A great game is one in which the rules are clear, all participants obey them, yet surprises are numerous. This is the case with fantasy football, particularly EPL fantasy football.
With not long left in the year and a few shocking surprises already played out, it’s time to glance closely at our fantasy football results. These are the things I found, the ones that surprised me and might just make us better at this game with which we are so familiar.
It’s a Game for Top Defenders
Defenders are more versatile than ever. We all know the headlines about John Stones being asked to do a Beckenbauer or right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold actually being Liverpool’s chief playmaker.
But those aren’t quite exaggerations, and they aren’t limited to a few teams and players.
In FootballCoin, during this season of FPL, 6 of the Top 10 fantasy football players in the EPL are defenders. You might not be utterly shocked to learn that Josko Gvardiol is the top player in the league or that Virgil van Dijk comes in at a respectable number 3.
But what about Ipswich’s Leif Davis or Tottenham’s Cristian Romero sitting close behind?
If you want a winning fantasy Premier League team, you may want to start your recruitment policy with the defenders, not the strikers.
Goalscoring Attackers Are Great, but Aren’t Many
The Premier League is a competition where numbers of goals are increasing. The 2022/23 season set a new record with 1084 goals.
But the famous strikers who also score consistently aren’t many. And, in a game like FootballCoin where every stat is important to a player’s score, forward aren’t represented that often among the absolute top performers.
This season, Bukayo Saka is the best rated forward in EPL fantasy football. Mohamed Salah’s excellent season hasn’t gone unnoticed.
Still both just scrape the Top 20 of the best players with Erling Haaland or Ollie Watkins nowhere in site. One tip to remember is to consider a forward’s overall stats, not just goals.
The Top Teams’ Goalkeepers Aren’t Top Picks in Fantasy Premier League
According to FootballCoin’s stats, the best goalkeeper in the EPL this season has been Brentford’s Mark Flekken. Not far behind his score are Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez and Manchester United’s Onana, keepers of strong teams, but hardly title contenders in the 24/25 campaign.
Finally, Nick Pope of Newcastle and Bernd Leno from Fulham round off the Top 10. There’s no mention of Ederson or Alisson among the absolute top competitors.
The EPL fantasy football tip to extract from these stats is that great goalkeepers are those who get plenty of work and some support to keep enough shots out.
Taking on these EPL tips might help you consider simple strategies to improve your fantasy football team. It’s a long battle and the Premier League season is far from over. Just remember that FootballCoin hosts daily fantasy football contests, and all include real rewards.
