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In Fantasy Premier League, midfielders are the primary source of points by a fair distance and last seasons FPL leader-board provides conclusive proof of this hypothesis. Three of the top 5 points scoring players were midfielders in the past two seasons, with the likes of Mohamed Salah, Kevin de Bruyne, Sadio Mane and Raheem Sterling featuring on the list.
Seasoned FPL managers consider factors such as PPM (Points Per Million) and VAPM (Value Added Per Million) and the manner in which these stats are interpreted could cause a re-think when it comes to midfielders in particular, as their prices ranges vary massively.
With the 2019/20 FPL season around the corner, let's look at 5 of the highest scoring midfielders from last season.
#1 Mohamed Salah - £12.5 million
At a starting price of a whopping £13 million, Mohamed Salah started the 2018/19 FPL season as the most expensive player in the history of the game, after his record-breaking tally of 32 PL goals last season.
Although the Egyptian superstar failed to hit the heights of his debut season at Anfield, he went on to register an impressive tally of 22 league goals and 12 assists as he went on to share the PL golden boot with Sadio Mane and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
The winger was the top scoring player in FPL for a second season running, with 259 points and also went on to register 18 bonus points.
Despite the asking price, Salah exploits since joining Liverpool will ensure that he's a popular player among FPL managers.
#2 Raheem Sterling - £12 million
Raheem Sterling's stock has risen astronomically in the past two seasons. He has been one of the most consistent players for the Cityzens under Pep Guardiola and his overall game has come leaps and bounds since the Spaniard took charge.
The Englishman was subject to targeted abuse from the media but he didn't let off-field issues get to him as his consistent performances spearheaded Manchester City to back-to-back Premier League titles. Sterling, having amassed 17 goals and 15 assists, was a favourite for the PFA Player of the Year award, narrowly missing out to Liverpool's Virgil van Dijk.
As Kevin de Bruyne missed a sizable chunk of the 2018/19 with injury, the winger along with Sergio Aguero was the mainstay in attack as he went on to accumulate 234 points, tallying 25 bonus points in the process.
#3 Sadio Mane - £11.5 million
Sadio Mane enjoyed an outstanding domestic season, even by his lofty standards. Liverpool's front-three are widely regarded as the most feared trio in world football and despite Salah's tag as the team's talisman, Mane led Liverpool's title charge since the turn of the year.
The Senegalese winger finished the season with an impressive tally of 22 goals and 3 assists despite not being on set-pieces and set a unique record of scoring the most non-penalty league goals in the Premier League last season.
Mane went on to register 231 FPL points last season, also accumulating a staggering 24 bonus points as he shared the PL golden boot with Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
At a price of £11.5 million, he represents good value after his exploits last season and is a cheaper alternative to teammate Mohamed Salah.
#4 Gylfi Sigurdsson - £8 million
The Icelandic international has been one of the most consistent attacking midfielders in the country since his move to Swansea City from the Hoffenheim in 2012 and enjoyed a successful season with the Toffees, scoring 13 goals and registering 6 assists.
Sigurdsson comes with solid technical ability and his set-piece prowess for an Everton side competing to be the best side outside the top-six makes him a solid option in midfield.
After tallying 182 FPL points, 20 of those coming in the form of bonuses, he'll look to carry on from where he left off last season as Marco Silva's men look for a spot in Europe.
#5 Ryan Fraser - £7.5 million
Ryan Fraser was one of the breakthrough stars of the 2018/19 season. After coming through the ranks at Aberdeen, the Scotland international was snapped up by Eddie Howe for the 2016/17 season and became a mainstay in the ever so entertaining Bournemouth side last season.
The Cherries' free-flowing brand of attacking football brought the best out of him as he went on to register 7 goals and 14 assists last season. The 25-year-old, priced at a meagre £5.5 million last season, racked up 181 points last season, accumulating 23 bonus points in the process.
At such a nominal fee, Fraser was a big hit among FPL managers and despite the price hike, he's expected to feature in quite a few teams with the forthcoming season approaching.
What's the strategy?
With Liverpool and Manchester City looking well set to carry on from where they left off last season, the likes of Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are all obvious options at the centre of the park.
Kevin de Bruyne was missing through injury for a large part of the previous season and his return is sure to cause a re-think among FPL managers as he was Manchester City's creative outlet in the 2017/18 season.
A lot of players have undergone price changes and with that in mind, managers will also be in the look-out for budget options in order to complete their squads.
When it comes to picking 5 players for the midfield, managers often find it hard to find the right balance between premium options and budget alternatives and it's important to get your combinations right in order to ensure overall balance.
The non top-six sides often unearth young talents who go on to become terrific low-cost options in FPL, with Ryan Fraser a prime example from last season and managers will be on the look-out for such options in the opening stages of the season.
If such players were to arise, they could be drafted in straightaway and the wildcard could become a real option, in order to get the combinations right and rectify early-season mistakes.
The sensible option would be to stick with the basics and select a group of players who were reliable over the course of the previous season, as opposed to going for differential options right from the beginning.
The forthcoming season of Fantasy Premier League is around the corner and with that in mind, what kind of strategies have you adopted to start the season off?
Let us know in the comments below!
