Should I start *insert player here* or *insert player here*? is one of the age-old questions in draft fantasy soccer. Well, I’m here to try and help with that thanks to ranks compiled by Sean Sullivan and myself that are done exclusively for Togga style scoring in Fantrax. While these ranks can be used for other forms of draft fantasy soccer, they are formatted for Fantrax first and foremost.
Speaking of the ranks, they took a major hit this week with Kevin de Bruyne suffering a knee injury in training. While Manchester City has an embarrassment of riches in attack, that doesn’t mean that de Bruyne is as replaceable in draft fantasy soccer where managers are scrambling to replace the consensus second pick in drafts. Silva squared will see more time in midfield but the wildcard in this situation is young Phil Foden. If he can make it into the midfield, it could be quite the boost to fantasy teams that had bad drafts like me.
The fixture list this week is a tasty one with two London Derbies between Tottenham and Fulham along with Chelsea and Arsenal. Leicester v Wolves and West Ham v Bournemouth should also be entertaining viewing as the games will likely be very open.
Let’s get to what you came for, and that’s draft fantasy soccer ranks!
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Forwards
[table “223” not found /]Suprise, surprise Manchester City, and Liverpool claim five of the top ten forward spots but you were already starting their forwards if you have them. But where the real discussion begins is at Chelsea where Eden Hazard (#5) *may* return as a false nine to knock Alvaro Morata (#15) out of the lineup. If that happens it could be the final nail in Morata’s coffin so watch lineups accordingly.
No Mahrez, no problem as the Vardy (#13) party continues in Leicester City with him coming off of a new contract and a season-opening goal versus Manchester United. Considering fixtures Vardy will likely be in the top 15 of forwards for the next few weeks but this game versus Wolves is a good one for him.
Sticking with Leicester v Wolves, Raul Jimenez (#17) looked assured and ready for the Premier League opening his scoring account versus Everton. Putting two of his three shots on target, Jiminez was a handful and if he can keep it going, Leicester could be in for trouble. Expectations need to be tempered with Jimenez considering that he hasn’t ever scored double-digit goals in a season during his career but who knows, maybe wolves are a breath of fresh air will invigorate his career.
Midfielders
[table “224” not found /]Midfielders are a complete crapshoot but there is a little more variety in the top five this time around but it’s still led by Riyad Mahrez because Manchester City is still king. Christian Eriksen has a great matchup this weekend but considering Harry Kane’s scoring record in August, his ceiling is tempered a little.
Michail Antonio was foolishly shafted in my preseason ranks but when he’s healthy he’s a top midfielder for draft fantasy soccer purposes. While no one ever knows how long he will stay healthy for while he’s here, use him. Going from Antonio to the newcomer at Leicester, James Maddison had a promising debut for the Foxes. His freekicks were accurate and he did almost everything that he could without registering a goal or an assist in the game. I’m backing him to net a goal this week.
Elyounoussi will be facing a late fitness test but if he starts, he could build off of a very promising debut that saw him score 10 points in a 34-minute cameo giving fantasy owners a taste of his mouthwatering potential. While Ruben Neves has gotten all the plaudits for newly promoted midfielders don’t sleep on Bobby Ried at Cardiff who turned in a serviceable performance of his own and is a midfielder playing up as a forward.
Defenders
[table “225” not found /]It looks like John Stones and Aymeric Laporte may have the starting job at Manchester City and they are ranked accordingly but if Nicolas Otamendi or Vincent Kompany end up starting it doesn’t matter who’s on the back line of the Citizens because Benjamin Mendy is king of the shark team and all other defenders are pretty interchangeable.
Marcos Alonso and Ceasar Azpilicueta put claims that Sarri wouldn’t give them the freedom to bomb forward to bed all in one game and it shows with them being the only defenders ranked in Chelsea’s clash with Arsenal. Ryan Fredericks had a promising debut versus Liverpool but more will be expected this week facing Bournemouth.
Playing as an attacking midfielder, Ricardo Pereira put on a show even though Leicester didn’t get the win versus Manchester United. He, Ben Chilwell and Harry Maguire will all be valuable assets for the Foxes during the season.
Keepers
[table “226” not found /]If you’d like to chat about ranks, feel free to hit Sean or I up on Twitter or hash things out in the comments but until then, happy managing!
If you’re ready to add soccer to your fantasy repertoire head on over to Fantrax to start or join a league today! Fantrax can meet virtually any league setup, offering an unmatched level of customization.