Here’s Luke with his article on 3 under the radar picks to boost your fantasy team this season
Three Under-the-Radar Picks to Boost Your Fantasy Team This Season
It’s that time of year again when all football fans are convinced their team is going to have a good season before such high hopes are dashed (for some) come 5 pm on the opening Saturday. It’s also that juncture of the season when fantasy managers start to get their house in order. This year’s player list is as deep as it has ever been in the Premier League, and so selecting a well-balanced squad is arguably more difficult than ever.
Picking up bargain plays is key, and we might just have a trio here that can outperform their relative meagre prices.
Jack Grealish (Aston Villa)
As is typically par for the course, a host of players from the promoted teams have been typically undervalued, and Jack Grealish is prominent amongst them. Available at just £6m with the official Fantasy Premier League game, Grealish is sure to start every game that he is fit for as Aston Villa seek to avoid an instant return to the Championship. Indeed, such is the 23-year-old’s influence at Villa Park he was also made captain by Dean Smith in their successful run-in to the 2018/19 campaign. Last season, Grealish scored six goals and assisted seven more, while some of his other featured stats – an average of 2.3 key passes per game plus 2.1 shots per game – suggest there are plenty more points in the offing for a young man still maturing as an attacking midfielder.
And don’t forget, some fantasy games – including that offered by DraftKings – give out points to players that draw fouls; incredibly, Grealish was dumped on the turf an average of 4.7 times per game last term, which really is easy points for any managers that snap him up.
To give you an idea of how highly he is rated by those in the game, Grealish can be backed at odds of 150/1 in the sports betting market for PFA Player of the Year. Now, those sound like long odds, but that puts him on a par with the likes of Nemanja Matic and Cesar Azpilicueta and a shorter price than James Milner. Basically, he is expected to excel this term on a scale of far more experienced pros.
Under Dean Smith’s guidance, the Villains scored 62 goals in 34 games – that’s a very healthy 1.82 per game. That shows the manager’s attacking philosophy off to a tee, and it’s an approach that suits Grealish down to the ground. He’s an absolute steal at £6m.
hey, did we miss this or something? #MINvAVFC | 0-1 | @JackGrealish1 pic.twitter.com/Ez907zionG
— Minnesota
United FC (@MNUFC) July 18, 2019
Pablo Fornals (West Ham)
There was some big talk from Sky Sports reporter Kaveh Solhekol earlier in pre-season. He claimed that West Ham had secured the signing of the summer in Pablo Fornals and that in a few years time he could be a ‘£100m player’.
“He creates chances, scores goals, has great technical ability. He’s even been described as the new Andres Iniesta in Spain, he’s that good”, Solhekol reported.
Largely unknown in the UK, Fornals will surely be one of those under-the-radar players that get overlooked – particularly early on in the game until he has showcased his abilities. A clever playmaker in typically Spanish style, the 23-year-old enjoyed his breakthrough campaign in 2017/18 at Villarreal and carried that on last season, where he impressed in a side that really has become something of a sleeping giant in La Liga.
West Ham have finally signed a frontman with the ability to put the ball in the net in Sebastian Haller, so Fornals’ prompting and probing should at least have some end product – assists and completed crosses (for those playing via DraftKings) will ensure the Spaniard collects plenty of points. He has served up 15 assists in two seasons in La Liga, which is a handsome tally indeed. Hype videos on YouTube can make almost anyone look like a world-beater, but from Fornals’ small screen adventures it is clear that Hammers fans have got themselves a star in the making.
Available at £6.5m in the Fantasy Premier League game, the Spaniard should hit the ground running in the English top flight.
Joelinton (Newcastle United)
It’s very rare for Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley to splash the cash, so for him to fork out £40m for Hoffenheim frontman Joelinton shows just how coveted the Brazilian is. The club was crying out for a replacement for Salomon Rondon, the unfashionable striker who did such a good job in holding up the ball for the Magpies last term. And Joelinton fits the bill, with his stocky frame and 6ft 1in height enabling him to stand toe-to-toe with even the most muscular of defenders.
— Newcastle United FC (@NUFC) July
23, 2019
Newcastle fans hoping for the next Alan Shearer may go disappointed because the 22-year-old is by no means prolific. Indeed, he’s never registered double digits for league goals in a single campaign at Hoffenheim nor former employer Rapid Vienna.
But Joelinton is one of those attackers who generally performs better than the sum of his part, making intelligent off-the-ball runs and generally doing all of the donkey work that many modern frontmen don’t really fancy.
He will enjoy plenty of game time – how can he not at this lofty price? – and chip in with goals and assists, making him a sharp choice for fantasy managers looking for an affordable pick to complement their more luxurious attacking options.
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