Fantasy Bundesliga 2018/19: 5 Bargain buys for your fantasy team

Joelinton
Joelinton has been in decent form for the German side

Five eventful weeks have passed in the Bundesliga and its fantasy game counterpart, and with that, reliable point-scoring options are beginning to show up. With them, the player ownership has already fluctuated, giving fantasy managers various points to think about.

In this article, we focus on some of the Bundesliga bargains that you should consider bringing into your fantasy team. Obviously, stars such as Joshua Kimmich, Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus are always worth considering, but rather than looking at the usual suspects, we have tried identifying the cheaper gems.

Note: We have taken those players whose value are less than 4.5M to be considered as bargain buys.


#1 Joelinton (Hoffenheim), Striker, 2.7M

Hoffenheim's front line was in need of a major revamp following the departures of Mark Uth and Serge Gnabry in July, as well as Sandro Wagner's January move to Bayern Munich.

With that void to fill, it is telling that Julian Nagelsmann set about bringing 22-year-old, Joelinton back from a two-year loan spell in Austria with Rapid Vienna, rather than looking elsewhere for reinforcements.

A pacy, hard-working Brazilian striker, with a keen eye for goal - he is now being dubbed as Roberto Firmino's successor at Hoffenheim. Though it is too early for comparisons with Firmino, he could well follow in his compatriot's footsteps under the guidance of Nagelsmann.

He failed to find the target in first three Bundesliga matches, but retains Nagelsmann's faith, having played the full 90 minutes in 4 of the 5 matches. After scoring his first Bundesliga goal in the 1-1 draw with Borussia Dortmund on Matchday 4, Joelinton notched up his first assist in Germany’s top flight on Matchday 5.

Furthermore, the Brazilian's superior pass completion rate (81.1%) compared to fellow strikers Adam Szalai (66.7%) and Andrej Kramaric (80.5%), and his ability to win challenges (47.4% per cent; Szalai 39% and Kramaric 42%) giving him duel points as well, underline the all-round threat he poses.

There is little doubt, then, that Joelinton has the right ingredients to shine in the Bundesliga. Priced at just 2.7M, he is a steal.

#2 Javairo Dilrosun (Hertha BSC), Winger, 4.5M

Javairo DIlrosun
The 20-year-old has started the season on fire

Though Hertha had its first loss of the season on Matchday 5, there were a lot of positives to take for Pal Dardai's team.

The team is very entertaining, offensive-minded and fielding a lot of young players. One of them is 20-year-old ex-Manchester City ace, Javairo Dilrosun who has started in 4 games out of 5.

He was the only goal scorer against Werder Bremen on Matchday 5 and had numerous goal attempts. After scoring in the 2-2 draw with Wolfsburg in Matchday 3, Dilrosun was also a constant threat in Hertha's 4-2 win over Gladbach in Matchday 4 in which he provided two assists.

So far, the Dutchman has 2 goals and 3 assists from 4 games and is the joint top assist maker, along with Marco Reus and Jadon Sancho.

Many fantasy managers are going for his team-mate Ondrej Duda (7M) who is the top goal-scorer till now. But with a comparatively lower ownership and priced at just 4.5M, the in-form winger is definitely a player to consider - no matter what.

#3 Matthias Zimmermann (Fortuna Düsseldorf), Defender, 4.4M

Matthias Zimmermann
Matthias Zimmermann is considered to be a defender in the fantasy game

If you are looking for a cost-friendly defender who is also a regular starter, look no further than Matthias Zimmermann of Fortuna Düsseldorf. The 26-year old has appeared in all 5 games for his team. Additionally, he has 1 goal and 1 assist to his name so far.

Zimmermann is an OOP in fantasy terminology, i.e. an Out Of Position Player. Though termed as a defender in the fantasy game, he generally plays on the Right-wing. This results in a lot of forward runs as he has had 4 shots on goal so far.

Also, he is a great crosser of the ball with 10 crosses into the box. He has made 131 passes with more than 76% accuracy.

Zimmermann also gets a lot of duel points which is proven by his stats - out of 105 duels contested he has won almost half of them.

#4 Michael Esser (Hannover 96), Goalkeeper, 3.7M

Michael Esser
Michael Esser is an underrated choice

If as a fantasy manager, you like to include a premium choice goalkeeper along with a cheap substitute or if you are one of those managers who like to rotate two low-priced goalkeepers, then Michael Esser should be in your team as one of the budget goalkeepers.

The 30-year old is the no.1 goalkeeper for Hannover, ahead of Philipp Tschauner. He has started in all the 5 matches this term.

Though Esser has kept only 1 clean sheet in 5 games, he has made a whopping 18 saves in total. Only Ron-Robert Zieler of VfB Stuttgart (22 saves) and Alexander Schwolow of SC Freiburg (19 saves) have made more saves than him.

If you are one of those managers who like to include goalkeepers for their save points instead of clean sheet points, then Esser is a definite bargain.

#5 Linton Maina (Hannover 96), Midfielder, 2.1M

Linton Maina
Linton Maina has been in terrific form this season

One of the best ways for a young player to break through as a senior professional is a positional versatility. Hannover’s Linton Maina is the perfect example of this, having played in every outfield position except striker and centre-back during his youth career with the northern club and the various junior German national teams.

Another Hannover player on this list, Maina can play on either flank but is most comfortable in the middle of the pitch - as an attacking midfielder.

The German under-19 international had already featured in two Bundesliga matches towards the end of last season and had apparently caught the eye of Manchester United. Maina is highly rated at Hannover and could have his breakthrough season this year.

He has been in the starting lineup in 4 games out of the 5 matches. The 19-year old has had 4 shots on goal, made 97 passes from open play, with 7 crosses with a success rate of more than 75%, giving managers valuable points for successful passes leading to shots on goal.

He has also given considerable duel points as he has won more than 53% ground duels which is quite high for an attacking midfielder.


Few other players you can consider:

# Alexander Fuchs (FC Nürnberg), Midfielder, 1.2M

# Karim Onisiwo (FSV Mainz 05), Striker, 4.3M

# Louis Jordan Beyer (Borussia Mönchengladbach), Defender, 1.2M

Quick Links

Edited by Debjyoti Samanta