FPL 2018/19 – Mock Draft Results

Round 1

Best pick – Kevin De Bruyne

Always hard to pick a “best pick” in a round where the elite players fly off the board but Kevin De Bruyne is arguably the obvious pick for Round 1 Pick 1 going into this year’s drafts. Few expect Mo Salah to match last year’s numbers while Pierre Emerick Aubameyang is yet to experience a full Premier League season, making KDB and Harry Kane the obvious picks. Snatching De Bruyne at 4^th place in the draft after Aubameyang is good going.

Worst Pick – Naby Keita

As a Liverpool fan, I hope Naby Keita takes the Premier League by storm. Objectively, I also think he will take the Premier League by storm and will be a fantastic player in advanced scoring games due to the wide variety of ways he scores his points. However, taking him first round in a draft is a massive risk to say the least. I fully expected Keita to register between 6 and 9 goals and assists this season, making him a viable fantasy asset but one that you should be looking to take around the 4^th round of your draft

Round 2

Best Pick – Eden Hazard

On the face of it, Eden Hazard falling into the second round seems baffling as Chelsea’s talisman has the potential to be the top scorer in the whole game. However, picking the Belgian this season comes with the same reason as drafting Philippe Coutinho did this time last year. With the vultures of Real Madrid circling and Chelsea unable to offer Champions League football this term, Hazard’s departure from the Premier League seems likely. However, if he falls to you in the second round it’s hard to ignore him. If he buys into the Sarri project and stays at Stamford Bridge for another season, this will be an absolute steal.

Worst Pick – Alvaro Morata

At this stage of the draft, the last player you want to draft is one out of form or one linked with a move out of the Premier League. Alvaro Morata ticks both boxes. After a torrid end to his first Premier League season, Morata is being heavily linked with a move to AC Milan having lost his Chelsea shirt to Olivier Giroud. The Blues are allegedly chasing the signature of Gonzalo Higuain, putting Morata’s spot in the side in further jeopardy. If the Spaniard stays and reclaims his place in the side AND starts to re-find his form under Sarri, he could be a steal in the draft in later rounds. Taking him in round two is far too risky for me.

Round 3

Best Pick – David Silva

Almost all of the picks in this round contain a certain amount of risk in them, which surprises me with it only being the third. Out of all the risks, it was between David Silva and Gabriel Jesus that were the most worthwile and out of the two, the Spanish magician takes the crown for me. Despite a difficult year off the field, Silva shone on it, chipping in with 9 goals and 11 assists in 2437 minutes of action. I expect Silva to be the victim of a little more rotation this season but with those personal problems seemingly behind him he will surely be an integral part of City’s title defence. It’s easy to see why many argue he is the best player to ever play in Man City blue.

Worst Pick – Virgil Van Dijk/Benjamin Mendy

There’s no doubt that both Van Dijk and Mendy will be top 10 defenders by the end of the season, maybe even top 5. However, taking a defender in the third round before building up your midfielders and forwards is a “brave” strategy. Not one I would ever take anyway.

Round 4

Best Pick – Ryan Sessegnon

I’d say this may be my favourite pick rather than necessarily being the best one. However, if the Fulham wonderkid can make the Premier League look as easy as the Championship was, he could return numbers more suited to a second round pick. Sessegnon is still very much learning his trade in the game and the quality of the top level may come as a surprise to him but I also wouldn’t be surprised if his goal tally makes it into double digits. If you’ve got a hunch on a player, round four is a good time to take a gamble.

Worst Pick – David De Gea

This seems to happen in every draft I take part in; someone takes David De Gea in the first five rounds. As someone who will often chose not to draft a goalkeeper at all and pick one up on the matchday, this tactic is completely bizarre. If you’re planning to take a goalkeeper before the 10^th round of your draft, change your plans.

Round 5

Best Pick – Andriy Yarmolenko

This was the first slightly random round with quite a few unexpected names flying off the board. Yarmolenko was my pick of the bunch because his returns could be excellent. The new West Ham signing is a gamble but in the fifth round one well worth taking. Playing alongside the likes of Marko Arnautovic and Felipe Anderson under a manager who favours attacking football, Yarmolenko could prove to be one of the signings of the summer. Could he also flop? Yes.

Worst Pick – Chris Smalling

I still think round five is early to be taking defenders but if you’re taking the elite off the board (Mendy, Van Dijk, Alonso etc.) then fair enough. Not Chris Smalling though. As much as anything, the United centre back is at massive risk of rotation with Victor Lindelof, Eric Bailly and Phil Jones (possibly even Harry Maguire if you believe the rumours) all fighting to claim one of two spots. Smalling has been known to have big days in advanced scoring formats but he’s the sort of defender I’d be looking to pick up in round 13, if at all.

Round 6

Best Pick – Josh King

If Josh King can get back to his 2016/17 and net 16 goals this season then drafting him in the 6^th round will prove to be an absolute steal. Top forwards come at premium in the Togga drafting format and will continue to do so whether you are using Fantrax or any other FPL Draft game. Despite having an off year in many people’s eyes last season, King still netted eight times and finished as the 13^th highest scoring forward in the 2017/18 Togga rankings between Alvaro Morata and Gabriel Jesus. Great 6^th round pick.

Worst Pick – Tom Cairney

This was far too close to call as there wasn’t really a bad pick. The likes of Jota and Jorginho may have gone a round or two early but I thought I’d go with my own pick of Tom Cairney here to avoid controversy. I still stand by him as a decent fantasy asset. His domination of set pieces and being the main creative midfield influence for Fulham makes him appealing and I think we can expect five in both goal and assist columns by the end of the season. Sixth round may be a tad early though. Get him 8^th round onwards and you’re looking good.

Round 7

Best Pick – Erik Lamela

I was hoping to snag Erik Lamela in this round but he went before I had chance. With Son Heung Min at the Asian Games early in the season, Lamela will surely get the opportunity to stake a regular first team claim. The Argentinean playmaker is a great FPL player to own on his day and should put up some good numbers this season having shaken off that long term hip injury. Playing time is his only obstacle.

Worst Pick – Kenedy

Another strong round but Kenedy may just have been the weakest pick. Only just though. I understand why he’s popular having left Chelsea for the regular playing time promised at Newcastle but after a promising start to his loan spell last season his productivity fell a little and he ended the season floating around the waivers in a 12 man league I was in.

Round 8

Best Pick – Seamus Coleman

To get Seamus Coleman at the tail end of round eight is good going considering the number of elite defenders that flew off the board in the early stages of the draft. Back to full fitness at last, I fully expect to see Coleman bombing up and down that right wing for a more exciting and expansive Everton side under Sam Allardyce. Round eight is about right for someone of Coleman’s FPL potential but you could even be forgiven for going one round earlier.

Worst Pick – James Tomkins

Tomkins went after Coleman in this draft which surprises me a little. In all fairness, the Crystal Palace centre back put up some good numbers in Togga last season and I can see his value as an aggressive defender. However, similar players like Shane Duffy, Lewis Dunk and Christopher Schindler went off the board in round 13, 11 and 13 respectively. Not a bad pick, just too early.

Round 9

Best Pick – Abdoulaye Doucoure

If the Frenchman puts up the numbers he did last season then he’s a steal at round 9. Definitely not someone considered as a sexy pick but seven goals and four assists as well as his combative all action approach saw him outscore Mesut Ozil in Togga last season. Great pick.

Worst Pick – Kelechi Iheanacho

With Riyad Mahrez off to pastures new, I can see the logic behind this pick. However, what Iheanacho demonstrated last season was a tendency to blow hot and cold, often leading to him being hooked off at half time or early in the second half. His lack of consistency puts Marc Albrighton, Demarai Gray and new boy James Maddison ahead of him in the pecking order for me.

Round 10

Best Pick – James Maddison

Speaking of which, Iheanacho’s new club mate came off the board in the next round. After a sparkling season in the Championship for Norwich, Maddison got his big move. Be wary of the “Matt Ritchie effect” (i.e. being drawn in by his Championship stats) but there’s no reason that Maddison can’t take the big stage by storm in a well established, organised team with attacking flair to go with it.

Worst Pick – Jack Wilshere

Tough call this one but I went for Wilshere just on the judgement that he is often left floating around the waivers in all of my Togga leagues. Fitness is obviously a big thing in the negatives column for owning Wilshere but, apart from anything else, he’s not a great fantasy football player. The new West Ham man is a fantastic passer of the ball but this often leads to him being the player to make the second to last pass in a goal scoring move. Not ideal for FPL. Harsh judgement though, I can see why he’s been picked as I love watching him play.

Round 11

Best Pick – Pedro

Easy one for me. Picking Pedro this season is a risk but round 11 is exactly where you take those risks. With the futures of Eden Hazard, Willian and Alvaro Morata uncertain, Pedro is currently Chelsea’s only fully fit, nailed on forward starter. This may, of course, change over time but with Pedro almost certain to start the season who’s to say that he won’t make the position his own? In fact, many are earmarking Pedro as a “Sarri type player”. Potential masterstroke by @andrew6569 here.

Worst Pick – Ryan Fraser

The standard of drafting is still very high at this stage. I love Ryan Fraser as a fantasy asset, particularly in advanced scoring games but his playing time is often limited by Jordon Ibe and Junior Stanislas when they are both fit. In fairness to @tottiandor, he also owns Stanlislas in this draft so it makes sense for him to own both.

Round 12

Best Pick – Will Hughes

On top form, Will Hughes is an excellent FPL player. Hughes, who was hotly tipped for a Premier League from Derby for several years before Watford came calling, showed exactly how talented he is when netting in back to back games in GW 13 and GW 14 last season, translating to 34 and 16.5 point hauls in Togga. Unfortunately, his purple patch was cut short by injury, leaving him out until GW 29. Watford’s wildcard could be one to watch out for due to his creativity and perfect set pieces but only if he can nail down a regular starting place. Definitely worth a punt late on.

Worst Pick – Barry Douglas

My pick. A decent pick at the time but it now looks like the defender who scored 5 and assisted 14 in the Championship for Wolves last year won’t be making the transition into the Premier League. Very disappointing for all FPL players out there looking for a bargain.

Round 13

Best Pick – Ruben Neves

Lots of defenders flying off the board in this round so to see the much talked about Neves breaking up the trend was nice. There’s been a lot of talk as to whether it is actually worth fitting the Portuguese midfielder into FPL lineups as compilations of his admittedly unbelievable long range strikes have been replace by several underwhelming statistics. The arrival of Joao Moutinho is also an interesting development in the Neves case as it remains to be seen whether he helps or hinders his cause. If you get him in round 13 though, you are doing well regardless as he still has the potential to be a fantasy gem.

Worst Pick – James McArthur

Struggling to see why James McArthur was drafted at all. Having looked over his stats last year, he did manage 5 goals in 33 appearances which isn’t too bad. However, McArthur is more of a one week pick up than someone to take up a roster spot every single week.

Round 14

Best Pick – Jean Michel Seri

He could be very good. Having been linked with Arsenal for over a year, it was more than a surprise to see Fulham announce him without there being so much as a rumour surrounding the move. Great business indeed for an all action midfielder who should fill up his stats sheet nicely in a variety of different ways.

Worst Pick – Antonio Rudiger

The really isn’t a worst pick here. Rudiger could be great but persistent rumours of Rugani’s transfer from Juventus as well as competition from Gary Cahill, David Luiz, Cesar Azpilicueta and Andreas Christensen puts me off owning him from the start. This is far from being a risky pick in round 14 however.

Round 15

Best Pick – Tobi Alderweireld

We’re scraping the barrel a little here but snatching Tobi A in the penultimate round is excellent usiness from @satishvasanth

Worst Pick – Nathaniel Clyne

I’d be amazed if he takes the right back spot back off the excellent Trent Alexander Arnold. If he gets a move, however, Clyne will come back into contention as a sold FPL defender.

Round 16

Best Pick – Daniel Sturridge

A last gasp favourite pick of mine. Having shone in pre-season so far, some are even predicting a few more minutes for Sturridge this year. While this seems unlikely, I made this pick on the assumption that he gets another move away where he is guaranteed starts before the season commences. And that he stays fit of course.

Junior Hoillett in the last round is also worth a mention. Cardiff’s player of last season and their main attacking threat slipped through the net here. I expect him to go more around the 9^th round mark.

Worst Pick – Danny Welbeck

This is another exceptionally strong round considering it’s scraping the barrel time. However, I will never believe that Danny Welbeck is good at football. How he has been to more World Cups than me is beyond me.