This season's best value midfielders on Fantasy Premier League
The Premier League season kicks off in four days. The 2020/21 campaign has snuck up on us, but the new season signals the return of Fantasy Football. Gamers around the world will be reading up on tips, performing their drafts and gearing up for a fresh start, safe in the knowledge that you're team will change again before Saturday.
In the build up to the new season, we have assembled, what we believe to be, the best team possible. We're gunning for first and nobody can stop WhoScored.com! Think you have what it takes to stop this unstoppable Fantasy Football machine? Then join our private league on Fantasy Premier League with some great prizes to be won.
We know what you're thinking, though - How can I cram the likes of Aubameyang, Salah and De Bruyne into my team and still make up a squad of 15 with the money left over? The trio will eat up £35.5m of your £100m budget, leaving you with an average of £5.3m to fill the last 12 spots in your team
Well, we're here to help. There are bargain buys to be had in Fantasy Football across every position, with some cheaper players key to seeing you finish first.
After picking out the best value goalkeeper and defenders, attention turns to the midfield. Finding a goalscoring or assist machine in the middle of the park can be the difference between beating your mates in the draft or securing first in your mini-league and we've picked out five value midfielders to add to your Fantasy Football team.
Midfielder - Mason Greenwood (Manchester United) - £7.5m
Mason Greenwood may have made the headlines for the wrong reasons this week, yet the Manchester United star emerged as a Fantasy Football favourite in the second half of the 2019/20, largely due to his lowly £4.5m price on the game. This season, he has rocketed up to £7.5m.
Now, he may be on the pricy side of value midfielders, but Greenwood averaged a goal or assist every 119.4 minutes in the Premier League last season. Playing on the right of United's 4-2-3-1 setup in their awesome attacking foursome, the 18-year-old is now a guaranteed starter for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side, particularly if they fail to land Jadon Sancho this summer. As such, you'd be assured points from Greenwood and, as a midfielder, you'll earn an extra point per goal he scores than were he classed a forward.
Midfielder - Diogo Jota (Wolves) - £6.5m
A host of players who play out wide but do the business in front of goal have been included as midfielders for the coming campaign, including Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. Of course, the pair will eat a huge chunk out of your budget, so it's wise to find resourceful attacking options in order to help balance the books. As such, Wolves man Diogo Jota could be a handy addition.
The Portuguese winger either plays on the left of Wolves' front three or alongside Raul Jimenez as a front two and, in this role, nabbed 105 points in Fantasy Premier League last season. Jota scored seven and provided one assist for Wolves last season, but nine goals and five assists in his debut Premier League season shows there is more to come from the 23-year-old. At £6.5m, he isn't the most expensive midfielder, and for a player who operates as a forward, too, Jota could be a shrewd player to include in your Fantasy Football side.
Midfielder - Matheus Pereira (West Brom) - £6.0m
Matheus Pereira proved a fine loan capture for West Brom last summer with the Brazilian playing a key role in their automatic promotion. The Baggies may have limped over the finish line to secure their Premier League spot, but Pereira was a consistent force in the final third for Slaven Bilic's side.
West Brom made Pereira's move permanent last month, much to the delight of fans, and the Midlands side will look to the 24-year-old to transfer his Championship performances to the Premier League in their quest to beat the drop. Pereira registered more assists (16) than any other player in England's second tier last term and ranked first for key passes (116) too. At £6m, it's a risk to include a player in his debut Premier League season for a newly-promoted side, but Pereira's inclusion could bring high rewards, too.
Midfielder - Allan Saint-Maximin (Newcastle) - £5.5m
Allan Saint-Maximin was a welcome addition to the Newcastle side last summer. Injury may have restricted the Frenchman to just 23 league starts, but the Magpies won only one of the 15 matches he didn't start in 2019/20, with Saint-Maximin's impact on the side clear for all to see. The tricky winger may have scored just three times and provided four assists, but the unpredictability to his game means the 23-year-old can conjure up a moment of magic in the blink of an eye.
At £5.5m, and with the addition of Callum Wilson this week, the Newcastle wideman is an affordable attacking option in midfield that has a more consistent frontman spearheading the offensive for Steve Bruce's side this term. With a favourable opening run of fixtures, too, Saint-Maximin could prove a solid addition that would allow you to strengthen considerably elsewhere.
Midfielder - Tomas Soucek (West Ham) - £5.0m
West Ham may be a club in turmoil on the back of Grady Diangana's permanent move to West Brom, but with the season round the corner, there is a Hammers man worth adding to the ranks. Tomas Soucek proved a solid capture in January and the Czech star should again play a crucial role in the middle of the park for David Moyes' side in the coming campaign.
While deemed a holding midfielder, Soucek found the net three times following his move to east London at the turn of the year and at 6'4", is a handy set-piece threat for West Ham. There is more to his game than just his height, with the Czech Republic international adept at arriving late in the box to add an additional goal threat. Fantasy Football users may tend to avoid holding midfielders, but Soucek could prove a cost-effective option at £5.0m to allow you to spend big elsewhere.
