Monte in Las Vegas yesterday asked to see numbers for a PPR format. Fair enough, it’s a popular scoring system – maybe even more popular than the standard format. So I ran those numbers for the over top 100 players of the last five years, using the regular and more complicated grading systems.
With the regular system, most commonly referred to as Value Based Drafting system, of VBD, you select a baseline player. Performers above that threshold receive credit only for points above the baseline. If, for example, you decide you can find a 130-point kicker on the waiver wire, that’s the baseline. So a kicker you think will score 140 points is “worth” 10 points (140 minus 130).
In the traditional VBD rankings below, I’ve done just that for QB, RB, WR and TE. Fantasy teams typically start twice as many RBs and WRs, so I’ve set the baseline player there at #32. That is, you look at the production of the #32 running back for each year, and subtract that production from each of the 31 running backs above him to see their net value.
The baseline is set at #16 for tight ends and quarterbacks. So to calculate the net worth of a guy like Gronkowski, you look at his big numbers, then subtract whatever production was managed by the 16th-best tight end.
Those numbers are on the left. (Actually not numbers but just the order of the players).
On the right is the order using an additional scoring system, enhanced VBD rankings. This is a different ordering system – one that I’m still working on and trying to make sense of. In this one, instead of a single baseline, you measure a player relative to all of the players below him in the group. That is, you don’t simply give Gronkowski credit for being better than tight #16, you also measure him relative the 14 tight ends between the two.
I’m still trying to make sense of this. With PPR scoring, not QBs or TE make the overall top 100. They are victims of being in the smaller, 16-player groups. In the regular scoring process (which is the one I used to rank players for the magazine), there are 13 QBs and 13 TEs in the top 100. For now, I think the traditional VBD system is the more reliable of the two.
| OVERALL TOP 100 PLAYERS (PPR) 2011-15 | |
|---|---|
| Traditional VBD scoring | Enhanced VBD scoring |
| '14 RB LeVeon Bell, Pitt. | '14 WR Antonio Brown, Pitt. |
| '11 RB Ray Rice, Balt. | '15 WR Antonio Brown, Pitt. |
| '13 RB Jamaal Charles, K.C. | '13 RB Jamaal Charles, K.C. |
| '14 RB DeMarco Murray, Dall. | '11 RB Ray Rice, Balt. |
| '14 RB Matt Forte, Chi. | '11 WR Calvin Johnson, Det. |
| '12 RB Adrian Peterson, Minn. | '15 WR Julio Jones, Atl. |
| '14 WR Antonio Brown, Pitt. | '14 RB LeVeon Bell, Pitt. |
| '15 WR Antonio Brown, Pitt. | '14 RB DeMarco Murray, Dall. |
| '11 • QB Drew Brees, N.O. | '12 WR Calvin Johnson, Det. |
| '13 RB Matt Forte, Chi. | '12 RB Adrian Peterson, Minn. |
| '15 WR Julio Jones, Atl. | '15 RB Devonta Freeman, Atl. |
| '11 •• TE Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | '11 WR Wes Welker, N.E. |
| '13 • QB Peyton Manning, Den. | '14 WR Demaryius Thomas, Den. |
| '11 RB LeSean McCoy, Phil. | '13 RB Matt Forte, Chi. |
| '11 WR Calvin Johnson, Det. | '14 RB Matt Forte, Chi. |
| '11 • QB Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | '15 WR Brandon Marshall, NYJ |
| '13 RB LeSean McCoy, Phil. | '12 WR Brandon Marshall, Chi. |
| '12 RB Doug Martin, T.B. | '11 RB LeSean McCoy, Phil. |
| '14 RB Marshawn Lynch, Sea. | '13 RB LeSean McCoy, Phil. |
| '15 RB Devonta Freeman, Atl. | '14 WR Jordy Nelson, G.B. |
| '11 • QB Tom Brady, N.E. | '13 WR Demaryius Thomas, Den. |
| '11 • QB Cam Newton, Car. | '15 WR DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. |
| '13 •• TE Jimmy Graham, N.O. | '13 WR Josh Gordon, Clev. |
| '12 RB Arian Foster, Hou. | '12 RB Doug Martin, T.B. |
| '12 WR Calvin Johnson, Det. | '13 WR Antonio Brown, Pitt. |
| '11 RB Arian Foster, Hou. | '14 WR Dez Bryant, Dall. |
| '11 RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Jac. | '11 RB Arian Foster, Hou. |
| '11 WR Wes Welker, N.E. | '15 WR Odell Beckham Jr., NYG |
| '14 WR Demaryius Thomas, Den. | '12 WR Dez Bryant, Dall. |
| '15 WR Brandon Marshall, NYJ | '12 RB Arian Foster, Hou. |
| '12 WR Brandon Marshall, Chi. | '11 RB Maurice Jones-Drew, Jac. |
| '11 • QB Matthew Stafford, Det. | '14 RB Marshawn Lynch, Sea. |
| '11 •• TE Jimmy Graham, N.O. | '11 WR Victor Cruz, NYG |
| '12 RB Ray Rice, Balt. | '13 WR A.J. Green, Cin. |
| '14 RB Arian Foster, Hou. | '12 WR A.J. Green, Cin. |
| '13 RB Knowshon Moreno, Den. | '13 RB Knowshon Moreno, Den. |
| '14 RB Eddie Lacy, G.B. | '14 WR Emmanuel Sanders, Den. |
| '15 WR DeAndre Hopkins, Hou. | '13 WR Brandon Marshall, Chi. |
| '14 WR Jordy Nelson, G.B. | '15 RB Adrian Peterson, Minn. |
| '12 RB Marshawn Lynch, Sea. | '11 WR Jordy Nelson, G.B. |
| '13 WR Demaryius Thomas, Den. | '15 WR Allen Robinson, Jac. |
| '11 RB Darren Sproles, N.O. | '12 WR Demaryius Thomas, Den. |
| '12 • QB Drew Brees, N.O. | '13 WR Calvin Johnson, Det. |
| '15 WR Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | '14 WR Julio Jones, Atl. |
| '15 • QB Cam Newton, Car. | '12 WR Andre Johnson, Hou. |
| '14 WR Dez Bryant, Dall. | '14 WR Randall Cobb, G.B. |
| '13 WR Josh Gordon, Clev. | '11 WR Roddy White, Atl. |
| '13 WR Antonio Brown, Pitt. | '12 RB Ray Rice, Balt. |
| '14 •• TE Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | '13 RB Marshawn Lynch, Sea. |
| '13 • QB Drew Brees, N.O. | '14 WR Odell Beckham Jr., NYG |
| '14 • QB Andrew Luck, Ind. | '13 WR Dez Bryant, Dall. |
| '13 RB Marshawn Lynch, Sea. | '11 RB Darren Sproles, N.O. |
| '15 •• TE Rob Gronkowski, N.E. | '12 WR Wes Welker, N.E. |
| '12 RB C.J. Spiller, Buff. | '14 RB Arian Foster, Hou. |
| '14 RB Jamaal Charles, K.C. | '11 WR Percy Harvin, Minn. |
| '12 WR Dez Bryant, Dall. | '15 WR Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. |
| '13 WR A.J. Green, Cin. | '14 RB Eddie Lacy, G.B. |
| '12 WR A.J. Green, Cin. | '15 RB Danny Woodhead, S.D. |
| '12 RB Alfred Morris, Wash. | '12 RB Marshawn Lynch, Sea. |
| '13 WR Brandon Marshall, Chi. | '11 WR Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. |
| '13 WR Calvin Johnson, Det. | '13 WR Alshon Jeffery, Chi. |
| '15 RB Adrian Peterson, Minn. | '15 RB Doug Martin, T.B. |
| '12 RB Trent Richardson, Clev. | '15 WR A.J. Green, Cin. |
| '15 •• TE Jordan Reed, Wash. | '11 WR Steve Smith Sr., Car. |
| '12 WR Demaryius Thomas, Den. | '13 RB DeMarco Murray, Dall. |
| '14 WR Emmanuel Sanders, Den. | '14 WR Jeremy Maclin, Phil. |
| '12 WR Andre Johnson, Hou. | '13 WR Eric Decker, Den. |
| '15 WR Allen Robinson, Jac. | '12 WR Reggie Wayne, Ind. |
| '14 RB Justin Forsett, Balt. | '12 RB C.J. Spiller, Buff. |
| '14 WR Julio Jones, Atl. | '15 WR Jarvis Landry, Mia. |
| '11 WR Victor Cruz, NYG | '15 RB DeAngelo Williams, Pitt. |
| '14 WR Randall Cobb, G.B. | '14 RB Jamaal Charles, K.C. |
| '12 WR Wes Welker, N.E. | '13 WR Andre Johnson, Hou. |
| '14 WR Odell Beckham Jr., NYG | '12 WR Eric Decker, Den. |
| '15 •• TE Delanie Walker, Tenn. | '12 RB Alfred Morris, Wash. |
| '13 WR Dez Bryant, Dall. | '15 RB Lamar Miller, Mia. |
| '12 RB Jamaal Charles, K.C. | '11 RB Marshawn Lynch, Sea. |
| '13 RB DeMarco Murray, Dall. | '15 WR Demaryius Thomas, Den. |
| '15 •• TE Gary Barnidge, Clev. | '13 WR Pierre Garcon, Wash. |
| '12 • QB Aaron Rodgers, G.B. | '13 RB Reggie Bush, Det. |
| '11 WR Jordy Nelson, G.B. | '12 WR Roddy White, Atl. |
| '11 RB Marshawn Lynch, Sea. | '12 RB Trent Richardson, Clev. |
| '13 WR Alshon Jeffery, Chi. | '14 WR Alshon Jeffery, Chi. |
| '12 •• TE Jimmy Graham, N.O. | '14 RB Justin Forsett, Balt. |
| '12 • QB Tom Brady, N.E. | '15 WR Doug Baldwin, Sea. |
| '11 WR Roddy White, Atl. | '11 WR Mike Wallace, Pitt. |
| '15 •• TE Greg Olsen, Car. | '13 RB Eddie Lacy, G.B. |
| '14 RB Lamar Miller, Mia. | '11 RB Ryan Mathews, S.D. |
| '12 •• TE Tony Gonzalez, Atl. | '14 WR T.Y. Hilton, Ind. |
| '13 WR Eric Decker, Den. | '12 WR Julio Jones, Atl. |
| '11 RB Ryan Mathews, S.D. | '13 WR DeSean Jackson, Phil. |
| '12 RB Frank Gore, S.F. | '13 RB Chris Johnson, Tenn. |
| '15 WR Larry Fitzgerald, Ariz. | '15 RB David Johnson, Ariz. |
| '11 • QB Eli Manning, NYG | '12 RB Jamaal Charles, K.C. |
| '13 RB Reggie Bush, Det. | '11 WR Marques Colston, N.O. |
| '14 •• TE Jimmy Graham, N.O. | '15 WR Calvin Johnson, Det. |
| '15 RB Danny Woodhead, S.D. | '14 WR Golden Tate, Det. |
| '12 •• TE Jason Witten, Dall. | '11 RB Michael Turner, Atl. |
| '13 WR Andre Johnson, Hou. | '12 WR Vincent Jackson, T.B. |
| '13 WR Pierre Garcon, Wash. | '15 RB Matt Forte, Chi. |