#1 Star: Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers
Alma Mater: Cal
Stats (11/22): 32/45 for 344 Yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, 108.0 QB Rating

With the Green Bay Packers going into a critical game on Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers, they got exactly what they needed from their star quarterback Aaron Rodgers to keep their playoff hopes alive. Rodgers threw a season high 45 times in the game and also completed a season high 32 of those passes to lead the Packers to a 30 – 24 victory.

Rodgers did most of his damage in the first half of the game, throwing for 274 yards and both of his touchdowns. The biggest play of the game came in the second quarter when the Packers were up 6 – 3 and Rodgers found Greg Jennings down the middle of the field for a 64-yard touchdown reception off of a nice play action fake to give the Packers a 13 – 3 lead. Later in the quarter, Rodgers hit Jordy Nelson for a seven-yard score to give the Packers a 20 – 3 lead that they would never lose.

Rodgers completed passes to seven different receivers, with all of them catching at least two balls. If Rodgers can continue to get good protection in the pocket like he did in this one, I think the Packers still have a shot at squeezing into one of the NFC Wild Card spots.

#2 Star: Brook Lopez, New Jersey Nets
Alma Mater: Stanford
Stats (11/17 – 11/21): 18.5 Pts, 10.7 Rebs, 2.0 Asts, 4.0 Blks, 41% FG Pct

For the New Jersey Nets, things can’t get much worse. They are 0-13 to start the season and have been plagued with injuries. One person they cant blame for their early season struggles is last year’s first round pick Brook Lopez.

In Lopez’s three games this week he recorded two double doubles with monster games against both the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers. Against the Knicks, Lopez scored 18 points and grabbed 12 rebounds to go along with four blocks in only 31 minutes of play in the seven point loss. Lopez was even more dominant against the Pacers, and in his 46 minutes of play he recorded 26 points, a season high 16 rebounds, and a season high five blocks as well.

Brook Lopez has continued his early career success with five double-doubles this season. I’m starting to get the feeling that Lopez will get overlooked in the eyes of most people like the St Louis Rams’ Steven Jackson for the sole purpose that he is on a bad team, but I can almost guarantee you that this won’t be the last time you see him on this list.

#3 Star: DeSean Jackson, Philidelphia Eagles
Alma Mater: Cal
Stats (11/22): 8 Receptions for 107 Yards, 1 TD, 1 Rush for 10 Yards

What a shocker here, when the Philadelphia Eagles are struggling and need a win, they always seem to get a huge night from their star wide receiver DeSean Jackson. This time with a 5-4 record going into Sunday, Jackson showcased his top notch speed on Sunday Night Football in the Eagles 24 – 20 win over the Chicago Bears.

Jackson matched a season high eight receptions in the game, proving to be more reliable then just a big play receiver who makes two to three catches a game. Jackson did however show his big play abilities as well in this one, when he burned the entire Bears secondary on a play action fake, scoring a 48-yard touchdown reception to give the Eagles a 17 – 12 lead late in the third quarter. Down 20 to 17 in the fourth, on the Eagles eventual game winning drive, Jackson made three catches for 24 yards, all for first downs.

DeSean Jackson now has touchdowns in five different games on the year and in those games the Eagles are 4-1. I don’t know if Jackson has a problem with his consistency, but when he is on, the Eagles seem to win, and they will definitely need more big games like this to stay in playoff contention.

Honorable Mentions:

Oregon State’s Steven Jackson (24 Carries for 116 Yards, 1 TD)
Cal’s Tony Gonzalez (8 Receptions for 82 Yards, 1 TD)
Cal’s Jason Kidd (8.5 Pts, 7.5 Rebs, 9.5 Asts, 3.5 Stls, 32% FG Pct)
UCLA’s Russell Westbrook (18.5 Pts, 3.5 Rebs, 6.0 Asts, 1.5 Stls, 44% FG Pct)
Washington’s Dashon Goldson (8 Tackles)