How do you approach your EPL fantasy draft? Well, like any other fantasy game, there are a plethora of options, but the closest comparison I could give is the NFL fantasy draft. Because players tend to get injured, the first couple of rounds are basically your safest bets for reliable fantasy contribution. The middle rounds are where you search for bargain deals, and then you take risks during the later rounds (with your bench spots).
As far as strategies are concerned, you can go in a few different directions. You can focus on a certain position — for example, drafting your strikers first and your defenders last. You can go for what you think is the best value with each pick. You can overdraft players you’re high on and completely ignore players you don’t like. You can set a pre-determined position for each pick and draft according to that setting. And so on. That being said, I’m about to give you an idea of how I go about it all.
Forward is the shallowest position, so I try to get the best forwards I can with two of my first four picks. If I’m able to pair Kane and Vardy, or Lukaku and Firmino, I’ll be delighted. The other two picks are intended for:
– A high-scoring midfielder. You simply have to have one. Alexis Sanchez’s future is uncertain, but you need to have a player like that on your roster — a player who is the primary threat for his club.
– A goalkeeper. Don’t be afraid to draft goalkeepers higher than the rankings suggest you should. Chances are the highest ranked ones will also be the top ones at the end of the season. And you want to have that security on goal. Courtois, Lloris and De Gea are by far the best options. Go after them. Otherwise, you’ll have to use two picks in the middle rounds on two similar goalkeepers. Afterward, you’d have to switch between them and hope for the best. What that would likely mean at the end is that you’d to settle for mediocrity. If you’re in a league where keepers are near the top of the overall rankings, again, don’t be afraid to use your first or second pick on a goalie. Clean sheets are the easiest way to earn points. Also, odds of injury are much less likely with shot stoppers, thus you’re less likely to wind up with a high pick on IR.
[the_ad id=”384″]After that I go with best value combined with certainty of receiving regular playing time while rounding out my starting 11 with my next few picks. I try to avoid rotational players who might not play every game, despite them having the potential to be very effective when they do so. Manchester City’s newly acquired full back Danilo, Manchester United’s Ander Herrera, Chelsea’s Willian, Everton’s Kevin Mirallas are just a few examples. I’d much rather have Gylfi Sigurdsson in the middle, or Christian Benteke up front. I have to mention that I do prioritize defenders during this part of the draft.
The basis of a competitive fantasy soccer team is 1 goalkeeper, 3 defenders, 3 midfielders and 2 forwards. When you have those squad members rostered, it’s time to start taking chances, since in all likelihood the rest of the players you select will be regularly in and out of your lineup. More than half are probably not even going to be in your fantasy squad when the season is over. Therefore, you can afford the risk. I consider youngsters or newcomers whose playing time is a conundrum to be risky picks. If you lack knowledge of such players, then try to draft what I like to call “safety pins.” Those are players from weaker teams whose fantasy contribution might vary and not be consistent, but they will give you 90 minutes on the pitch, so at the very least you should get points for that. Ideally, the last few rounds should be a combination of both.
One thing you must remember about EPL drafts is that the transfer deadline, which is August 31, is after the season starts on August 12. During that period of time, many transfers will be made. Some, if not most, will be fantasy irrelevant. However, there will be those that will make your draft pick(s) less valuable. Don’t despair. It is what it is. Find comfort in the fact that there are going to be free agents who’ll be able to replace that value during the season. Just try to add them and everything will be all right. Also, if possible, try to leave a roster spot or two available for pickups. Those above-mentioned transfers will bring in players worth adding. They all go on waivers, so plenty depends on waiver order, yet there are going to be a few who slip through the ranks. If the waiver wire is not in your favor, then at least get those.
I’ll be here to catch you up on the latest transfer news and their fantasy impact after the season starts, and hopefully provide some assistance for you fantasy soccer enthusiasts out there.