It’s time to delve into the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Player List once again this evening. Having run the rule over the Goalkeepers, Budget Defenders, Mid-Price Defenders, Premium Defenders and Budget Midfielders, we now turn our attentions to the mid-price options in the centre of the park.
As we’ve mentioned in previous articles, it’s worth bearing in mind the changes to the BPS scoring system this term. The decrease to the BPS for pass completion will hit those players who either sit deep or ply their trade for dominant teams – amongst the mid-price protagonists, Liverpool’s Jordan Henderson, Swansea’s Ki Sung-yeung and Villa skipper Fabian Delph all featured amongst the top 15 midfielders for passes completed in the season gone by.
Arsenal pair Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (6.0 apiece) are another duo likely to take a hit from the drop in BPS for pass completion; they also face a tough task to cement a starting role this season. The former managed just nine starts last term, though Oxlade-Chamberlain was named in the first XI on 17 occasions, but with the likes of Theo Walcott now fully fit and the defensively-minded Francis Coquelin affording the Gunners better balance, it may take a raft of injuries to bring either into consideration.
Villa’s Jack Grealish (5.5) could be poised for his first season as a regular after starting each of the final seven fixtures of 2014/15. Likely to be fielded out wide in a front three, he executed key passes at a faster rate than any other Villa starter (one every 48.9 minutes) last season, suggesting there’s more to come from the burgeoning talent. Fabian Delph is similarly priced after producing three of his four assists under Sherwood last time out, and with Bournemouth, Palace, Sunderland, Leicester and West Brom in the first six, both have the fixtures to prosper from the off.
Bournemouth’s Matt Ritchie (6.0) had a career-defining season and was subsequently regarded by many as the Championship’s top performer. The Portsmouth academy product – who’s on free-kick and corner duty – played a part in 32 goals (15 goals and 17 assists) while executing the most shots (151) and key passes (81) of any other Cherries player in 2014/15. In light of the south coast club’s dream start the new season – which pits them against just one top-eight side in as many Gameweeks – the stage is set for Ritchie to offer strong value. Alternatively, on-loan Christian Atsu should loosen a few purse strings at 5.5 and is expected to nail down a role on the left flank.
Willian (7.0) and Juan Cuadrado (7.5) will battle it out for a role on the right of the Blues’ starting XI over the season ahead. Certainly, Willian, with 28 starts, looks the likeliest to get the nod, given that Cuadrado managed just four of his 12 appearances in Jose Mourinho’s first XI last time out. Despite playing over 2,400 minutes for the champions, the Brazilian’s two goals and four assists will prove enough of a deterrent, as will Cuadrado’s single assist in his Blues career to date.
Crystal Palace hand us numerous tempting options in the mid-price bracket. Coming in at 6.0, Jason Puncheon offers the first route into Alan Pardew’s attack-minded outfit, having notched six goals and seven assists for the Eagles last term. The arrival of Yohan Cabaye (6.5) shouldn’t displace Puncheon from the number ten role he often occupies, given that the former typically operates in a deep-lying midfield berth. However, the fact that the midfield pair are likely to share set-pieces significantly alters our perception of Puncheon’s prospects, considering that 61% of his attacking returns derived from such situations in 2014/15.
Elsewhere in the Londoners’ camp, the powerful Yannick Bolasie (also 6.5) experienced somewhat of a breakthrough season, recording four goals and 12 assists. The DR Congo international displayed a proclivity for explosive returns, doubling up on the assist front twice and netting a hat-trick against Sunderland; He was also occasionally utilised up front by Pardew towards the end of the previous campaign. Alternatively, Wilfried Zaha is the only budget attacking option for Palace at 5.5. As mentioned in our recent members article on Alan Pardew’s Palace, Zaha averaged more touches in the box and shots inside the area under the new manager than both Bolasie and Puncheon, suggesting he may yet be an option should he find an end product.
Everton’s well-stocked midfield has the potential to frustrate, given the numerous options available to Roberto Martinez. New signing Tom Cleverley scored three times in the final stages of last term on loan at Villa – the Toffees’ summer signing comes in at 5.5 this time around and, crucially, he turned in some of his best performances whilst on loan at Wigan under the Spaniard. Despite posting the fourth-best minutes per goal frequency (213.7) among all midfielders that clocked at least 1,000 minutes last season, Kevin Mirallas‘s (7.0) prospects are constrained by Martinez’s penchant for rotating his wide players. Ross Barkley (6.5) struggled to push on in the previous campaign – following his rise to prominence in the 2013/14 season (six goals and four assists) – but harbours the potential to flourish if he’s afforded a regular starting berth behind Romelu Lukaku. New boy Gerard Deulofeu is similarly priced and managed a goal and six assists for Sevilla last season but we’ll need to monitor Martinez’ summer line-ups for any signs of consistency.
Riyad Mahrez (5.5) is the only Leicester option above the 5.0 mark. The Algerian’s switch to the number ten role in a 3-4-1-2 set-up late last season harvested two goals in four matches, though with Claudio Ranieri now at the helm, the Foxes could be prone to rotation if “The Tinkerman” lives up to his nickname on his return to England.
Despite racking up 162 points last time out, Liverpool’s new captain Jordan Henderson has been handed a very kind 7.0 price tag. The former Sunderland man has evolved into a consistent performer on the Fantasy scene, owing to his security of starts (he missed just four fixtures in last two seasons, three as a result of suspension) strong attacking output (six goals and 10 assists) and expected role as the Reds’ chief penalty taker in light of Steven Gerrard’s departure. Meanwhile, new boy James Milner (7.0) delivered goals (every 373.8 minutes) and assists (every 267 minutes) at a greater frequency than any of Liverpool’s midfield starters but will be utilised as a central midfielder at Anfield after earning pitch time out wide in his final season at City. Liverpool’s comfortable batch of early home ties (BOU, WHU, NOR, AVL) strengthens his case for investment, while a brutal run of road clashes (sto, ars, mun, eve, tot, che, mci) leading up to December achieves the opposite effect. Adam Lallana is a little more expensive at 7.5 but looks less secure a starter. If he can nail down regular role, he may yet find his way into contention, having racked up 178 points in his final year at Southampton.
The arrival of big-money buy Raheem Sterling at City places question marks over both Jesus Navas (6.5) and Samir Nasri (7.0) next term. With Sterling and David Silva favourites to be fielded on the flanks in a 4-4-2, Navas (nine assists) and Nasri (two goals and six assists in 1,569 minutes due to injury) will be hoping Manuel Pellegrini opts for a 4-4-1-1 system to boost their prospects of pitch time. Considering that the Sky Blues lock horns with just one top-nine side in the first six Gameweeks (wba, CHE, eve, WAT, cry, WHU), their supporting cast could well flourish in the early stages.
Over at Old Trafford, Man United new boy Morgan Schneiderlin is available for just 5.5 after being initially priced as a Southampton player. The Frenchman finished third for successful tackles (79) in 2014/15 and also found the net on four occasions, highlighting his all-round game. Elsewhere in the centre of the park, Bastian Schweinsteiger (7.0) recorded five goals and four assists in 20 appearances for Bayern last time out, while the similarly priced Ander Herrera notched six goals and four assists during his debut season at Old Trafford. With Memphis Depay also on board, both Ashley Young (6.0) and the 6.5-priced Marouane Fellaini – who is banned for the first three Gameweeks of the season – face a tough task to continue as regulars this term.
Over in the North East, Jack Colback (5.5) caught our attention with four goals and seven assists for an under-performing Newcastle outfit. Colback also finished fifth for successful tackles (76) amongst midfielders last time out and looks a decent shout to be their best value option here. Siem De Jong (6.5) endured a nightmare debut season on Tyneside, suffering a thigh muscle strain and collapsed lung that served to limit him to a solitary start. The Dutch midfielder amassed seven goals and two assists in his final year with Ajax, yet the fact that he missed 15 fixtures that season with identical complaints will likely discourage Fantasy managers from rolling the dice. Remy Cabella (6.5) failed to live up to the expectations that spawned from his time with Montpellier, delivering just one goal and three assists, whilst Moussa Sissoko’s four goals and three assists hardly justify a 6.0 price tag. New signing Georginio Wijnaldum is the costliest midfield option at 7.0 for the Magpies on the back of 14 goals for PSV but few may be willing to splash the cash under the Magpies settle under new boss Steve McClaren.
Play-off winners Norwich City arguably boast the strongest roster of budget midfielders among the newly promoted teams. The 5.5-priced Bradley Johnson provided 15 goals and two assists despite being fielded in a deep-lying role for part of last season. Nathan Redmond will set you back the same price and produced six goals and 13 assists for the Canaries in the previous campaign.
Dusan Tadic (7.0) proved to a be an able orchestrator in Saints’ midfield during the first quarter of the campaign, registering one goal and seven assists (including four in an 8-0 mauling of Sunderland) by Gameweek 9. The Serbian international subsequently went off the boil, delivering just one assist for the rest of the calendar year. Before succumbing to a groin injury in the dying embers of the previous season, Tadic lasted the distance in just two of his final 15 appearances (eight starts) and in spite of some decent underlying stats, he looks a little too risky right now. The same applies to James Ward-Prowse: despite producing eight assists last term, he managed just 16 starts and for a price of 6.0 and is another who currently lacks a “security of start” under Ronald Koeman.
Tottenham’s Nacer Chadli could be one of the best value options on offer. The Belgian produced 11 goals and six assists – more than team-mate Christian Eriksen’s ten goals and four assists – yet is available for 7.0 to the Dane’s 8.5. Granted, Chadli lost his starting role on a couple of occasions last term but he is expected to cement a starting berth this time around ahead of a largely favourable start to the new season (mun, STO, lei, EVE, sun, CRY). Fellow wide men Andros Townsend (6.0) and Erik Lamela (7.0) are far less enticing. Surprisingly, Lamela played just over 100 minutes less than Chadli last term but found the net on only two occasions.
Jonathan Walters played a part in 14 goals for Stoke last season, with eight strikes and six assists to his name. That’s a decent return for a 6.0-priced option, though with Mark Hughes strengthening in the final third, it remains to be seen whether the Irishman can continue as a regular for the Staffordshire outfit. Elsewhere in the Potters camp, Charlie Adam (6.0) could tempt a few investors at his 6.0 price tag. The technically gifted Scotsman – who’s Stoke’s premier penalty, free-kick and corner taker – only really cemented a starting berth from Gameweek 28 but then went on to bag five goals in 11 starts. That being said, a visit from Liverpool and trips to Tottenham and Arsenal within the first five Gameweeks temper our enthusiasm.
Sunderland’s Seb Larsson struck three goals and four assists in 2014/15 and will set you back just 5.5 – that’s the same price as fit-again Emmanuel Giaccherini, who has already notched twice this summer after an injury-hit 2014/15. Adam Johnson sets you back 6.0 and if he can convince Dick Advocaat he’s worthy of a starting berth, could profit from a schedule that sees the Wearsiders face just three of last season’s top seven in the first 14 Gameweeks. However, today’s new signing Jeremain Lens – who has already worked under Advocaat twice – should come in around the 6.0 to 6.5 mark and, depending on his classification, the Dutchman will clearly be a factor when considering Sunderland’s attacking assets.
Swansea, meanwhile, have a number of mid-price options battling for our attention. Gylfi Sigurdsson (7.5) is the stand-out pick, having directly contributed to 37% of their goals last term (10 goals and seven assists); with the majority of dead-ball duties, he should prosper again. Priced at 7.0, Andrew Ayew looks well primed to emerge as one of the top signings this transfer window, with his impressive output for Marseille (ten goals and six assists) suggesting a positive introduction to the Fantasy scene. With most managers likely to favour Sigurdsson in their pursuit of Swans coverage, the Ghanaian livewire’s differential potential is enhanced.
Garry Monk has a wealth of modestly priced midfielders who are capable of producing solid attacking returns, but the threat of rotation renders a risk. The 5.5-priced Ki Sung-yeung netted eight goals last season and could well be the favoured midfield partner to Jack Cork in a 4-2-3-1 set-up, but Jonjo Shelvey is also a factor, having started 15 of Swansea’s final 16 match-ups. Priced at 5.5, Shelvey has nine goals and 13 assists over the last two seasons. Wayne Routledge (5.5) will be hoping to remain ahead of Nathan Dyer for the right-wing berth. He was also fielded up front alongside Bafetimbi Gomis on a number of occasions last season but despite that advanced position, he lacked an end product and brought home just three goals and an assist.
West Brom’s Chris Brunt (5.5) ranked joint-seventh in terms of assists (ten) last term while also chipping in with a couple of goals. The Northern Ireland international also has a fair share of dead-ball duties but the downside is that he could be utilised at left-back again by Tony Pulis, with James McClean offering an option on the left of midfield. On the opposite flank Craig Gardner managed three goals and four assists in 2014/15 and also sets you back 5.5.
With Stewart Downing now on the verge of a return to Middlesbrough, expectations are high for West Ham’s new signing Dimitri Payet. The 7.5-priced playmaker arrives on the back of seven goals and 17 assists for Marseille last season and has four very kind home matches (LEI, BOU, NEW, NOR) in the first seven Gameweeks to help him settle. Cheick Kouyate (5.5) chipped in with four goals and three assists last time out, though may be tasked with a deep-lying role should Slaven Bilic opt for a 4-2-3-1. The likes of Mark Noble and Kevin Nolan are similarly priced, though the latter looks far from secure in light of Sam Allardyce’s departure.
