A Tale of Three Players – Lessons Learned From Last Season

Numerous Fantasy Football managers suffered a dreadful start to last season, with many failing to get a single goal or clean sheet from their initial squad during the opening few Gameweeks.

So what lessons can be learned this time around? To help out I’ll take a look at three midfielders that Fantasy manager may be considering. Whether they be new to the Premier League, a cheap differential or a heavy hitter with a point to prove, each offers Fantasy managers a tough choice to make as they look to get 2016/17 off to a flier. 

Eden Hazard

Hazard has been Fantasy royalty over the years, with 37 goal and 36 assists across his first three season’s at Chelsea. Last year though injury and poor form scuppered his heavy hitter status. However, with a strong end to 2015/16,  a good Euro 16 and three goals in pre-season games, many are considering drafting in the midfielder.

But if there is one thing that is commonplace in the world of Fantasy Football, it is that Eden Hazard will start a season slowly.

In the opening four Gameweeks last season, Hazard’s attacking contribution was a solitary assist, in 2014/15 it was a single goal and in the year before that, he added neither.

It is worth remembering that an inspirational goal in pre-season against Barcelona last term was one reason over half of managers put their faith in the Belgian, only to be left disappointed.

Lesson to learn: Despite good recent form, Hazard is a player that has yet to start a Premier League season well. He could be a player that is best avoided for a month or so.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Like West Ham’s Dimitri Payet, Mkhitaryan comes to the Premier League on the back of a strong pedigree abroad.

But will the Manchester United midfielder be another Payet, or will he take time to settle?

First of all let’s look at the tale of Payet. In his final campaign with Marseille he accrued 21 assists as well as seven goals. Nevertheless his ownership was low in Gameweek 1, with no Premier League experience and a tough away clash at Arsenal. That soon changed, as he racked up four goals and three assists over the first eight Gameweeks to cement his place in many Fantasy managers’ team of the season.

There are similar reservations around drafting in Mkhitaryan, despite finishing last term at Borussia Dortmund with 11 goals and 15 assists. A comparatively small 13% of Fantasy Premier League managers have drafted him in.

The majority of his Bundesliga attacking returns came from wide areas and it is on the right side of midfield that the Armenian is expected to line up for Manchester United,  despite only being introduced in stoppage time in the Red Devils’ Community Shield win over Leicester.

Lesson to learn: Like Payet, Makhitaryan has all the ingredients of success early on for those that invest in him. With a 9.5m price tag he also can easily be downgraded if it looks like he will need time to adjust to the Premier League. 

Nathan Redmond

Everybody loves an out of position differential, especially if it is a player listed as a midfielder who could conceivably play up front.

Redmond, who has joined Southampton from Norwich, offers a key out of position, budget friendly option for Fantasy managers to consider.

But haven’t we been here before? Last season Theo Walcott was relatively cheap for an Arsenal midfielder, who looked set to play as a striker ahead of Olivier Giroud. Sadly, that was not the case as he failed to start any of the Gunners’ first three matches, playing just 50 minutes in total against West Ham, Crystal Palace and Liverpool. For Gameweek 1 this was particularly galling for the one in ten FPL managers that captained him. After one or two Gameweeks he was shipped out, his price plummeted and he was barely mentioned again as a Fantasy prospect for the rest of the campaign.

Investors in Redmond could be set for similar disappointment. Despite Southampton boss Claude Puel talking up his credentials as a striker Redmond still faces stiff competition for a starting berth. With Shane Long and Charlie Austin offering options up top and Dusan Tadic playing in an advanced role as well, it would be no surprise to see Redmond benched early on this season.

Lesson learned: Question marks around a player’s starting position should be heeded. Redmond may very well grab a starting berth, but the odds are stacked against him early on.