Having been through the best goalkeepers and defenders to consider ahead of the post-Gameweek 3 Overhaul, we move on to midfielders in our position-by-position Sky Fantasy Football player analysis.
If you’re new to the game, check out our introductory video guide below.
And don’t forget to catch up on Niall Murphy’s team reveal and top tips, which is the first of the four-time top 50 finisher’s articles for Fantasy Football Scout this season.
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PREMIUM MIDFIELDERS
Bruno Fernandes (£11.8m) racked up a humongous 270 points last season and was streets ahead of the next highest-scoring midfield asset. One of the standout captaincy options on matchday 2 of Gameweek 2 and Gameweek 3, it’s no wonder the Man Utd midfielder is already in 40% of squads.
For those looking to save a bit of money on the popular Fernandes, his team-mate Jadon Sancho has come in at £10.3m – but the Portuguese schemer’s shot bonus accumulation and man of the match magnetism means that the newly arrived winger has a lot to do to convince us to look elsewhere at Old Trafford.
Unlike in FPL, the likes of Mohamed Salah (£11.9m) and Son Heung-min (£10.8m) are classed as forwards – so there isn’t a great deal of competition for Fernandes in the premium midfielder pond, and the fact that he outscored anyone else in his position by 75 points in 2020/21 was telling.
Along with Fernandes and Sancho, Kevin De Bruyne (£11.5m) is the only other midfielder priced above £10.0m.
The Belgian sits in 26% of teams despite it being unclear whether or not he is fully fit, having torn ankle ligaments at EURO 2020. Manchester City are yet to offer any update on his availability but he was sighted in team training on Monday, raising hopes of a Gameweek 1 appearance.
De Bruyne will supplement offensive returns with passing and shot bonus providing he makes it onto the grass but Riyad Mahrez (£9.8m), who has a full pre-season under his belt, is one attack-minded, short-term option who looks assured of game-time before the Overhaul.
MID-PRICE AND BUDGET MIDFIELDERS
The uncertainty surrounding the future of Jack Grealish (£9.0m) could lead many to his current team-mate, Emi Buendia (£7.9m). The ex-Norwich man racked up 15 goals and 16 assists in the Championship last season. When sorted by attack, Aston Villa sit top of our Season Ticker for the opening three Gameweeks.
He’ll pick up the odd bonus point, too, with his tackling surprisingly a strong suit when he was last in the Premier League with Norwich City.
Youri Tielemans (£8.7m) is an armband contender for those seeking to captain a Leicester asset on matchday 3 of Gameweek 2. Over the last campaign the midfielder totalled six goals, four assists and 50 bonus points. His team-mate Wilfred Ndidi (£7.5m) offers a cut-price route into the Foxes’ midfield. He lacks Tielemans’ attacking threat but picked up 45 bonus points last season, with his love of a tackle and Brendan Rodgers’ possession-based football making him considerably more attractive in Sky than he is in FPL.
A player in a similar Sky mould to Ndidi is Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£8.1m). The Spurs man racked up 83 bonus points last season, which included hitting tier 2 passes 14 times. But a change in manager and an opening fixture against Manchester City does temper enthusiasm for the Dane.
Man City’s fixtures don’t particularly appeal but the bonus potential of Rodri (£8.7m) is hard to ignore. In 31 starts the metronomic Spaniard hit tier 2 passing on 23 occasions, with no midfielder in the game managing a higher total.
City’s defensive midfielders are routinely towards the top of the bonus standings in Sky Fantasy, so the imminent return of Rodri to training is one to monitor. If the Spain international isn’t fit for whatever reason, then Fernandinho (£7.9m) could mop up the passing and tackle bonus in the reigning champions’ opening encounters.
Thiago Alcantara (£8.3m), another footnote in FPL, had one of the best minutes-per-bonus rates among Sky midfielders last season, so is also a name to consider for Liverpool’s favourable early run of games.
And remember, these picks are not necessarily long-term holds, with the Overhaul offering managers the chance to quickly offload any early-season punts.
After a difficult opener away to Manchester United, Raphinha could have greater joy against Everton (H) and Burnley (a). The £8.3m man managed six goals and nine assists in his debut Premier League season.
Jarrod Bowen (£8.2m) offers a potential route into the West Ham attack for those not picking Michail Antonio (£8.8m) or looking to double up on an attractive run of fixtures. The winger has shone in pre-season and hit eight goals and logged five assists in 2020/21, with pitch time perhaps more guaranteed if Jesse Lingard (£8.2m) doesn’t make the move to London.
Bowen and Raphinha tend to rely attacking returns rather than bonus for their Sky tallies but a mid-price midfielder who combines both is James Ward-Prowse (£8.6m).
The England international is currently nursing a knee issue but if fit for Gameweek 1, he is a consistent option and was behind only Fernandes among Sky midfielders last season. He scored eight times in 2020/21 and supplied seven assists, while hitting 58 bonus points.
Allan Saint-Maximin (£7.9m) could be worth a punt for Newcastle United’s opening three games. He looks set to be an out-of-position option in Sky, having been reclassified as a forward in FPL due to his stint as second striker. Saint-Maximin did miss Newcastle’s most recent friendlies through illness, which is one to keep an eye on for any investors.
Ismaila Sarr (£7.8m) could potentially be on penalties for Watford, though that’s only likely to happen if Troy Deeney is not on the pitch. He scored 13 times for the Hornets in the Championship, along with providing four assists. Sarr racked up 86 goal attempts and 57 shots in the box over the season.
If you seek to captain an Arsenal player on matchday 1 of Gameweek 1, Emile Smith Rowe (£7.5m) may do the trick. Having signed a new contract recently, the Gunners’ no 10 plans to get on the goal trail this season.
On the other side of that Arsenal-Brentford equation is Bryan Mbuemo (£7.2m). As with Saint-Maximin, the Brentford winger could end up playing up top as part of a front two if Thomas Frank opts for a wing-back system.
Down in the budget bracket, Nathan Tella (£6.5m) may appeal if we get information that the Southampton starlet could earn a starting XI spot in Gameweek 1.
Overall, though, many Sky managers will be starting with just three midfielders considering the dearth of selection options compared to those in defence and attack.
