Each week I’ll be using data from PFF and around the web to give some insight into IDP fantasy football, and how using these metrics can lead to finding undervalued players, potential breakouts and sleepers.
Perhaps the most frustrating of IDP positions is defensive end. Without exception, no matter how good a player a pass-rushing end is, there is always the chance they can record a zero. Take for example the position-redefining J.J. Watt who scored zilch in Week 2, or the early season woes of last year’s No.1 fantasy end, Robert Quinn. Clearly, no-one is immune to a poor fantasy day. If you’re uncomfortable with the sometimes rocky ride given by defensive end scoring, even when a premier talent, you might be better served taking a matchup based approach for picking your weekly starters, and waiting on defensive end talent on draft day.
Finding Pressure Points
Studying points against data for your matchups is a well-established fantasy strategy, and it works no differently when playing in IDP leagues. Fantasy sites generally speaking do offer this data, but it can sometimes be hard to find. For those of you playing on MFL (which I highly recommend for the hardcore players among you out there looking for a deep, highly customizable experience) you need to navigate to Reports > League > Points Allowed – By Position, and here you can see this broken down by each position for total points allowed, and average points allowed per game. This data can be invaluable when making a tough call between two similarly ranked players on a late Sunday morning.
Taking a look at this data for the best defensive end matchups in 2014 through the first eight weeks of the season using the PFF IDP scoring system, the data looks as follows:
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Ross Miles is a Lead Writer for Pro Football Focus Fantasy. Follow him on Twitter – @RossMilesNFL Need more specific advice, start/sit help or expert opinions on trades? Let us know on Facebook by joining the conversation
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