Fantasy managers looking to make the most of premium defenders might enjoy playing Sky Sports Fantasy Football this season.
Premium options at the back came to the fore in the 2017/18 instalment of the popular Fantasy game and there is every chance they could prove to be key assets this time around.
There were five defenders among Sky Sports Fantasy‘s top 10 point-scorers last season, a new record and more than any other position.
With Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola bringing possession football and hugely attacking full-backs to the Premier League, Andrew Robertson (12 assists) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (11 assists) impressed in 2018/19.
However, it was their Dutch colleague Virgil van Dijk who stole the headlines, finishing both as the top-scoring defender in Sky Sports Fantasy Football last season and the highest scorer in any position.
His 299 points, averaging 7.9 per match were recorded as van Dijk won the Champions League, PFA Player of the Year and helped his national side to reach the UEFA Nations League final.
His statistics in Sky Sports Fantasy Football led to him offering an excellent captain option most weeks too, which is why he is expected to be popular again in 2019/20.
Van Dijk kept a total of 20 clean sheets and scored four goals while also performing well for bonus points. He hit tier-one and tier-two passing bonus points on a combined total of 27 occasions.
Fantasy Football Scout Members can access the passing bonus statistics for Sky in the Members Area.
Ahead of the new season, they can also analyse which players look best for tackle bonus as well.
Aymeric Laporte, who came second overall, managed to do hit bonus an impressive 28 times, with 25 of those coming from tier two (70 or more passes in a single game).
That contributed an additional 75 points to his overall tally of 269 in 2018/19. The Frenchman scored 30.57 points-per-million (£8.8m last year), more than any other player, proving a valuable and pivotal pick for Sky Sports Fantasy Football bosses.
As you can see, Manchester City and Liverpool’s exciting title challenge last year heralded a new era in Sky Sports Fantasy Football, with the focus shifting more towards defenders.
Cesar Azpilicueta was the only defender to rank inside the top 10 points scorers in 2016/17, finishing in ninth position.
In fact, the Spanish international was the first defender in the history of the game to achieve this feat and he has since repeated it in both of the two most recent seasons.
From 2016 to 2019, Azpilicueta has amassed an impressive total of 669 points highlighting the point-pulling power that centre-backs or full-backs (he has played in both positions) now possess.
In 2017/18, just four points separated Nicolas Otamendi (244) and Cesar Azpilicueta (240) as they took up the fourth and fifth positions respectively. Otamendi registered 14 clean sheets and found the back of the net four times, while Azpilicueta capped 15 clean sheets with two goals and assists. Both players earned valuable Sky Sports Fantasy Football points from unlikely and underestimated positions.
With the emphasis more than ever on defenders, there is enough value in each player to be convinced that they are worth researching as much as the attacking stars.
Their point-scoring has increased year-on-year; who knows what the top five or 10 players in Sky Sports Fantasy Football will look like in 12 months’ time?
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