In Fantasy Premier League, midfield is the most versatile position. Each FPL manager can set anywhere from three to five midfielders in their first-choice XI, handing starts to profiles as varied as Ruben Neves, Bernardo Silva and Mo Salah – all among the top players on the game.
If you’re new to FPL, this may be a shock but deep-lying defensive midfielders, central playmakers, and free-flowing wide attacking forwards are all classified as FPL midfielders. The presence of Salah, Son Heung-min and Raheem Sterling in the player pool means some of the highest scoring real-life players earn the extra point for goals (5pts instead of the 4pts for each FWD goal), handing their owners 15-20 additional points across the season.
In the mix are countless cheap contenders for your consideration, but the players below represent a nice mix of deep discounts, high upside, and opportunity to excel at their real-life club. How will you spend your money?
Fantasy Premier League's best-value FPL midfielders:
1. Andreas Pereira
Andreas Pereira (£4.5m) was on the books at Manchester United for more than a decade but was never first choice. New surroundings help, but the reason for optimism is opportunity.
Andreas should be able to win a prominent position in the Cottager’s attack following loan spells with Granada, Valencia, Lazio and Flamengo. To fulfill his FPL potential, the Belgian-born Brazil international will need to integrate well with Harry Wilson (£6.0), who was a dominant force in Fulham’s Championship title drive. The 25-year-old Welsh international moved from Liverpool and then scored 10 goals with 19 assists (you read that right, 19!) trailing only Aleksandar Mitrović (43g, 7a) in total goal involvements for the team.
But this is about Andreas and his bargain bin valuation. Pereira’s £4.5m price is the bottom rung, truly the least you can invest in a midfielder. For that minimal risk, you’re getting the opportunity to see how he does in August, when Fulham take on Wolves, Brentford and Brighton – three matches where they’ll need a result to retain the Premier League status. If you're looking to score points early, Pereira may be a shout…
2. Leon Bailey (£5.0m)
The Bayer Leverkusen breakthrough star struggled with muscle injuries last year but could have his breakthrough this time around. Bailey is priced £5m following a disappointing debut campaign, but that price could look a downright steal come the spring.
The Jamaica international needed just 2,141 minutes to score nine Bundesliga goals and add eight assists in 2020/21. That was his best year since 2017/18 when a 19-year-old Bailey bagged nine goals with six assists in his first season as a Bundesliga starter. The underlying, expected stats in both years suggest Bailey is the real-deal, provided the trainers keep him on the pitch.
The Villans are rife with players producing modest EPL points for a fair price, including midfielders Phil Coutinho (£7.0m), Emi Buendia (£6.0m) and John McGinn (£5.5m) and forward Ollie Watkins (£7.5m). Every one of those players is a safer addition to your squad but it’s Leon who could do a professional job for a semi-pro price.
3. Pablo Fornals (£5.5m)
West Ham’s Pablo Fornals made 32 starts last year contributing six goals (from 5.0 xG) and three assists (from 5.6 xA), numbers which suggest his counting stats could have been better with even a normal amount of luck. Of concern are the constant transfer rumors which have the Hammers adding as many as three attacking players to the squad before the window closes. Assuming Fornals is first choice XI for David Moyes, there is nothing preventing him from surpassing last year's 117 points. That’s a solid return from a Premier League starter.
4. Michael Olise (£5.5m)
If you prefer your upside higher, your players younger and your tekkers electric, might we interest you in Michael Olise? In his age 19 season, Olise made 12 starts for Patrick Vieira’s squad and was limited to 1,141 minutes in an injury-plagued campaign. The upside was evident as he scored twice and added six fantasy assists for a total of 73 points.
When you translate that return to a full 3,420-minute season, Olise was on pace for 221 points which would have been third last season in total FPL scoring. The Eagles have a disastrous set of fixtures including Liverpool, Arsenal and Manchester City in their opening four but don’t lose sight of Olise and add him before his side host Brentford in Game Week 5.
5. James Ward-Prowse £6.5m
Before we depart the position, we need to set one Saint marching into your squad. James Ward-Prowse, at £6.5m, is no one's idea of a discount, but when you’re staring at the top-end prices for Salah (£13.0m), Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m) and Son (£12.0m), even Jarrod Bowen’s £8.5m seems a steal. 2021/22 saw JWP set career highs in EPL goals (10), FPL bonus points (21) and total FPL points (159). The 27-year-old club captain has recorded at least 156 FPL points in each of the last two seasons, while also notching 15 g+a in each year. That’s too good to ignore.
The argument for adding Ward-Prowse is rooted in returns per £1.0m invested: his 159pts last season for £6.5m works out at 24.26pts at £1.0m. Of course, to make those returns he needs to continue bagging goals, so what’s the odds he does? Turns out, quite good… Ward-Prowse’s expected goals in the last two years are remarkably consistent: 5.3 xG in 2020/21 followed by 5.4 xG in 2021/22. His expected assists improved from 4.1 xA to 6.2. A sizable portion of his goal scoring comes from the penalty spot where he was 4/4 last term and 3/4 the year prior. Provided he remains on pens, hitting 150+ points is an easy year's work.
You can play Fantasy Premier League online on the Premier League website, or on the Premier League app, which is available on iOS and Android. Still missing something? Here's everything you need to know about FPL, including FourFourTwo's guides on the game. Enjoy!
