far. He rushed for 78 yards and two touchdowns versus an impressive Seattle ground defense in Week 6, and then followed it up with a 125-yard output Sunday night against Philadelphia. Stewart’s offensive line is playing very well, and the opposition can’t exactly key in on him with Cam Newton being a threat to take off at any time. However, the best reason to love Stewart is his schedule. Check out his opponents, beginning now until Week 16: Colts, Packers, Titans, Redskins, Cowboys, Saints, Falcons, Giants, Falcons. Save for Atlanta, every single team on that list is ranked 19th or worse in terms of yards per carry allowed to opposing running backs. That’s pretty insane, so I expect Stewart to take advantage of that and finish his 2015 campaign on a tear – just like he did last year.”

– Walter Cherepinsky (Walter Football)

“I’m not even sure how bold this is, but I predict that Andy Dalton will finish the season as a top-three fantasy quarterback. People seem to believe that the 2015 version of Dalton is an aberration and that he will soon slip back to his 2014 form, but 2014 was actually the aberration, with A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, Tyler Eifert, and Giovani Bernard all missing substantial time to injuries. In 2013, Dalton was a top-five QB as a third-year player, and he also did well as a rookie and second-year starter. Each year of his career except for 2014, Dalton has been on par with, or exceeded the expectations one would have for a QB of his experience. As long his offensive weapons stay healthy, Dalton’s career trend should hold true in 2015. ”

– Matthew Freedman (RotoViz)

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