Partial Dependence Plots (PDPs) – A Deeper Look Into Market Value

What Are PDPs?

Partial Dependence Plots (PDPs) help us understand how a specific feature influences a model’s predictions while holding all other variables constant. In football, this means we can isolate the impact of individual player statistics on their market value.

Key Insights from PDP Analysis

📌 Team Points Matter – Players on successful teams tend to have a higher valuation. PDPs show that as Team_points increase, so does a player’s predicted market value.

📌 Chance Creation is Key – avg_bigChanceCreated_per_game, which measures a player's ability to create significant goal-scoring opportunities, positively correlates with market value.

📌 Open Play Attacking Influence – Players contributing effectively in open play, as indicated by avg_attOpenPlay_value_per_game, see their market values rise sharply.

How Teams Can Use PDPs

Clubs can leverage PDP analysis to refine player valuation models and improve scouting efficiency by identifying undervalued players who excel in key areas.

👀 Next Up: SHAP Values! Let’s explore how each feature impacts individual predictions.