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With less than a week to go for the new season, Fantasy Premier League managers will be busy assembling their squads and balancing between budget options and big name players ahead of the big Premier League kick-off on Saturday, 8 August.
Everyone loves a bit of Fantasy Premier League, but it is not always easy to get your selections right, which is why over the next few days we will bring you the top five players to pick from each position, which will help you to beat your friends in private and public leagues. Having analysed the top five goalkeepers and the top five defenders in our first two articles, we now focus our attentions further up the park and have a look at the midfielders.
Without any doubt, midfield is the most important position in Fantasy Premier League. Not only are the top-priced players likely to return similar points to their expensive forwards, but a few of the lower mid-price budget players have a history of providing us with great value for money. Therefore, getting the engine room of your team is crucial and whether you decide to start three, four or five midfielders, it is important to get your balance right.
Your selections should be based on the goal and assist threat that each midfielder possesses, with an eye for a bargain, instead of someone who is just going sit in front of the back four. Assists are good, but goals are better! You want the man who is going to be running at defences, creating chances for his strikers or cutting in off his wing to fire one into the top corner. And that is why, the attacking midfielders and the wingers are some of the most valuable players in Fantasy Premier League.
Before we get into the list, it is worth nothing a few changes to the Bonus Point System (BPS) allocation which will affect the midfielders this term. The decrease to the BPS for pass completion will hit a number of midfielders playing their trade for the teams that dominate possession, especially the likes of Cesc Fabregas, Santi Cazorla, Eden Hazard and David Silva, who were amongst the top six midfielders for completed passes last season.
However, the improved BPS changes for successful tackles will certainly benefit the hard tackling midfielders, the likes of Nemanja Matic, Morgan Schneiderlin and Lucas Leiva. Here, we have a look at the top five midfielders to pick this season.
5) Yohan Cabaye – Crystal Palace
In a real statement of intent ahead of the new season, Crystal Palace completed the surprise signing of Yohan Cabaye for a club record fee from Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. The Frenchman was the best player at Newcastle United under Alan Pardew, producing 17 goals and 21 assists during his three years at St. James’ Park.
Now back in the Premier League and reunited with his former manager, the 29-year-old could well become one of the most lethal midfielders in England again. Priced at an unbelievably cheap £6.5m for a player of his class, he should find his way into many Fantasy Premier League squads from the start, and, if he displays the form the fans know he’s capable of, will stay there for the majority of the season.
Palace have a tough start to the season, but games at Selhurst Park and against the likes of Norwich, Tottenham and Watford away from home in the opening seven game weeks could be scoring ones and the set piece specialist could prove a shrewd investment.
4) Memphis Depay – Manchester United
It is never easy to judge how well a new arrival will settle in the Premier League, but the fact that nearly a quarter of FPL managers have selected the Netherlands international in their team suggests he will be well-suited to the English top flight and they expect him to hit the ground running from day one.
Despite finishing fourth last season, Manchester United struggled in the final third and netted just 62 times. Depay’s arrival should bolster the Red Devils’ attack having finished as the league’s top scorer with 22 goals that fired PSV Eindhoven to the Eredivisie title, and has already opened his account for United in pre-season.
It looks like he will be playing on the left of the front three in a 4-3-3 or in the ‘hole’ behind Wayne Rooney in a 4-2-3-1, which means he will get a lot of chances to score and set up his team-mates. After an impressive pre-season in the United States, Depay will feel confident of performing to his potential against Tottenham, Aston Villa, Newcastle, Swansea and then Liverpool, in the opening five game weeks.
3) Mesut Ozil – Arsenal
After the season Alexis Sanchez had last term, where he scored a total of 16 goals and grabbed an outstanding 207 points, third-most in the whole game behind Hazard (233) and Sergio Aguero (216), it is almost impossible not to consider. However, given the fact that the Chilean is set to miss the start of the season following his Copa America involvement with Chile, he doesn’t make our list and this may come as a big surprise to many out there.
Instead, it is the German playmaker Mesut Ozil, who takes his place. If you have a look at the Arsenal midfield options, there is little to choose between Cazorla, Aaron Ramsey and Ozil as they are all valued at the same price, but it was the German, despite missing a number of games through injury, who proved more consistent, with an average of 4.7 points per appearance and produced a key pass at a quicker rate than any other midfielder last season.
With Arsenal facing West Ham, Crystal Palace, Newcastle and Stoke in their first five game weeks, Ozil could turn out to be an intelligent investment and prove great value for money.
2) Raheem Sterling – Manchester City
The 20-year-old finally got his move away from Liverpool when he joined Manchester City for a reported £49m, making him their record signing and the most expensive English player ever. There is no way that City have spent so much on him, for him to sit on the bench and, therefore, expect him to feature on the right for the Manchester club or in a central role behind Aguero, depending on the formation.
Playing alongside one of the best strikers in the world will surely boost Sterling’s assist tally, and given the fact that he registered ten last season, with Liverpool’s main man Daniel Sturridge missing for majority of the campaign, his price tag appears acceptable. Playing with the likes of David Silva, Samir Nasri and Yaya Toure should also boost his scoring potential, although he needs to improve on his finishing as he can be wasteful in front of goal.
City kick off their campaign against West Brom followed by Chelsea, but after that their schedule turns very favourable, and so picking Sterling could be a very wise move.
1) Eden Hazard – Chelsea
When selecting this year’s Fantasy Premier League midfield it is impossible to look beyond Chelsea’s talisman and last season’s PFA Player of the Year, Hazard. The Belgium international is the most expensive midfielder in the game and rightly so, yet is cheaper than last season’s top goalscorer Aguero, whom he outscored by 17 points last term.
He has been very consistent since his move to Chelsea and has racked up 190, 202 and 233 points in his three seasons at Stamford Bridge. Barring injury, it is very difficult to see him failing to reach a similar level this season and he should probably be the first name on the team sheet. Despite the hefty price tag, his ownership currently stands at a massive 55.6%, which is more than double any other midfielder on the list and is a clear proof of his talents.
Still only 24, there is plenty of improvement to come from the penalty-taking Belgian, who terrorised defences last season with 14 goals and nine assists from midfield, and also inspired Chelsea to their first Premier League title in five years.
If you haven’t yet registered then you can do so over here and don’t forget to join our private and head-to-head leagues. The codes are 317022-84263 and 317022-254434.
