The player who never misses vs. the player who never plays
Why TCR and PGR tell different stories about the same season
Two numbers sit side by side on every player page. TCR. PGR. One measures what you did all season. The other measures what you did when you showed up. In most cases they track together. When they diverge, they reveal something the box score hides.
What they are
PGR is Per Game Rank. It takes a player's per-game averages across nine categories—points, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks, threes, turnovers, FG impact, FT impact—converts each to a z-score against the league, and ranks the composite. It answers: how good is this player on any given night?
TCR is Total Contribution Rank. Same nine categories, but using season totals instead of averages. Benchmarked against the top 170 players by minutes. It answers: how much has this player actually contributed to your fantasy team this year?
The gap between them is where the story lives.
The case for showing up
| Games played | 75 |
| Minutes/game | 20.8 |
| Points | 9.3 |
| Rebounds | 3.8 |
| Assists | 1.3 |
| Blocks | 1.8 |
| FG% | 47.3% |
| FT% | 81.9% |
Jay Huff is not a star. 9.3 points, 3.8 boards, 1.8 blocks in 21 minutes off the bench. His per-game rank says he is the 133rd best fantasy player in the league. That's barely rosterable.
His season rank says 56th. That puts him ahead of players you actually drafted. Players you traded for. Players you talk about. The reason is the number in bold above: 75 games played. Huff shows up. Game after game after game. Those 1.8 blocks per night compound into a season-long blocks total that outpaces players with better per-game numbers who sat out 20 games.
In a fantasy season that runs six months, availability is not just the best ability. It is the entire argument.
The case for not showing up
| Games played | 28 |
| Minutes/game | 23.9 |
| Points | 17.3 |
| Rebounds | 4.9 |
| Assists | 2.6 |
| Blocks | 1.3 |
| FG% | 45.4% |
| FT% | 83.1% |
Kristaps Porziņģis has played 28 games this season. When he plays, he is the 48th best fantasy player in basketball. But he has missed more games than he has played. His season total contribution ranks him 254th. That is not a roster spot. That is a memory.
This is the trap that PGR sets for you. Porziņģis looks like a top-50 player. He plays like a top-50 player. But he plays less than half the season, and fantasy does not give credit for games you could have played.
The outliers
The most dramatic gaps reveal the season's truths. Joel Embiid: PGR 14, TCR 136. When he plays he is elite. He has played 36 games. Jimmy Butler: PGR 16, TCR 122. Anthony Davis: PGR 31, TCR 278. Paul George: PGR 37, TCR 222. Talent does not expire. But it does depreciate when it sits on the bench in a suit.
| Player | GP | PGR | TCR | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joel Embiid | 36 | 14 | 136 | −122 |
| Jimmy Butler III | 38 | 16 | 122 | −106 |
| Anthony Davis | 20 | 31 | 278 | −247 |
| Paul George | 30 | 37 | 222 | −185 |
| Jay Huff | 75 | 133 | 56 | +77 |
| Nickeil Alexander-Walker | 73 | 24 | 13 | +11 |
| Mikal Bridges | 75 | 35 | 15 | +20 |
| Desmond Bane | 74 | 28 | 17 | +11 |
The bottom half of that table is the longevity argument. Mikal Bridges at PGR 35 is not exciting. At TCR 15 he is one of the most valuable fantasy assets in basketball, because he played 75 games and his contributions compounded quietly over six months.
What to do with this
If you play weekly head-to-head, PGR matters more on any given matchup. But if you are building a roster for the long season—or trading mid-year—TCR is the number that tells the truth. A player who gives you 80% of the value for 95% of the games will outscore a player who gives you 100% of the value for 40% of the games.
You can explore both ranks on the Players page, sorted and filtered however you like. The gap between the two columns is the season's real story.