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THE FANTASY FORWARDS

By P Bhargav Chowdary

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It is that time of the season for football fans, especially the Premier League ones as the league is set to start in a week’s time and the Fantasy Premier League is here to entertain as well as eat the brains of all.

Decisions are made way too early, then are reversed because of the activity in the transfer market and and then again revert back to the old ones before settling just minutes before the deadlines.

 

 

FootTheBall has already made one piece on which of the new signings could be an effective addition to your squads, and here we are with a second part about 10 best forwards FPL managers can sign before the start of the 2020-21 season.

 

HARRY KANE – £12.5 M

The England captain is arguably the best forward in the game and that is visible with his price tag. Along with Mohamed Salah, who has been classified as a midfielder, Kane is the most expensive player on the game at £12.5 M. He is a candidate whom one can buy and let him be there in the team for the rest of the season as he’s capable of not only scoring goals but even assisting them as seen in the 2020-21 season where he managed to get 23 goals and 14 assists.

 

 

If he moves to Manchester City, as the reports say, Pep Guardiola’s rotation policy might see him play fewer minutes than he would at Tottenham, but the upside is that, if Kane is nailed at City, the supporting players around him could boost his potential to haul big consistently.

 

PATRICK BAMFORD – £8 M

The crown jewel of the system that Marcelo Bielsa has employed at Leeds United, Patrick Bamford enjoyed his best-ever season last term, scoring 17 goals and assisting another 11 more for his teammates in the Premier League.

Even after signing a player of the calibre of Rodrigo last season, Bamford was able to keep the Spaniard out of the starting eleven for the majority of the campaign and is presently the fifth-highest owned forward for the upcoming season at 18.2%.

 

 

Bamford finished the 2020-21 season just six points shy of the 200-point mark, leaving him second only to Harry Kane in the standings, but this time around he will be looking to take that number one spot, given Leeds’s favourable fixtures in the first 10 matchdays, with only Manchester United and Liverpool being the difficult ones.

 

JAMIE VARDY – £10.5 M

The third highest points scoring forward last season behind Kane and Bamford, Jamie Vardy suffered a couple of injury spells in 2020-21 which forced him to sit on the sidelines and thus limiting his output.

But the rejuvenated 34-year-old might want to start the season with a bang and the fixtures are kind enough for him. In the first 10 games, only three games have a difficulty rating of 4, and even against those opponents, Manchester City, Manchester United, and West Ham United, the Englishman has scored multiple goals in the past.

 

fpl-vardyVardy will be roaring to begin the season after falling behind Kane and Bamford in the previous one. (Image Courtesy: Premier League / Website)

With Brendan Rodgers shifting into a two-striker set-up, Kelechi Iheanacho, and new signing Patson Daka might fight with Vardy for the striker spots but if he turns up in the opening fixtures, it will be very difficult for the other two to dethrone him.

 

RAUL JIMENEZ – £7.5 M

Raul Jimenez was one of the fan favourite forwards of FPL managers since his arrival in the Premier League in 2018, but the horrific head injury he had suffered last season had seen him getting ruled out for the rest of the campaign.

The Mexican had scored 13 goals and assisted 10 more in the 2018/19 season, before going on to register 17 goals and assisting a further seven in 2019/20.

 

 

But Jimenez has since returned to action in pre-season and should be one to watch out for the upcoming season. Wolves do have a fairly tough run of games early on, facing Leicester, Tottenham and Manchester United. However, from matchday four to matchday 15, they do not face any of the top six clubs.

 

DANNY INGS – £8 M

Danny Ings’ move to Aston Villa has certainly created a ruckus among the FPL community, with the managers now looking at changing their teams after the arrival of the Englishman to Villa Park. Ollie Watkins, Villa’s primary centre-forward had more than 35% ownership but thanks to Ings moving, that now plummeted by 5%, and is still decreasing.

 

 

Ings had contributed 34 goals and six assists over the last two seasons at Southampton and his arrival might shake up Dean Smith’s system at Villa. With his calibre, Ings is certain to start up top, sending Watkins to the bench or to the flanks, whichever way Smith would like and with Grealish having left for Manchester City, penalties too will be in his repertoire.

 

DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN – £8 M

Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s 2020/21 campaign was the best of his career to date. The English international, who debuted at the Euros, found the net 16 times and also provided six assists for his teammates in the Premier League.

Although this was under Carlo Ancelotti who plays more attacking than the current boss Rafa Benitez, the Spaniard’s 4-2-3-1 might help the 24-year-old’s cause.

 

fpl-calvert-lewinCalvert-Lewin will be keen to start of the season as he did in the last campaign. (Image Courtesy: Premier League / Website)

With him certainly being the focal point of the Toffees’ side, his return should remain similar to last season, provided the Englishman stays fit, and even more so if James Rodriguez stays on Merseyside this summer. In addition, Everton have a favourable opening to the season, which sees them play just one of the top six in their first 10 fixtures.

 

MICHAIL ANTONIO – £7.5 M

Similar to Ings, Michail Antonio is a very underrated asset, but it is his poor injury record that makes FPL managers not look at him when choosing the forwards. The now Jamaican international has not managed to cross the 25-appearance mark in two consecutive league seasons but when on form, he is on the lethal strikers around.

 

 

Being West Ham’s only option in the striker position, Antonio starts most of the time when available and if he can keep himself fit for the entire season, he might be one of the dark horse picks in the upcoming campaign at £7.5 M.

 

BUDGET OPTIONS

TEEMU PUKKI – £6 M

 Teemu Pukki was on a roll at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, when Norwich City got promoted and fans will be hoping that Finland star will once again repeat the actions when the new campaign begins in one week’s time.

Playing as the lone striker in Daniel Farke’s 4-2-3-1, Pukki was involved in 30 of the team’s 75 goals last season in the Championship and given the attacking nature of the team under the German manager, the Finnish forward is set to have numerous chances in front of goal for the Canaries.

 

 

Priced only at £6 M, Pukki is one of the biggest budget options that FPL managers can get as there are a very limited number of forwards who are guaranteed starters at that price point.

 

ALLAN SAINT-MAXIMIN £6.5 M

Apart from Callum Wilson, Allan Saint-Maximin was Newcastle’s only other attacking option going into the 2020-21 season and this time too, it is looking like the same situation as the club haven’t done any transfer business with regards to the forwards.

While Wilson is currently priced at £7.5 M,  Saint-Maximin comes in at a million less, becoming one of our budget forwards that FPL managers can go after. The position shift from a midfielder to a forward might hamper his points scoring but if he does score many goals, the bonus points system will be an advantage for the Frenchman.

 

fpl-saint-maximinHe might not start in Newcastle’s opening game, but at £7.5 M, Allan Saint-Maximin is a bargain pick for anyone. (Image Courtesy: Premier League / Website)

At his current selection rate of 4.6%, Saint-Maximin becomes a differential for anyone who wants to have a change going into the new season but they will have to be careful about his fitness as he is still recovering from an illness and might not feature in the opening game.

 

IVAN TONEY – £6.5 M

Last but not least is Brentford’s very own Ivan Toney. The Englishman was one of the finds of Brentford’s data-driven recruitment model last season, and the 25-year-old repaid his club’s faith by scoring an outrageous 31 goals in the Championship, breaking the record for the number of goals scored in a single Championship season and also contributed 10 assists for his teammates.

 

 

The Bees scored the most goals in the second division in 2020-21 and they will continue to do the same, with Toney at the summit of the attack. And although Brentford’s fixtures are not fully advantageous, the lack of other options at £6.5 M makes Toney a good budget option in terms of the forwards for FPL managers.

P Bhargav Chowdary

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