In this article, we re-assess the budget Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players in each position following the completion of Gameweek 1.
The hunt for ‘playing’ bargain-bin assets is always a big part of pre-season, such is their important dual role of a) freeing up budget to splash on the premium picks and b) operating as emergency options for when injury or unavailability might strike our first-choice XI.
The problem with selecting them before a ball has been kicked is that we’re never really sure which of them will feature regularly for their clubs and who is best left alone.
While it’s still early days and we’ve still got two weeks of the summer transfer window to negotiate, we thought we’d take a look to see if any of the £4.0m defenders and £4.5m midfielders caught the eye in Gameweek 1.
If you’re wondering about £4.0m goalkeepers and £4.5m forwards: not a single one got any sort of game-time on the opening weekend.
Emmanuel Dennis (£5.0m) caught the eye in Watford’s 3-2 win over Aston Villa, however, for those willing to shell out the extra pennies up top.
£4.0m FPL DEFENDERS
A starting £4.0m defender is the Holy Grail of Fantasy management, with the thirst for a cheap enabler particularly insatiable at this time of the season before we’ve accrued all of that additional team value.
Of the 25 listed in the game (one of whom has already had a price rise), only six made an appearance in Gameweek 1 – and one of those was Ben Johnson (£4.0m), on as a stoppage-time substitute in West Ham United’s win over Newcastle United.
At least three of the five starters would appear to be on borrowed time.
A pre-season injury to Andrew Robertson (£7.0m) paved the way for Kostas Tsimikas (£4.1m) to start against Norwich in Gameweek 1 but the Scot is already back in light training with the Reds.
Similarly, fitness issues affecting Wesley Fofana (£4.5m) and Jonny Evans (£5.5m) spelled game-time for Daniel Amartey (£4.0m) on the opening weekend but the arrival of Jannik Vestergaard (£5.0m) looks ominous for the Ghanaian. Even if Brendan Rodgers switches to a back three, as he did in the final half an hour against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Evans ought to be back soon after the September international break.
And Ki-Jana Hoever‘s (£4.0m) start in that same game at the King Power Stadium surely owed much to Nelson Semedo‘s (£5.0m) lack of match fitness after a spell in self-isolation.
“We have plenty of time to train with him. He was out of the team for 10 days and just came to the team in the morning.
“I am happy with what Ki did in this game. What we have in this position at right-back is what I want in the whole squad. A top player like Nelson and a top young player like Ki to be competitive.” – Bruno Lage on Nelson Semedo
Shane Duffy (£4.0m) may not have played in Albion’s back four had Joel Veltman (£4.5m) been available, meanwhile, although did earn the praise of his boss.
He’s certainly one to monitor, particularly if he keeps popping up with efforts from set-piece situations – there were four on Saturday alone.
“I thought he was immense. He has been fantastic since he came back. His attitude and professionalism, his approach to the team and group. He has been really good.” – Graham Potter on Shane Duffy
That leads us to perhaps the most exciting prospect of all, Tino Livramento (£4.0m).
Despite less than two weeks of training with his new teammates, 45 minutes of pre-season football and a complete lack of first-team experience with Chelsea, the 18-year-old full-back was handed a surprise start over Kyle Walker-Peters (£5.0m) in Southampton’s defeat at Everton.
Although the Saints succumbed to a 3-1 loss, Ralph Hasenhuttl was impressed with the teenager’s outing.
“Tino is a very dynamic young player with a good mentality and the defensive qualities that we need. Today he had a very strong opponent and most of the time he was very good against him. With the ball he showed some good skills, I’m happy for him.”
“Okay he (Livramento) was not that long here like Kyle but it was not an easy decision.
“But I was looking for his physical one-against-one qualities he has defensively against Richarlison. I think he did it fantastically to be honest.
“We (know) he is immediately that he is a player who can play in the Premier League and this is very positive for us.” – Ralph Hasenhuttl
The competition for places at right-back does suggest that it’s too early to make a kneejerk judgement on his security of starts but the fact that Richarlison (£7.6m), originally stationed as a left-winger at Goodison Park, only found joy when being moved centrally was a testament to Livramento’s defensive display.
And the youngster’s eye for a dribble and ease going forward didn’t go unnoticed.
As for the rest, the only outfielder who played every single minute of his side’s pre-season campaign – Andrew Omobamidele (£4.0m) – missed out on Norwich’s defeat to Liverpool because of tonsillitis. Again, though, the centre-back is behind Ben Gibson and Grant Hanley’s (£4.5m) in the pecking order anyway and will be reliant on Daniel Farke to operate with three at the back as he did against Newcastle in pre-season to open up an extra spot for he or Christoph Zimmermann (£4.5m) to fill.
Many of the other £4.0m defenders will be dependent on first-team regulars picking up injuries or illness in order to get game-time but Brandon Williams (£4.0m) is a name for the watchlist should he make a loan move to Carrow Road.
£4.5m FPL MIDFIELDERS
A total of 21 £4.5m midfielders set foot onto the pitch at the weekend, 11 of which made their respective teams’ starting line-ups.
Most of the names we see in this category are workmanlike central midfielders who can offer game-time and little else, the most secure of which are probably Allan (£4.5m) and Yves Bissouma (£4.5m).
Billy Gilmour (£4.5m) could well be added to that list: the fact that he was on set-piece taking duties for Norwich suggests he may even pick up the odd assist or two from dead-ball situations at the very least.
Team-mate Lukas Rupp (£4.5m) had the most goal attempts of any sub-£5.0m midfielder in Gameweek 1, meanwhile, although his first-team prospects are uncertain going forward given that two new, more attack-minded recent signings have yet to bed in (something that could lead Daniel Farke away from the 4-3-3 he used against Liverpool) and that Kenny McLean (£5.0m) remains an alternative for a central midfield position.
Jack Cork (£4.5m) won the battle of the two bargain-bin Burnley central midfielders for a starting place on Saturday, with Josh Brownhill (£4.5m) only a substitute. Johann Berg Gudmundsson‘s (£5.5m) tendency to pick up an injury or three means that the versatile Brownhill, an occasional deputy on the right flank last season, will likely get more sustained game-time at some point this season.
James McArthur (£4.5m) was one of just two £4.5m midfielders who created a chance in Gameweek 1 (McArthur actually supplied two key passes), the other being Watford anchor Peter Etebo (£4.5m). McArthur does have previous for attacking returns in FPL, delivering 25 of them across three seasons in 2016-2019, but the absence of a cluster of Palace midfielders on the opening weekend does mean that we still have to bide our time to see if he’s going to be as nailed under Patrick Vieira as he was under Roy Hodgson.
Isaac Hayden‘s (£4.5m) slightly more attacking remit under Steve Bruce in the defeat to West Ham is both a positive and negative; there may be more opportunities for FPL returns playing that way but it also leaves him a lot more susceptible to a benching, with Joe Willock (£6.0m) now back on the books. Jonjo Shelvey’s (£5.5m) “paramount” status at the base of the Magpies’ midfield leaves Hayden looking a little lost.
Marvelous Nakamba and Douglas Luiz (both £4.5m) look set to share their usual game-time at Villa this season (the latter still the favourite to start more often than not), while Oliver Skipp‘s (£4.5m) impressive pre-season was rewarded with a Gameweek 1 start and a solid showing in the middle of the Spurs midfield. Even if he is to get a sustained run of starts under Nuno Espirito Santo, of course, his complete lack of attacking threat (zero touches in the final third on Saturday) means we’re looking at a succession of 1-3 pointers – which is sometimes all we can ask for regarding bench fodder duty.
And to neatly ground expectations of what we can expect from £4.5m midfielders in FPL, only one of the 21 on show delivered an attacking return in Gameweek 1: the man responsible was Brighton’s Jakub Moder (£4.5m), on as a 72nd-minute substitute at Turf Moor, who teed up the Seagulls’ equaliser shortly after being introduced.
