Leicester took Fantasy Premier League managers by surprise last season, with their budget players proving to be among the best assets as they went on to claim their first Premier League trophy. Riyad Mahrez and Jamie Vardy proved to be the pick of their players, amassing an astounding 41 goals and 19 assists between them. This season though both have been handed considerable price hikes, with Mahez costing 9.5 and Vardy setting FPL managers back 10.0.

With that in mind we ask the ‘Burning Question’: Will Vardy and Mahrez live up to their new price tags?

Andy G says…

As a Leicester fan, who still can’t help but get more than a little misty eyed when thinking back with clarity on the 2015/16 season as a whole, I can unequivocally say… no, probably not.

The team and club should still do well again this season but a £9.5/£10.0 price tag is a heavy burden to carry for a rational FPL manager with books to balance.

Vardy will likely earn and score an abundance of penalties and Riyad Mahrez is simply a class above but they’re now competing on the Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, David Silva and Harry Kane level. This is a whole new stratosphere.

It doesn’t mean I’m not going to have them in my team at the start of the season because I am a glutton for punishment and they need to chip away at the lifetime of good will they’ve earned with myself and many other Leicester fans alike.

Don’t write our boys off by any stretch of the imagination but, equally so, I’d have just as close an eye on the likes of other Foxes assets Ahmed Musa & Damarai Gray as potential dynamite alternatives for a fraction of the cost if they can have the breakthrough we’re all hoping for.

Simon March (2014/15 FPL Champion) says…

I think there’s a good chance they may both live up to their new price tags but they’ve now entered a price bracket where they’re competing for our attention with many tried and trusted alternatives. Last season, Vardy and Mahrez were ‘no-brainers’ at those prices. Now there’s more to think about.

I don’t have a problem paying more for players who have risen sharply in price, providing they can still deliver on the investment. Golden Boot winner Harry Kane, for example, demonstrated last season that such players can still offer value despite a huge price increase.

My concerns are more about Leicester overall and how they’ll cope with all the new variables such as Champions League football, which will no doubt stretch their relatively modestly-sized squad. Other causes of concern include the loss of the highly influential Kante or, of course, the fact that, as champions, opposing teams are likely to play a lot tighter against them than in the early stages of last season.

For these reasons, I doubt either Vardy or Mahrez will make my starting line-up this season but, obviously, I’ll gladly welcome one or even both back if they continue in their form from the title winning campaign.

Az says…

Unlike some of my friends in mini-leagues, I was able to jump on the Mahrez and Vardy bandwagons early last year. This year presents a new problem – currently these players are boasting 25% and 11% ownership respectively and their inflated price tags means we will need to swap out premium priced players in our squad to accommodate them if they hit the ground running.

I think this issue highlights the need for flexibility in our squad. Go with too many 6.0 to 9.0 options and you run the risk of having to make multiple changes and transfers, or you may even have to hit the wildcard button after the first week.

In my opinion, Kante’s transfer to Chelsea diminishes Vardy’s appeal quite considerably. Being the focal point of a well organized and high pressing counter attacking team meant that when Kante won the ball back there was always an easy way to get the ball up to Vardy quickly. This tactic was so successful for the season and a huge part of Leicester’s success. Unfortunately, with Kante gone, Leicester have lost one of the best players I’ve ever seen in this role.

His work-rate and tackling ability meant that Vardy was continuously receiving service. I highly doubt any player will be able to fill this void, and I expect Vardy to receive less service and get nowhere near his points (or goals) tally of last season.

Mahrez is a different matter. While I think Vardy would struggle under a different style or in a different team, I think Mahrez is a class above. I also think Ranieri realises that while Vardy remains a potent weapon, Mahrez is his star. I can see Mahrez getting more of the ball, given more responsibility and he’ll be the main man of Leicester’s season.

He’s in my initial draft (Hull is just too good a fixture to ignore) and I fully expect him to be in the top three scoring midfielders in the game along with Alexis Sanchez and Kevin De Bruyne, providing he remains fit and rotation-free.

Jonty says…

Leicester enjoyed a perfect storm on their way to grabbing the Premier League title last season. With no European distractions and an injury free season for many of their best players, their strong team spirit, excellent scouting network and tactically savvy manager had the freedom to shine.

Mahrez made a mockery of his initial Fantasy Premier League valuation of 5.5 by ending the season as the game’s top scorer. Vardy’s golden boot charge also showed that even his end of season price of 7.4 was laughably low.

This season they have been priced realistically and I anticipate they will compete well with similar Premium options.

With strong goal attempt and chance creation statistics, Mahrez can easily prove a match for the likes of Mesut Ozil, Dimitri Payet and even Alexis Sanchez, who costs 2.0 more this term. Among strikers, Vardy looks once again poised to do well and offer a solid alternative to the more expensive Harry Kane and possibly even Manchester United’s Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

But do I think they will do as well as last season? The answer has to be no.

That perfect storm has passed.  With new recruits to bed in and N’Golo Kante departing to Chelsea, Leicester’s team dynamic will be vastly different. In addition, it remains to be seen whether Vardy and Mahrez can remain so injury and rotation free throughout the season with extra games in Europe.

The smart money is on this pair performing like premium options, but not to the same impressive degree as they did last term.