Previously I wrote about Who Were The Most Valuable Players Last Season, that list was created to decide who the best players were for the entire season. This list, which yields different results, was created to tell us who were the most valuable player per game last season.
This list will provide an obvious boost to players who missed games (Julio Jones, Rob Gronkowski, Josh Gordon, Arian Foster, etc.). By checking how many points each player scores above the average per week, we can find who the most valuable players are on a per game basis.
To find the value that each player provided per game last season, I first found a baseline amount to average for each position using @FantasyDouche’s Value Based Drafting Revisited. If you’d like to learn more about how I created my projections or how you can create your own, check out this Apex Insider article.
Our unbiased metric to judge the true value of each player is Points Above Average or PAA. This number allows us to judge how many fantasy points each player is scoring compared to other players at his position. PAAPG stands for Points Above Average Per Game.
Here’s the list to show the top 100 players on a per game basis last season:
Rank | Player | Points | PPG | PAAPG |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Charles, Jamaal KCC RB | 380 | 25.33 | 12.07 |
2 | Gordon, Josh CLE WR | 314.4 | 22.46 | 8.95 |
3 | Jones, Julio ATL WR | 110.7 | 22.14 | 8.63 |
4 | Johnson, Calvin DET WR | 304.2 | 21.73 | 8.22 |
5 | Forte, Matt CHI RB | 339.3 | 21.21 | 7.95 |
6 | McCoy, LeSean PHI RB | 331.6 | 20.73 | 7.47 |
7 | Manning, Peyton DEN QB | 425.98 | 26.62 | 7.37 |
8 | Graham, Jimmy NOS TE | 303.5 | 18.97 | 6.66 |
9 | Thomas, Demaryius DEN WR | 319 | 19.94 | 6.43 |
10 | Brown, Antonio PIT WR | 314.9 | 19.68 | 6.17 |
11 | Green, A.J. CIN WR | 306.6 | 19.16 | 5.65 |
12 | Marshall, Brandon CHI WR | 305.5 | 19.09 | 5.59 |
13 | Moreno, Knowshon DEN RB | 296.6 | 18.54 | 5.28 |
14 | Murray, DeMarco DAL RB | 259.4 | 18.53 | 5.27 |
15 | Gronkowski, Rob NEP TE | 122.2 | 17.46 | 5.15 |
16 | Bryant, Dez DAL WR | 293.4 | 18.34 | 4.83 |
17 | Jeffery, Alshon CHI WR | 284.6 | 17.79 | 4.28 |
18 | Cobb, Randall GBP WR | 106.1 | 17.68 | 4.17 |
19 | Bush, Reggie DET RB | 243.2 | 17.37 | 4.11 |
20 | Decker, Eric DEN WR | 280.8 | 17.55 | 4.04 |
21 | Lynch, Marshawn SEA RB | 276.3 | 17.27 | 4.01 |
22 | Brees, Drew NOS QB | 371.68 | 23.23 | 3.98 |
23 | Johnson, Andre HOU WR | 279.7 | 17.48 | 3.97 |
24 | Garcon, Pierre WAS WR | 278.5 | 17.41 | 3.90 |
25 | Peterson, Adrian MIN RB | 235.7 | 16.84 | 3.58 |
26 | Vereen, Shane NEP RB | 134.5 | 16.81 | 3.55 |
27 | Bell, Le'Veon PIT RB | 217.9 | 16.76 | 3.50 |
28 | Jackson, DeSean PHI WR | 269.4 | 16.84 | 3.33 |
29 | Thomas, Julius DEN TE | 215.8 | 15.41 | 3.10 |
30 | Nelson, Jordy GBP WR | 264.4 | 16.53 | 3.02 |
31 | Lacy, Eddie GBP RB | 243.5 | 16.23 | 2.97 |
32 | Welker, Wes DEN WR | 210.8 | 16.22 | 2.71 |
33 | Edelman, Julian NEP WR | 251.7 | 15.73 | 2.22 |
34 | Davis, Vernon SFO TE | 214 | 14.27 | 1.96 |
35 | Cameron, Jordan CLE TE | 213.7 | 14.25 | 1.94 |
36 | Johnson, Chris TEN RB | 242.2 | 15.14 | 1.88 |
37 | Boldin, Anquan SFO WR | 246 | 15.38 | 1.87 |
38 | Jackson, Vincent TBB WR | 242.4 | 15.15 | 1.64 |
39 | Jackson, Fred BUF RB | 235.3 | 14.71 | 1.45 |
40 | Gonzalez, Tony ATL TE | 218.9 | 13.68 | 1.37 |
41 | Allen, Keenan SDC WR | 222.6 | 14.84 | 1.33 |
42 | Fitzgerald, Larry ARI WR | 237.2 | 14.83 | 1.32 |
43 | Wayne, Reggie IND WR | 102.8 | 14.69 | 1.18 |
44 | Foles, Nick PHI QB | 262.14 | 20.17 | 0.91 |
45 | Woodhead, Danny SDC RB | 225.4 | 14.09 | 0.83 |
46 | Bernard, Giovani CIN RB | 223.9 | 13.99 | 0.74 |
47 | Witten, Jason DAL TE | 206.1 | 12.88 | 0.57 |
48 | Cruz, Victor NYG WR | 195.8 | 13.99 | 0.48 |
49 | Bell, Joique DET RB | 219.7 | 13.73 | 0.47 |
50 | Reed, Jordan WAS TE | 114.7 | 12.74 | 0.43 |
51 | Foster, Arian HOU RB | 108.5 | 13.56 | 0.30 |
52 | Hilton, T.Y. IND WR | 220.9 | 13.81 | 0.30 |
53 | Rodgers, Aaron GBP QB | 175.44 | 19.49 | 0.24 |
54 | Newton, Cam CAR QB | 311.66 | 19.48 | 0.22 |
55 | Dalton, Andy CIN QB | 311.14 | 19.45 | 0.19 |
56 | Thomas, Pierre NOS RB | 213.2 | 13.33 | 0.07 |
57 | Mathews, Ryan SDC RB | 211.4 | 13.21 | -0.05 |
58 | Stacy, Zac STL RB | 184.4 | 13.17 | -0.09 |
59 | Wright, Kendall TEN WR | 213.9 | 13.37 | -0.14 |
60 | Colston, Marques NOS WR | 199.3 | 13.29 | -0.22 |
61 | Olsen, Greg CAR TE | 190.6 | 11.91 | -0.40 |
62 | Rivers, Philip SDC QB | 300.42 | 18.78 | -0.48 |
63 | Stafford, Matthew DET QB | 299.9 | 18.74 | -0.51 |
64 | Luck, Andrew IND QB | 299.58 | 18.72 | -0.53 |
65 | Clay, Charles MIA TE | 188.4 | 11.78 | -0.53 |
66 | Gates, Antonio SDC TE | 186.2 | 11.64 | -0.67 |
67 | Jones-Drew, Maurice JAC RB | 188.02 | 12.54 | -0.72 |
68 | Smith, Torrey BAL WR | 203.8 | 12.74 | -0.77 |
69 | Douglas, Harry ATL WR | 202.7 | 12.67 | -0.84 |
70 | Jackson, Steven ATL RB | 148.3 | 12.36 | -0.90 |
71 | Hartline, Brian MIA WR | 201.6 | 12.60 | -0.91 |
72 | Floyd, Michael ARI WR | 201.4 | 12.59 | -0.92 |
73 | Wallace, Mike MIA WR | 199.3 | 12.46 | -1.05 |
74 | Shorts, Cecil JAC WR | 161.7 | 12.44 | -1.07 |
75 | Gore, Frank SFO RB | 193.9 | 12.12 | -1.14 |
76 | Romo, Tony DAL QB | 270.92 | 18.06 | -1.19 |
77 | Brown, Andre NYG RB | 96.5 | 12.06 | -1.20 |
78 | Rice, Ray BAL RB | 180.1 | 12.01 | -1.25 |
79 | Wilson, Russell SEA QB | 284.18 | 17.76 | -1.49 |
80 | Sproles, Darren NOS RB | 176.4 | 11.76 | -1.50 |
81 | Martin, Doug TBB RB | 70.2 | 11.70 | -1.56 |
82 | Bradford, Sam STL QB | 123.58 | 17.65 | -1.60 |
83 | Jennings, Rashad OAK RB | 174.5 | 11.63 | -1.63 |
84 | Smith, Alex KCC QB | 264.22 | 17.62 | -1.64 |
85 | Bennett, Martellus CHI TE | 169.9 | 10.62 | -1.69 |
86 | Griffin III, Robert WAS QB | 228.02 | 17.54 | -1.71 |
87 | Jones, Marvin CIN WR | 188.7 | 11.79 | -1.71 |
88 | Roethlisberger, Ben PIT QB | 279.84 | 17.49 | -1.76 |
89 | Tate, Golden SEA WR | 186.9 | 11.68 | -1.83 |
90 | Morris, Alfred WAS RB | 182.3 | 11.39 | -1.86 |
91 | Kaepernick, Colin SFO QB | 276.28 | 17.27 | -1.99 |
92 | Cooper, Riley PHI WR | 184.3 | 11.52 | -1.99 |
93 | Jennings, Greg MIN WR | 172.4 | 11.49 | -2.02 |
94 | Walker, Delanie TEN TE | 153.1 | 10.21 | -2.10 |
95 | Graham, Garrett HOU TE | 132.5 | 10.19 | -2.12 |
96 | McCown, Josh CHI QB | 137.06 | 17.13 | -2.12 |
97 | Sanders, Emmanuel PIT WR | 181.5 | 11.34 | -2.16 |
98 | Williams, DeAngelo CAR RB | 165.6 | 11.04 | -2.22 |
99 | Ellington, Andre ARI RB | 165.3 | 11.02 | -2.24 |
100 | Jones, James GBP WR | 157.7 | 11.26 | -2.24 |
A Few Observations
- Jamaal Charles provided insane value last season and has an added boost with this method because he led all running backs in scoring despite only playing 15 games.
- With Aaron Rodgers’ points per game included, Peyton Manning drops from 4th to 7th in the overall rankings. Rodgers raises the average of the quarterback’s points per game, lowering the impact of having Manning as your signal caller. I talk more about Peyton Manning’s value here.
- Let this serve as a reminder of how dominant Julio Jones is when he’s healthy. Julio was on pace for 131 receptions, 1,856 receiving yards, and 6.4 touchdowns before his season ending injury. He was scoring more fantasy points per game than any wide receiver not named Josh Gordon. Julio is a weekly difference maker that warrants an early round selection.
- If you don’t already know, I prefer Demaryius Thomas to A.J. Green by quite a bit this season. Here’s why.
- Knowshon Moreno’s 13th place finish gives owners a reason to take a good look at Montee Ball this season. The Peyton Manning effect is real.
- DeMarco Murray scored more points per game than Marshawn Lynch last season. Murray gained Scott Linehan and should be catching even more passes this season. I’d be surprised to see Lynch top 30 catches again this season.
- There’s a reason everyone is always giving Rob Gronkowski updates: he’s really good. Although he only played half of his last game, Gronk provided the 15th most value per game. He’s a special player that deserves to be a 1st round pick in fantasy when healthy. The only concern now is if he can continue to be the same player.
- With only six running backs in the top 20, one can see why I advocate for taking wide receivers early. They score the most points and provide the most value with a lower risk of injury.
- Shane Vereen is a very interesting guy in PPR leagues this year. Despite only playing eight games, he scored the 9th most fantasy points per game out of running backs. In the most recent MyFantasyLeague ADP, he’s currently the 18th back off the board. If the Patriots continue to target him frequently, he doesn’t need rushes to be a RB1 in PPR leagues.
- Andy Dalton was the 6th highest scoring quarterback on a per game basis. Asher Molk reminds you why he’s a strong candidate to regress.
- Randall Cobb is really good and I’m seeing him undervalued a bit. I’m a guy that likes tall receivers too, but there’s no doubt that Cobb is a playmaker with unbelievable hands that has arguably the league’s best passer throwing to him. Last year he was 10th in per game scoring out of wide receivers.
- Although he missed 7 games due to lingering concussion issues, Jordan Reed was very effective when healthy. His per game scoring should be even higher as he hardly played in his concussion game and finished with just one catch for 12 yards. During his other eight games, he never finished with fewer than 3 catches – and that only happened once. He’s a quality sleeper this season.