The Premier League 2021/22 season kicks off on Friday evening, so we looked at the best players in each position to have in your team going into the new season.
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Is Premier League title race set to be wide open?
The 2021/22 Premier League season kicks off on Friday evening, so we looked at the best players in each position to have in your team this season, based on last season’s points-per-game statistics.
Fantasy Premier League players will need to have their teams for the 2021/22 season confirmed and locked in by 6:30 pm BST on Friday, August 13.
The new season starts with newly promoted side Brentford hosting Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side, with both sides featuring new signings to select for your Fantasy Premier League team.
So, we have done the homework for you and picked out the best players for each position that you need to have in your side as we approach Gameweek 1 of the new FPL season.
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Let’s take a look at who you should be picking for your team so that you have the best chance of succeeding…
We used the Official Fantasy Premier League site statistics to see which players averaged the most points per game from the 2020/21 season to decide who you should be picking for your team.
Goalkeeper – Emiliano Martinez – Aston Villa – £5.5m
Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez is the clear choice for players when picking a goalkeeper in their side.
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Image:
Getty Images)
The Argentinian shot-stopper has been selected by 37% of Fantasy Premier League players, after averaging 4.9 points per game last season with an overall tally of 186 points throughout the season.
At £5.5m, Martinez represents good value for money for players who are looking for a reliable starter to gain them points across the whole 2021/22 season.
Martinez kept 15 clean sheets for the west-Midlands side last season, just one less than Chelsea’s Edouard Mendy, whilst also making 142 saves in the 2020/21 season.
A cheaper option to Martinez would be Leeds United ‘keeper Illan Meslier at just £5.0m, with the Frenchman averaging 4.4 points per game.
Meslier is likely to start most games for Leeds throughout the 2021/22 season, and with how the fixtures are scheduled, he offers a great alternative to Martinez should you be looking to save money for a star player further up the pitch.
Defenders – John Stones – Manchester City – £5.5m
John Stones has gone under the radar somewhat by Fantasy Premier League players this year, only being picked by 12% of players.
The Manchester City defender averaged 5.8 points per game last season, totalling 128 points, which was the third most out of City’s squad.
Whilst most players prefer to have full-backs as their choices for defenders, Stones averaged 0.7 points more per game than Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell who averaged the second most out of all defenders available.
If you are looking for a more reliable defender that is guaranteed to start every fixture, look no further than West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell.
At £5.5m, he comes in at the same price as Stones, yet has the opportunity to earn more points since he is a full-back, and takes the majority of set-pieces for the Hammers.
Cresswell averaged just 4.2 points per game last season, yet totalled 153 points throughout the season, a massive 35 points more than Stones.
Midfielders – Heung-Min Son – Tottenham Hotspur – £10.0m
Whilst Heung-Min Son comes at a relatively high price and is considered a premium player for Fantasy Premier League teams, his output in terms of points shows good value for the money invested into the Spurs attacker.
Son comes in £2.5m cheaper than Liverpool’s Mohammed Salah, yet averaged the same number of points per game last season as the Egyptian with 6.2 points per game.
Son also totalled just three points less than Salah, tallying 228 points across the 2020/21 season, with 22% of players choosing the South Korean winger as part of their team this season.
Son could be a great pick for your Fantasy Premier League side, with the uncertainty about Harry Kane’s future rolling on, Son could become Spurs’ key man this season.
If you’re looking for a cheaper option to guarantee you points, Jack Harrison represents good value for players coming in at just £5.0m and is one of the first names on the team sheet for Leeds.
Most players seem to have selected Raphinha over Harrison, yet it was the latter that actually earned more points last season with 160 compared to the Brazilian’s 133 points, as they both averaged 4.4 points per game.
Attackers – Callum Wilson – Newcastle United – £7.5m
Callum Wilson had a brilliant season for Newcastle last season, scoring 12 goals for the Magpies, more than Gareth Bale, Sadio Mane and Marcus Rashford.
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Official Fantasy Premier League)
Wilson is the focal point of Newcastle’s attack and is a guaranteed starter for Steve Bruce’s side, with the striker averaging 5.2 points per game in the 2020/21 season, only bettered by Jamie Vardy (5.5 PPG) and Harry Kane (6.9 PPG).
At just £7.5m, Wilson is one of the cheaper options for players to choose in their attack, a full £5m less than Spurs striker Kane, yet only 7% of players have chosen the 29-year-old to be a part of their squad heading into the new season.
Another cheap alternative is Burnley’s Chris Wood, who matched Wilson for goals in the Premier League last season and comes in at a cheaper price of £7m.
Who do you have in your Fantasy Premier League team? Let us know in the comments.
