The Bengals have struggled against tight ends, making Jared Cook a top fantasy option this weekend…
“Cook caught 7 of 10 targets for 116 yards on Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers giving him two straight games with at least 100 yards receiving. Plus, this week’s opponent, the Cincinnati Bengals, allows a robust 113.7 passer rating this season to opposing quarterbacks targeting tight ends in coverage per TruMedia; the league average is 98.6.”
Full article: The Washington Post
Read MoreTruMedia Networks’ Paul Carr contributed to Caitlin Murray’s piece for The Athletic, on why the Portland Timbers have been big underdogs according to predictive models, and how they’ve been able to beat those odds.
“Two things models often struggle with are how two teams’ styles match up, and adjustments that might be made on a given day,” Carr says. “Portland has done well at both these things in the playoffs, by clogging the middle against SKC and by pressing higher against Seattle, among other ways. Plus there’s the eternal randomness of playoffs, like Blanco’s wonder strike.”
Full article: The Athletic
Read MoreBaltimore’s strong secondary is a reason to pick the Ravens to win the AFC North, writes Neil Greenberg in The Washington Post:
“The Ravens secondary, in particular, has been strong. Marlon Humphrey, Eric Weddle, Anthony Levine Sr. and Tony Jefferson have helped hold opposing quarterbacks to an 83.4 passer rating against, the second-best mark in the NFL this year, with offenses scoring almost two points per game fewer than expected on pass attempts, per TruMedia. Linebacker Za’Darius Smith has been a force as well: 6.5 sacks, 44 total pressures and 16 stops at or behind the line of scrimmage in 2018.”
Full article: The Washington Post
Read MoreThe Packers are the best eliminator pick in Week 13, says The Washington Post, in part because of the Cardinals offensive struggles…
“According to TruMedia, Arizona is scoring 13 points fewer per game than expected based on the down, distance and field position of each offensive play. Only the Buffalo Bills (15 fewer per game) are worse in 2018 and only six teams are worse since 2002, the first year the league played with 32 teams.”
Full article: The Washington Post
Read MoreThe Washington Post picks the Colts to cover (-4) against the Jaguars, in part because of Jacksonville’s defensive regression…
“There was a time when the Jaguars defense was something to be feared. Not anymore. The team is giving up almost four more points per game on passes than expected based on the down, distance and field position of each throw, per TruMedia, and will have its hands full with quarterback Andrew Luck, who has been on fire during the Colts’ five-game win streak.”
Full article: The Washington Post
Read MoreThe Washington Post’s Neil Greenberg recommends Case Keenum as a fantasy starter this week, in part because of the Bengals defensive struggles:
“The Bengals are also allowing eights more points per game than expected on passing plays based on the down, distance and field position of each throw against. Per data from TruMedia, only the Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons are worse in 2018.”
Full article: The Washington Post
Read MoreThe Washington Post’s Neil Greenberg says it’s time to stop sleeping on the Chargers, in part because they have their best defense in years.
“Its work at disrupting the pass has the Chargers defense allowing 5.3 points per 100 snaps fewer than expected after taking into account the down, distance and field position of each play, the sixth-best mark this season and the best performance to date of any eventual Chargers playoff team over the past 14 years, per data from TruMedia.”
Full article: The Washington Post
Read MoreFor Sports Illustrated, our Paul Carr analyzes the four MLS conference finalists and their vastly different playing styles.
Measuring playing style by where a team begins possession and how long a team maintains possession, the quartet could not have been much more different this season.
New York and Sporting Kansas City began the most possessions in the attacking third. Sporting Kansas City and Atlanta had longer possessions than any other teams. Atlanta and Portland rarely gained possession in the attacking third. Portland and (especially) New York had some of the shortest average possessions in the league.
Full article: Sports Illustrated
Read MoreIn his Week 9 picks, The Washington Post’s Neil Greenberg takes the Redskins to cover against the Falcons, in part because Atlanta’s defensive issues.
“Atlanta is allowing 12 more points per game than expected after taking into account the down, distance and field position of each defensive play, per TruMedia. The Oakland Raiders are the next worst team with eight points allowed more per game than expected.”
Full article: Washington Post
Read MoreESPN’s Cameron Wolfe wonders how long the Dolphins can wait on Ryan Tannehill.
“The numbers bear out his yo-yo résumé. Tannehill is 40-42 as a starter. He has made the playoffs once -- in 2016, when he was injured in December, and Matt Moore steered the ship to shore. Since Tannehill was drafted in 2012, he ranks 19th among NFL quarterbacks in completion percentage, 25th in passer rating, 26th in touchdown-to-interception ratio, 28th in yards per attempt, 30th in Total QBR and 36th in QB win percentage, according to TruMedia.”
Full article: ESPN.com
Read MoreTruMedia’s Dean Oliver talks to ABC News about HomeCourt, an iPhone app that analyzes jump shots.
“The concept that consumers can do large-scale data collection is one that is important in the AI/computer vision world. Doing this beyond [a] basic fitness app is something whose time has come.
But note that it is just 'data' collection, not analysis, not instruction. It uses complex analysis to collect data for users, but will it really make players better? That's to be determined. But getting consumers the data is a big step towards those applications."
Full article: ABC News
Read MoreESPN’s Cameron Wolfe uses TruMedia data to write about Dolphins wide receiver Albert Wilson, who says, “I’m the best YAC (yards after catch) receiver in the league.”
“Wilson was second in the NFL with an average of five yards after catch per reception last season, trailing just the Lions' Golden Tate. This season, Wilson is averaging 14.57 yards after catch per reception so far, per TruMedia. That's by far the most in the NFL. In fact, 335 of his 359 receiving yards have been YAC.”
Full article: ESPN.com
Read MoreTruMedia’s Paul Carr uses ProVision to explore how Julian Green and Jonathan Amon might be able to fill the void left by Christian Pulisic’s absence from the United States attack.
“Pulisic won’t participate in the two October friendlies because of a torn calf muscle, meaning he'll have gone more than a calendar year playing just 89 minutes for the national team. The U.S. will miss him most in the center of the midfield, where he has no obvious replacement as a chief attacker and playmaker. In his absence, a Pulisic-shaped hole has appeared in numerous U.S. touch maps, including the team’s year-long heat map.”
Full article: Sports Illustrated
Read MoreIn partnership with OptaPro, TruMedia announces the launch of ProVision Cricket, a cutting-edge online platform for detailed data-driven analysis, designed to meet the specific needs of teams through the application of interactive graphics, charts and visualisations integrated with match footage.
Read MoreAs 17-year-old Canadian winger Alphonso Davies heads to Bayern Munich after this MLS season, TruMedia’s Paul Carr used ProVision to compare him with his MLS peers and other young stars in Europe.
“Should his progression continue, Davies will be the first Canadian international to play in the Bundesliga for Bayern. The eye test, past and present stats, and Bayern’s transfer fee all suggest Davies has a ceiling unmatched by an MLS academy product.”
Full article: OptaPro blog
Read MoreThe Boston Red Sox have launched Wally’s Math Academy, a program that engages elementary and middle-school students by combining their passion for baseball with the math skills they are learning in school. Developed by TruMedia Networks, this powerful application allows educators to quickly generate classroom exercises and take-home worksheets that feature real-time sports content.
Boston News Network segment, featuring TruMedia CEO Rafe Anderson
The Washington Post explains one way that Khalil Mack can help the Bears defense:
"Adding a fearsome pass rusher like Mack could turn Chicago’s fortunes around in a hurry. According to data from TruMedia, teams scored almost two points per drive in 2017 when the offensive line didn’t give up a sack. That dropped to less than a point per drive when yielding one sack or more, making it easy to see how much of a momentum killer a sack can be. And with Mack, the Bears should be getting plenty more of them."
Full article: The Washington Post
Read MoreTwins Daily, part of ESPN's blog network, uses TruMedia's product to analyze Logan Forsythe's approach...
"Forsythe rarely chases breaking balls out of the zone. According to ESPN/TruMedia’s data, since 2017 he’s reached on just 14.3 percent of breaking balls outside of the zone whereas the average hitter has done so on just over 30 percent. For comparison’s sake, Joe Mauer has even chased after 23 percent of breaking balls in that time. Forsythe will swing through some (8 percent, same as Mauer) and the results aren’t great when he does make contact (a .588 OPS vs .657 MLB average) but with baseball’s increasing reliance on nasty breaking balls, being able to wait back and keep from chasing after those pitches is rare skill set."
Full article: Twins Daily
Read MoreTruMedia's Dean Oliver talks to ESPN about how player-tracking data will affect the NFL's use of analytics:
"Of course, in order for player tracking data to have a positive impact on any given team, that franchise has to have a desire to use it.
"I think there's interest, but there's always some healthy and some unhealthy skepticism about what it can do," said Dean Oliver, vice president of data science at TruMedia Networks."
Full Article: ESPN.com
Read MoreNeil Greenberg of the Washington Post uses TruMedia to show why Zach Ertz, Cam Newton and Allen Hurns might be good fantasy football picks this season:
Round 4: Philadelphia Eagles tight end Zach Ertz ranked fourth in targets (110) and target share (20 percent) last season per data from TruMedia with a higher share of targets (23 percent) in the red zone.
Full article: Washington Post
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