NBA Tool Analysis: Defense vs. Position
Hello Grinders!
We are going to use that information to take a look at the Defense versus Position tool and how it can help you find which players to target. This is one of my favorite tools, regardless of whether we’re talking about free or paid incentives. You can use this tool to see the actual amount of fantasy points a team gives up to a specific position. Like most of our tools, it includes some easy-on-the-eyes color-coding.
Blue represent the best matchups, followed by green, yellow and then red as the worst.
For this example, we will just be using the Season tab, but as the year goes on, the 3 Weeks, Last Week and Yesterday tabs will all be useful. The view that is most helpful to me is the Allowed Per Game option. This gives us a numerical value on how many fantasy points a particular team is giving up per position – it helps to give you an idea of how teams might structure their gameplan for that night.
There are actually four games on the schedule tonight, which is a pleasant surprise. I’ll be using the tool to highlight some matchups that you want to take advantage of and some that you might want to avoid.
I’ll waste no time and go right after the Philadelphia 76ers and their inept defensive schemes. As you can see from the image above, the Sixers are allowing a league-worst 61.23 FanDuel points to the shooting guard position. The 61.23 are the most allowed per position by any team. Now, remember this is for that position as a whole, not just the starter – with that said, please don’t look at this and expect a 60-burger from Monta Ellis tonight, but a 35-40 point night is certainly in his range. Ellis has elite-level upside but isn’t priced as such. I discussed our Vegas Lines tool last week, and tying that into this article, we will also see that this game is the highest total of the night. You can safely put Ellis in cash games and tournaments.
Staying at the shooting guard position, I was shocked when I scrolled down and saw the Kings sitting at the bottom of the chart. They are currently allowing a league-best 27.21 FPTS/game.
That stat is telling me that Ben McLemore might finally be starting to figure out how to use his extreme athleticism on the defensive end. It could also be early-season variance, as the Kings were terrible versus the shooting guard position last year. Regardless, this chart is going to make me think twice and do a little more research on whether or not to roster Courtney Lee tonight. That’s why we use these tools.
Next up is the point guard position, and I’ll be sticking with that same Grizzlies/Kings game. The data is telling us that the Kings are allowing a league-worst 56.71 FPTS to opposing point guards.
Apparently, Darren Collison decided to pick up right where Isaiah Thomas left off last year. This puts Mike Conley firmly in play for me, as the Grizzlies will also be playing up in pace. That means a few more offensive touches for Memphis tonight. Conley has also posted at least 30 FanDuel points in three of his last four games.
I received another surprise when I looked at the bottom of the point guard chart. Who did I see? That’s right folks, the 76ers! Despite being one of the worst defensive teams in the league and allowing a league worst 211.13 FPTS/game, they still rank in the top three versus point guards. Their 33.69 FPTS allowed per game trails only Washington and Detroit.
Jameer Nelson has been off of my radar all season, as Ellis has been the facilitator in that offense, but now he is definitely off of my list tonight. Maybe Tony Wroten is wearing opposing point guards down with his attack-mode style of play?
The last position that I’ll take a look at today is the center position. Andrew Bogut has been an elite defender since the day he stepped on to a NBA court. That hasn’t changed, as he is helping the Warriors rank in the top three versus the center position. They are currently allowing only 29.02 FPTS to opposing centers.
I have never been a huge fan of Brook Lopez because he is so reliant on scoring, but now I really don’t like him tonight. He is going to have a tough time doing the one thing that he does well: score the basketball. Lopez has also been bumping heads with the new head coach. Lionel Hollins is a defensive-minded coach and Lopez seems to be allergic to defense at this point in the season.
The center that you’ll want to target tonight is Joakim Noah. The Raptors rank in the bottom three versus centers so far this season by allowing 48.16 FPTS/game. Jonas Valanciunas is a solid NBA big man, but he is just too slow and methodical to keep up with elite NBA centers.
Noah has now played three games since returning from illness. He has also posted at least 34 FanDuel points his the last two matchups. Look for him to approach the 40-plus point level tonight, a number you’ll need him to get close to reach value on his $8,100 price tag.
Well, there you have it. That’s how I use the Defense versus Position tool to aid my research process. Hopefully this information helps you tonight and going forward.
Check back next week as I highlight another free RG research tool. Feel free to leave a comment or reach out to me on twitter, @Socky21.