Team of the Season – Riyad Mahrez

Having only shown occasional flashes of his ability during the previous campaign under Nigel Pearson, no-one could have predicted Riyad Mahrez’ impact on the Premier League this time around. The arrival of Claudio Ranieri transformed the Algerian into Fantasy royalty, however, as he went on to produce 17 goals and 11 assists to spearhead the King Power club’s charge to the title and earn the PFA Player of the Year accolade.

THE STATISTICS

With a mere four goals and five assists during his maiden Premier League campaign, the Algerian was priced at a modest 5.5 in Fantasy Premier League (FPL) at the start of this season.

Mahrez soon became the hottest property in FPL after producing five double-figure hauls during the opening six Gameweeks, courtesy of five goals and three assists. By Gameweek 8 his price had risen to 6.5, and the midfielder continued to deliver for his ever-increasing ownership, blanking just twice between Gameweek 9 and 17.

Mahrez then blanked in five matches over Christmas and New Year but that drought was short-lived, with the former Le Havre player then managing a further three goals and four assists over Leicester’s next seven matches. His production did tail off slightly towards the end of the season, only scoring two goals in his final nine outings, while his price peaked at 7.4 in FPL in Gameweek 30.

Mahrez ended the season as the highest scoring player in FPL this season with 240 points – put into perspective, that was 40 points ahead of Mesut Ozil, who took second in the centre of the park, and superior to last season’s 233-point haul earned by Eden Hazard as the number one midfielder.

The Foxes flier also led all players in FPL for bonus points (with 38) and appearances in the Dream Team – indeed, his total of 11 times was at least twice the number of any player aside from Swansea’s Andre Ayew (six).

Mahrez’ average of 6.6 points per game also took first spot. That was well ahead of fellow midfielders Mesut Ozil and Dimitri Payet, who averaged 5.7 points per game (ppg), while forwards Sergio Aguero and Vardy managed 6.1 and 5.9 ppg respectively.

The statistics are also all the more impressive when you consider Mahrez lost penalty taking duties, having scored four times from the spot prior to missing against Bournemouth and Aston Villa, seeing Vardy reclaim penalty duties during the second half of the season.

THE PROSPECTS

After enjoying such a sensational campaign for the Foxes, we’re clearly going to see Mahrez’ price in FPL rise considerably from the 5.5 he opened up at last summer. The Algerian looks set to be elevated to the premium price bracket, which could place him in illustrious company alongside the likes of Hazard, Ozil and Payet around 9.0 – 10.0, with Alexis Sanchez and Kevin de Bruyne perhaps a tad more expensive as the highest priced midfielders in the game.

Whilst we anticipate more rotation on the Foxes left flank, with Marc Albrighton and Jeffrey Schlupp jostling for pitch time along with Demarai Gray, Mahrez is likely to be immune to any potential tinkering, though – in a similar situation to this season – we can expect Ranieri to manage his minutes towards the end of matches.

When it comes to analysing Leicester attacking assets, it could come down to a straight choice between Mahrez and Vardy next season, with few Fantasy managers likely to find a place for both given they should be subject to significant price hikes this time around. As already mentioned, Vardy ended the season with penalty duties – although he did miss from the spot against Everton – which may well factor into many managers’ decision.

Whilst Mahrez obviously won’t give us the same sort of value next time around, the stats certainly suggest he may still flourish as a premium-priced option in 2016/17. Second in the centre of the park for shots on target (39) and fourth for efforts in the box (48), he sat third for goal conversion (19.8%) amongst all midfielders with more than five strikes to their name.

Granted, no one could have anticipated Hazard’s fall from Fantasy favour this time around, which goes to show that no two seasons are the same. Nonetheless, the signs are still favourable that the Algerian could have a productive year next time around as Ranieri’s side prepare to defend their title.