Ah, Fantasy Premier League, we have missed you. The return of football is here, and undoubtedly, for many of you, it also spells the comeback of everyone’s favourite fantasy football game.
Ahead of the big kick-off, we’ve taken an extensive look at player prices, upcoming fixtures and bonus point potential to come up with a list of five players that you should be looking at for your teams for the opening weekend.
Sead Kolasinac – Arsenal FC – £6.0m
After making instant impact on his debut against Chelsea in the Community Shield, the Bosnia international is starting to turn a few heads amongst fantasy managers. He’s been selected by just over 10% of teams, which is surprisingly low in my opinion.
He’s strong, versatile and great in the air; all the makings of an FPL defender who’ll guarantee points. Not only will he keep clean sheets for Arsenal, he’ll offer an opportunity to score heavily going forward with goals and assists.
The £6.0 cost makes him amongst some of the most expensive defenders in the league, but honestly, I can see his price shooting up even further pretty quickly.
Kevin de Bruyne – Manchester City - £10.0m
In my opinion, Kevin de Bruyne is the best-attacking midfielder in the country. Fair enough, he’s costly at £10.0m but I think that expense is justified by his on-field performances. As we all expect, Manchester City are going to be one of the sides challenging for the title, and the Belgium international is one of the heartbeats of their side.
The fact that he’s owned by 28% of players tells you all you need to know. In what was a pretty average season for him last term, he finished the season with an impressive total of 199 points. He’ll want to improve on his goals tally of 6, but he’ll have to do something special to beat the 21 assists he laid on.
He also scored 33 bonus points, which is an insanely good total over 38 games. De Bruyne is consistent, and a guaranteed starter in a Pep Guardiola system that he’s getting more comfortable with after each passing week.
Wilfried Zaha – Crystal Palace - £7.0m
Wilfried Zaha’s return ‘home’ to Crystal Palace has done nothing but good for his fledgling career. Last year, the Ivorian was electric. At £7.0m, he’s one of the cheaper options in the midfield, but the goal threat is still there.
Last term he found the back of the net on seven occasions whilst providing 11 assists for his Palace teammates. With a start against newly promoted Huddersfield Town, I’d expect Zaha to have an absolute field day and come right to the fore from the get-go.
The winger is owned by exactly a quarter of teams, and I fully expect that to rise, along with his price, before the first international break. No pressure, Wilf.
Romelu Lukaku – Manchester United - £11.5m
There are a whole host of top-level strikers in the Premier League, all of whom cost way in excess of £10.0m. However, I believe there is a reason why almost 50% of managers are choosing to start with Romelu Lukaku up front.
First of all, he has Premier League experience and the Belgian beast will guarantee goals. He’s proven that he can find the back of the net for teams like Everton and West Brom, and with the added quality around him; there will be ample opportunity for him to become even more prolific.
What makes Lukaku even more attractive is Manchester United’s early season fixture list. They start with a home game against West Ham, before heading to Swansea. Then they host Leicester City and visit Stoke City. This will provide him with ample opportunity to start on a positive note. On top of that, the 24-year-old scored four goals in pre-season, including one against Real Madrid in the Super Cup.
Roberto Firmino – Liverpool - £8.5m
The Brazilian has the potential to be this year’s FPL ‘sleeper’. For a starting striker at a top six club, £8.5m is an absolute bargain. Last campaign, Firmino scored 11 and tacked on 11 assists for his teammates, whilst also picking up 17 bonus points in the process. The 25-year-old is always involved in the thick of the action and he will guarantee points every single gameweek.
Firmino is owned by 20% of gaffers, which I think is a relatively low number given his production at Liverpool over the last twelve months. Klopp trusts him, and with the future of Philippe Coutinho up in the air coupled with Daniel Sturridge’s injury troubles, he’s guaranteed starts.
Liverpool start off away at Watford before a home game against Crystal Palace. Then, they take on Arsenal at Anfield. This will give us a good indication as to whether he’s a keeper for our squads in the long-term.
Remember to get your picks in by Friday evening, due to Arsenal’s game against Leicester City taking place at 19:45. You’ll have until 18:45 to finalise your league-winning sides! We'll be bringing you tips for the upcoming gameweek every Thursday, right here on The Sportsman.
