Position-by-Position Stats

This week's column determines which positions (PG, SG, SF, PF or C) are or aren't likely sources of the statistics that fantasy owners care about. It goes without saying that assists are concentrated among point guards, for example, but are shooting guards and small forwards reliable sources of assists? How do power forwards compare to centers in rebounds and blocks?

The overarching results, including a ‘plus-performer’ percentile which I’ll explain later, still only tell part of the story. I'll also be listing outliers -- players, like Patrick Beverley (low assists) or Paul Millsap (high steals) who don't fit easily into a one-size-fits-all analysis. The numbers below are drawn from the top-150 players (9-cat).

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Points

The first table displays each position's averages for the category in question, in this case points per game:

The second table displays the percentage of players in each position who are "plus contributors" in the category. For instance, of the 60 players eligible at SG, 46.7% of them have yielded a positive return in points per game. That contrasts sharply with the 35.9% of centers who are plus contributors, making centers scarcer even before you consider that there are fewer center-eligible players available to begin with:

Outliers (high): Durant, LeBron, PG-13, DeMarcus Cousins, Steph, Harden, DeRozan, etc.

Outliers (low): Taj Gibson, Gorgui Dieng, Amir Johnson, Nikola Jokic, Tim Duncan, Andrew Bogut, Roy Hibbert, P.J. Tucker, Thabo Sefolosha, Andre Iguodala

Certain players are statistical freaks who could appear on nearly every one of these 'outlier' lists...LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green foremost among them. I've left such players off a few lists but kept them on others, if only to emphasize how unique they are.

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3-pointers

Outliers (high): Ryan Anderson, Robert Covington, Kevin Durant, Chris Bosh, Kelly Olynyk, DeMarcus, Kristaps Porzingis...and the Splash Brothers

Outliers (low): Michael Carter-Williams, Tony Parker, Ish Smith, Rajon Rondo, Ricky Rubio, Dwyane Wade, Giannis Antetokounmpo, DeMar DeRozan, Jabari Parker, Thaddeus Young

Rebounds

Outliers (high): Russell Westbrook, Rajon Rondo, Will Barton, Draymond Green, Thaddeus Young

Outliers (low): Kelly Olynyk, Nikola Jokic, Jabari Parker, Harrison Barnes, J.J. Redick, Eric Gordon, Darren Collison, J.R. Smith, Evan Fournier

Assists

Outliers (high): Draymond, Blake Griffin, Carmelo, Millsap, LeBron, Batum, Marc Gasol, James Harden, Tyreke Evans, Pau Gasol

Outliers (low): Jeremy Lin, Lou Williams, Patrick Beverley, Jordan Clarkson, C.J. Miles, Allen Crabbe, Jeremy Lamb, Hassan Whiteside (14 assists this season, 20 in his entire career).

Steals

Outliers (high): Paul Millsap, Nerlens Noel, Robert Covington, Thaddeus Young, Derrick Favors, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard, Jae Crowder,

Outliers (low): Klay Thompson, Arron Afflalo, J.J. Redick, Marvin Williams, Danilo Gallinari, Robin Lopez, Enes Kanter

Blocks

Outliers (high): John Wall, Michael Carter-Williams, Jeremy Lin, Draymond Green, Kevin Durant, Hassan/AD/Ibaka,

Outliers (low): Zach Randolph, Jabari Parker, Thaddeus Young, Ryan Anderson, Enes Kanter, Zaza Pachulia, Evan Fournier, Jared Dudley, Marcus Morris

Turnovers

Outliers (high): Paul George, DeMarcus Cousins, Nerlens Noel

Outliers (low): Jose Calderon, Patrick Beverley, Marcus Smart, Mike Conley, George Hill, T.J. Warren, Marvin Williams, J.R. Smith, Al Jefferson, Cody Zeller

Send me a message on Twitter (@Knaus_RW) if you have any questions or insights…and check back next week for another installment of the ‘Numbers Game’. Good luck this week!