Football
KC Joyner, ESPN Staff Writer 15y

Getting Defensive: A good chance your D will come up big this week

In Week 11, the defense/special teams position once again proved to have just as many high-value starters as most other positions. To illustrate this point, let's start by taking a look at how many 10-plus point totals were posted in each position last week:

  • Running backs: 26

  • Wide receivers: 17

  • Quarterbacks: 16

  • Defense/special teams: 10

  • Kickers: 10

  • Tight ends: 1

Now imagine a standard 12-team, two running back/two wide receiver/one flex/one quarterback/one defense-special team/one kicker/one tight end league in which each one of these double-digit scorers actually started. What percentage of starters at each position would be at the 10-plus point mark (assuming the flex position was split with six at running back and six at wide receiver)? Here are those numbers:

  • Running backs: 86.7 percent

  • Wide receivers: 56.7 percent

  • Quarterbacks: 100 percent

  • Defense/special teams: 83.3 percent

  • Kickers: 83.3 percent

  • Tight ends: 8.3 percent

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