Things seem to be going a little sideways for Stoke City at the moment, big signings not working out and star players leaving. Mark Hughes is currently 8/1 to be the first to leave his job this season, that’s a bet too tempting to turn down for me. Barring the negatives, there are some positives in the Stoke City team and they can serve your Draft Fantasy team well.

Goalkeepers

This is one position that is strong for Stoke City. Jack Butland’s injury last season ended up being a blessing in disguise for my team as I gambled on Lee Grant who turned out to be a great keeper for me but for this season, Lee Grant looks to be firmly back on the bench with the injury free Jack Butland back in the first team.

Hopefully, Jack Butland will show the form from the 15/16 season that earned him an England call up, if so, Butland is a great shout for your goalkeeper this season. He should keep a fair few clean sheets but due to the Heaton Rule (previously named the ‘Burnley Rule’), Butland could face a lot of shots which, if saved, will result in a fair few extra bonus points.

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I’d go in quite quickly for Butland, I think that he’s in line for a good year. There’s a good chance he’ll be the 4th or 5th keeper picked up. Expect him to go by the 5th round. As for Lee Grant, if Butland picks up another injury, get Grant in on the waivers as he is a more than reliable option to have in your team.

Defenders

Stoke City may have pulled off one of the transfer coups of the season with the season long loan of Kurt Zouma from Chelsea. I’m a big fan of Zouma and I expect him to take the chance and show us all what he can do when entrusted to start every game in the season. Hopefully, his injury troubles are behind him, He could be well worth picking up as your 2nd or 3rd defender.

Kurt Zouma will, of course, be partnering Ryan Shawcross as the centre of Stoke City’s defense. Shawcross has been a reliable source of points in fantasy football for years now, last season may not have been his best due to injury and some poor form but don’t overlook Shawcross, he should still be available in the mid to later rounds of the draft.

No new signings for the wing back positions to date show that Erik Pieter’s and Glen Johnson should be safe for another season, both offer the chance for assists and the odd goal. I feel that full backs will be popular again this season but just like Shawcross, I see these two still being available in the mid to later rounds.

Midfielders

It’s all gone a bit wrong for Stoke City in regard to midfielders lately. Marko Arnautović has blamed Stoke City of a lack of ambition and departed for West Ham, record signing Giannelli Imbula has failed to impress and struggled to make it into the team last season, Xherdan Shaqiri has never really had the impact you’d expect and for Ibrahim Afellay, see Xherdan Shaqiri.

Joe Allen, however, was a good addition to the Stoke City team last season, he offered some crucial goals from midfield alongside a fair few assists, to me, he was Stoke City’s best player last season and I expect more of the same from him this season. Allen should still be going free around the 10th or 11th round, it wouldn’t be a bad thing to pick him up.

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Another signing made by Stoke City was for Darren Fletcher. He’s 33 now and it feels like it’s a like for like replacement for Glenn Whelan. Fletcher could offer some decent points with the Kante Rule on but I expect him to still be free once the draft has concluded.

There’s no-one in Stoke City’s midfield that looks to be worth too early a pick, Shaqiri and Allen should provide a good 3rd or 4th choice midfielder but I wouldn’t be too upset about missing out on either.

Forwards

Last season Stoke City made two forward signings which should have worked yet they finished the season with Peter Crouch leading the line (and doing it well). Wilfried Bony looked like he’d never played football before and Saido Berahino just looked like he was still carrying the ghost of his West Brom past.

I hope that it works out for Saido Berahino and he hits the ground running this season, he wouldn’t be a bad shout for a 2nd choice striker and I know he’ll be drafted by someone fancying the gamble. Expect Berahino to go by the 5th round.

Crouch and Diouf may also be good shouts for your second striker, both offer an imposing presence up front and both can certainly rack up the points when they’re on a good run. Expect them to be free still around the 7th or 8th round.

Wildcard

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At a guess, not many would have heard of him and that’s why I reckon Julien Ngoy could be a great wildcard pick. The young striker is highly rated by a lot of clubs around Europe, Monaco is rumoured to be looking to pick him up to replace Mbappe so if Stoke City don’t want to lose him, surely, they’re going to have to start playing him more.

Conclusion

There’s not really been much in the way of incoming players at Stoke City yet which has left them not really offering the fantasy football manager much to think about. Jack Butland will go early, as to Berahino for those wanting a gamble. Shawcross and Zouma could be valuable pickups but outside of that, I don’t see many points in this team.