A lifelong Birmingham City fan, Tom relocated to Germany for five years after graduating from university, where his interest in the Bundesliga developed. He began writing about and betting on German football for FST in 2016. He's also an avid fantasy football player and closely follows the Premier League and European competitions.
There’s not long left until the Premier League makes it return… which means it’s time to make those final adjustments to your Fantasy Premier League team!
With each fantasy football manager having just £100m in the bank, you’ll have to have at least a couple of mid-priced players fighting alongside your big-hitting stars.
In this edition of our Fantasy Premier League Tips series, we look to cover the best options for the mid-price range in every position of the pitch. Read on below.
Click here to see our English Premier League Predictions This Weekend.
Goalkeepers
Lukasz Fabianski (£5.0m, West Ham)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 143
Opening Fixtures: Man City (H), Brighton (A), Watford (A), Norwich (H), Aston Villa (A)
After five seasons in the Premier League, former-Swansea shot-stopper Lukasz Fabianski is very much established as a reliable fantasy asset. Last year he made a mammoth 148 saves in 38 games – more than any other FPL goalkeeper – and earned 143 points to finish 5th among goalkeepers.
His ability to make up for fewer clean sheets with save points is vital. Not only does this mean that Fabianksi regularly pulls in tidy 3-4 point returns, but also that when he does keep a clean sheet, it’s often well-earned, meaning he’ll likely collect bonus points on top for an even bigger haul.
Rui Patricio (£5.0m, Wolves)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 118
Opening Fixtures: Leicester (A), Man United (H), Burnley (H), Everton (A), Chelsea (H)
Wolves were the surprise package of the 18/19 season, with EURO 2016 winner Rui Patricio joining the club alongside a number of impressive signings that included Raul Jimenez and Joao Moutinho. Patricio picked up a respectable 119 FPL points in his debut Premier League season.
Wolves’ backline was joint strongest outside of the top six and now have a year of top-flight experience under their belt. With the addition of loanee Jesus Vallejo, we could see their defence bolstered even further. Rui Patricio should benefit from all of this and thus improve on his numbers from last year.
Defenders
Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£5.5m, Manchester United)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 120
Opening Fixtures: Chelsea (H), Wolves (A), Crystal Palace (H), Southampton (A), Leicester (H)
Wan-Bisakka started last season at the £4.0m price point and has since established himself as one of the finest full-backs in the country and earned himself a move to Old Trafford. His price has consequently been bumped up to £5.5m, but he still looks a fantastic option going into the 19/20 season.
‘AWB’ is a player whose work on the pitch translates to points through the bonus points system – he earned 18 of these last term, the 8th highest total amongst defenders. At Man United, he’ll be provided greater attacking freedom and pick up clean sheets on a more regular basis.
Seamus Coleman (£5.5m, Everton)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 125
Opening Fixtures: Crystal Palace (A), Watford (H), Aston Villa (A), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A)
Since 2013/14, excluding the year where he suffered a leg break, Coleman has provided consistent attacking returns and been one of the strongest scorers in the bonus points system The Irishman has averaged three goals and as many assists per season while racking up a massive 66 bonus points – one of the highest per-minute averages among FPL defenders.
Lucas Digne may offer more at the £6.0m price point, being the club’s designated corner taker and likely on direct free kicks after two fantastic goals last season, but Coleman is a solid buy if you have reached the limit of your budget or don’t plan on reshuffling to make room for the Frenchman. He will earn as many clean sheets, after all.
Ben Chilwell (£5.5m, Leicester City)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 118
Opening Fixtures: Wolves (H), Chelsea (A), Sheffield United (A), Bournemouth (H), Man United (A)
Ben Chilwell’s price increase might mean he holds no obvious value, but he’s still a decent option at the mid-range price point, especially as right-sided counterpart Ricardo Pereira joins the premium price bracket at £6.0m. Chilwell is arguably a more attractive option anyway, with more chances created (45), crosses made (132) and final third passes completed than his colleague.
Chilwell was the 7th highest scoring player in the 18/19 campaign among defenders worth £5.5m going into the new season, and would be a solid addition to any side, ranking in the top ten for clean sheets and assists at that price-point too. He also gives his owners the peace of mind of guaranteed starts in a top-six chasing side.
Check out more Fantasy Premier League Tips for the 19/20 season here.
Midfielders
Felipe Anderson (£7.0m, West Ham)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 155
Opening Fixtures: Man City (H), Brighton (A), Watford (A), Norwich (H), Aston Villa (A)
Despite enjoying a quality debut season at West Ham, racking up 155 Fantasy Premier League points in the process, Felipe Anderson is a player who seems somewhat undervalued at just £7m this term. It would come as no surprise to see his price much higher than that come the final day of the season.
The Brazilian’s nine goals, six assists and 18 bonus points were enough to see him finish just outside the top ten (11th) among FPL midfielders last season and once the Hammers have navigated their opening fixture against Manchester City they have a run of 11 games where they face just one of the ‘big six’.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (£8.0m, Everton)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 182
Opening Fixtures: Crystal Palace (A), Watford (H), Aston Villa (A), Wolves (H), Bournemouth (A)
Gylfi Sigurdsson spent most of the 18/19 campaign quietly working away just beneath the top-tier Fantasy Premier League must-haves. His 182 point total ranked him 5th highest in the midfielder category last season, behind only Salah, Sterling, Hazard and Mane. Not bad for a midfielder who is priced at just £8.0m this time around.
Everton look to improve in their second term under Marco Silva, meaning the Icelandic international could be set for even more in the 19/20 campaign. Sigurdsson – who racked up 13 goals and 6 assists last season – will no doubt be a focal point in the Everton attack and has the added bonus of being on pens in VAR’s maiden season in the Premier League.
Ayoze Perez (£6.5m, Leicester City)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 141
Opening Fixtures: Wolves (H), Chelsea (A), Sheffield United (A), Bournemouth (H), Man United (A)
Another player to have gone under the radar last season was Ayoze Perez. His 141 point total put him on par with Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, and above players like Marcus Rashford and Diogo Jota too. Like Zaha, he has been reshuffled to being a midfielder rather than a forward for the coming campaign – a positive for earning more points.
Perez made the switch from Newcastle to Leicester over the summer and looks a big part of Brendan Rodgers’ plans. He’ll be looking to better his best-ever total of 12 goals from the 18/19 season in an attacking lineup that includes some of the biggest talents outside the top six in players like James Maddison and Youri Tielemans.
Forwards
Jamie Vardy (£9.0m, Leicester City)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 174
Opening Fixtures: Wolves (H), Chelsea (A), Sheffield United (A), Bournemouth (H), Man United (A)
At the very top of the mid-priced forward bracket sits Jamie Vardy, whose party is still going strong after all these years. Vardy’s 2018/19 season was defined by the appointment of Brendan Rodgers at Leicester, where his output improved in almost every metric. Most notably, his goals per 90 mins rose from 0.4 to a staggering 0.9.
Vardy has scored 18 goals or more in three of his last four seasons and his 31 bonus points last term were second only to Arsenal’s Pierre Emerick Aubameyang in all of FPL. As another penalty-taker, he will no doubt have plenty of opportunity for even more in what will no doubt be a very controversial first season of VAR in the Premier League.
Josh King (£6.5m, Bournemouth)
Total FPL Points in 2018/19: 141
Opening Fixtures: Sheffield United (H), Aston Villa (A), Man City (H), Leicester City (A), Everton (H)
While Callum Wilson outshone him up front last season, and Ryan Fraser and David Brooks became popular midfield picks, Joshua King was far from a bad FPL option. His 12 goals and 3 assists marked his best season since 2016/17, where he recorded 178 points as a midfielder in the game, and he will no doubt have his targets set on improving that going into the 19/20 season.
What makes him desirable this year, however, is his £6.5m price tag – £1.5m cheaper than teammate Wilson. His proven track record in the Premier League as a focal point of Eddie Howe’s attack should be enough to make him a worthwhile addition to any FPL squad… but he has even more to offer as Bournemouth’s designated penalty taker in the presence of VAR.
Find our 19/20 Premier League Top Goalscorer Predictions here.
