Pre-Season

The best mid-price FPL forwards for 2020/21

While there was little to cheer among the budget forwards, there is a bit more to interest Fantasy Premier League managers when we step up a tier.

Our trawl through the mid-price FPL forwards covers the 25 assets who currently find themselves in the £6.0m-£7.5m bracket, with our look at the premium options to follow.

You can read our run-through of the best goalkeepers, defenders and midfielders via the links below.

‘BIG SIX’ BACK-UPS AND POSSIBLE STARTERS

We have opted to include the sole £7.5m-rated forward in this mid-price analysis as much of what we write of Tammy Abraham will also be true of Olivier Giroud (£7.0m).

Both players might be playing understudy to Timo Werner (£9.5m) for much of 2020/21 following the German attacker’s arrival in west London, although an injury to Christian Pulisic (£8.5m) could see Werner reprise the inside-left role he often played for RB Leipzig and open up a central spot for Abraham or Giroud in the early stages of the new season.

The final third of Abraham’s previous campaign was something of a non-event, with the Chelsea striker making only two starts in the final 13 Gameweeks as injury and Giroud’s form saw him reduced to bit-part player status.

Thirteen goals, five assists and 20 bonus points had arrived from Gameweeks 3 to 25, however, with Abraham starting all but one of Chelsea’s league fixtures over that run.

In total, the pair plundered 23 goals and seven assists between them in the Premier League in 2019/20 – which is a testimony to the Blues’ creativity, especially as Abraham was quite profligate following his early-season purple patch.

Pre-season will hopefully tell us whether Pulisic will be fit for Gameweek 1, whether Werner will initially be operating wide-left as a result and, finally, which – if any – of Giroud or Abraham could be leading the line on the opening weekend.

Whoever gets the nod could consequently be a decent differential for the appealing early fixtures but rotation and bench duty would appear to loom large beyond that point.

Michy Batshuayi (£6.0m) will be a mere FPL footnote if he stays at Stamford Bridge but a loan move could renew interest, as happened in 2018/19.

Odion Ighalo (£6.5m) has extended his loan deal at Manchester United until January 2021 but the Nigerian will likely be reliant on an injury crisis hitting the Red Devils to gain meaningful game-time, as Marcus Rashford (£9.5m) or Mason Greenwood (£7.5m) could just as easily deputise as the spearhead of the United attack if Anthony Martial (£9.0m) ever faced a period on the sidelines.

Ighalo, indeed, is still waiting for his first Premier League start since moving from China.

Pitch-time may also be an issue for Eddie Nketiah (£6.0m), with Willian‘s (£8.0m) arrival handing Mikel Arteta the chance to use Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£12.0m) centrally if ever the Arsenal boss opted against fielding Alexandre Lacazette (£8.5m) or indeed moves the Frenchman on.

Arteta clearly rates Nketiah, as the youngster was handed seven Premier League starts after returning from a loan spell with Leeds United in January.

While FPL managers could have stomached semi-regular benchings at Nketiah’s 2019/20 cost of £4.5m, the same might not apply after his price hike given the more ‘nailed’ starters elsewhere in this bracket.

As is the case with so many players, pre-season minutes will be a good way of gauging just how involved Nketiah might be in the Gunners’ appealing double-header against Fulham and West Ham United in Gameweeks 1 and 2.

The 21-year-old striker was given the nod to lead the line in the Community Shield on Saturday, which is a good start.

TOP-HALF OPTIONS

using-the-top-10000-ownership-to-increase-your-fpl-rank-andys-article 7

One of the joys of picking a Burnley asset is that, providing the team is in relatively good form, there is little danger of Sean Dyche rotating.

Chris Wood (£6.5m) is a bit of an unheralded mid-price forward and he delivered more goals (14) and registered more big chances (31) than all bar Abraham of the 25 strikers profiled in this article, despite starting just 29 games in an injury-disrupted season.

He has also registered more shots from inside the six-yard box than any other Premier League player in each of the last two campaigns, which is a great indicator of how often he gets into dangerous positions.

Few managers will be interested initially thanks to a Blank Gameweek 1 and a trip to Leicester City thereafter but he is one for the watchlist when the fixtures improve from Gameweek 3 onwards.

It remains to be see which of Ashley Barnes (£6.0m) or Jay Rodriguez (£6.0m) is Dyche’s preferred option alongside Wood next season, meanwhile, with Barnes starting 2019/20 as first-choice before injury curtailed his season in January.

The pair are more than capable of grabbing a goal or two themselves but Wood did outperform them on most ‘per 90’ metrics and he may well warrant the extra half a million outlay.

Sheffield United offered a lot of FPL value last season but not so much in attack.

The fact that none of their strikers started more than 24 matches or scored more than six league goals is a worry, with Chris Wilder fond of rotating his front two in an otherwise very settled side.

Only four clubs scored fewer Premier League goals than the Blades last season, meanwhile.

Oliver McBurnie (£6.0m) seems to be the pick of the three Bladesmen at this price, having belatedly established himself as a regular up top and having started 16 of Sheffield United’s final 17 fixtures – more than Billy Sharp (£6.0m) or Lys Mousset (£6.0m) managed in the whole of 2019/20.

Kelechi Iheanacho (£6.0m) looks good for a goal whenever he features for Leicester City but game-time is the main issue with the Nigerian, who hasn’t played more than 1,000 minutes of league football in any of the last five seasons.

Unless we get wind of a Jamie Vardy (£10.0m) injury in pre-season or Brendan Rodgers hints at starting two strikers up front, then there seems little value in a player who started just 12 matches in 2019/20 and who was described as an “impact player” by his manager as recently as July.

THE BEST – AND WORST – OF THE REST

What impact has David Moyes had on West Ham? 5

There’s only one place to start our ‘rest of the league’ round-up.

Many of us would have anticipated a positional reclassification for Michail Antonio (£6.5m) but, given what occurred after lockdown ended, few would have thought the West Ham United striker would be available at his cheapest price since 2015/16.

Granted, he’ll lose a handful of points for goals and clean sheets (not that the Hammers kept many) after his move from ‘midfielder’ to ‘forward’.

But the price drop and increased chance of bonus points will partly offset that and, comparing his credentials with other mid-price FPL forwards, he still stands out.

Ten goals and four assists from just 19 starts and five substitute appearances was impressive, with nine of those attacking returns arriving in West Ham’s post-restart fixtures.

Antonio’s season-long minutes-per-xGI (expected goal involvement) figure was also better than any other mid-price forward in this piece bar the peripheral Batshuayi and superior to the likes of Mohamed Salah (£12.0m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£11.5m).

As with most players, there are caveats.

His injury record has long been a cause for concern but he largely assuaged those fears with 14 successive starts at the end of 2019/20, even when the fixtures piled up.

Then there are questions over whether Sebastien Haller (£6.5m) will be reintegrated into the side and whether Antonio will be moved wide as a result or, as happened before coronavirus stopped play, whether they will be paired as a front two.

Perhaps the biggest downside is the tricky early-season fixture schedule but, that aside, he could represent excellent value in 2020/21 based on what we saw at the back-end of last season.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.0m) was a popular FPL purchase immediately after Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival but ten successive blanks in the run-in blotted his copybook.

The Everton striker scored eight goals and set up another in the ten Gameweeks following the Italian’s arrival and he was a reliable starter, with his only benching under Ancelotti coming in Gameweek 38+ when the Italian allowed Moise Kean (£6.0m) a rare run-out up front.

Barring any new arrivals, Calvert-Lewin will still be expected to begin 2020/21 as one of Ancelotti’s go-to picks in attack ahead of Kean and the injured Cenk Tosun (£6.0m).

No other forward now in the £6.0m-£7.5m bracket registered more attempts on goal or shots in the box than Calvert-Lewin from Gameweek 19 onwards, so the underlying stats (and opening fixures) bode well if he can rediscover his finishing touch.

Our sole mid-price representative from the newly promoted sides is Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.0m).

The Serb is priced up cheaper than he was in 2018/19 and Werner is the only FPL forward who has a higher ownership figure than him at the time of writing.

With 26 goals and two assists last season, it’s not hard to see why: Mitrovic played a part in 49.1% of the goals that Fulham scored when he was on the pitch, a similar involvement figure (46%) that he posted in the Premier League in 2018/19.

Mitrovic also impressed on the underlying stats front last season, as he did the last time he was in the Premier League.

He isn’t particularly clinical, with a goal conversion rate of 17.2% in 2019/20 not too eye-catching considering the inferior standard of goalkeeping and defending in the second tier.

Indeed, Mitrovic only converted 8.4% of his chances when he was last in the top flight.

Despite the wastefulness, the sheer volume of opportunities that came his way in the Premier League meant that, even with a poor conversion rate, he still managed to find the net on 11 occasions.

Mitrovic also has penalties on his side, while none of his teammates had more direct free-kick attempts last season, either (six).

Security of starts is another string to his bow, if we ignore his fitness-related benching in the play-off final.

The ex-Newcastle striker started all 40 Championship games that he was available for, with his one and only substitution being enforced by injury.

Dwight Gayle (£6.0m) had hit a purple patch of form after lockdown ended, scoring on four occasions and assisting another goal, but the Newcastle United striker looks set to be ruled out for several months after picking up an injury in pre-season.

We won’t waste too much of your time talking up Joelinton’s (£6.0m) credentials in Gayle’s absence as, even if he had been half a million cheaper, there would still have been precious few takers in FPL.

The Brazilian didn’t miss a single Premier League match last season but two goals in 32 starts and six substitute appearances tells its own story.

Jordan Ayew (£6.0m) was prolific in comparison to Joelinton, scoring nine goals and assisting another three as a value-for-money £5.0m forward in 2019/20.

Security of starts was a big plus regarding Ayew, with the Ghanaian starting 37 of Palace’s 38 games, but that rise of one million does dent his appeal considering that he has not hit double figures for goals in a single season since moving to England in 2015.

The Eagles were the division’s second-lowest scorers last season, too, with the capture of attacking midfielder Eberechi Eze (£6.0m) from QPR no doubt an attempt to address that issue – and there were promising signs in the pre-season win over an admittedly limited Charlton Athletic side.

Like Calvert-Lewin, there was very little wrong with Neal Maupay‘s (£6.5m) underlying statistics last season.

No forward previewed in this piece registered more penalty box touches or attempts on goal and, while not rotation risk-free, he is still probably the safest route into an improving Brighton and Hove Albion attack after starting 30 of the Seagulls’ 38 league fixtures.

Too often his finishing let him down, however, and a price rise after a modest ten-goal haul when the likes of Wood and Antonio are available for the same money does raise questions over his value.

Similar concerns can be expressed over Aston Villa duo Wesley (£6.0m) and Mbwana Samatta (£6.0m), too, despite them being half a million cheaper.

A combined six goals in 32 starts was a fair reflection of their indifferent debut seasons but they weren’t helped by the supply line or Dean Smith’s brand of play, with their remit as lone target-men as much to bring the midfielders into play as it was to find the back of the net themselves.

Villa, of course, blank in Gameweek 1.

Finally, a word on the man many FPL managers are hoping can partly emulate Danny Ings‘ (£8.5m) achievements of last season.

Che Adams (£6.0m) caught the eye after the summer restart, finding the back of the net on four occasions; Giroud and Antonio were the only two FPL forwards who could better his goals-per-90-minutes average after lockdown.

It’s still a bit early to say for sure whether Adams will become a regular starter alongside Ings as Shane Long (£5.5m) had been preferred before coronavirus stopped play, starting all but one of the matches he was available for between Gameweeks 15 and 29.

With little to play for after football resumed in June, Ralph Hasenhuttl brought Adams back into the fold and it may be that he impressed enough to be given more of an opportunity in his sophomore season.

Pre-season will hopefully give us an indicator, one way or another.


Best players by position:

1,060 Comments Post a Comment
  1. KUNingas
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    A) Bruno + Adams
    B) Greenwood + Ings

    1. HurriKane
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      B with Greenwood and Martial

    2. 3 A
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      A. Get a captain candidate

  2. fplfansss
    • 6 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Which one?
    A. Ings, Vardy, Soucek
    B. Werner, Vardy, Armstrong
    C. Son, Ayew, Werner

    1. 3 A
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      C

    2. I am 42
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Was with B
      Werner, Vardy, Armstrong, Saliba

      Now with "A"
      Ings, Vardy, Saka, Ferguson

    3. InterUranus
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      A

  3. I am 42
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    RMT please, what changes will you make?

    McCarthy
    TAA Robertson Justin
    Salah(VC) Aubameyang(C) Saka ASM
    Vardy Ings Mitrović

    Nyland Vinagre Stephens Ferguson

    1. circusmonkey
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 13 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Armstrong instead of ASM.
      Mitchell instead of Ferguson.
      Downgrade Mitro to a 4.5, upgrade Saka.

      1. I am 42
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Noted with thanks.

        BTW why do you think Saka is not worth a punt?

        1. Garth Marenghi
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          His playing time is unreliable

        2. circusmonkey
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 13 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          As Garth says but it is more about me not rating Mitro and what you can get from a mid in the 8m range. Saka might do OK, nothing against him.

      2. yousunkmybattleship
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Maybe
        Yes
        Only if you want to be playing 442

  4. 3 A
    • 8 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Antonio up top with Hallar as secondary striker?

    1. Flair
      • 3 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Not happening from what I've heard from West Ham fans

  5. circusmonkey
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 13 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Chris Wood for me from this group although currently on Adams due to the blank. Really, I'm hoping Brewster goes to SHU and plays and I can use the money elsewhere.

    1. Bank$y
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      If Brewster does end up at Newcastle Utd or Sheffield, then that’ll clear up some funds for Messi too.

  6. SpaceCadet
    • 10 Years
    3 years, 7 months ago

    Worth getting Greenwood now and benching for gw1? Seems like a waste of 7.5m even if it’s just for one gw.

    1. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Some are even benching likes of Martial/Bruno/Kevin (like me), Greenwood is at least cheaper than them 😀

    2. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      At the minute I’m only starting 10 in GW1, benching Greenwood, Bruno & Martial & have GW2’s FT booked for Salah > KDB & GW3’s FT booked for Vinagre > Laporte 🙂

      1. @persecuted_by_mods
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Starting off with a 2 point hit!

          1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Well if the 4.5 mid starts I’ll actually have 11 starting 🙂

            But assuming they won’t worse case

        • Old Man
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 12 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Wow, that is seriously brave - but it could be a masterstroke.

          1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            GW1 will come & go in the blink of an eye - I’d much prefer the value offered by the mancs for the longer run tbh

            Have Werner for a little bit of Chelsea but even then I’m not 100% sure about him

            1. Pacer.
              • 9 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Top players average more than the cost of a hit

              Is this really the right move

              1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                • 14 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                At the minute it feels like it is tbh - there’s an awful lot of reconfiguring needed to get back to a team I’m comfortable with from GW2 onwards when throwing in the likes of Son or Kane etc

                The big boys score below the transfer hit threshold an awful lot more than folks give them credit for - you really need to be comfortable holding them for 5,6,7 ideally 10+ games imo - despite all this newfangled chatter about “upside chasing”

                1. Pacer.
                  • 9 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Fair enough if it's a logistical nightmare. I'm looking at a similar move but also weighing up just how many points a fired up mane/auba could rattle away.

                  The thing about benching big players is that you're not only betting they'll come good, but that players you eshew in favor of them will not smash it out of the park

                  On balance I think I'd rather own big players in W1 that flopped then not own big players that smashed it and left me wondering if my benched players were the right call in the first place

                  1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
                    • 14 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    Auba is the one who I’m thinking of making a concession for - but still not 100%, I think Kev & Bruno score very similarly to him from GW2-38, especially with the extra game

                  2. Goonsquad245
                    • 7 Years
                    3 years, 7 months ago

                    It’s a simple mathematical problem for me.

                    (‘Stand in’ points + 4) vs ‘Placeholder’ points. Both averaged over the long term expectation.

                    If your stand in is a 4.5 defender with a reasonable fixture, it’s obviously a lot better to simply bench the player you want GW2 than if you’re playing with 10, for example. In both cases though, it comes down to your subjective assessment of long term average points for a particular player in a particular fixture.

                    1. Pacer.
                      • 9 Years
                      3 years, 7 months ago

                      There are a couple of other things to consider, depending on how fickle/patient a manager you are. Expectations change rapidly. E.G: If, big IF, but if Auba hits a hatrick in week 1 and you've benched all your money, you're faced with what could amount to a .2-.5 increase by the time you've fielded your bench in week two and come round to thinking about week 3. If you do decide to move for Auba, you're also playing catch-up with a narrowed selection of players to do so.

                      Not saying this will necessarily happen. Just that I think starting out in a position where you move TO players who don't have a GW1 makes sense for more reasons than starting with a week team where you have already essentially locked your week 2, based on no knowledge from GW1.

                      I think it's worth the potential hits net loss, which is likely to amount to next to nothing

                      1. Pacer.
                        • 9 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        *where you don't move to players who don't have a GW1 I meant

                      2. Goonsquad245
                        • 7 Years
                        3 years, 7 months ago

                        Fair points. I was describing the scenario where you’re absolutely locked in to a GW2 transfer and will do it immediately post deadline or after the games etc pretty much come what may. If there’s more to it that needs to be factored in.

        • SpaceCadet
          • 10 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Wow that’s a lot of faith in u it’s attack

          1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
            • 14 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Can’t get over the value on offer there - could easily see next years prices being Rashford 10.5, Martial 10.0, Bruno 12.0, Greenwood 9.0 etc etc

            1. Old Man
              • Fantasy Football Scout Member
              • 12 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              When the Man Utd fans start buying their players in GW2 we could be seeing some immediate price rises - particularly Bruno.

              1. Karan14
                • 7 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                I'll be one of them 😛

      2. Goonsquad245
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        If you have a decent starting replacement, it’s better than booking a transfer in to get him GW2.

        Whether it’s worth getting him at all is a different question 😉

      3. circusmonkey
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 13 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        I think it is worth having one City/ United player on the bench. I was on two but I just changed one because I'll have no bench this week.

    3. Bank$y
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Any other friendlies coming up between PL teams or was the Brighton Chelsea game it.

      1. Andy'81
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Everton, West Ham, NUFC, Palace and Sheff Utd [2] have games listed for next week, no doubt most teams will be having in house games over the international break as well.

    4. R.C
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Is Antonio injured?

    5. Fernando Torres
      • 12 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      A) Robertson + Salah + Mitro + 4m def
      B) Doherty + Greenwood + Werner + Tierney (becomes Laporte after GW1)

    6. Holmes
      • 10 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      "The first side that Hasenhuttl trotted out for Southampton was one that supporters are very familiar with. It was the typical 4-2-2-2 formation with McCarthy, Walker-Peters, Bednarek, Stephens, Bertrand, Romeu, Ward-Prowse, Armstrong, Redmond, Ings, and Adams."

      This will probably be the first choice lineup for Saints

      1. Holmes
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        "Che Adams opened the scoring just minutes into the match and Swansea could do very little to stop the Saints after that.

        Redmond, and Bertrand both added goals to the scoreline while Ings and Ward-Prowse each had a brace. Ings and Ward-Prowse each converted a penalty as well so that will be something to keep an eye on this coming season."

        Penalty situation still unclear...

      2. Old Man
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Will they not be after a replacement for Højbjerg?

        1. Holmes
          • 10 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          No rumours yet

        2. Flair
          • 3 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          They had great results without him towards the end of last season so it seems like they don't need to replace him

    7. Jems Reds
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Finally set on a draft - please let me know your thoughts?

      Ryan (Button)
      TAA, Van Dijk, Vinagre (Ferguson, Taylor)
      Salah, Son, Soucek, Podence (KDB)
      Werner, Mitro, Adams

      Podence is my current 5.5, pure gut feeling. Easily changeable.

    8. Pacer.
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      The thing about almost all of these strikers is that you'd probably not buy any of them until you had no choice

      It's too early in the season and indeed too early on a Sunday. It's a bleak, bleak read

      1. Piggs Boson
        • 12 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        You really don't see the benefit?!

        Chris Wood and Michael Antonio are going to be major cogs in my team this season. Maybe a few of the others on this list too.

        1. Pacer.
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          *most, Antonio may be an exception

          Unless forced by the need to accept certain price points or formations to facilitate a player who emerges as essential, I see almost no value in players such as these who rack up on average about 130 points at 6m. They are as poor value as captain options, but they are not captain options

          1. Pacer.
            • 9 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            They also hoover up transfers because they are more subject to the teams collective slumps in form. Nope don't like them, 1 transfer in, one out, in the hope they tick along for a bit and do you well. Vkeurgh

    9. Emiliano Sala
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Alli is fpl's hidden gem this season.
      injury-free now and will play almost 90 minutes.
      mou has played him as CF several occasions so he believes his attacking potential.
      and has had a great pre season so far

      1. Pacer.
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Not really hidden, plays for a Mourinho team, no longer has one of the best mids in the world to create.

        Forecast: acceptable

      2. Christina.
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        I dunno hey....his attitude stinks sometimes. Dont like him.

      3. Smurf
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        I like him. But he’s not guaranteed to start, let alone 90 minutes.

        The front 6 will include Kane, Son, Sissoko, Hojbjerg and Lucas.

        This leaves just one spot for Alli and Lo Celso. LC was playing regular after the re start and looked very good IMO. I doubt he suddenly gets dropped to the bench full time.

        1. Dont_Win_Friends_With_Salah…
          • 6 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          When fit Lo Celso will start every game I think. He is a MUCH better player than Alli and will get forward more now Hjoberg is holding things up further back

        2. HeDoesntWantIt
          • 9 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          I don’t think sissoko and hojberg will both be starting. Possibly against the good teams.

      4. Greasy Grealish Gang
        • 4 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Good shout. Has been in my draft for this very reason

    10. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Antonio probably going to get a lot of space to break into during West Ham’s tough fixture run too

      Pens don’t hurt either if he still has them

      Hmmmm

      1. HurriKane
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Will he be deployed as false 9 over that run ? Or will Haller start alongside Antonio?

      2. Eat my goal!
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Soucek is too cheap to ignore - double up for those fixtures....

        1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
          • 14 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Soucek + Antonio covering West Ham’s pens?

          1. Eat my goal!
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            How often you think they’ll be in the opposition box in the 1st 7 games

            Could easily lose 4 of those 2-0

            1. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
              • 14 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Not regularly because they’ll generally be under huge pressure at the other end of the pitch

              But when they are - it should usually be in counterattacking situations with a bit more space for players with pace...

              1. HurriKane
                • 11 Years
                3 years, 7 months ago

                Depend which westham side turns up. They upped their game only when relegation was looming.

                Not sure they will hit the ground running especially give the tough fixtures

                1. KGFC
                  • 7 Years
                  3 years, 7 months ago

                  Someone needs to tell them they are in a relegation battle from the start of the season... seems to be the ONLY way to get that team moving. How its touch and go almost every season is amazing. Proper roller coaster for fans!

      3. MikeBravo
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        1. Antonio scored four against Norwich. Norwich.
        2. Moyes will phook it up by playing Haller up top, now that Antonio's best position has been found.
        3. Moyes is the manager.
        4. Bad fixtures.
        5. It's West Ham.

        These are all reasons why I've bottled it and taken Antonio out of my squad and am not going to captain him against Newcastle. Could bite me on the a*se!

    11. HurriKane
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Che Adams nailed on to start gw1 ?

      If not who's a threat to his place.?

      1. Holmes
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Obafemi/Long but I guess he will start atleast couple of games.

        1. HurriKane
          • 11 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          obafemi is just a youngster. shane long legs gone

          i think at 24 Che adams is the perfect fit to play alongside Ings.

      2. DantheManinaPan
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 10 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Pretty much yeah.

        Can't believe he's not being talked about more!

        Been in all of my drafts and deffo worth the 2.5 saving over Ings imo, based on post-lockdown form

        1. pingissimus
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Bizarre that Mitro has that ownership - it’s not even as if he has fixtures to start off with

    12. R.C
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Anyone knows how bad is the Antonio injury?

    13. Eat my goal!
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Think I’ll just get vvd to start with

      Gives a while extra mil to get assured starters rather than 4.5s

      I’ll back pool more seriously when their fixtures turn and if they look interested - hendo is the real concern

    14. Freund88
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Players whose value will look totally wrong at the end if the season?

      - Saka
      - Ake
      - Chilwell

      Thoughts and others?

      1. Garth Marenghi
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Martinelli maybe

      2. Miguel Sanchez
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Greenwood
        Foden
        Soucek
        Tierney

    15. HurriKane
      • 11 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      fak it im going Dele Alli around 8m price bracket

      Was previously on Ziyech but i think he will take a little while to settle in. Sprayed some fantastic passes versus brighton yesterday but i think id start with Werner only

      Always got option to downgrade to Greenwood if the punt fails

      1. Eat my goal!
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Frustrating game to judge on how good Chelsea’s need additions could be - ziyech was deep tho so it feels like a fair swap

        1. HurriKane
          • 11 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          feel like pulisic will be big miss for opening two games.

          when he returns we;'ll see much better chelsea attack

          1. Eat my goal!
            • Fantasy Football Scout Member
            • 5 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Agree - I think they should start with giroud up front and Werner to the left - that would certainly give Werner more chance to do well but no idea what lamps has in mind when he’s fielding rcl & odoi

      2. Stockport Hatter
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        I've just brought Alli in to my team.

        1. HurriKane
          • 11 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          He had a decent season in FPL terms last season. involved in 14 goals in just 21 pl starts {8g 6a)

          i get that Son and Kane are peoples proffered options but i think Alli offers great value at 8.0,

          1. Reeceviljoen
            • 10 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Got son and Alli

    16. Maximus Bonimus Pointimus
      • 14 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      They were showing clips of the upcoming Spurs Documentary yesterday

      It included Mourinho giving heartfelt dressing room speeches (in front of the cameras of course 😉 ) on his soapbox about how “trust, respect, friendship are the most important things in life and in Football”

      Honestly one of the cringiest things I’ve ever seen - going to just sit back & observe how spurs do because personally I wouldn’t have been super impressed by that from a motivational standpoint

      1. Miguel Sanchez
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Trust, encouragement, reward, loyalty... satisfaction.

        1. Dont_Win_Friends_With_Salah…
          • 6 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Melting pot....

      2. pingissimus
        • 5 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Hard to make a documentary without cameras to be fair 🙂

    17. Smash10
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 5 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      A) Bruno and Mitrovic
      B) Greenwood and Martial

      B would prob be an early -4

      1. Garth Marenghi
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        A

      2. HurriKane
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        B will outscore A easily come end of season

      3. n14mul
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Like b but my motto this season is less hits

    18. n14mul
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 6 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Morning, hope your all well and filled with excitement with less then 7days to go!

      Which would wou pick?

      A. Robbo & Armstrong
      B. Davies & Ings

      1. HurriKane
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        B

      2. Pacer.
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        The season begins on the 12th

        Sorry to wreck your Sunday

        1. n14mul
          • Fantasy Football Scout Member
          • 6 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Hahaha oops your right,......but anyway A or B??

      3. Stockport Hatter
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        13 days.

      4. Garth Marenghi
        • 7 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        A

    19. KGFC
      • 7 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Lads, do we think Bruno is worth 3m over Greenwood? Before you jump the gun or take out your pitchforks, hear me out.

      1. Penalties made a BIG part of Bruno's overall tally. Decisions could go either way so I won't bet only on pens.
      2. Greenwood is a great finisher and could continue to outscore his xG.
      3. Bruno will have to outscore Greenwood by at least 60 points to justify the 3m difference. Assuming that 1mn should roughly equate to ~20 FPL points.

      This is, of course, assuming United don't get anyone over the line before the transfer window shuts to challenge Greenwood.

      1. Pacer.
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Bruno is a captain option. Not really compatible.

        His ppminute is so astronomical that nobody in their right mind should be going without him

        1. Goonsquad245
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          Get me a straight jacket then

          1. Pacer.
            • 9 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Fair enough. Maybe he'll flop. He's comfortably outscoring Salah at 10.5ml and really the only thing you can currently hang a hope on for it not continuing are United not winning penalties or collective poor form

            Don't fancy either of those

            1. Goonsquad245
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              I don’t expect united to get half as many penalties as they did last season, which is part of it.

        2. KGFC
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          He got 4 pens.
          His non-penalty xG (shots of Target) was 2.81 vs Greenwood with 5.2.

      2. Kambo
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Greenwood is excellent value but i wouldn't be comparing to Bruno as a justified decision for one or the other.

        1. KGFC
          • 7 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          For me, its about who to pair up with Martial up top.
          I'll be putting the armband on Martial for United's easy games so its a straight-up question of who is better value in Bruno vs Greeny.

          1. Kambo
            • 6 Years
            3 years, 7 months ago

            Hard for me to split as I should have all 3 of Greenwood, Bruno and Martial GW2. planning on starting Mane and Antonio and taking a -4 for Martial and Bruno as soon as GW1 kicks off.
            The question marks over Bruno are only there because of the other premium midfielders whereas Greenwood and Martial are no brainers for me.

            1. KGFC
              • 7 Years
              3 years, 7 months ago

              Fair enough.
              Personally, not in favour of tripling up at least in the beginning. But could work out as a HUGE differential should United continue banging in goals.

    20. Goooo Rickie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      James or Bertrand for a 5.0 def?

    21. funkybuddha
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Which is the better option in your opinion?

      1. Werner and Ings
      or
      2. Werner and Richarlison (0.5 somewhere else)

      1. RichRover
        • 11 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        1

      2. yousunkmybattleship
        • Fantasy Football Scout Member
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        lol any option that doesn’t include Richarlison

    22. Goooo Rickie
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      1

    23. Lovren an elevator
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Are there any midfielders that look likey to leave? I have an early draft in my draft league. Anticipating Havertz or maybe even Messi to come in at a later date. Only way I can pick them up is if one of my mids leaves the league.

      1. FPL ElasticO
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        If Messi comes in PL then definitely have to have him your team even in expense for Salah .......

    24. FPL ElasticO
      • 9 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      How is this draft looking??

      McCarthy
      Davies/ Vinagre/ Robbo
      Salah/ Auba/ Son/ JWP/ Pereira
      Mitrovic/ Werner

      Bench:: Nyland/ Justin/ Mitchell/ Davies

    25. pmletch
      • 8 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Son (for goals) or Alli (for differential)?

      1. Christina.
        • 14 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Uhm...lol

        1. Amey
          • 5 Years
          3 years, 7 months ago

          😆

      2. Bavarian
        • 6 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Kane for both

    26. Easy Cheesy
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 4 Years
      3 years, 7 months ago

      Do you reckon man utd and man city player prices will rise when everyone starts buying them? And auba will drop to £11.9m as everyone jumps to city midfield? Presumably the movement will be massive.

      Also does this mean less bandwagons this year as early transfers are going to be resetting teams rather than jumping on the value players?

      Thinking I should get greenwood and bench him just to get a price rise, and take my time thinking through a WC to jump on bandwagons

      1. FPL ElasticO
        • 9 Years
        3 years, 7 months ago

        Not really if you think of try to transfer in them for GW 2......