We have gotten to the virtual halfway point in the season. When you get to these landmarks it is always a good time to look back and forward at the same time. So, we are ranking the position players according to total points. Total points is the preferred platform for daily fantasy players. DFS has become a multi-billion dollar industry. Since each platform has its own formula we are utilizing our own formula for the rankings here.

Total points has numerous advantages over the traditional five and six category leagues. The primary advantage is that it includes everything a hitter does so that it more accurately pinpoints a player’s value. It rewards them for everything they do well and penalizes them for negative events. Secondly, it keeps everything in proper perspective. Some people end up chasing steals for hitters or wins for pitchers, but total points keeps everything in their proper context. So, you are forced to pick more balanced players. (Statistics through June 27)

TB+Runs+RBI+SB+BB+HBP-SO-CS-GIDP= Total Points

Freddie Freeman– Atlanta Braves

Games: 81 

Points: 290

PPG: 3.58

Total points are an interesting hybrid between uber statistics like WAR and the standard five category ones. It takes some synergy to get a ton of runs and RBI and the Braves have that with one of the deeper lineups in the NL Freeman has never had a ton of black ink, but he is always amongst the league leaders in all of the major categories. Being good at everything means you are great overall.

Josh Bell– Pittsburgh Pirates

Games: 78

Points: 287

PPG: 3.68

Sometimes the uberprospects remove some of the fun of delayed gratification. It’s like turning the cereal box upside down to dig out the prize. Bell has always been good. He consistently produced OPS+ marks around 110 in his first three seasons. The power just wasn’t there. This is where total bases come into play. He leads the league in doubles in addition to his 22 home runs. Total points gives you the whole package.

Carlos Santana–Cleveland Indians

Games: 79

Points: 254

PPG: 3.22

Santana has hit north of .260 exactly once in a full season. He’s hitting .290 as of this writing. Add in the walks and you can see why he is such an offensive force. Of course, that doesn’t benefit you in five category leagues, but it does benefit you in total points. He is one of a handful of guys to have more walks than strikeouts. It’s really too bad that he and Francisco Lindor seem to be going it alone in Cleveland.

Anthony Rizzo–Chicago Cubs

Games: 77

Points: 252

PPG: 3.27

Rizzo got off to a seemingly customary slow start, but here he is in the top five. He balances solid contact with patience and a penchant for getting hit. He doesn’t have more walks than strikeouts, but when you include the HBP he comes pretty close. Plus, he throws in a little speed for good measure.

Peter Alonso–New York Mets

Games: 81

Points: 248

PPG: 3.06

The poor Mets can’t seem to get out of their own way. Normally, if you added a player like Alonso to a core that included Robinson Cano, Yoenis Cespedes, Wilson Ramos, Michael Conforto, and Jed Lowrie you figure that you’d be in really good shape. Cano has been a dud, Cespedes and Lowrie haven’t played a single game, and the other two have been up and down. It makes what Alonso is doing that much more remarkable.

Edwin Encarnacion– New York Yankees

Games: 74

Points: 233

PPG: 3.15

Sometimes it’s hard to reconcile the difference between traditional numbers and the new value numbers. Encarnacion has driven in 104 or more runs in six out of the last seven seasons and is on pace to do it again. He’s had one season with five or more bWAR in that same stretch. A lot of it is virtually zero defensive value, but who cares about that in fantasy sports?

Max Muncy–Los Angeles Dodgers

Games: 80

Points: 225

PPG: 2.81

This is one of those cases where we have to define our rules. Muncy is eligible at second base and third base. He definitely brings more value at those spots, but he’s played more games at first base. We can make ourselves silly with multi-position guys. We put them where they have played more often and simply note that they are eligible in multiple spots.

Rhys Hoskins– Philadelphia Phillies

Games: 80

Points: 219

PPG: 2.74

Much like Encarnacion, he brings virtually nothing to the table in terms of defensive value. He just includes 30+ home run power and leads the league in walks. He’s not the guy that tore of the league in the last two months of 2017, but he is a steady performer that is a credit to any fantasy team.

Daniel Vogelbach– Seattle Mariners

Games: 76 

Points: 208

PPG: 2.74

I might be a masachist, but I actually enjyed a part of the rebuild in Houston. It’s fun to see which players will stick and which players won’t. It’s going to be painful for awhile in Seattle, but there is enough there to keep things interesting. Vogelbach’s development is one of those interesting side stories that keep’s the fanbase engaged. With both Jay Bruce and Encarnacion shipped out, he can play everyday without having to worry.

Luke Voit– New York Yankees

Games: 77

Points: 196

PPG: 2.55

People are frequently convinced that the Yankees bought all of their championships, but arguably their two most effective offensive performers (Voit and D.J. LeMahieu) were unheralded coming into their Yankee careers. Add in Gary Sanchez and Gleyber Torres from their own system and you can see the high paid studs aren’t the ones carrying the load.

C.J. Cron– Minnesota Twins

Games: 72

Points: 193

PPG: 2.68

Cron is a flawed player. Coming into the season he had a horrible strikeout to walk ratio. Give him some credit for cutting down on the strikeouts and building the walk rate up a tad. More importantly, he is in an offense where he doesn’t have to be the man. He is just one of many talented power hitters in that lineup in Minnesota. They did a good job of nabbing solid young hitters for low cost.

Jose Abreu–Chicago White Sox

Games: 78

Points: 189

PPG: 2.42

The White Sox are at a crossroads and Abreu owners hang in the balance. Do they give him a longterm deal or do they deal him at the deadline for more prospects? If he stays he will continue to be a good, but not great fantasy player. The White Sox are just not quite good enough yet to propel him into the upper tier. Truth be told he isn’t either. However, if he moved to a contender that had more firepower he could resemble one of those top tier guys for a few months.

Check out the debate over the Hall of Fame and other commentary at my other site http://halloffameindex.com