In this article I am going to look at some of the most tough-to-pick price points in the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) game in 2015/16 – some of the position and price combinations that are causing the most headaches. I have picked out three key price points and will use a variety of sources to shortlist who I feel are the main protagonists.
4.5 DEFENDERS
There can’t be many people who don’t have at least one spot for a budget defender – and with viable 4.0 options few and far between this year, the spotlight falls on the myriad of 4.5 defenders vying for our attention. A lot of this will hinge on rotation, but I will look at the key players in isolation here.
Micah Richards: The former Manchester City full back should be nailed on following his move to Aston Villa and has a favourable set of early fixtures. If he can recapture his attacking returns of old – a goal and six assists in his last regular season (2011/12) – he could be a bargain, but will injuries be his downfall?
Robert Huth: Close to Richards in the projections, man-mountain Huth excelled following his move from Stoke to Leicester, securing six clean sheets in 14 appearances as well as a goal. Another player with a history of attacking returns (six goals his Premier League season-best), Huth also has a kind set of opening fixtures.
Sebastian Coates: The 24-year-old centre back played very well at the tail end of last season under Sunderland manager Dick Advocaat, scooping four clean sheets in nine appearances. Tipping the tape at 6’5’’, Coates should also be a goal threat at set pieces, having grabbed 10 goals in 135 career appearances to date. The only risk is competition from club captain John O’Shea and new signing Younes Kaboul, however a starting place currently looks like his to lose.
My top recommendation: Robert Huth
7.0 MIDFIELDERS
This price point looks to be a rich source of potential FPL value this season and one that has been much discussed. Here are my top picks:
Jordan Henderson: The Liverpool central midfielder is absolutely nailed on as club captain and will be looking to continue his emergence from the shadow of club legend Steven Gerrard. Henderson proved a valuable asset last season, bagging seven goals and 10 assists whilst averaging a solid 4.38 points per appearance. The only two doubts are whether he keeps penalty duties in light of the acquisition of Christian Benteke and whether another new boy, James Milner, takes some of his attacking duties. Liverpool’s opening fixtures are a real mixed bag with tough away games combined with some appealing home ties.
James Milner: Milner was one of Manchester City’s best performers last season. Although still in and out of the starting line-up he still managed to notch up five goals and eight assists. There should be no such concerns over playing time at Liverpool, with Milner seemingly glued into the midfield alongside Henderson. Looking at matches where Milner played at least 60 minutes, he averaged 4.47 points per appearance, marginally ahead of Henderson. Milner has also caught the eye in pre-season, regularly getting forward and helping himself to a couple of goals.
Nacer Chadli: The Spurs midfielder seemed to pick up goals even when he wasn’t playing particularly well last season, ending up with an impressive 11 goals and six assists in 35 appearances. He seems to be nailed on when available, scoring at a rate of 4.57 per appearance. He regularly got subbed during the last 30 minutes, making his points per 90 minutes an even more impressive 6.0. Perhaps his playing time will be increased this term as he adapts to the rigours of English football.
Dusan Tadic: After a steady start last year, Southampton’s Tadic jumped into the FPL hall of fame with a 23-point haul in Gameweek 8. That seemed to be something of an anomaly as he only managed double figures in one more week. In fact, he was to prove a frustrating player to own, ‘blanking’ in 22 out of his 31 appearances. Finishing with four goals and nine assists, he averaged 3.77 points per appearance. An impressive pre-season combined with the Saints’ favourable early fixtures means that Tadic sneaks onto my shortlist for those who can’t stretch to other higher priced Southampton targets Sadio Mane or Graziano Pelle.
My top recommendations: James Milner and Nacer Chadli
8.0 – 9.0 MIDFIELDERS
In this minefield of a category, I will also include 8.5 players as people tend to bracket them together (and maybe even a sneaky 8.0!). My shortlist:
Theo Walcott (9.0): The Arsenal player is an interesting one as he hardly featured last season due to injury but, as we all know, when he plays, he’s FPL gold. Last season was hard to judge as he largely played cameos, racking up just 447 minutes across 14 appearances, grabbing five goals and an assist. Overall he scored at a modest 3.64 points per appearance, although if we look at just the four games where he played 60+ minutes, that shoots up to 9.5. Looking at it another way, his ‘points per 90 minutes’ averaged at 10.3 (for reference, Aguero’s was 7.7). The issue with Theo is always whether he will get the starts.
Aaron Ramsey (8.5): With the quality on show combined with the Gunners’ attractive opening schedule, I could easily have filled this price point with Arsenal midfielders; however, I will pick out just one more Gunner. Ramsey must now be seen as an established FPL asset. In a somewhat fragmented season, the Wales international notched six goals and assists in 29 appearances, scoring at an average of 4.0 FPL points per appearance. Both Santi Cazorla and Mesut Ozil outscored him here (4.54 and 4.68 respectively) but I have picked Ramsey out as he finished the season strongest, averaging 5.7 per appearance in the last 10 Gameweeks (Cazorla 4.0, Ozil 3.33).
Memphis Depay (8.5): I am normally wary of considering players that are new to the Premier League, however Depay looks like he could be a bit special, with Van Gaal describing the player he managed as Dutch coach as “the most talented young player at the World Cup”. A direct free-kick specialist, he racked up 22 goals and five assists in 30 appearances in Eredivisie last season. In pre-season he has been deployed in an attacking central role, just behind (and sometimes even ahead of) Wayne Rooney and appears full of confidence. He has featured consistently in pre-season, including a start against Barcelona in a team that Van Gaal described as close to his team to play Spurs. He looks very promising ahead of a decent fixture list although whether he can transfer his prior form to the Premier League remains to be seen.
Sadio Mane (8.0): A small step down in price but another very interesting selection in this bracket. The Southampton raider accumulated an impressive 11 goals and four assists in his debut Premier League season in 30 appearances, at a rate of 4.57 per appearance. A somewhat explosive player, he took a while to really get going and if we look at his form post-Christmas, his points per appearance increases to an impressive 5.42. Perhaps he had a new pair of boots in his Christmas stocking? Again, Mane should benefit from the Saints’ ‘sea of blue’ easy fixture list.
My top recommendations: Aaron Ramsey and Sadio Mane (plus a short-term punt on Walcott)
8 years, 9 months agothanks for submitting. Mane certainly has the potential to be underpriced if he can maintain his second half of last season form.