With just over a week to go until the start of the new Premier League season managers of the Sky Sports Fantasy Football game are finalising their teams.
We take a look at the most popular options in each position ahead of Week 1 in a 3-4-3 formation.
Alisson (Liverpool): £8m
Selection percentage: 32.9%
Having secured more clean sheets than any other goalkeeper last season (21), it is no surprise Alisson is the most popular goalkeeper on Sky Sports Fantasy Football so far.
Many would expect a similar campaign for the Brazilian in 2019/20, especially with Liverpool’s favourable early fixtures.
However, there is a slight concern over whether or not he’ll feature against Norwich on the opening weekend.
Alisson was involved in Brazil’s Copa America triumph this summer and came back late to pre-season training.
Thankfully, the Community Shield final will be a good test of whether he’s ready to start the season on time.
Virgil van Dijk (Liverpool): £10.5m
Selection percentage: 45.6%
Win the most points in Sky Sports Fantasy Football 2018/19 (299) and you will become the most selected for the new season.
There is no need to reiterate the importance of Virgil van Dijk given his ability to pull in points from multiple avenues, be that clean sheets, tackles or passing bonus.
With the Reds likely to have another good year in 2019/20, there is nothing to suggest that van Dijk will regress as an asset.
Trent Alexander-Arnold (Liverpool): £9.9m
Selection percentage: 27.3%
Trent Alexander-Arnold had a whirlwind finish to the season in 2018/19, pipping team-mate Andrew Robertson to breaking the record for most assists from a defender in a single Premier League campaign.
The right-back can be deadly from free-kicks and set-pieces while rampaging down the wing to deliver for Liverpool’s formidable front three, so he could prove to be a bargain at £9.9m.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (Manchester United): £8.6m
Selection percentage: 24.8%
The new Manchester United signing has evidently caught the eye of Fantasy Football managers, rising out of nowhere to register 158 points last year and sealing a subsequent £50m move to Old Trafford.
It certainly gives Wan-Bissaka impetus to get forward as much as he did for Crystal Palace, although a question remains if Manchester United will keep as many clean sheets under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s new direction.
No defender won more tackles than Wan-Bissaka last season so even if defensive returns don’t emerge for the Red Devils, their new right-back should still do well for bonus points.
James Maddison (Leicester): £8.3m
Selection percentage: 28%
James Maddison notched seven goals and seven assists in his debut Premier League season with Leicester.
A specialist from free-kicks, dead-ball situations and a relatively kind price still have made sure that the Englishman is the highest selected midfielder.
Ryan Fraser (Bournemouth): £8.7m
Selection percentage: 19.8% per cent
Scoring seven goals last season, Ryan Fraser’s primary appeal was his 14 assists.
That was a total that was beaten only Real Madrid’s marquee signing Eden Hazard.
The Scottish international wowed with his superb delivery and created more big chances than any other midfielder last season.
Despite that, he still comes in at a relatively low price of just £8.7m this time around, perhaps proving he can be a bargain once again.
If his points-per-million from last term (21.57) were to be replicated once more, Fantasy Football managers would be very happy indeed.
Diogo Jota (Wolves): £8.3m
Selection percentage: 18.2%
Diogo Jota found the net nine times during the 2018/19 season and formed a threatening partnership with Raul Jimenez.
Off the back of a brace against Newcastle in the Premier League Asia Trophy, he has already leapfrogged Bernardo Silva in selection percentage and looks set for another impressive campaign.
Despite shifting to a forward on FPL, and playing up-front for Wolves, he remains a midfielder in Sky Sports Fantasy Football, enabling him to continue as an out-of-position asset in this game.
Bernardo Silva (Manchester City): £10.9m
Selection percentage: 16.0% per cent
Bernardo Silva was arguably Manchester City’s most prominent midfielder throughout their title-winning campaign.
He might be in the same price category as Paul Pogba and Kevin De Bruyne, but he can certainly walk the walk, as demonstrated through his 159 Fantasy Football points last season.
Mohamed Salah (Liverpool): £12.2m
Selection percentage: 34.7%
Mohamed Salah supposedly ‘under-performed’ last season, despite winning a second successive Premier League Golden Boot, although he shared it with team-mate Sadio Mane and Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang on this occasion.
Despite the critics, the attraction is still there and 36 per cent of Sky Sports Fantasy Football managers are praying for Salah to come up with the goods yet again.
Raheem Sterling (Manchester City): £11.6m
Selection percentage: 28.6%
The FWA Footballer of the Year award for 2019. The PFA Young Player of the Year award for 2019. A season-best 17 goals and 12 assists, 29 goal contributions.
Many of these are reasons why Raheem Sterling is set to build on his best-ever year, with just under a third of Sky Sports Fantasy Football players urging him in his quest.
Sterling scored twice against West Ham in the Premier League Asia Trophy and has been playing up-front in the absence of his attacking colleagues this summer.
Sadio Mane (Liverpool): £11.5m
Selection percentage: 22.0%
Speaking of season-bests, it would be rude not to mention Sadio Mane.
Picking up the Golden Boot was a testament to how potent he has become in front of goal, so much so that he has undergone the transition from a midfielder to a striker in this game.
This move has not put off Sky Sports Fantasy managers, who have opted for his services ahead of Harry Kane and Sergio Aguero.
The question would be whether Mane can sustain his level this coming year and reach those heights once again.
Follow Billy Lumsden on Twitter
