Draft Rankings – Midfielders

Elite Picks

The FPL team stacked with the best midfielders is often the team that wins the league. Draft them wisely.

Kevin De Bruyne needs no words as he is head and shoulders above the rest. If you find yourself kicking off your draft with the first pick in the first round, just pick KDB.

One way in which my ranks will differ from others is the fact that Mesut Ozil sneaks in above Christian Eriksen. Ozil was the top scoring player in Togga in 2015/16 and with all of the off field ongoings surrounding the German during a turbulent summer, a good reaction could see him hitting the heights of three years ago. On his day, Ozil can swing any match up in an advanced scoring game like Togga or Fantrax as he is fully capable of hitting 40-50 points. A key pass and assist magnet, without international football and probably European football until the new year, coupled with the support and fresh impetus of new manager Unai Emery, I’m expecting big things of the German this season. Having said that, if Eriksen falls to you in the first round, go ahead and pick him. After Ozil, of course.

Another thing I look for in a midfielder (and in FPL players in general) is their chances of taking set pieces. With Wayne Rooney finally an ex-Premier League player, the path has been cleared for Gylfi Sigurdsson once again to remind FPL managers what a huge player he is. Last season was one to forget for the Iceland talisman but under a new, attack-minded manager and with the likes of Cenk Tosun and new signing Richarlison round him at Goodison, I fully expect Sigurdsson to reach double figures in assists once again and he may even not be far off the figure in the goals column. His set piece delivery is also phenomenal. A below par 2017/18 may see “Siggy” fall in drafts but he is well worth a 3rd round (maybe even a 2nd round) pick in this year’s drafts.

Dele Alli may take a little while to get going after a long summer but will almost certainly hit double figures in both columns again this season. A word of warning over the likes of Henrikh Mkhitaryan, David Silva and Riyad Mahrez however: wonderful players but they may see a lot of rotation this season, especially if transfer rumours are to be believed.

Note: These rankings were done before Xherdan Shaqiri’s Liverpool debut. If he does nail down that no. 10 spot at Anfield, he bicycle kicks himself straight into the top 10 of these rankings.

Potential Sleepers

Could this year be the year that Cesc Fabregas finally (deservedly) nail down a regular starting spot at Chelsea? Antonio Conte always seemed to hold a strange vendetta against the Spanish magician but such a creative player should flourish under new coach Sarri, IF he keeps faith in him. Fabregas created a huge 90 chances for The Blues last season (only four of them were converted by his team mates though: hardly his fault) which shows that under the right management he has the potential to be a top 20 midfielder once more. The Sergey Milinkovic Savic rumours will, however, cause great concern. Definitely be prepared to draft Fabregas but only once you’ve got yourself at least one elite midfielder.

Much is being made of Leicester City new man James Maddison. His dribbling, finishing and set piece abilities make him the obvious Riyad Mahrez replacement: big shoes to fill indeed. Fourteen goals and eight assists in the Championship for Norwich last season is no mean feat so he is definitely well worth a point. Then again, so was Anthony Knockaert last season. Arriving into an established Premier League club this season, I have much more faith that Maddison will succeed at this level. If you can pick him up around round 7 he could be a steal.

Premier League new boys Felipe Anderson and Ryan Sessegnon should also be the cause of much excitement but are massive risks. Depending how your first few picks, it should be worth reaching for them at the 4th round stage.

I also love Andros Townsend, an absolute points magnet in advanced scoring games.

Draft Tip

Last year’s forwards shortage in Togga is this year’s midfield shortage in Fantrax. All these rankings are done with Fantrax default positions in mind. Therefore, I highly recommend taking any of those top three midfielders in the first round before then picking up a decent forward in the second. Even if you are drafting at the start of a 12 team league, taking KDB or Eriksen should leave someone like Zaha or Arnautovic (at worst) waiting for you in the second.