In exactly one week the 2016-17 Barclays Premier League season will kick off when defending champions Leicester City take on newly promoted Hull. One of the most engaging things about the Premier League for fans around the world is choosing their very own Fantasy Premier League team and chopping and changing it all season long in attempt to win the ultimate prize of all. As the season is just one week away, it’s time for some final tips on who to pick for your team with the first ever edition of Get Him In Your Team! Below are some of the best-buys, unknown entities, players who you should take a second look at as well as one or two stars that you just simply can’t leave out of your team going into the 2016-17 Premier League season. Here is this week’s edition of Get Him In Your Team!
Defenders
Jon Flanagan (4.5)
Jon Flanagan had his beakthrough season at Liverpool back in 2013-14 with Brendan Rogers but after spending all of 2014-15 out injured and a new manager coming in during the 2015-16 season, Flanagan fell out of favour. Now he’s been given his chance to work his way back into the squad by going out on loan and trying his luck with Burnley, a side that will be trying to fight against relegation from the Premier League in 2016-17. Flanagan is very good going forward and with plenty of players with an eye for goal playing in front of him, he could easily rack up a couple of assists along the way and be an excellent pickup at the price of just 4.5.
Sam Byram (4.5)
After Aaron Cresswell suffered a nasty injury during pre-season and now looks set to sit on the sidelines for the next four months, the left-back spot at West Ham was left vacant. Ex Leeds United defender Sam Byram is the only likely candidate to fill the void and at just the price of 4.5 while playing for one of the best sides in the league, he’s going to be an absolute bargain buy. West Ham keep a lot of clean sheets and Byram had a good reputation for going forward and scoring goals during his time at Leeds. He’s the only 4.5 starting defender playing in a top half team in the league. UPDATE: After the signing of Arthur Masuaku from Olympiacos, Byram may have to settle for a position on the bench again.
Midfielders
Jordan Ibe (5.5)
Jordan Ibe was a favourite at Liverpool during the Brendan Rogers era but ever since Jurgen Klopp arrived at the club the 20-year old has fallen so far down the pecking order that the Reds decided to let him go. Being at only 20 years old he’s likely to shine for the Cherries not only in the present but in the future as well. Ibe will serve as the perfect Matt Ritchie replacement for Bournemouth and he’ll be even more important to the Cherries than Ritchie ever was. The 20 year old will likely be the source of all of Bournemouth’s attacks and could be their leading goal scorer next season. At 5.5 Jordan Ibe is an absolute steal.
Sofiane Feghouli (5.5)
With Manuel Lanzini and Diafra Sakho both out injured, Sofiane Feghouli is definitely set to lock down the right wing slot at West Ham United in the early stages of 2016-17. The Algerian midfielder has experience playing in both the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League for Valencia but somehow that was only enough to earn him a 5.5 price tag! Although he had a poor 2015-16 campaign, Feghouli has managed to rack up plenty of goals and assists throughout his career and now that he’s been given the chance to shine in the Prem for West Ham, he’s likely to be a big hit.
Gerard Deulofeu (6.5)
Gerard Deulofeu came to life in the Premier League last season and now despite being at the price of just 6.5 he could be set for an even better 2016-17 campaign. Deulofeu is one of many youngsters to not quite make it at Barcelona, but with the experience playing under some of the best coaches in the world in one of the best academy programs in the world he definitely still has what it takes to make it in the Premier League. With Romelu Lukaku in front of him, he’s got a natural goal scoring centre forward that he’ll be feeding crosses to all game long and could be set to be one of the league’s top assist providers this season. If Lukaku can find the back of the net which he most likely will, Deulofeu will be set for another fantastic season in the league and at 6.5 he’ll be one of the best value buys in the league.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan (9.5)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan was far and away the best player in the German Bundesliga last season, scoring 11 goals and 15 assists in 31 matches and he could easily become one of the Premier League’s prime PFA Player of the Year candidates for 2016-17 after making a fantastic move to Jose Mourinho’s Manchester United. With his ability to glide past defenders and create/score goals out of nothing he will undoubtedly rack up the fantasy points this season. Although going with the known 9.5 entities like Mahrez, Payet and Martial might be the more popular choice, consider going with Mkhitaryan instead. The results will not disappoint.
Forwards
Andre Gray (6.5)
Scoring goals in the English Championship is a hard enough task, but scoring over a goal every other game is a very impressive feat. Andre Gray netted 23 times in 41 matches and added 8 assists to his tally as well to help Burnley win the Championship. Although the Clarets are going to be one of the favourites for relegation again this year, Gray could still be set to shine. The English striker is good in the air, can score goals with both feet and after leading the Championship in goals last season, he may just be the best 6.5 option out there.
Troy Deeney (7.0)
We know your tricks. You’ve likely spent big on an all star set of midfielders and have now been forced to look for cheaper options in defense and forward. Although still not incredibly cheap, Troy Deeney is excellent value for his price. Few other forwards achieve such high numbers in both goals and assists and work as hard as Troy Deeney. He’s a natural leader, a natural goal scorer and you’ll probably end up getting him in your team in a couple of weeks anyway, so why not just do it now? Get Troy Deeney in your team now! You won’t be disappointed.
Sergio Aguero (13.0)
If Manchester City are going to build their team around Sergio Aguero in 2016-17 and are the favourites to win the league, why shouldn’t you do the same? Sergio Aguero is the odds on favourite to win the golden boot and is the likeliest of all players in the league to highhandedly lead their team to glory in 2016-17. If you get Sergio Aguero in your team he could easily lead your team to glory as well. Although 13.0 is a hefty price, the Argentine striker is definitely worth it.
Conclusion
Although the Premier League is only a week away and you’ve probably already picked your fantasy team by now, there’s no shame in re-thinking some of your choices and assessing some of the bargain buys and stars set to shine in 2016-17. In fact I urge you, GET THEM IN YOUR TEAM NOW before it’s too late! Check back after Gameweek 2 for another edition of Get Him In Your Team! We’ll see you next time.
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