FPL Bargain Bin: Early Season Values

FPL Bargain Bin: Early Season Values

This article is part of our FPL Bargain Bin series.

For every Sergio Aguero and Zlatan Ibrahimovic there is a Shane Long and Andre Gray. In other words, it's a must to have cheaper players on your squad if you're going to have the highest priced players in the game, and that seems to be everyone's strategy.

Aguero and Ibra are two of the highest-owned players in the official Premier League fantasy game. Aguero can get you a lot of points, but it's the bargain players that separate you from the pack.

While it's impossible to hit on every one of them before the season, I'll try and run down the most relevant names at each position that don't require breaking the bank.

GOALKEEPERS

Ben Foster (£4.5m)
West Brom's preseason hasn't gone well, to say the least, most recently falling to non-league side Torquay United. Either way, Foster appeared in the match and is healthy for the start of the campaign, something that wasn't often the case last year. The Baggies may not be a good team, but they allowed just 48 goals last year, better than 13 other clubs. Nothing much changes along their back line and that's good enough reason to back Foster for now.

Eldin Jakupovic (£4.0m)
This is the most obvious bargain play considering usual first team keeper Allan McGregor is out for multiple months. Jakupovic is as cheap as they come and can easily fit the role of bench goalkeeper. And if he's still starting come October or November, the schedule opens up for Hull and Jakupovic may even warrant a fantasy start or two.

There are plenty more cheap options, but with ongoing battles in a lot of places, including at Crystal Palace between Wayne Hennessey and Steve Mandanda, as well as at Sunderland between Vito Mannone and Jordan Pickford, there's no reason to gamble on a keeper that may not even start in Gameweek 1.

DEFENDERS

John Stones (£5.0m)
Maybe this isn't a true bargain, but it's looking likely that a big club (Man City) is going to spend on the defender, and when that happens, Stones' price will be the smallest on his team. That's reason enough to consider him on your squad before his price jumps.

Federico Fernandez (£4.5m)
Swansea may not have the best defense, but they have been competitive since promotion into the Premier League five years ago. And while Fernandez may not be as quality as Ashley Williams, he costs less and has been a staple in the Swans' back line since joining up in 2014.

Erik Pieters (£4.5m)
Stoke's defense took a step back last year and that was partly due to injuries. Nevertheless, their defenders are always worth a look when at home. Pieters has been consistent on the left side for three years and has six assists to show for it.

MIDFIELDERS

Sofiane Feghouli (£5.5m)
Known commodities in the West Ham midfield like Mark Noble and Michail Antonio have higher prices, but Feghouli should find a role somewhere as an attacking midfielder. After spending most of his career in Valencia, he had a bit of a fall out and is looking for a fresh start with the Hammers. He is a skilled midfielder who showed his ability a couple years ago in the 2014 World Cup with Algeria, and he is looking to add another piece to West Ham's puzzle.

Daniel Drinkwater (£5.5m)
This isn't an exciting play, but Drinkwater is a key factor in Leicester's midfield and that's all you can ask for from his price. He finished with three goals and eight assists last year and appeared in 35 matches. While Drinkwater won't do many outstanding things, he'll at least see the field every week.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg (£4.5m)
Southampton lost players like Victor Wanyama, Sadio Mane and Graziano Pelle in the offseason, but they also added ones such as Hojbjerg from Bayern Munich. While he's only 21 years old, his versatility will allow him to see the field plenty with the Saints. Sure, he won't start every week, but what do you want from £4.5m?

Ben Watson (£4.5m)
Again, Watson isn't someone who jumps off the score sheet, but he at least gets playing time, which means his price probably won't dip throughout the campaign, and that's all you need from bargain players. He finished with a goal and four assists last year and will probably be in the same range again.

Others to consider: Jordan Ibe (£5.5m) ; Johann Berg Gudmundsson (£5.5m)

FORWARDS

Fabio Borini (£5.5m)
There aren't really bargains at forward, per say, but Borini is still a player hoping to claim his mark on the league and his price is reasonable enough. With his only real competition up front being Jermain Defoe, Borini will get chances to shine. Borini's goal will be to stay healthy and surpass last season's five goals and three assists.

Shane Long (£6.5m)
This one is pretty obvious, as he's one of the more popular options on the cheap end. But after 10 goals and four assists last season, Long could see the field even more with Graziano Pelle gone.

Shinji Okazaki (£6.0m)
The number of cheap forwards who actually play is minimal, but Okazaki fits the bill for the most part. The addition of Ahmed Musa to the Leicester attacking line could hurt playing time, but Okazaki will find the field either way. He's a hard worker that is best used in setting up action, complementing Jamie Vardy well up top.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Adam Zdroik
Adam, a multiple-time finalist for FSWA's Soccer Writer of the Year, is RotoWire's soccer editor. He runs RotoWire's Bracketology and partakes in various NFL content. He previously worked at ESPN and Sporting Kansas City, and he is a former Streak for the Cash winner and Michigan State graduate.
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