Top five must own Fantasy Premier League players for 2020/21

As we embark on a new season in fantasy football the excitement is building up especially with all the new signings, and the competitive chatter amongst friends and work colleagues heating up. A good start to the season is important to lay down the mark to any rivals and provides a great foundation to push on for a high overall rank.

The secret to a good start is to keep it simple and pick the safest and proven players. Any risks or punts should be saved for later in the season as most of the time, let’s face it, they don’t work out. So without further ado let’s look at the top five must have players for the Premier League fantasy football season ahead.  

1. Mohammed Salah (£12.0m) 

The first name on many a teamsheet will be that of ‘The Egyptian King’. No explanations needed really, but we will explain anyway. He is again the most expensive player in the game and with good reason. This year though he comes in at a rather surprising £12.0, which is £0.5m cheaper than last season and a whole £1m cheaper than in the 2018-19 season. 

If his fantastic goals and assists record wasn’t good enough reason to bring him in already then this should be the cherry on top. We believe Fantasy Premier League have under-priced him this season and here is why. In 2019-20 he scored 233 points, scoring 19 goals and providing 10 assists. In 2018-19 he scored 259 points picking up 22 goals and 12 assists. At first glance it would seem he was in decline but looking at the stats in both seasons his metrics were almost identical. 

Using the Comparison Tool from Fantasy Football Hub we can see that his overall stats were slightly better last season than in 2018-19. His xG (expected goals), and Big Chances are identical and he actually had more shots in the box last season, and just four fewer shots on target than in 2018-19.

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The numbers are so similar that it shows he is the same Salah (or slightly better) to the one priced at £12.5m last season and will most likely get the same sort of points again this season. He is also one of the best captaincy options in the game without a doubt. Furthermore Liverpool do not blank in gameweek one and face Leeds (H), Chelsea (a) and Arsenal (H) in the first three games and quite a favourable run up until gameweek 16, essentially when the first wildcard expires.

Interestingly, Salah also bosses his £12m counterpart Mane on most of the key numbers from last season 

2. Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m) 

Another Liverpool player and another proven fantasy football gem. Four goals and 15 assists are the type of numbers you see attacking midfielders score, not full backs. Nevertheless that is what Trent Alexander-Arnold managed last season, along with 14 clean sheets for good measure, amassing an impressive 210 points. 

It saw him finish as the fourth highest scoring player in the game, behind only Kevin De Bruyne, and teammates Mohammed Salah and Sadio Mane. We were expecting him to come in at £8.0m, hence pleasantly surprised when seeing his price tag.

Looking at mid-priced midfielders and forwards, it’s difficult to identify anybody sticking out that will match his output this season. He is currently the most owned player in the game and that is unlikely to change closer to the deadline.

Given that both Manchester clubs and Burnley all blank in gameweek one it makes him even more of a no brainer pick. The bread and butter of picking your defenders should be likelihood of clean sheets. With Alexander-Arnold you have that plus his attacking prowess.   

3. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£12.0m) 

The Arsenal hitman had another great season, scoring 22 goals and providing seven assists, amassing 205 points. The big news this season is Fantasy Premier League have decided to reclassify him as a midfielder. This may seem bizarre (and it is) but with the likes of Salah, Mane and Sterling all classed as midfielders, it is a logical switch.

A recalculation of his points showed that if he were a midfielder last season, instead of scoring 205 points as a forward, Aubameyang would have scored around 230 points, an increase of 25 points. This means he would have finished just three points behind Mohammed Salah and ended up the third highest scoring player in the game.

We believe he has come in fairly-priced and he really does seem an enticing prospect as a midfielder. He is Arsenal’s talisman and best player without a doubt. With his goalscoring pedigree there is no reason why he can’t match or beat last season’s impressive figures. Easily capable of hitting 20+ goals again, with Alexandre Lacazette (£8.5m) potentially moving away, Aubameyang could even potentially revert to playing through the middle.

There is nothing not to like about the Gabonese international really and the fact that he has a no blank in gameweek one and a nice set of opening fixtures in Fulham (a) and West Ham (h), he should be a lock in your starting XI. 

4. Kevin De Bruyne (£11.5m) 

The Belgian playmaker finished the last season as the top scoring player with 251 points, having accumulated 13 goals and a mammoth 23 assists. He has been improving every year under Pep Guardiola and was unfortunate to have been out through injury the majority of the 2018-19 season. He is the only player to match Salah for overall stats last season, with the latter ahead in goals scored but the City star managing more assists. 

Looking at the attacking metrics (see image below) of both last season we can see from the web-graph how much De Bruyne is superior in terms of chance creation. His 23 assists, 34 Big Chances Created and 136 Key passes show just how productive he is for his teammates. If he manages to stay fit then he is another mainstay pick and top captain option. 

De Bruyne vs Salah 2019-20 comparison:

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The only problem is Manchester City have a blank in Gameweek one and then play Wolves away in Gameweek two so leaving off him until Gameweek three is probably the wise move. Indeed, the transfer of Aubameyang to De Bruyne will likely be a popular one that week. 

5. Timo Werner (£9.5m) 

With Chelsea’s acquisition of Timo Werner they may well now have one of the most potent attacks in the league. With Christian Pulisic (£8.5m) and new arrival Hakim Ziyech (£8.0m) - along with the strong possibility of Kai Havertz also linking up with the Blues - he will have an abundance of quality service. 

Werner is a proven elite goal scorer with an incredible record in the Bundesliga last season. Looking at his numbers, he finished the campaign as the second highest scorer, behind Robert Lewandowski, with 28 goals and even managed eight assists, which shows he can do more than just score. At just 24 he is only going to get better and seems to have joined Chelsea at the right time in his career (especially for us fantasy football managers).

He is a volume player and gets a lot shots off – 64 on target alone last season - which is music to the ears of fantasy football managers, while he is also effective at creating chances. He really does seem like the complete striker and his stats and output back this up.

It’s not always wise to start with new players to the league but exceptions are necessary in some cases when the evidence is overwhelming. Plenty of players have come to the Premier League from Europe and hit the ground running, such as the aforementioned Aubameyang. One should have had faith in Werner to do well no matter what team he went to in all honestly but with this Chelsea team we can see him having a stellar debut season.

To add further weight to any Werner pick, Chelsea don’t have a blank in Gameweek one and have an excellent set of opening fixtures. Aside playing Liverpool (a) in Gameweek two, they play Brighton (a), West Brom (a), Crystal Palace (h) and Southampton (h) in their first five games. Its Timo Time! 

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