With the season start just days away, fantasy football addicts will be busily tinkering away and frantically seeking advice for their teams. Everyone starts fair and square, with a budget of 100m. It is therefore important that every penny is well spent. Budget allocation, which we will touch on, is one of the most crucial aspects of the game.
We'll also be sharing our thoughts on some bargain buys, differentials and must haves for the season ahead. It is vital to maintain a core group of players that start week in week out for top clubs that get you FPL points on a regular basis, for instance, Hazard. At the same time, spotting a 'bargain' like Michu or Ramsey in the 13/14 season, or Sigurdsson in the more recent 14/15 season could give you an invaluable early head start.
Goalkeeper & Defender Tips
In these positions, limit your spending to 35m. Pay no more than 9.5m for your goalkeepers and try not to exceed 25.5m for defenders. You want to have most of your funds available for the attacking positions, where most of your points come from. Firstly, we will explain the concept of rotation, which is the key in both of these positions.
Rotation refers to selecting players from teams that have alternate favourable fixtures, giving you a string of games where players come up against teams from the bottom 10, with high clean sheet potential. For example, Leicester (Huth 4.5m) and Southampton (Cedric 5.0m) rotate to give SUN (H), EVE (H), WAT (A), NOR (H), AVL (H) for the first 5 gameweeks. Other good cheap rotation pairings include Sunderland (O'Shea 4.5m) with Bournemouth (Mings 4.5m), as well as Norwich (Ruddy 4.5m) with Stoke (Butland 4.5m).
Rather than having a few premium defenders that may not have favourable fixtures, rotation pairings allow for better clean sheet potential and also free up funds to spend elsewhere. However, a downside to having too many cheap rotation pairings is that many 4.5 defenders on the game are not first choice for their respective clubs, or are from the promoted teams that may find trouble keeping clean sheets.
Relying on one or two mid-price defenders that start week in, week out can also reap benefits, though for a slightly higher cost. Captains like Ashley Williams or Joleon Lescott are both available for 5.0m and come from the solid defences of Swansea and West Brom.
For goalkeepers, other than rotating two cheap players, having one big-hitter (from a top 4 club) with a 4.0m non-starter is another option. Cech and Hennessey, for instance. This will reduce the situation where points are lost on the bench from rotating keepers. Although this can bring regular and consistent returns, be warned of injury to your starting keeper that will force you to waste a valuable transfer.
Verdict: Rotate sparingly. It is advisable to have one or two premium defenders from Chelsea and/or Arsenal (the two teams with the strongest defensive records in the league) coupled with 1 or 2 cheap rotation pairings at your own discretion. Having a few reliable mid-price defenders is another option, but it's important to avoid exceeding 25.5m when selecting your defenders, a mistake commonly committed by new FPL managers.
Must Haves: A nailed on Chelsea and/or Arsenal defender. Namely Azpilicueta or Koscienly.
Bargain Buys: Robert Huth, Tyrone Mings
Differentials: Patrick Van Aanholt, Joe Gomez
Midfielder Tips
This is where the majority of your budget will be spent. Forking out between 38m to 42m is recommended in this area. One key pointer to remember when selecting your midfielders, is to pick attacking-minded players, playing in advanced positions that are more likely to score or assist. They will have a greater chance of netting higher points every week. Defensive midfielders are a big no-no in FPL, due to their low contributions goal-wise. To start off, a core of two or three high-priced players that are regulars from Top 6 teams must be established. From there, add one or two mid-priced players (6.0m-8.0m) to your team, along with a budget midfielder (5.0m or cheaper), depending on your preferred formation. If you plan to opt for a 3-5-2, the likes of Matt Ritchie (6.0m) or Nathan Redmond (5.5m) could be appealing as a 5th midfielder, rather than a cheaper option with low goalscoring potential.
For premium priced midfielders (8.5m or above), we begin with Hazard. The most owned player in the game (56.8%) at time of writing. Without doubt a must have for every FPL manager in spite of his hefty price tag (11.5m). The highest points scorer of the previous season, providing points on a regular basis with remarkable consistency. There are many other options in this price bracket, including the familiar names of Cazorla, Ozil, Ramsey, Walcott, Sterling, Silva, Mata, Eriksen and Fabregas, as well as new signings such as Depay and Firmino. From Arsenal's plethora of midfield options, the ones that stand out for us are Ozil and Walcott. The former is played in a No. 10 role, right behind the striker in an advanced position, while also on some set-pieces. Walcott started as a striker in the Community Shield last weekend which could possibly be FPL gold; an out-of-position (OOP) player.
However, though Theo gives greater explosive points potential, his game time might be limited with Chamberlain's recent good form and Giroud competing for a spot upfront. Moving on, we believe Sterling (9.0m) will be a better pick compared to Silva (10.0m). Available for 1.0m cheaper, Sterling has shown superb form in City's pre-season fixtures, contributing with goals/assists in almost every game and being involved in most of their attacks. Though City have tough fixtures to begin with, Sterling could be their main source of goals with talisman Aguero out injured. Mata and Eriksen could both be shrewd picks, while we'd choose to stay away from Fabregas if you've picked Hazard. Depay and Firmino are players to keep an eye on, with the former already looking like a decent buy.
There is a long list of mid-priced midfielders, but we will focus on a couple that have made our watchlist. Henderson, Milner, Mane, Payet, Chadli and Sigurdsson. Both priced at a reasonable 7.0m, it is of no surprise that the Liverpool duo of Henderson and Milner are giving FPL managers a huge dilemma. Henderson, being the club captain, and on set-piece duties, including penalties, will be our choice. Saido Mane made a few heads turn with his incredible 4-minute hat-trick last season, earning him a respectable FPL value of 8.0m. Though his points per game ratio is relatively high, we'd avoid him for now as there are better options at 8.0m and additionally, the Saints will be in the Europa League, which has proved to negatively affect the league form of participating clubs.
Chadli (7.0m) and Sigurdsson (7.5m) both showed early season promise early on last season, but doubts remain over their consistency. Finally, comes our pick of the season: Dimitri Payet. One of the top assisters across Europe's top 5 league in the 14/15 season, the French playmaker is available for 7.5m. Hitting the ground running with 2 goals and 1 assist in his debut pre-season fixture with West Ham. Hotly tipped as the 15/16 season's Michu/Sigurdsson, Payet could be a massive differential to start off GW1. A brief look at budget midfielders, Albrighton, Aarons are the 5.0m midfielders that are worth a punt on. Go for Wanyama (4.5m) for consistent 2 point returns every week.
Verdict: Do not short-change your midfield to spend big up top or in defence. Having a balanced team is crucial. In general, having 3 premium 1 mid-priced and one budget midfielder is a good structure to follow for a 3-4-3 formation.
Must Haves: Eden Hazard and one of the premium Arsenal midfielders.
Bargain Buys: Matt Ritchie, Jordan Henderson
Differentials: Dimitri Payet, Chris Brunt
Forward Tips
The position where the big points come from. Parting with a budget somewhere in the region of 24m to 27m is a good guide to follow. As a rule of the thumb, do not try to scrimp and save when picking forwards to boost your midfield and/or defence. Strikers are the focal point of attacking plays, and it is inevitable that goals will come often from them. Having at least 1 premium attacker (9.0m and above) from a title-contending club is a must, though we'd recommend having either 2 premium forwards + 1 budget forward (6.5m and below) or 1 premium forward + 2 mid-price forwards (7.0m-8.5m), depending once again on your preferred formation to play.
Interestingly, there aren't many premium priced forwards available for selection with Aguero still not match-fit, already ruled out of the start of the season, and Costa plagued by his hamstring woes. Both are major doubts for Gameweek 1. We'd advise against gambling with either of these big-hitters in your GW1 squads, unless Costa is 100% passed fit to play Swansea. Don't get us wrong though, Aguero & Costa could possibly both finish as the top 2 goal scorers in the league, and they will become must-haves as the season progresses. The options are therefore limited in this price bracket. Kane (9.5m) and Rooney (10.5m) being the only two premium options left, along with Giroud (9.0m), whom we will choose to avoid for now due to his game time insecurity. With the departure of Robin van Persie and Falcao's loan deal expired, Rooney looks set to lead the line for United's opening games. For us, a must-have. Kane has been dubbed by many as a 'one season wonder', but with Spurs early run of favourable fixtures, Kane could prove his critics wrong come the end of August. It's also worth noting that Kane is the highest owned forward (37.1%) at time of writing, and not owning him if he delivers early on could give many FPL managers a big headache.
Moving on to mid-priced forwards. Benteke, Lukaku, Pelle and Bony are all shrewd picks to start the season. With Aguero ruled out, together with Jovetic and Dzeko both being unsettled, Bony (8.5m) is set to lead the line at City come 10th August at the Hawthorns. He is a decent short-term pick, but his playtime will be threatened when Aguero returns. Benteke (8.5m), a proven FPL player, but needs time to settle, also started pre-season training late. A fantastic pick if he's deemed fit to start GW1 by Rodgers. Lukaku (8.0m) and Pelle (8.0m) can be lethal on their day, but are too inconsistent. The former had an extremely underwhelming 14/15 season, and failed to produce consistent points on a regular basis, frustrating many FPL managers. Pelle had a period where he showed some sort of consistency, but again, his form dropped off towards the latter stages of last season. Still, a decent pick given the confidence Koeman has in him.
Finally, budget forwards. There is a plethora of options in this price range, though only a few have made our watch-list. They are, Berahino, Sakho, Deeney, Ighalo, Callum Wilson and Vardy. Despite the attractiveness of purchasing more than one budget forward, it will be a big risk to short-change your forwards, as these types of players often do not deliver points regularly, and are not as consistent as reliable forwards from top clubs, as mentioned before. They should only be considered as a 3rd striker option. Watford's Deeney (5.5m) and Ighalo (5.0m), as well as Bournemouth's Callum Wilson(5.5m) all carry with them great form from the Championship. Though they can be great bargain picks, it is worth noting that the step-up to the Premiership is a big one, thus they might need some time to adapt. West Brom's Saido Berahino (6.5m) and West Ham's Diafra Sakho are both decent options to pick from too.
Verdict: Always remember not to short-change your forwards by gambling on too many budget forwards. Rely on consistent forwards that somehow are able to get goals on a consistent basis, proven strikers that have a certain goalscoring record in the Premier League to start with.
Must Haves: Wayne Rooney, Diego Costa (only if he's 100% fit), Sergio Agüero
Bargain Buys: Diafra Sakho, Callum Wilson
Differentials: Patrick Bamford, Odion Ighalo
Summary
The general structure of a FPL team is vital to ensure consistent point returns, without having to make too many transfers or overhaul your squad after GW1. Pick players that are almost certainly guaranteed to start for their clubs, and you will never go wrong. Consistency is key, and to achieve that, you have to own players that start on a regular basis. Players often making cameos off the bench are less likely to score big points, and are usually inconsistent. That's about all we have to offer for the upcoming exciting season.
We wish all FPL managers a great 2015/16 FPL season ahead! May the green arrows start rolling in!
