This week, I’m breaking down scores for defenders to see whether center backs or fullbacks have been more effective through six weeks of the MLS season. For starters, let’s take a look at the top defenders, based on how many points they’ve earned per team game:
| Top 20 Defenders - Points per Team Games Played | |||||||
| Player | Team | CB/FB | Price | Pts | GP | Pts/GP | Pts/GP/$ |
| Ike Opara | KC | CB | $7.3m | 46 | 6 | 7.67 | 1.05 |
| Jamison Olave | RSL | CB | $8.4m | 38 | 5 | 7.60 | .90 |
| Omar Gonzalez | LA | CB | $9.4m | 41 | 6 | 6.83 | .73 |
| Damien Perrinelle | NY | CB | $6.7m | 25 | 4 | 6.25 | .93 |
| Zach Loyd | DAL | CB | $7.7m | 35 | 6 | 5.83 | .76 |
| Matt Besler | KC | CB | $9.0m | 35 | 6 | 5.83 | .65 |
| Bobby Boswell | DC | CB | $9.1m | 28 | 5 | 5.60 | .62 |
| DaMarcus Beasley | HOU | FB | $7.2m | 33 | 6 | 5.50 | .76 |
| Jason Hernandez | NYC | CB | $6.6m | 27 | 5 | 5.40 | .82 |
| Michael Harrington | COL | FB | $5.4m | 26 | 5 | 5.20 | .96 |
| Sean Franklin | DC | FB | $8.0m | 26 | 5 | 5.20 | .65 |
| Brad Evans | SEA | CB | $7.5m | 26 | 5 | 5.20 | .69 |
| David Horst | HOU | CB | $8.2m | 31 | 6 | 5.17 | .63 |
| Andrew Farrell | NE | CB | $8.0m | 31 | 6 | 5.17 | .63 |
| Kendall Waston | VAN | CB | $8.7m | 36 | 7 | 5.14 | .59 |
| Hernan Grana | CLB | FB | $6.6m | 25 | 5 | 5.00 | .76 |
| Tyrone Mears | SEA | FB | $6.9m | 25 | 5 | 5.00 | .72 |
| Jeff Larentowicz | CHI | CB | $7.5m | 24 | 5 | 4.80 | .64 |
| Chad Marshall | SEA | CB | $8.6m | 24 | 5 | 4.80 | .56 |
| Steven Beitashour | VAN | FB | $7.5m | 33 | 7 | 4.71 | .63 |
Using the games played by the team, rather than the games played by each individual player, helps take into account how often the player is a starter and how many points you’d expect for that player if you were forced to play him in your starting team for multiple weeks.
Ike Opara is no surprise at the top of the list, but what may be a bit of a surprise is that 70 percent of the top 20 are center backs. The highest scoring fullbacks, DaMarcus Beasley and Steven Beitashour, have six center backs ahead of them for total points.
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I’ve also included points-per-game-played per dollar, which gives us some insight as to who’s provided the most bang for the buck this season. Even at a hefty $8.4m price tag, Jamison Olave is at the top of list, producing almost one point per dollar spent.
Aside from Opara -- who sadly will be out with a ruptured Achilles tendon for several months -- only two defenders can match that level of value: Damien Perrinelle (NY, $6.7m) and Michael Harrington (COL, $5.4m). Jason Hernandez (NYC, $6.6m) is definitely worth looking at, especially considering NYCFC have a double-game week this round.
| Center back/Fullback Comparison - RSL, POR, NY, VAN, NYC | |||||||
| Player | Team | CB/FB | Price | Pts | Mins. | Pts/90 | Pts/90/$ |
| Jamison Olave | RSL | CB | 8.4 | 38 | 450 | 7.60 | .90 |
| Tony Beltran | RSL | FB | 6.9 | 23 | 450 | 4.60 | .67 |
| Nat Borchers | POR | CB | 7.8 | 26 | 540 | 4.33 | .56 |
| Alvas Powell | POR | FB | 6.8 | 23 | 540 | 3.83 | .56 |
| Damien Perrinelle | NY | CB | 6.7 | 25 | 360 | 6.25 | .93 |
| Chris Duvall | NY | FB | 6.2 | 13 | 360 | 3.25 | .52 |
| Kendall Waston | VAN | CB | 8.7 | 36 | 630 | 5.14 | .59 |
| Steven Beitashour | VAN | FB | 7.5 | 33 | 630 | 4.71 | .63 |
| Jason Hernandez | NYC | CB | 6.6 | 27 | 450 | 5.40 | .82 |
| Jeb Brovsky | NYC | FB | 6.5 | 22 | 450 | 4.40 | .68 |
To try and get a better apples-to-apples comparison, I picked out five pairs of defenders in which each plays for the same back line and each has played the same number of minutes.
Looking at the top center back versus the top fullback for each team, the center backs have all earned more points than their wide counterparts. Beitashour is a slightly better value than Kendall Waston for Vancouver, but on the whole, center backs have been the better pick.
