Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 1

Welcome to Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 1

Variety is the spice of life (Tips)

As we alluded to in the previous Captains piece we have split the workload for Tips too. As such, rather than having one exhausted writer tailing off when it comes to the final Forwards section we shall have 3 or 4 sprightly individuals all at the top of their game giving you their player tips for each position. This week we present you with Swirly in nets, Rosco with a case for defence, Mito with the middle ground and Smash with the forward thinking.

Swirly – Goalkeepers

First up on the inaugural tips article of the season is Brighton’s Robert Sanchez, who costs just £4.5m – a price that was quite the pleasant surprise on launch day! Previous seasons have seen us go “How much?!” in sheer exasperation when we’ve seen the price of players who have done well the previous campaign and, yet, this guy has managed to retain his excellent price. Whilst Brighton may have finished an unimpressive 16th come the end of May, the reason they were there was due to the lack of fire power up front – and that’s clear to see in the stats. Only six other teams in the league conceded fewer over the course of the season, while 14 other squads outperformed them on the goals for column of the table.

The third-most picked shot stopper – with 23 per cent of FPL managers currently putting their faith in him – goes into this new campaign with an away day to Burnley, another team that found themselves in very similar circumstances come the end of last season. Registering a paltry 33 goals over that time, the Clarets are going into GW1 with no new attacking signings and so you can’t help but think there could be another 0-0 to add to the three there have been since they first met in the Premier League in 2017.

A week later, the Brighton keeper faces Watford, with fixtures against Everton and Brentford shortly after – not a bad bunch to kick off the season with.

Emi Martinez was the hero for many and the villain for the very few like me who were stupid enough to not have him in their team at any point last season. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Argentine is the top pick when it comes to goalkeepers, as a whopping 38.5 per cent of FPL managers have splashed out the £5.5m for him. While that’s more than I’m willing to pay for a goalkeeper – and so I’m ready to swallow my pride and brace myself every time he plays, once again – the points total last season of 186 from 3420 minutes played was more than any defender and all but three midfielders. As for forwards, it was only Kane, Bamford and Vardy who gained more.

So, as a Grealish-less Villa go into the new season, the first team they face is Watford, who are back in the big time at the first time of asking. Whilst the Hornets enjoyed automatic promotion after finishing second, they scored fewer to get there than Norwich and Brentford. That said, it was still 63 in 46 matches and so hardly something to be sniffed at! That said, the 46 that the Villains conceded in 38 was the same as the aforementioned praise for Brighton. Whilst the last two visits to Vicarage Road for the Midlanders saw them concede thrice, I’d be surprised if it’s such a goal fest in the home side’s favour this time. I certainly hope not, anyway!

Once Dean Smith’s squad have returned up the M1 and M6, they have Newcastle at home before heading back south to Brentford. A tricky trip to Chelsea then lies in wait.

Whilst the Leicester defence is without the likes of James Justin and Wesley Fofana, I’d still take a look at the Foxes’ goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel. The guy who has shown himself to be a hero both on and off the pitch in recent years, both for Denmark and the East Midlanders, you also can’t look past the FPL points totals accrued over the year. Of course there was the 15/16 title-winning season with 15 clean sheets, however he has actually scored more since then – namely the 156-point haul in the 19/20 campaign where 13 games went without any goals conceded.

The £5.0m goalkeeper faces Wolves this weekend, back at the King Power stadium and, significantly, thousands of fans for the first time in too long. Coming into the game on the back of the Community Shield victory, where he kept another clean sheet, along with the heroics of Euro 2020, I’m sure the fans will be willing him on to keep the boys in gold and black out as they adjust to life after Nuno Espírito Santo. Once that game is out of the way, there are then a few green and red stripes on the FPL fixture list, as ties against West Ham, Norwich and Man City beckon.

Rosco – Defenders

(Photo by Robin Jones/Getty Images)

Much like shopping in Poundland, the £4.0 defender bracket carries the caveat that your purchase may not stand the test of time. However, once in a blue moon, a bargain can be found. In recent years we’ve been blessed with the likes of Aaron Wan-Bisakka and the mighty John ‘The Lord’ Lundstram. However, last year the pre-season hype (hope) was all about Mitchell (who did very little) and Ferguson (who dis?), so who do we find in this year’s bargain bin?

Cometh the hour cometh the man. Just as I was about to give up on the £4.0 defenders (and just as I was about to start this article) we may just have a real gem to consider. Step forward Tino Livramento (£4.O). Livramento joined The Saints this summer from Chelsea for £5 million and thankfully this time they inserted a buy-back clause. He was the man of the match in Southampton’s pre-season defeat to Athletico Bilbao, coming on for the second 45 and grabbing an assist with his first touch of the ball. Given how comfortable he looked on the ball, he seems highly likely to make a name for himself this season. He may not make the first 11 from the get-go, but if you’re willing to take a risk, he’s the one I’d go for. I’m tempted myself.

You wait all day for a bus and then two come along at once. Hot on the heels of the Saint’s new boy we have Daniel Amartey (£4.0) to bolster our bargain basement offering. Following the unfortunate injury to Wesley Fofana, Amartey looks set for a run in the Foxes backline. He impressed in the Community Shield and those fond of a bargain will hope Brendan Rogers fails to further strengthen his defensive quota.

I have to keep coming back to this article and it’s yet another £4.0m defender for your consideration. Injury to Andrew Robertson has thrust Konstantinos Tsimikas (£4.0m) into our thinking. Robertson will likely be back around game week 3 or 4 so this is a short term solution, but there is no denying that a £4.0 Liverpool defender (given their opening fixtures) is possibly too good to ignore. Going small at the back could be a genuine consideration for the brave amongst you!

If you’re not willing to take a risk, my advice? Just pay the extra 0.5m and get someone half-decent who plays every week. Or, as Mito pointed out: Why bother with a great spare tire when the extra cash could buy you a sweet set of new rims? It’s a fair point until you drive over a nail.

Choosing the right ‘4.5’s’ in GW1 can not only save you precious transfers down the line but can also net you serious points. If you started last season with Justin and Dallas, you will have done just that. Vinagre and Saliba not so much.

This year it feels like we went from having a glut of options to not many at all. Lamptey and Fofana looked promising, but injuries have for now ruled them out. So, who are my top picks for this often-tricky spot to fill?

Luke Ayling is the £4.5m defender I believe is most likely to break the 100-point barrier (a good yardstick for what you would hope a player from the category would score across the season). The Leeds full-back picked up 100 points last season, which in and of itself is a decent return for a 4.5 defender. Despite 0 attacking returns in the 20/21 season, his underlying stats suggest it’s more when and not if he converts those stats into points. Last season, Leeds’ defence improved as the season progressed and I expect it to further solidify as they finally get to (hopefully) play week in week out in front of their undoubtedly passionate fans. I think Ayling makes my squad despite a tricky start to the season for Marcelo Bielsa’s side.

Next up we have Ben White. He would have made the selection had he remained at Brighton but following his £50m move to the Gunners, I think he could be a slightly better option. He is the highest owned £4.5m defender in the game (23%) and the highest owned player from an Arsenal side who will hope to improve on a poor 20/21 league campaign. White made 36 appearances for the Seagulls last season, keeping 12 clean sheets although as yet has failed to register an attacking return in the top-flight. White’s price tag doesn’t of course guarantee his place in Arteta’s starting 11 but you would assume that if fit he will be one of the first names on the Gunners team sheet this season. Arsenal’s fixtures from a defensive point of view look promising. Once they have navigated game weeks 2 and 3, they have a run of 8 games where they do not face any of the ‘big six’. A £4.5m defender from one of the traditional ‘big six’ sides feels like too good an opportunity to miss.

With Injuries to Dan Burn and Tariq Lamptey, Brighton duo, Adam Webster and Joel Veltman look decent options. Veltman actually scored very well in the 20/21 season, scoring an impressive 96 points in just 2280 minutes, that’s just 4 points less than Luke Ayling in 13 games less. The biggest issue is will he keep his spot. If he does, he could be a bargain.

My final £4.5m defensive pick is something of a punt (Matt would be so proud).

Kiko Femenía is a name most of you have heard before. The Watford right-back has 3 seasons of previous FPL pedigree, and whilst scores of 65, 66, and 54 points are hardly inspiring, Watford’s defence was much improved last season. Keeping 23 clean sheets in the Championship with Femenía in the side 11 of those in his 37 appearances for the club. Watford’s first six fixtures are relatively kind and whilst few will likely offer to look towards the Hornets backline, they could be a canny differential at least until more viable options become apparent.

Vladamir Coufal (£5.0) was one of last season’s standout picks in the £4.5m bracket. Following 9 assists, 9 clean sheets, and a very good return of 128pts he has seen a price bump but with a run of favourable fixtures, he could still offer value. Similarly, his opposite fullback Aaron Cresswell (£5.5m) is someone I think should be worthy of your attention. Cresswell was the third highest-scoring defender last season (153pts) just behind the Liverpool duo Alexander-Arnold (160pts) and Robertson (161pts). When you consider he’s £1.5-£2m cheaper he’s likely to offer incredible value once again this season.

The standout pick in the £5.5m bracket this season would appear to be Luke Shaw who has topped 50% ownership thanks in part to a fantastic showing at Euro 2020. Shaw made 32 appearances for the Red Devils in the 20/21 season, picking up a goal and 5 assists, which seems low given that only Andrew Robertson created more chances than the 72 the Manchester Utd man managed. If Shaw can get more minutes under his belt this season, and his teammates can be a little more clinical in front of goal, I expect him to be one of the top-scoring defenders in the game, let alone within the £5.5m defender bracket.

Shaw’s teammate Aaron Wan-Bissaka is being slightly overlooked in my opinion. Last season he scored 144pts with an extra goal and the same number of assists as shaw (having played 2 more matches). I’m not suggesting you go against the masses (on Shaw) but a double-up could be a very good way of gaining an advantage over those who follow the template.

In the premium price bracket, the standout option is of course the Liverpool duo Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) and Andrew Robertson (£7.0). Robertson may be injured so he’s one to monitor but both players have high ownership with TAA currently sitting at 52%. My tip – don’t try to be too clever early doors. Get him in, he’s easy to sell but hard to buy once you’ve spread that £100m budget.

If you spend too much time on Twitter you’d be forgiven for thinking something was wrong with the Manchester City defence. I guess the draw of TAA and then budget restrictions, not to mention the very kind pricing of some of the £5.5m defenders has tempted managers away from the Citizens’ backline. Ruben Dias (£6.0) is the third-highest owned defender in the game (28%) so don’t be fooled into believing Twitter is a true representation of the game as a whole. Dias doesn’t offer as much attacking threat as some of his more forward-thinking teammates, but what he does offer is game-time security. He scored 142pts thanks to an impressive 17 clean sheets. If you think the City defence will once again be as imperious, he’s your safest bet. If you like to roll the dice, then the high-risk high reward option of João Cancelo (£6.0) should not be ignored. The perception of Cancelo is that he gets rotated a lot, which is true. However, such is his attacking prowess that whilst playing over 600 minutes less than Dias, he managed just 4 points less (138pts) thanks to 2 goals and 4 assists. Yes, he will be rotated from time to time, but is he worth that risk? I think so.

Mito – Midfielders

Let us start with what should be obvious. Just pick a 4.5 mid that gets starts every game and be happy with it. Unless you are playing 5 mids most weeks, you really shouldn’t be wasting too much time on researching who takes more shots in the box from the 4.5 options. The fact is when they finally do score a nice haul they will just leave you frustrated because you likely won’t be getting their points off the bench anyway. For the sake of the article though Josh Brownhill, Yves Bissouma and Douglas Luiz are three players who fit in nicely into the weekly 2 point player you might need one week. Be aware of the latter though as he was at the Olympics and might not be ready GW1. Let us move on to slightly more important options.

After the excitement of the 4.5 bracket I decided to look at the 5.0 guys to surely deliver some sneaky picks. It did not go well, it was basically a bunch of guys who do the same as the guys above but just priced .5 higher. Nathan Tella was the one player that had been catching my eye. Looked like he be oop and possibly starting but with the Saints starting/rumoured to bring attacking players in to reinforce the squad, I am little worried, so perhaps he is a player that you keep on your watchlist for now and see how he gets on before you bring him in.

Ok, finally onto some actual scoring options, maybe. Emile Smith Rowe is a player that I currently have in my side and so do many of you. After scoring his first goal last season for Arsenal, Arteta had this to say “He scored his first Premier League goal and for an incredible season for the number 10 of Arsenal he needs to score 15 goals and give 10 assists and then you are right up there with the top guns through Europe and everything.” Well, if he has those kind of numbers he will have the biggest bandwagon in all of fpl. I don’t expect that kind of haul, but as long as Emile is given the minutes one would expect for him to return well above his price point. Bryan Mbeumo from Brentford is also a player to keep an eye on and if you have a team that does not include Toney already in it, perhaps Mbeumo is a decent shout. To read about Bryan and what he offers read Matt’s fantastic Brentford article> HERE where he goes into detail.

At the 6.0 option I would consider a player like Joe Willock if he gets his move away from Arsenal. He showed us last season what he could do at Toon in that loan spell and for his price he should be a consideration for managers if he is somewhere getting consistent minutes. Ismalia Sarr feels like decent value and considering his good showing 2 seasons ago in fpl with 5 goals and 7 assists in just a bit over 2000 minutes, he is a player I certainly will be tracking. In particular after the season he had in the Championship. Saïd Benrahma wasn’t going to make this article, but his preseason (2 goals, 3 assists) is hard to ignore. That coupled with The Hammers early fixtures and the Algerian is looking like less of a gamble and more of shrewd punt for the start of the season.

The 6.5 lads has to start with Raphinha. The Leeds winger is owned by 20% in the game. His 6 goals and 10 assists last season helped the Brazilian to 133 points, a tally that most of us expect him to exceed this season when you factor in the likelihood that he will play more minutes this season and should be completely settled in. There are other players at this price we could certainly make a case for, but a current injury Emiliano Buendia and lack of form for three years for Dele Alli makes them wait and see options. By the way, Alli is only 25 so technically he should be headed towards his peak, just not sure if it’s his peak from the last 3 season or first 3 seasons.

One glance at the 7.0 category and there was one player I gravitated to, Harvey Barnes. The Leicester man was on pace to finish the season at about 180 points or so before injury derailed his season. As long as he stays fit this season, Barnes is certainly a player that many of us will likely own through different parts of the season and considering Leicester’s fixtures this could be one of the times you should own him. For those going with 5 midfield starters, Barnes could be an option over a third forward.

7.5 is one of my favourite price points, actually it is my favourite so many options in there that I could see in my team come GW1 or as options to bring in and out through the season. For the purpose of not making this article even longer I will only pick one and his name is Diogo Jota. The Liverpool man gets Norwich gameweek 1. That fixture alone should be enough to salivate over in particular when you factor in the poor Canary team having their preparations for the season really impacted by Covid. Nine goals in a little over 1100 minutes for Diogo in 20/21 should be a number that he can easily match this season, consistency in minutes will be what might hold him back, but for GW1 he should be in the XI.

The 8.0 bracket contains some explosive options, but none that I feel confident about for GW1. Jack Grealish does feel like a guy that we will all scramble to get in at some point, but perhaps it is better to see him start one before we just go blindly trusting Pep.

8.5 contains a player I was really high on, Kai Havertz. I won’t lie to you though some of his appeal to me has been lost with the purchase of Lukaku. Sure, he could still do really well this season, but rotation might be in the cards more now than it was a week ago and his oop status might be gone for good with Romelu bullying defences. Still, keep an eye on Kai’s minutes if they are consistent, his point tallies should also be.

Riyad Mahrez is the only 9.0 I can even see in fpl. Guess fpl towers thought he deserved that spot all on his own. There are few players in the game that have more upside than Mahrez when he is in the team. Being in the team though is no guarantee as we all know. Think we are safe to assume he will definitely start this weekend, but after that it becomes a bit of guessing game. If you feel like he is worth the gamble there is few punts that are likely to pay bigger dividends than an investment in Riyad. Just have to be able to live with the idea that when team sheets come out you might be saying very mean things about Guardiola.

At 9.5 Jadon Sancho is the option that many of us will consider. His stats and accomplishments in the Bundesliga are all over the place for us to read. I owned him plenty in the German fantasy game and he was usually a very good fantasy asset. My suspicion is that he will continue to do well for fantasy owners, but he is a player that will likely start from the bench at least for GW1 so perhaps wait a bit before you place him in your side.

Heung-Min Son sits at 10.0 and for good reason. Great fantasy players don’t come cheap. Son tallied 228 points last season and if his minutes are similar there is no reason why he couldn’t cross the magical 200 point mark again. The last two seasons he has had over 10 goals and 10 assists, barring injury that really should not be a problem for him to repeat.

We skip all the way to the 12.0s for our next options. There are three really good players here and all have their merits, but if I were only picking one it have to be Bruno Fernandes. We have now seen a season and a half or so worth of Bruno and he has really exceeded expectations. He led all of fpl last season in points and the season before he was even better if you could believe it. There was some drop off at the end of last season that people will point to, but you know what no one mentions? That he started on fire both seasons, so heck just own him now and when he cools off in December, sell him. Kevin de Bruyne and Sadio Mane deserve their name in bold. Reason I wasn’t all in on them is KdB is currently injured and Mane has an Egyptian that makes it hard to invest in him, but Mane is still a good option for those that are a little more adventurous.

Mo Salah is 12.5, that is probably a bit cheap considering his last 4 seasons. Four straight seasons of over 230 points and there is no reason to think that the trend won’t continue. A captain option most weeks with some great fixtures at the start of the season coupled with being the most owned attacking player in the game make him as close to a must have as there is. If you don’t believe me just put a non-Salah team on the site or on twitter and ask people to rate it and see what the first thing is that they point out to you.

Smash – Forwards

Michael Antonio (7.5)

If fit this guy is one of the best strikers in the league and he’s my pick to start the season with. In only 24 starts last season, he scored 10 goals and made five assists. Antonio had 63 Shots, 25 Shots on Target, 51 Shots in the Box and 19 Big Chances, whilst also creating 27 Chances and three Big Chances. Those hamstrings have made it through pre-season too, not only that he’s been scoring for fun. West Ham have a great run of fixtures to start with Newcastle United (a), Leicester City (injuries in defence) (H), Crystal Palace (H), Southampton (a), Leeds United (a) and Brentford (H) within the first eight matches.

Ollie Watkins (7.5)

The Villa striker had a great debut season in the Premier League, scoring 14 goals and nine assists. His statistics suggest he potentially should have had more with 97 Shots (5th in the entire division), 45 Shots on Target (6th), 25 Big Chances (6th) and 87 shots in the box (3rd) with Buendia joining and with his reputation for creating chances Watkins will certainly benefit from those through balls. Villa play Watford (a), Newcastle United (H) and Brentford (H) in their first three, which looks great. The risk now is that he could be pushed out wide with new signing Danny Ings coming in.

Danny Ings (8.0)

Talking of Aston Villa strikers I personally now prefer Ings to Watkins. The former Liverpool and Southampton striker scored 22 goals adding two assists in the 2019/20 season. He even managed 12 goals and two assists last season in only 26 starts. As I said Villa have a great run of fixtures to start. We know Ings does not need many chances to score goals and he should get more opportunities now playing for Aston Villa than he would have got for Southampton. Ings also scored on his debut in the friendly on Sunday. When El Ghazi isn’t on the field I would expect Ings to be on penalties too.

Romelu Lukaku (TBC)

Chelsea created the second most amount of chances in the league last season they were just missing a clinical striker to put away those chances. The underperformance of their xG, when compared to the amount of goals they actually scored, was the third worst in the league. Only the relegated pair of Fulham and Sheffield United had a worse underperformance. Lukaku won’t miss the chances Werner missed last season.

Anderlecht – 98 Games 41 G 18 A (59)
West Brom – 38 Games 17 G 7 A (24)
Everton – 166 Games 87 G 29 A (116)
Man U – 96 Games 42 G 13 A (55)
Inter Milan – 95 Games 64 G 16 A (80)
Belgium – 98 Games 64 Goals

Lukaku has scored goals wherever he’s been. He’s now also a much better player than he was at United and will have that point to prove. Though capable of scoring against anyone The Blues play Arsenal (a), Liverpool a), Spurs (a) and Manchester City (H) in their first eight games.

Callum Wilson (7.5)

Similar to Antonio, when fit Callum Wilson is one of the most lethal strikers in the league on his day. Wilson scored 134 points in just 2,081 minutes last season. He returned 10 goals and six assists in the first 21 starts of the season. When Newcastle score it’s almost certainly going to involve the Newcastle talisman. Wilson scored 5.78 points per 90 minutes. That’s better than Patrick Bamford (£8.0m), Ollie Watkins (£7.5m) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£8.0m). DCL is the only one not included here as he’s had no pre-season. With a kind set of opening fixtures which include Watford, Leeds, Southampton, West Ham and Aston Villa in their first six matches, Wilson could be a decent differential.

Ivan Toney (6.5)

Ivan Toney had an absolutely ridiculous season in the Championship. He scored 31 goals and 10 assists and he’s completely nailed. The Bees scored the most goals in the Championship last season (79). Brentford play all out attack and as he’s involved in over 50% of Brentford’s goals he’s got to be worth a try. His ownership is crazy high too so you won’t be alone if he fails. Brentford will rely on Toney heavily to score the goals. Brentford’s fixtures are a mixed bag. They have kind matches against Crystal Palace, Brighton and Aston Villa but these are nullified by games against Arsenal and Liverpool in their first six matches.

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 1. This article was written by Swirly, Rosco, Mito and Smash.

Follow @FantasyFooty247

VOTE ON THIS WEEK’S CAPTAIN POLL GW1

FPL FIXTURE TRACKER

FIXTURE TRACKER LINK

FIXTURE TRACKER 2020/21

Both leagues will be shut to new entrants as of 01/01/22.