Premier League fantasy football 2019-20 tips: forwards to pick for new season Gameweek 1, bargains
- Guaranteed goals come at a cost for fantasy managers so where is the value among the forwards?
- Moise Kean and Che Adams among the new faces in the top flight this season
For most people, that means hours and hours of frantically trying to eke out every bit of value from the 100 million budget, but how do you do that when it comes to the priciest part of the game?
Forwards are at the sharp end of the game; much like goals win football matches, it’s goals that you need from your strikers to stand a chance of taking bragging rights in the office league.
Fantasy Premier League 2019-20 hints and tips
The chances are you cannot afford three elite attackers – spending upwards of a third of your budget on only three players means a shortfall elsewhere – but there is value in the market.
Here are our tips for where that can be found and the strikers who are worth their weight in goals.
Harry Kane – Tottenham Hotspur (11m)
The England skipper has seen his FPL value drop because of an injury-hit season last time out, but there’s no doubt Kane is a goal threat when he plays. Spurs have a nice start to the season and he even ended his long-standing failure to score in the month of August this time last year.
Fantasy Premier League tips: goalkeepers and defenders
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang – Arsenal (11m)
The Gabonese goal machine shared the golden boot with Liverpool pair Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah last season, despite often having to cover defensive duties for Arsenal. A little more love from Unai Emery could see the former Borussia Dortmund man shoot past his 31-goal tally of 2018-19.
Mason Greenwood – Manchester United (4.5m)
The teenager is a risk, but faint heart never won the Fantasy Premier League. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blooded the free-scoring forward at the end of last season and he has been on fire in preseason, plus he may feature more heavily than expected depending on the future of Romelu Lukaku.
Fantasy Premier League tips: midfielders
Diogo Jota – Wolves (6.5m)
Jota is cheaper than teammate Raul Jimenez and that 1m could come in handy elsewhere. Based on his contribution last season for Nuno Espirito Santo’s side, during which he missed a large portion through injury, he should be in line for double figures in goals and assists in an old gold shirt this time out.
Jamie Vardy – Leicester City (9m)
When it comes to scoring goals in the English Premier League, Vardy is still having a party. While others have come and gone at the King Power Stadium, the former non-league man has been a mainstay and will once again be the focal point for the Foxes under Brendan Rodgers this season.
Olivier Giroud – Chelsea (7m)
The striker has seen off another manager at Stamford Bridge and the threat of both Gonzalo Higuain and Alvaro Morata to his place in the starting line-up. Now he is Frank Lampard’s most experienced forward and could present a decent cheaper option to the elite-level attackers.
Josh King – Bournemouth (6.5m)
The view is that the Norwegian is the smarter option than teammate Callum Wilson (8m) if you’re picking from the Cherries. However, one in five managers is of the same opinion this season, so you will not be alone. Still, that is a bargain for at least double figures in the goals column.
S ergio Aguero – Manchester City (12m)
There are no guarantees in the game but hitting at least 20 goals in the last five English Premier League seasons is not far off. Add to that the fact the Argentine had his best return in terms of assists last season and you have a convincing argument to shell out more than a 10th of your budget on one man.
Christian Benteke – Crystal Palace (6m)
The burly Belgian has been in poor form over recent years, far removed from the player who earned a move to Liverpool after starring for Aston Villa. He might be due a bit of good luck in front of goal and as the only striker at the Eagles he should at least get plenty of opportunity to play.
Moises Kean – Everton (7m)
The Italian, who became the youngest to score for his country earlier this year, is one of the most exciting arrivals of the summer. He did not play much for Juventus last season, but his goals per minute ratio was off the chart.
Che Adams – Southampton (6m)
The former Birmingham City goal machine has impressed since becoming a Saint this summer, with some very quick goals scored in preseason. He made headlines for saying he thinks Southampton could challenge for the title when he signed, but he will soon let his feet do the talking.
