Week 16 MVP 23 Metrics Ranks

MVP23 Index for the Fantasy Football Playoffs Semifinals 

Time flies when you are having fun, and we have reached the Fantasy Football Playoffs. Before and during the season, I believe in using a more extensive data set than the current year to understand better what might happen next. But once the playoffs for our fake football leagues arrive, all that matters to me when comparing players is what happened this season. 

The MVP23 Index chases what matters most in fantasy football. By comparing one player to the other, you are considering starting to use this statistical tool, which has shown great success during beta testing this season. Let’s dive deep into the data and how to use it in your Fantasy Football Playoff Semifinals. 

MVP23 Index Explained

The three things that matter most in Fantasy Football are in the formula that makes up the MVP23 Index. As you might have guessed from the name, the only data that counts for this calculation are games played this season. 

The three things that matter most in Fantasy Football are consistency, considerable point game ability, and the percentage of lousy games played. If there are four or more games to compare for each player, the MVP23 Index reduces the effect of injuries when comparing players. Only players that played many snaps throughout the season are included in this report. Point-per-reception scoring rules were used with standard yardage points and 6 points for all passing touchdowns. 

MVP23 at QB

This week, I included the injured players at the QB position to show how rough this season has been at this position. Even in some teams where I started the season with excess depth, I am down to one viable QB for the semifinals. Scoring is down at the QB position this year, too. A comparison of last year’s single-season MVP Index at QB versus this season shows that last year, there were three players over 100 and 4 over 75. Nobody is over 100 this season, and only two are over 75. 

Meanwhile, the total number of players at the QB position with a positive MVP Index has not changed, showing that the top end of scoring at QB has been diminished this season. More study is needed to see if last season was abnormal and if this year is closer to normal.

MVP23 at RB 

In many best ball drafts this season I drafted Ty Chandler because I didn’t think that Alexander Mattison could hold down the job all season. It took an injury for Chandler to get a chance, but every time he has been on the field, he has looked like a more dynamic player. His MVP Index comes in at 100 points compared to just 23 for Mattison. This data is a small sample size but shows Chandler was a much better Fantasy Football points producer when he started. 

During the preseason, I made the somewhat bold prediction that Jahmyr Gibbs would be a slightly better value in Fake Football than Bijan Robinson. It wasn’t based on “Talent” but on being on a better offense. Based on comparing their MVP values after 15 weeks, Gibbs has been a much better value, especially when you compare their difference in average draft position.

MVP23 at WR

Last week was a tough start to the Fantasy Football playoffs without Tyreek Hill, Keenan Allen, and Nico Collins. This week, missing Ja’Marr Chase and the uncertainty of Michael Pittman will be enormous hurdles for many teams in the semifinals. 

Demarcus Robinson has been an excellent replacement at WR the last two weeks and, once again, could be an OK emergency play this week. Rashee Rice has been steadily climbing up the MVP Index chart since his bye week and has an MVP Index of 100. 

MVP23 at TE

The answer to the preseason question, “How many elite TEs will there be?” has been answered, and that answer is two. TJ Hockenson edges out Travis Kelce by 1% on the consistency rating tiebreaker for this week's top spot. 

Sam LaPorta will go down as the best value at the TE position in every format, with him out-distancing fellow rookie Dalton Kincaid in the VP Index this year by 56 points. Since taking over for Zach Ertz in Arizona, 

Trey McBride has become one of the most consistent TEs in fake football, rising to TE7 with a rating of 55. Rookie Tucker Craft has come on fast after the injury to fellow rookie Luke Musgrave and has been increased to TE8 at 50 points. 

Putting MVP23 Index to Work for You

This has been an exciting season of beta testing for the MVP Index. For many seasons, I have quantified each component that goes into the MVP Index, but this is the first year I developed a formula to put this data into one easy-to-use number. 

Fifteen points is a tier difference between players. An index of 75 or greater should be an automatic play since they have shown success against good defenses in the past to score such a high MVP Index. 

For players lower than 75, I have used that 15-point difference as the first step in deciding who to start. Players within 15 points get analyzed for defensive matchup advantages using the Professor’s data here on the Science of Fantasy Football. Good luck with the semifinals.