We have reached the halfway point in what is sure to be the trickiest FPL season of all time. The fact that you’re still playing the game is a victory in itself!
Now that we have a decent sample size of data, I thought it would be a good time to highlight the best performers of the season when it comes to underlying statistics across each position (excluding goalkeepers).
These numbers may help you with your Gameweek 20 transfer decisions and beyond…
Defenders
Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3 million) was selected by 3.2 million FPL managers back in Gameweek 1, but now sits in just over one million sides, most of which are probably dead teams. The right-back has zero goals for the season despite topping the defender charts for goal attempts (26). Only five of those shots were from inside the box though.
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Manchester United centre-back Harry Maguire (£5.4 million) hasn’t scored as many goals as he should have. The Englishman has found the back of the net on just one occasion from 23 attempts. Twenty of his efforts were from inside the box. Surely he’ll get a few more goals between now and Gameweek 38…
Romain Saiss (£5.1 million), the top-scoring defender early in the season before he lost his place in the Wolves team for a while, is second to Maguire for shots in the box with 14. He’s been more productive though, scoring three times.
The versatile Stuart Dallas (£4.8 million) has proven to be great value up to this point. He ranks third among defenders for goal attempts (20) and the Leeds man comes out top for shots on target (nine). His expected goals (xG) total of 1.8 is also the highest by any defender in FPL.
Brighton’s Adam Webster (£4.4 million) is another defender who has good underlying numbers but no attacking returns to show for it. He’s fifth for goal attempts (18). Webster’s xG value is 1.54, the third-best by a defender. His team-mate Lewis Dunk (£4.8 million) has had more big chances than any other defender (four).
When it comes to chances created, Andrew Robertson (£7.4 million) of Liverpool leads defenders with 37, eight of which were deemed by Opta to be “big chances” (situations where they would reasonably expect the player on the other end to score). West Ham’s Aaron Cresswell (£5.4 million) is joint-second on 28, with Alexander-Arnold.
Despite playing 521 minutes fewer than Robertson and Cresswell, Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo (£5.8 million) has created an impressive 27 chances. He somehow has just one assist. Luke Shaw (£4.8 million) of neighbours United makes up the top five for chances created, with 26.
Looking at touches in the opposition penalty area, Robertson (62) and Cancelo (49) are first and second. The player in fourth on that list caught my eye — West Brom’s Darnell Furlong (£4.5 million). He’s had 35 touches in the opposition penalty area and also ranks joint-fourth among defenders for shots in the box (12). He’s one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks.
Four defenders have taken more than 20 corners — Robertson (65), Alexander-Arnold (45), Cresswell (43) and Shaw (31).
Midfielders
Jack Grealish (£7.7 million) is the fourth highest-scoring midfielder in the game this season and it’s no surprise when you look at his numbers. Aston Villa’s talisman ranks first for chances created (61) and sixth for goal attempts (41).
Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes (£11.3 million) and City’s Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9 million) rank second and third for chance creation with 56 and 54 respectively.
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Two slightly surprising names complete the top five — Mason Mount (£6.8 million) and Pedro Neto (£5.9 million). Mount starts every game under Frank Lampard at Chelsea these days and has good underlying numbers, but is owned by just 5.3 per cent of fantasy managers. Neto has been a standout performer in a frustrating season for Wolves, but his ownership is low too, just 11.6 per cent. Mount has five assists from 48 chances created. Neto is on five assists as well, from 37 chances created. The fact that both Chelsea and Wolves are playing without an in-form striker at the moment doesn’t help these two.
Three midfielders have created more than 10 big chances: De Bruyne (15), Fernandes (12) and Grealish (12).
When it comes to shots on target, Fernandes (28), Liverpool duo Mohamed Salah (27) and Sadio Mane (21), Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford (21), Harvey Barnes of Leicester (19) and Tottenham’s Son Heung-min (19) lead the way.
De Bruyne is second for total shots (60) behind Fernandes (63) but only ranks seventh for shots on target (18). Looking a little further down the list, Ademola Lookman (17) and Bukayo Saka (15) catch the eye at very favourable prices (Fulham’s Lookman is £5 million, Arsenal’s Saka £5.3 million).
Mane (£11.8 million) andSalah (£12.5 million) are top of the table for shots in the box, with 43 each. Interestingly, Salah is overperforming based on the quality of his chances, with 13 goals from chances that had an xG value of 9.28, while Mane is underperforming his (7.39 xG, six goals).
Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha (£7.3 million) is next for shots in the box with 33. The forgotten man of FPL, Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.3 million), makes the top five having recorded 30 attempts from inside the area. Casting my eye further down the table, budget enabler Tomas Soucek (£5.3 million) is 11th among midfielders for shots in the box (26). There could well be more West Ham goals to come from the big man.
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The third-highest scoring player in the game, Son (£9.7 million), is way down in 16th for shots taken among midfielders on 34, one fewer than Wolves’ Ruben Neves (£5.2 million). The South Korean has registered more big chances (18) than any other midfielder though.
Four midfielders have taken more than 50 corners: De Bruyne, Mount, James Ward-Prowse (£6.1 million) of Southampton (all 69), Neto (54) and James Maddison (£7.1 million)of Leicester (51).
Forwards
The stats tables for forwards are dominated by Harry Kane (£11.2 million) and Patrick Bamford (£6.7 million). Kane is not only No 1 for shots (69) but also chances created (29). For the first time in a few years, the Tottenham striker is justifying his price tag. Leeds’ Bamford is a close second with 65 shots.
These two are well out in front of the chasing pack with the next three forwards on the list having 46 shots each: Villa’s Ollie Watkins (£6.7 million), Roberto Firmino (£9.3 million) of Liverpool and Leicester’s Jamie Vardy (£10.1 million).
Bamford is top for shots in the box with 57. Kane has 42. He’s behind Vardy and Watkins for that metric, who both sit on 44. Timo Werner (£9.2 million) is seventh on the list with 36 efforts from inside the box but just four Chelsea goals to show for it.
Everton’s Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.6 million) is third for shots on target (24) behind Bamford (28) and Kane (26). Vardy is fourth (23) and Watkins makes the top five here too (19).
Watkins is second behind Kane for chances created on 22. Rodrigo (£6.7 million) at Leeds has created 21 while Firmino and Southampton’s Che Adams (£6 million) make up the top five with 19 each.
Just two forwards have created more than four big chances: Kane (12) and Adams (seven).
Good luck to you all for the second half of the season!
To listen to Mark’s podcast – The 59th Minute FPL Podcast – which is part of The Athletic’s podcast offering,click here.
You can also follow Mark on Twitter@FPLGeneralor atpatreon.com/fplgeneral
(Photo of Joao Cancelo: Matt McNulty – Manchester City/Manchester City FC via Getty Images)
Mark is a Fantasy Premier League veteran who has played the game for more than ten seasons. In three of the the last five campaigns, he has finished in the Top 500 in the world rankings. He's a regular guest on the Official FPL Show and host of the popular 59th Minute FPL Podcast. Follow Mark on Twitter @FPLGeneral
