After assessing the goalkeepers, budget defenders, mid-price defenders, premium defenders and budget midfielders, we now settle our sights on the mid-price midfield options in Fantasy Premier League (FPL).
While this price bracket typically tends to incorporate the main men from mid-table sides, some kind pricing in this year’s game means that, for now at least, some of last term’s top five have the potential to offer value.
The 6.0 to 6.5 Bracket
Southampton’s opening schedule could barely be more encouraging as new manager Mauricio Pellegrino looks to get off to a successful start.
The St Mary’s side face just one of last season’s top seven (SWA WHU hud WAT cry MUN stk NEW WBA bha BUR) in the first 11 Gameweeks, with a number of mid-price options jostling for our attention.
Nathan Redmond and Dusan Tadic are the priciest picks on offer at 6.5 apiece, with the former’s close-range threat winning it for us. A total of 57 efforts in the box was fifth among FPL midfielders in 2016/17 and has earned him 10.2% backing – the most popular in this price range.
Indeed, although he managed just one assist to the Serbian’s seven, Redmond was relatively similar for key passes by 57 to 66. As witnessed last year, if James Ward-Prowse (5.5) nails down a regular role, it’s likely that he will share set-pieces with Tadic. Furthermore, Ward-Prowse’s weekend goal and assist against Saint Etienne strengthened his claim for consideration.
Priced at 6.0, forgotten man Sofiane Boufal will be looking to bounce back from a disastrous first season in the Premier League – he mustered just two assists in 12 starts under former manager Claude Puel.
But Charlie Austin (6.5) and Manolo Gabbiadini (7.0) offer similarly priced alternatives up front if one can cement the lone striker role and earn spot-kick duties.
With set-pieces and penalty duties in hand, it’s difficult to look past Newcastle United’s Matt Ritchie as a potential source of value from the get-go.
Coming in at 6.0, the Magpies’ playmaker served up 12 goals and seven assists in last season’s Championship.
The Scot fired an effort every 30 minutes for Rafa Benitez’ side and boasts a favourable opening run that indicates he could be an early differential, with a current ownership of just 3.5%.
After a testing opener at home to Spurs has passed, Ritchie’s next five (hud WHU swa STK bha) all look conducive to returns. Both Jonjo Shelvey and new boy Jacob Murphy could offer cheaper alternatives at 5.5 apiece.
Staying with the promoted sides, Brighton’s Anthony Knockaert is also available for 6.0 but remains doubtful for Gameweek 1 due to an ankle injury.
Last season’s Championship Player of the Season recorded 15 goals and eight assists and – like Ritchie – dominated set-pieces for his side. Yet we have a feeling that the arrival of dead-ball expert Pascal Gross – at 5.5 – could dent Knockaert’s appeal.
The top ranked player for key passes in each of the last two seasons in the Bundesliga; Gross has already settled quickly and scored twice in pre-season. Chris Hughton’s side have a testing opener at home to Man City but could profit from the next five (lei wat WBA bou NEW).
Huddersfield new boy Tom Ince is another promoted player who offers the form and fixtures to impress early on.
The winger has wasted no time in settling after being snapped up from Derby County over the summer, notching four times already, and is our preferred Terrier over the likes of Elias Kachunga (6.0), Kasey Palmer and Aaron Mooy (both 5.5).
The underlying statistics from last year are also promising – he was ranked second for goal attempts (129) in the Championship – while the schedule also falls in his favour, with the Terriers facing just one of last term’s top seven in the first eight Gameweeks.
Similar to Ritchie and Knockaert, though, Ince has yet to establish himself as a Fantasy force in the top-flight, and many remain unconvinced – he sits in just 2.3% of squads.
Matt Phillips has the edge over West Brom team-mate Nacer Chadli ahead of six favourable matches (BOU bur STK bha WHU WAT) in the first seven Gameweeks.
A share of dead-ball duties is key here, given that the Baggies scored more goals from corners than any side last season. Phillips – who averaged 4.3 ppm last term – has already earned two assists this summer, though his fitness will need to be monitored after he missed out against Bristol Rovers last weekend with a recurrence of an ongoing hamstring problem.
New forward Jay Rodriguez could be the one to watch, though -identically price to the midfield pair; he’s scored twice in pre-season.
Once he’s recovered from a hernia problem, we have high hopes for Bournemouth winger Junior Stanislas.
A cost of 6.0 looks excellent value for a player who averaged 5.1 points per match last season – more than team-mate Josh King (4.9).
With King now reclassified as a forward, Stanislas – who played a part in 50% of his side’s goals when on the pitch in 2016/17 – could emerge as the most profitable route into an attack that netted 55 times last term.
Fellow wide man Ryan Fraser (5.5) could also rival Stanislas, though, after producing three goals and nine assists in his debut season in the top-flight.
West Ham’s Robert Snodgrass (6.0) faces some tough competition for his place in Slaven Bilic’s XI this season.
One of five Hammers’ attacking midfielders in the mid-price bracket, it remains to be seen whether he can cement a regular role – four away matches in the first five allows us time to assess the situation, with new forward Javier Hernandez (7.0) perhaps the safest option, particularly if he can claim penalties.
Potential wing-back roles are likely to deter many from looking at Palace’s Andros Townsend and Arsenal’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
The former has been utilised on the right in a 3-4-3 by new manager Frank de Boer, while Oxlade-Chamberlain faces a tough task to see off the challenge of Hector Bellerin in the Gunners’ 3-4-2-1 set-up.
Both supplied assists over the weekend but, as we’ll see later, suffer from having more appealing mid-price alternatives in their respective teams.
Leicester City’s new arrival Vicente Iborra (6.0) could also be undone by his own versatility. Arriving on the back of seven goals for Sevilla last season, he offers an option in the central support berth but could also be utilised in central midfield or a sitting role in front of defence. Clashes with Arsenal, Man United, Chelsea and Liverpool in the first six persuades us to steer clear until we get a better idea of Craig Shakespeare’s intentions.
Stoke City’s Xherdan Shaqiri and Watford’s Roberto Pereyra have yet to establish themselves as viable midfield picks. Both come in at 6.0 but – in the shape of Joe Allen and Etienne Capoue – have 5.5-priced team-mates that may prove stronger value.
Jesse Lingard (6.0) was the only player to start all five matches of Manchester United’s recent US tour, producing a goal and three assists over those fixtures. Whether he can continue to cement regular starts remains to be seen, while a single goal last season highlights his lack of an end product. It’s worth noting that Lingard missed the weekend win over Valeranga with a minor muscle problem.
Over in the blue half of Manchester, Yaya Toure (6.5) faces a tough task to stay in Pep Guardiola’s plans. The veteran seems likely to be a peripheral figure this time around as the City boss looks for more dynamism in the centre of the park.
The 7.0 to 7.5 Bracket
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha leads the way in terms of ownership in the mid-price bracket players.
Over 23% of FPL managers have snapped up the Ivory Coast international on the back of his career-best 149 points last term – indeed, he’s the third most popular midfielder in the game.
Zaha – who netted just three times in his final 16 appearances in 2016/17 – has stepped up his form under new manager De Boer, registering a goal and assist in the Eagles’ last two summer friendlies.
Yet despite offering two kind home fixtures in the first three (HUD SWA), there’s no doubt that he faces a tough opening batch of fixtures.
According to our fixture ticker, Palace’s attacking potential is ranked second worst of any side in the first eight Gameweeks, with trips to Liverpool, Burnley, Man City and Man United allied with visits from Southampton and Chelsea.
Liverpool pair Adam Lallana (7.5) and Georginio Wijnaldum (7.0) have mainly been overlooked due to the allure of premium priced team-mates Philippe Coutinho, Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.
Yet averages of 4.5 and 4.1 ppm respectively (compared with Zaha’s 4.3, for example) still indicate that they could offer value as a Reds’ alternative or even double-up option, depending on the extent of Jurgen Klopp’s rotation plans this season.
Of the two, Lallana looks the more appealing pick thanks to his raids forward from a deep-lying berth – he bettered the Dutchman for efforts in the box (30 to 29) in over 600 minutes less and played a part in more goals (26.3% to 22.7%) when on the pitch.
An injury to Eden Hazard has us eyeing us Willian (7.0) for a role in our opening squads. The Brazilian is off to a flier in pre-season, bagging four goals and an assist already, while a share of corners boosts his points potential – Chelsea scored more goals from set-pieces than any side last season.
Over 14.4% of FPL managers agree, though just 8.0% have opted for his team-mate Cesc Fabregas, who also looks a likely starter from the off, with Nemanja Matic now departed and new boy Tiemoue Bakayoko still nursing a knee problem. Once Antonio Conte has a full quota to choose from, neither player looks assured of a regular role – they started just 15 and 13 matches respectively last season.
It was Fabregas who made more of an impact in the Italian’s first season in charge, though – he was involved in 43.6% of the Blues’ goals when on the pitch, more than any midfield team-mate. Willian played a part in 27% by comparison.
Arsenal’s switch to 3-4-2-1 towards the tail end of last season saw them win eight of their remaining nine matches in all competitions. Although Theo Walcott (7.5) netted twice against Benfica last weekend, there has to be big question marks hanging over his role in the starting XI this season.
Instead, it can help reignite Aaron Ramsey’s (7.0) Fantasy prospects. The Welshman scored in the Gunners’ final two matches last term – including the FA Cup winner against Chelsea – and was second for both shots on goal and key passes in the new formation from Gameweek 33 onwards.
If he can remain injury-free, Ramsey’s raids forward could offer value into Arsene Wenger’s attack ahead of clashes with Leicester, Stoke, Bournemouth, West Brom, Brighton and Watford in the first eight.
Man United’s Juan Mata (7.0) finished last season as their second top scorer, despite finding the net on just six occasions. Yet a total of 19 starts under Jose Mourinho is indicative of the Spaniard’s role as a squad player, and with Paul Pogba priced at 8.0, Mata looks set to remain a peripheral figure once again.
Everton’s new boy Davy Klaassen (7.5) arrives with a big reputation, having bagged 14 goals and 10 assists in his final season at Ajax. With Ross Barkley (also 7.5) currently injured and near-certain to depart, the Dutchman could emerge as the go-to option for the Toffees, though the potential arrival of Gylfi Sigurdsson (8.5) from Swansea City would force a reassessment.
Clashes against Man City, Chelsea, Spurs and Man United between Gameweek 2-5 allows us the chance to monitor the new boy’s impact before the schedule turns in the Toffees’ favour.
West Ham trio Manuel Lanzini, Andre Ayew and new arrival Marko Arnautovic all come in at 7.0, with Michail Antonio the priciest option in Bilic’s squad at 7.5.
All four have their upside, though, like Everton, the opening schedule is very much against the London outfit, who have four away matches and a visit from Spurs in the first six Gameweeks.
Subject of a Great Expectations article earlier in the summer, Lanzini averaged 4.55 ppm after the exit of Dimitri Payet last season. Currently nursing a minor knee problem, he has already found the net this summer.
Ayew – who thrived at former club Swansea and earned 171 points in 2015/16 – impressed after recovering from injury last term. Versatile enough to also be shifted up front, the Ghana international bagged five goals and three assists in the final 13 Gameweeks.
Snapped up from Stoke, Arnautovic has already opened his account for the club, scoring in a weekend draw with Werder Bremen. Meanwhile, Antonio – who will miss the season opener at Old Trafford, averaged 4.6 ppm last term before succumbing to injury.
The split of set-pieces could be crucial here, with the impact of Arnautovic on Lanzini’s output of particular interest.
Our recommendation is certainly to sit tight and observe Bilic’s side for the opening away fixtures, with striker Hernandez the go-to option if you must indulge in West Ham investment.
