Making the most out of your £100 million budget is the key to becoming a successful Fantasy Premier League manager. It can be easy to feel tempted to spend the bulk of it on forwards, but today we are here to tell you why midfielders are always the better choice for splashing cash on. Mohamed Salah may or may not be a part of FPL next season, but here’s why you should not lose faith in expensive midfielders.
Midfielders earn more points for goals
The FPL scoring system favours midfielders over forwards. So, it’s the primary reason for going big on a midfielder. Whereas forwards only get four points each goal, midfielders get five. Although at first look this small variation might not appear important, over a season it can give midfielders who score often a major point edge.
For example, the midfielder gains extra 15 points simply from goal-scoring alone if both a striker and a midfielder score 15 goals in a season.
Over the last 10 seasons, only once has a forward managed to beat all midfielders to the top of the FPL table. Erling Haaland’s 272-point campaign in the 2022-23 season is an outlier that doesn’t justify prioritising forwards over midfielders.
Salah is on track to become the highest-scoring FPL asset for the fourth time and has already broken the record for the most FPL points ever scored by a player.
Extra points for clean sheets
FPL is often compared to gambling, but it’s frequently overlooked that, in both cases, certain tactics can be applied to minimise risk. For example, casino sites UK often hand out free spins and other perks for certain games. So, if you’re in the mood to try a new game, taking advantage of these perks can significantly reduce the risk factor.
Similarly, a midfielder offers more avenues to points than a forward. So, when you are investing heavily on a player, it makes sense that you would want to use the money on a midfielder. Even if a midfielder fails to score or assist, he can get an extra point for his team keeping a clean sheet.
As mentioned earlier, these extra points can add up over time and make a significant impact on your end-of-season standings.
Bonus point potential
When Haaland was made the most expensive player in FPL history this season, the thinking was that he has the easiest route to points. The Manchester City No.9 had a group of elite creators behind him, so it was supposed to be goals galore, right? Unfortunately, that did not turn out to be the case this season and the Norwegian has had a vastly underwhelming time so far.
Midfielders this season have shown us that they are likelier to pick up bonus points than their forward counterparts.
Although premium forwards are mostly concerned with goal-scoring, premium midfielders often participate actively in general team play, which generates more assist possibilities. Set-piece takers, corner takers, and penalty takers increase their value even more, as they have several ways to add points.
Based on their whole impact in a game, the FPL bonus points system rewards players factoring in goals, assists, critical passes, and general influence. Because they may contribute not only goals but also assists and passes creating pivotal situations, premium midfielders usually rule the bonus points system.
On the other hand, forwards sometimes find it difficult to get bonus points until they score several goals since they lose points for lost opportunities and getting dispossessed. Because of their all-around efforts, midfielders Kevin De Bruyne, Bruno Fernandes, and Bukayo Saka routinely score bonus points.