5 big-money players to avoid at the start of FPL

A great man once said, “Don’t just go for the big names in Fantasy Premier League.” I’m not quite sure about the ‘great man’ part, it could very well have been me ranting about how to master the FPL. However, the saying stands quite true.

After the announcement of the fixtures for the upcoming EPL season, the wheels have slowly started rolling. Hence, to set off our FPL managers on the right path, we are going to talk about five big-money players to avoid at the start.

Let’s be clear at the very beginning. A lot of these players might be great footballers and immensely crucial to their teams; however, they don’t make the cut as great FPL assets.

Five big-money FPL players to avoid in the beginning:

#1: Ederson (Manchester City)

Chelsea FC vs Manchester City (EPL 2019-20) - Ederson saves a shot from Pulisic.

Without an iota of doubt, the Manchester City shot-stopper is one of the finest keepers. However, as a fantasy asset priced at a high-end £6m, Ederson is a dull choice.

Last season, even though Ederson managed to keep the most clean sheets (16) in the EPL, he stockpiled only 133 FPL points, which was less than that of Mathew Ryan of Brighton and Hove Albion. The catch is, Ryan is a good £1.5m cheaper than Ederson.

In FPL, goalkeeper-points are massively aided by the number of saves they make, and it’s no surprise that Ederson or Alisson, both of whom play behind solid defences, face less number of shots and hence, make a low number of saves.

Alisson ranked at a lowly 17th place in ‘saves' made in the 2019-20 EPL season chart with 68 saves. Whereas, last season’s highest-scoring goalkeeper in FPL, Nick Pope of Burnley, made 120 saves and was ranked fourth, with Martin Dubravka of Newcastle United leading the charts.

So, we suggest that you should save your big bucks in the goalkeeper spot and invest them further up the field.

#2: Marcos Alonso (Chelsea)

Marcos Alonso celebrates after scoring in the London Derby between Chelsea FC and Tottenham Hotspur. (EPL 2019-20)

Let’s get this straight. Starting from the 2016-17 season (when he scored his career-high 177 FPL points), Marcos Alonso has been an invaluable FPL asset for three consecutive seasons. But after Frank Lampard’s entry, his role at the club has been limited and sporadic.

Last season, Alonso played only 1429 minutes, yet he grabbed 100 FPL points, doing so at a higher points-per-minute ratio than Trent Alexander-Arnold. Considering that Chelsea are almost nearing the finish line in the race for signing the English left-back Ben Chilwell, Alonso’s chances at the club don’t seem to be getting any bigger or better.

Priced at a premium £6m, he is one to avoid at the start of the FPL season. At that price point, it’s too big a punt to pick a player who isn’t seemingly a regular at his club. Wolves’ Matt Doherty at the same price bracket or Arsenal’s Kieran Tierney at £5.5m are seemingly better deals than Alonso.

However, it should be kept in mind that this is specific only to the start of the season. If Alonso happens to cement his place at Chelsea, he would be worth his weight in gold for FPL managers.

#3:

Toby Alderweireld

(Tottenham Hotspur)

In the FPL, it has become a standard rule (although not without exceptions) that full-backs are more of an asset compared to centre-backs, given the potential of attacking returns from full-backs in the form of assists and goals added to the clean-sheet bonus.

As a centre-back, Toby Alderweireld suffers a bit in that regard. Last season, he scored only two goals and assisted as many. Add to that Spurs’ struggling form, Alderweireld could only gather 97 FPL points last season.

For £5.5m, Alderweireld's return seems a bit underwhelming when compared to the array of defensive assets at the disposal of FPL managers this season.

However, if you happen to be absolutely stuck on acquiring a Spurs defensive asset this season, Eric Dier at £5m might be one to consider.

#4:

Paul Pogba

(Manchester United)

Paul Pogba scored his only goal of the season against Aston VIlla.

If Manchester United are to make a mark in England and Europe this season, it’s hard to argue that it may have to be without an in-form Paul Pogba orchestrating the midfield.

Paul Pogba has never managed to break through as an FPL asset over the seasons. His best FPL output came in the 2018-19 season when he scored 179 points. But other than that, since signing for United in the summer of 2016, he has been in and out of the club's starting XI with recurring injuries and occasional tiffs with managers.

So, his price at £8m seems to be a bit steep at this point in the game as he plays in a deeper role. Even if he remains injury free and starts regularly, Mason Greenwood (£7.5m), who plays further up the pitch, seems to be a better bet than the Frenchman.

Also, with Bruno Fernandes (£10.5m), Anthony Martial (£9m), Mason Greenwood and Marcus Rashford (£9.5m) ending their Premier League runs on a high, it’s difficult to consider someone else from United for our FPL teams at this point.

#5:

Roberto Firmino

(Liverpool)

Roberto Firmino recorded a hattrick of assists against Southampton.

When it comes to Liverpool’s indispensable front three, it is Roberto Firmino who facilitates the fluid functioning of the attacking forces. His brilliance on and off the ball has been written and talked about in plenty.

However, as an FPL asset, Firmino is a bit below the desired curve. At £9.5m, he can be demarcated as a premium forward, but he had an attacking output of just nine goals and as many assists last season.

If you’re paying the big bucks for the forwards, you’d expect them to challenge for the Golden Boot. Firmino doesn’t primarily excel in those quarters. He massively underperformed in that regard, as his tally of 16.69 xG (Expected Goals) last season showed.

Although it seems that there is a significant potential for more goals, with Raul Jimenez and Danny Ings both available for £8.5m, Firmino is too big a punt to take at the start of the season.

Pushing Firmino into your FPL squads would also mean filling up one of the spots in your three-player-per-team limit for Liverpool. With the big guns like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Virgil Van Dijk, Andrew Robertson, Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane up for grabs, Firmino might not be the best choice at the start.