Three Forwards (F), five Midfielders (M), five Defenders (D), and two Goalkeepers (G). Let’s help you get these positions in the best order.

Last year in my small, five-team fantasy football league:
1. F
2. M
3. M
4. M
5. M
6. G
7. D
8. D
9. D
10. F
11. F
12. M
13. D
14. D
15. G

First, a few notes on fantasy league size: the number of teams in your league will certainly impact your strategy, but my strategy across the board is to establish a core group of players spread across multiple positions before you max out in one area. Getting blue-chip players in the draft is even more important for deeper Premier League fantasy football leagues and may mean you have more positional flexibility if a quality player falls to you, but you’re going to have to play the waiver wire regardless of how well or poorly you drafted, and how big your league is. We’re just trying to keep you competitive in the first half of the season and keep you in the hunt.

As I’m so fond of playing the matchups and rotating, I only kept six of the players I drafted for the full 38 gameweeks, but there is the makings of a solid formula in this positional draft structure for eight-team leagues or fewer. If you’re in a 10-team or more league, this model may stretch you a bit thin and you might consider looking at top defenders as early as round three or four and shifting your Midfielders towards to latest rounds.

Enough caveats, let’s dive into it.

There is uncertainty surrounding many of the top teams’ Forwards. Diego Costa and Olivier Giroud, Gabriel Jesus vs. Sergio Agüero trying to coexist, Manchester United desperately trying to find a replacement for Ibrahimovic… drafting a player with these gametime or trade risks could break you. The top tier of forwards being as small as it is I think you’re going to want to target a top forward in the first two rounds. Pending new summer signings, this means Harry Kane, Romelu Lukaku, and a Jesus/Agüero if your crystal ball tells you how they’re going share the spoils. Even though the top three scorers last year were all Midfielders (Alexis Sanchez, Dele Alli, and Eden Hazard), I’m targeting Kane or Lukaku early or else backing off until the middle rounds. Last year’s top 20 point scorers consisted of only five Forwards, twelve Midfielders, and three Chelsea Defenders, but missing out on a top forward early means you’ll have to work harder to rotate your forwards and this approach can be riskier.

(thesun.co.uk)

If you’re low in the draft order and you feel the obvious choices are already taken, your immediate priority is a top goal-scoring Midfielder with the best shot at regular returns. This means Christian Eriksen, Kevin De Bruyne, Sadio Mané, Philippe Coutinho, or maybe even Gylffi Sigurdsson if you have faith that he can repeat last year’s performance. I’m very skeptical of Wilf Zaha and Josh King being able to produce for the full season, but I’d at least salute your courage if you’re bold enough to select them in the early rounds.

(bbc.co.uk)

What all this means is that I’m not likely to draft a Defender or Goalkeeper until at least the 25th pick, regardless of league size. If Thibaut Courtois, David De Gea, and the best attacking Defenders like Marcos Alonso (if so categorized again) get snapped up early, I’m inclined to wait until pick 40 or 50 to start looking at defenders as they are much less of a sure thing. But, if you can get a top Goalkeeper here, you won’t have to pick up another until very late in the draft. Then again, top scoring Defenders don’t often stay on top, so don’t force it.

As you get deeper into the middle rounds, you really have to keep thinking about the value of your picks. For instance, last year, Jermain Defoe slid a bit in my draft and could be had late. Take a chance here on a promoted team’s top scorer or an unproven new signing with a chance to become the main striker. I’d take a flyer on Andre Gray, Saido Berahino, Glenn Murray or Dwight Gayle if they’re still around after a while.

As the final rounds come to a close, look again at your competitors’ teams and see where you can nick a spot in a high scoring offense or stubborn defense that they covered early on. If you’re lucky enough to find a Jan Vertonghen, Ryan Bertrand, or Ashley Williams, you can hedge your risk against an opponent who jumped on one of their teammates early on. Fill out your rosters in the most spiteful way you can.

Oh, and one last note: unless you’re in a really big league, don’t draft a backup Goalkeeper. Just don’t do it. Get a starter.

Feel free to follow @Cjacksondraft for links and any draft fantasy football advice I can give you.

@Cjacksondraft is an avid fantasy football (soccer) fan who currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area and loves his day job. Peaked during the 2003 Kentucky All “A” Regional tournament. I still like waking up early on Saturdays and Sundays to watch EPL live on the West Coast.