August 20, 2025
By Daniel Cohen
Championship Weekend has arrived. Let’s talk about the eight guys who could make the biggest impact this weekend.
Jeff Babbitt, Boston Glory (pictured, left)
Two-time reigning MVP Jeff Babbitt finds himself in the conversation to win the award for a third straight season after leading Boston to their first ever Championship Weekend appearance. Babbitt’s flexibility in the Boston lineup and ability to adapt his game according to his team’s needs has been invaluable. He started the season in his usual downfield cutting goal-scoring role, then shifted to D-line halfway through the season and started racking up blocks, and most recently we saw him assume reset handler duties in Boston’s most important game of the season. There’s still no comparison when it comes to his ability to get open on the goal line, particularly at the front pylon, and whenever the Boston offense finds itself in a tight, high-stall situation, Babbitt is seemingly always there as a safety valve. End of quarter situations also present an opportunity for him to impose his will on Salt Lake this Friday—the Shred are one of the more undersized teams at Championship Weekend—so expect plenty of Babbitt moments as he continues building his 2025 MVP resume.
Will Brandt, Minnesota Wind Chill
A year after winning Championship Weekend MVP in Salt Lake, Will Brandt returns to the league’s biggest stage coming off two solid playoff games against Madison and Chicago. Brandt has tossed five assists and scored four goals while completing 63-of-65 throws in the postseason thus far, as he’s continued to be the lead anchor of the Wind Chill offense; he leads the team in total yards and completions this year. Brandt’s most valuable asset is his ability to continually move the disc with creative over the top throws and reliable breaks, and we saw this skillset on full display in Salt Lake last year. While it’s been a bit of an up-and-down season for Minnesota’s QB1, Brandt played his best game of the season in the first round against Madison and clearly has an ability to play his cleanest ultimate in big moments. He’ll look to build on his five-assist, 400-plus yard performance against Atlanta back in Week 6.
Justin Burnett, Minnesota Wind Chill
Was Justin Burnett’s performance in the Central Division Championship Game enough to lock up Defensive Player of the Year? In the Wind Chill’s upset win over the Union, Burnett made multiple game-breaking plays against the guy who many believed (myself included) to be the MVP frontrunner, Chicago’s Daan De Marrée. Two weeks prior, Burnett recorded multiple blocks, including a Callahan, in Minnesota’s first round win over Madison. He’s the hottest defender in the league right now and is flying around relentlessly to get blocks, and heading into a rematch against his former team, this revenge game should be one of the main headlines of the weekend. Burnett matched up with Atlanta’s Hayden Austin-Knab in their Week 6 meeting and came away with one assist, three blocks, and Player of the Game honors. I fully expect him to wreak havoc once again in primetime.
Tobe Decraene, Boston Glory (pictured, right)
With six scores in each of his last two games, 2024 Rookie of the Year Tobe Decraene continues to be the standout performer on the Glory offense. Boston has one of the more interesting offenses at Championship Weekend; they often opt for a slower-paced, conservative style, and yet they have playmakers like Decraene that can turn it on at a moment’s notice. Undoubtedly in the MVP conversation, the second-year Belgian star enters the weekend with 73 scores in 2025, fifth most in the league, and he leads the UFA in receiving yards with 3,974. He’s a workhorse that runs his matchups for a full 48 minutes and gives this Boston offense the juice to outlast opponents, and if he can stay ahead of a fast, hungry Shred defense, Glory should be able to control the game.
Brett Hulsmeyer, Atlanta Hustle
Brett Hulsmeyer made his presence known early in the South Division Championship Game against San Diego, scoring two of Atlanta’s four first quarter goals including the buzzer beater to bring the Hustle within one to start the second. From there, the Hustle broke the Growlers three consecutive times and never trailed the rest of the game. It’s an example of the momentum-shifting impact that Hulsmeyer can have even when he’s not outright taking over offensive possessions; he remains a key piece of an offense that can beat their opponents a variety of ways, and he’s been their top receiver all season (he averages 100 more receiving yards per game than the next closest player on the team). While he hasn’t tallied more than four scores in a game since Week 4, there hasn’t been a defense, including Minnesota’s, that has really contained his ability to break free for chunk gains downfield. He’ll have to limit turnovers to maximize his impact, but if he can play a clean game in the semis, Atlanta could find themselves in their first title game.
Jordan Kerr, Salt Lake Shred
Most assists on the team (47), highest plus/minus (+54), and one of two Shred players with 2,000 throwing yards and 2,000 receiving yards this year, we probably haven’t talked enough about how consistent Jordan Kerr has been in 2025. It’s been a bounceback year after a hand injury derailed his 2024 season, and the way he’s expanded his deep-throwing game has been a huge asset for the Salt Lake offense; Kerr’s 14 huck completions are second most on the team and double his 2024 total of seven. Thriving as an offensive complement to the Yorgason brothers and Will Selfridge, Kerr has been playing his role to perfection as a continuation thrower in the league’s second-most efficient offense, and he’s been heating up in recent weeks with 15 assists over his last three games. He did, however, commit four turnovers against Oakland, and he’ll need to make sure he takes care of the disc against a Boston team that just doesn’t give their opponents much of a chance to dig themselves out of holes. The Shred rank second in scores per game, while Glory rank second in scores against per game, so it’s going to be a must-watch clash of styles when Kerr takes the field this Friday.
Austin Taylor, Atlanta Hustle
With Daan De Marrée and Chicago out of the playoffs, Austin Taylor is my leading MVP candidate among the remaining teams. He’s been the most consistent thrower in the league this year, and he’s played arguably just one sub-par game (Week 2 vs. Carolina, which was still a Hustle win) in 13 starts. He reached the 30 huck completion mark on the year with three more against San Diego in the South championship, and he’s completing those 40-plus yard throws at a 79 percent rate this year (league average is ~63 percent). Playing the best ultimate of his career, Taylor currently ranks second in total yards with over 7,000 and he’ll likely be the only player this year to surpass 5,000 throwing yards. He has the Hustle offense playing at optimal efficiency heading into Championship Weekend, and if they can stay patient against a Minnesota defense that has a knack for stifling good offenses, Taylor could add another massive win to his already impressive 2025 resume.
Chad Yorgason, Salt Lake Shred
Chad Yorgason reached seven scores (goals plus assists) in a game for the fifth time this season in Salt Lake’s win over Oakland two weeks ago, as he leads all Shred players with 68 scores in 2025. Yorgason’s transformation from defensive star to offensive workhorse has been a huge reason why the Shred are riding a 12-game win streak into Championship Weekend; getting the disc in Chad’s hands has made this offense 10 times more explosive than they were last year. He’s 184 throwing yards shy of becoming the sixth player to reach 3,000 throwing yards and 3,000 receiving yards in a single season, as he continually finds ways to torment his matchups downfield while taking the top off defenses with his throws—he’s completed 24 hucks this year at an 80 percent rate. As mentioned in Kerr’s section, this is going to be a fascinating stylistic matchup between Salt Lake and Boston, but if Yorgason is able to play his game against one of the toughest defenses in the league, the Shred will have the juice and confidence to take down any opponent this weekend.
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