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| The screenshot of what your team looks like on fantasy.premierleague.com |
As we approach the start of the new Premier League season, most of us will be starting to pick our line-ups for the first game of the season. This season promises to be evening more unpredictable than last season with as many as five realistic title contenders, and more importantly for fantasy, a host of new players with different teams. I’ll base my advice on having a starting XI and four reserves as in www.fantasy.premierleague.com, with one transfer each week, and with player prices based on this site.
Team setup
The core of your team should not change over the course of the season. If you have to change more than one player over the first few weeks, you are already losing too much ground. Start with a team of players who are guaranteed to start, and who stay out of injury trouble. Your defence should be strong and consistent all season, with at least two top defenders in your starting team. I would go with defenders who can also contribute goals – those who come up for set pieces, i.e. Nemanja Vidic, Michael Dawson, Ashley Cole, Leighton Baines, David Luiz, and Robert Huth. Your attack can be a bit more risky, players who may contribute a lot one week, and then not so much the next week (this is where you can use your free transfer each week).
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| Glen Johnson is in line for a bounce back year - assuming he can stay healthy. |
Strong picks for the full season
There are a few players this season that will stand out and provide a steady influx of points to your team. I try and pick players here who will be taking a lot of set pieces, team captains (going to play each week), and team leaders (i.e. Frank Lampard). Some of the players that will have a stellar season this year are Lampard, Vidic, Luiz Suarez, Florent Malouda, Robin van Persie, Joleon Lescott, Glen Johnson, and David De Gea (which means basically the whole Man U defence – the trouble is picking the starters besides Vidic).
Sleepers for the season
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| Charlie Adam is in line for a huge season. He may be the highest scoring mid- fielder this year come the end of the season. |
There are a few players who I think will either come out of the blue, or be overlooked by most people. The first one is Charlie Adam. Steven Gerrard has been ruled out for at least the first few games and if Adam performs well in these which I suspect he will (he’ll take free kicks and probably take penalties (he took a penalty in pre-season)), he’ll be a great addition – even at the inflated price tag of 9M. Another player to look out for is Adel Taarabt. Playing from midfield, he plays a role like Frank Lampard, and expect Taarabt to be a great steal, similar to that of Chris Brunt last year. The last sleeper I’d suggest is a bit more obvious but he will no doubt get overlooked for cheaper midfield options such as jack Wilshere, Gareth Bale, or Ashley Young. That player is Frank Lampard. Although not an under the radar player, not many teams will pick him up this year. After a lacklustre performance from Chelsea last term, not many are focusing on them (Liverpool and Man City seem to be gaining all the attention), and I expect Lampard, Malouda, and Torres to click this season. He takes the penalties, free kicks, and gets goals from open play; Lampard will be a great player to have.
Over the next couple of weeks I’ll do a team by team analysis of who to pick in your team, and what players you should avoid.
