We might only be seven weeks into the new season but we have a taste now of what to expect in the season to come in terms of production for draft fantasy soccer. The chances of unearthing an unknown talent have diminished since draft day and the waiver wire looks more like a lucky dip than a tactical dive into the player pool for draft fantasy soccer managers. The barrel has been well and truly scraped.
That being said, injuries and suspensions do bring about opportunities and it’s prudent to examine which EPL teams have been more productive from a fantasy perspective (Togga scoring) in case these opportunities do arrive. By looking at which teams have the most players with an average game score of 10 FP/G (fantasy points per game) or more (a reasonable benchmark for success) throws up a few surprises.
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Best EPL Teams for Draft Fantasy Soccer
- Man City – 9 players with 10+ FP/G
This one shouldn’t come as a surprise. Sitting at the summit with the arguably (or not) the best and most creative squad in the league, Man City have a whopping nine players who have scored at least 10 FP/G. The list doesn’t include KDB, who will undoubtedly join the list or Mahrez who would be included if he didn’t make so many substitute appearances. The nine includes three defenders, three midfielders and three forwards – so basically, if there is a city player available who is starting, draft fantasy soccer managers should throw him in.
- Spurs – 6 players with 10+ FP/G
Spurs may not have peaked form wise yet this season but fantasy wise they’ve started fairly well. Some early draft round players have perhaps disappointed such as Dele Alli (9.3 FG/G) and Ben Davies (7.9 FP/G) but Keiron Trippier (16.2 FP/G) and Lucas Moura (11 FP/G) have been pleasant surprises. They also have 11 players with at least eight FP/G which is also the second highest in the league and means even the lower performing have brought some meat to the table.
- Wolves – 6 players with 10+ FP/G
Perhaps the biggest surprise this season has been the fantasy relevance of Wolves. If you were lucky enough to pick up wing backs Matt Doherty and Jonny then they are probably two of the first names on your team sheet right now. Doherty, in particular, is averaging 15.8 FP/G despite only having two clean sheets. And although Wolves have only managed eight goals in seven games, Jiminez and Moutinho have also chipped in with more than 10 FP/G each. With four other players on at least nine FP/G, if you haven’t already been convinced to pick up Wolves players this season, it won’t be long until you are.
- Everton – 6 players with 10+ FP/G
Everton has only six players that have more than eight FP/G but all six of them are in the 10+ bracket. My initial reaction was that, clearly Silva’s attacking style of football has benefitted their front men. Alas, three of the six are defenders with Keane, Digne and Kenny (albeit in only three games) have made up for the disappointing returns from Tosun, Gueye and Schneiderlin. Bernard may make an impact when he eventually gets a starting place
- Liverpool – 5 players with 10+ FP/G
Most would likely expect Liverpool to be higher up the list given their great start to the season and their attacking style of football. Yet only Salah, Mane, Robertson, Firmino and Milner find themselves above the 10 FP/G benchmark. Notable exceptions include van Dijk (8.75 FP/G) given his contributions last season and Keita (4.2 FP/G) who has definitely not lived up to his fantasy expectations
Notable others – Arsenal have only two with 10+ FP/G but 9 with at least 8 FP/G. Steady but hardly impressive
And at the other end…
- Huddersfield – 1 player with 10+ FP/G
Huddersfield’s terrible form at the end of last season has continued into this one and they have yet to record their first victory. Their only player above 9 FP/G has played only one game and a definite outlier. You have to question the 78% of managers who think Aaron Mooy is worth keeping after his dismal six FP/G so far as well as the 7.8% who added Philip Billing to their squads last week with only his week four outing, where he scored his first EPL goal, being of notable worth.
- Newcastle – 0 players with 10+ FP/G
Newcastle should not be as low as they are on this list based on the players that they have. Lascelles, Shelvey, and Ritchie (who has had a shocking start to the season given his ADP) are all capable of reaching the 10+ FP/G. Perhaps the only positive is that the fixtures haven’t been kind given they’ve already faced Man City, Spurs, Chelsea, and Arsenal. With Man utd up next they may not see much improvement until later in the month though.
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