Three Fantasy Football Picks Who Have Vastly Underperformed This Season
With the current 2019-20 Premier League campaign approaching its conclusion, FPL managers will undoubtedly be taking time to reflect on the performance of their fantasy teams. Players such as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Danny Ings, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang have continually delivered this season whilst, according to official Fantasy Premier League statistics, Manchester City’s Kevin De Bruyne has been the top player this year, accumulating 216 points so far. However, at the other end of the spectrum, there are numerous underperformers who were selected in good faith at the beginning of August, yet have comprehensively failed to live up to those lofty pre-season expectations. We take a look at three top flight stars who have left fantasy bosses extremely frustrated over the last ten months.
Mesut Ozil
Mesut Ozil is out of favour again having not played a minute since the restart – will he ever fit in at Arsenal again?
— Sky Sports (@SkySports) June 30, 2020
Mesut Ozil’s days as an Arsenal player appear to be numbered following another hugely underwhelming campaign in North London. After a largely anonymous spell working under Unai Emery, FPL managers could be forgiven for assuming that Mikael Arteta’s arrival at the club might have enabled the divisive playmaker to start afresh at the Emirates. However, the former Real Madrid man hasn’t featured since the restart, and his fantasy points total currently stands a paltry 53. Despite being one of the club’s key players in recent seasons, and formerly one of the best set-piece takers in the division, the German’s influence has waned over the last twelve months, and any fantasy bosses who have persisted with the 31-year old will surely be regretting this act of blind faith.
As of July 7th, the Gunners sit seventh in the Premier League, and are 11/4 with Betway to finish in the top six. With plenty still left to play for, the Spanish boss is unlikely to welcome Ozil back into the fold anytime soon, thus making it highly unlikely that any FPL gaffers will take a chance on him between now and end of the season.
Jan Vertonghen
Although he isn’t getting any younger, Jan Vertonghen is generally considered to be a solid Premier League performer. However, his fantasy points tally is disappointingly low this season with just 54 accumulated so far. He’s featured just 21 times so far this campaign, although with an extremely congested fixture list leaving Spurs with a match approximately every three days, there’s a chance that Jose Mourinho could bring him back into this side before he departs North London this summer.
The Belgian was selected by 1.5% of fantasy managers this season, yet he has amassed fewer than half the points he managed during a far more productive 2018-19 campaign. Teammate Serge Aurier is the highest performing Spurs defender so far this season with 105 points to his name and, despite a number of unconvincing displays from the Ivorian, he has still managed to amass points on a regular basis, unlike the usually reliable Vertonghen.
Ilkay Gundogan
MAN CITY: ILKAY GUNDOGAN (5)
The third team on the trot with just 5 yellow cards, Manchester City’s most booked player is Ilkay Gundogan, despite him only getting 5 cards pic.twitter.com/EZBT9htc0m— Premier League Updates (@PremierLeagueU6) July 3, 2020
Ilkay Gundogan may have played 28 times for Manchester City this season, yet his fantasy points total is worryingly low. Although his future at the club has been brought into question, Pep Guardiola has used him on fairly regular basis this season, and he’s already clocked up 270 minutes since the Premier League returned in mid-June.
Despite being given the chance to shine, the German International has failed to make a notable impact on the game, and as a result, his points tally remains at just 60. His tireless energy is certainly an incredibly useful asset, yet FPL managers have been unable to reap the rewards of his endeavour and enthusiasm. He has arguably saved his best performances for the UEFA Champions League this season, a competition in which he has scored twice in seven appearances. He’s also laid on two assists in the European tournament this year, equalling his total in the top flight, despite being on the pitch for just 315 minutes.
If Gundogan remains at the Etihad this summer, many FPL managers will be understandably wary of taking a gamble on the 29-year old next season.
The end of the season is always the best time for reflection, and fantasy gaffers will undoubtedly be rueing some of those last-minute decisions which may have cost them vital points throughout the course of the campaign. They’ll also be aware of those competitors who have vastly underwhelmed this season, and from a fantasy perspective, these three players will surely fall into the ‘could do better’ category.
