FST's Fantasy Football tips - Must have FPL players, differential players and bargains!
Content Editor at Free Super Tips, Alex was born in the shadow of Old Trafford and is an avid Man Utd fan. After graduating from university he combined his love of football, writing and betting to join FST and now closely follows goings-on in all of the top European leagues.
It’s that time of the year again. Fantasy football managers across the globe settle down in front of a phone, tablet or laptop and start building their team ahead of the new season.
Clean sheet and goalscoring stats are analysed, new signings are ranked and your team slowly starts to take shape. But until that first whistle blows on Saturday afternoon, you’ll never be fully satisfied.
So, in preparation for the upcoming FPL season we’ve compiled a bunch of selection tips for you. Don’t forget to check out all our Premier League predictions for the upcoming season as well.
5 must have FPL players – the big hitters
Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) – Liverpool
Let’s start at the back, shall we? Liverpool’s beloved TAA may be the most expensive player on FPL, but there’s still a compelling argument for him being underpriced at £7.5m.
He romped to over 200 points last season and was by far the highest scoring defender. Young Alexander-Arnold is still improving and is once again set to thrive under Jurgen Klopp’s title winning system.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£12.0m) – Arsenal
Arsenal’s star man has been reclassified as a midfielder for this year’s edition of FPL, and that makes him even more appealing than last year. He came second in the Golden Boot and scored 205 points as a forward. That’s just 47 fewer points than top midfielder Kevin De Bruyne.
Add those extra bonus points for goals and clean sheets that gives midfielders the advantage over forwards and he’s a no brainer under an Arsenal side undergoing an Arteta revolution.
Bruno Fernandes (£10.5m) – Manchester United
Bruno Fernandes was a catalyst for an Old Trafford transformation when he arrived from Portugal in January, and his influence translated into some staggering FPL scores. He racked up 117 points in just 1,187 minutes, averaging just under a point for every minute of play.
Now that he’s made that penalty spot his own he should have even more opportunities this year, because we all know how the Red Devils love a spot kick.
Timo Werner (£9.5m) – Chelsea
Chelsea’s new striker hit 28 goals for RB Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season, and the prolific German has all the skills and experience to translate this success into the Premier League.
At £9.5m – the same price as Gabriel Jesus and Roberto Firmino – he looks an absolute steal when combined with the creativity of Kai Haverts and the rest of Chelsea’s burgeoning talents.
Harry Kane (£10.5m) – Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham’s talisman always deserves a mention when talking about big-hitting FPL players. Harry Kane ended last season with seven goals in eight games and is clearly going to start as many matches as possible under Jose Mourinho.
Combine that with a fairly easy start to the season and Kane starts to look very attractive.
3 top FPL differential players
Dele Alli (£8.0m) – Tottenham Hotspur
Dele Alli, currently selected by just 2.7% of FPL managers, profits from a favourable start to the season and will be vying to stay in Mourinho’s good books. The Portuguese manager clearly values Alli highly and the young midfielder scored six and assisted six more after Mourinho’s arrival last year.
He played a part in 43% of Spurs’ goals when on the pitch and if he can find some consistency he could be a big points scorer this season.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.0m) – Everton
Everton look like a team on the rise following the appointment of Carlo Ancelotti and a number of ambitious signings over the summer. The rejuvenation of their waning midfield could be just the ticket for Dominic Calvert-Lewin to build on an excellent season last year.
The striker scored 13 Premier League goals last term and will be hoping to thrive under Ancelotti’s guidance.
Marcus Rashford (£9.5m) – Manchester United
Anthony Martial is somewhat overshadowing Marcus Rashford in the FPL world right now, with Rashford’s ownership sitting just under 6%. However, he scored as many goals as his French teammate last season and hasn’t suffered from the same reclassification, meaning he’ll play out at least another year as a midfielder.
Only Martial hauled in more points than Rashford for Manchester United last term, but the tables could be turned now Rashford has the midfield advantage.
FPL bargains
We can all take a guess at the sort of players that will be racking up serious points come the end of the season, but there’s only so far £100m can stretch. Eventually you have to dive into the bargain bin and try to unearth some hidden gems.
Kalvin Phillips (£5.0m) could be one of those. He may ply his trade in a more defensively minded midfield role, but he’s worth a punt after taking more corners and free kicks than any other Leeds player last season.
Leander Dendoncker (£5.0m) comes in at the same price as Phillips and was integral in Wolves’ successful season. He played a part in every single Premier League match last season and chipped in with four goals.
Continuing in the £5m midfielders, West Ham’s Tomas Soucek found the net three times after the restart and was only overshadowed by the red hot form of Michail Antonio. He’s one to watch.
Heading back to Leeds, Stuart Dallas (£4.5m) may not be the biggest scorer of points, but the versatile player started 45 of Leeds United’s 46 Championship fixtures last season so is certain to bring in regular single digit hauls that add up over time.
James Justin (£4.5m) is another full back in this price bracket and is expected to nail down Leicester’s right back berth while Ricardo Pereira recovers from injury. Possibly not a long term option, but good for a few weeks at least.
Alternatively, look southwards and find Kyle Walker-Peters at the same price. The former Spurs man played a key role in Southampton’s resurgence at the end of the season and looks impressively cheap.
Up front the options are more limited, but two players at newly promoted clubs catch the eye. Leeds United’s club record signing Rodrigo (£6.0m) is a bit of a gamble, but he could pay off, while Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.0m) is a known quantity who has a proven record in the top flight.
More FST News:
Premier League outright predictions calendar
Premier League winners predictions