Is there anything more predictable in the Premier League than a Tony Pulis managed team hitting 40 points and then giving up for the season knowing they’re safe for another year? West Brom’s final win of last season occurred at the end of March, with another 9 games left to play. West Brom’s second highest goal scorer for last season was a centre back and he only finished a couple goals behind the star striker. This may sound like too much criticism but Tony Pulis knows how to set up a defending team and that’s why Draft Managers love a Tony Pulis team.

Goalkeepers

There should be no shifting Ben Foster from the starting lineup this season. Foster has been a solid and dependable goalkeeper for many years now when it comes to fantasy football. Here is a good shot stopper with the benefit of a Pulis defence in front of him yet he did only manage to keep 6 clean sheets last season. Ben Foster finished last season as the 9th highest scoring goalkeeper and like the many other lower league keepers that I’ve written about in this series, he will face a lot of shots, so for what he may lose in clean sheets, he’ll soon make up for in saves.

See More: Bournemouth FPL Draft Overview

When Foster was out with an injury in the 15/16 season, Boaz Myhill stepped up and ended up having a very successful run in goal, yet don’t expect him to push Foster for a starting place. Myhill is a very good back up and if there is a chance for him to play, then it’s advisable to bring him in.

As for when to draft? Foster will most likely be picked up as a second-choice keeper this season so expect him to still be around in the middle to later rounds, possibly going in the 9th or 10th rounds.

Defenders

I mentioned that West Brom’s second highest goal scorer for last season was a centre back and that’s true, with 6 goals in the Premier League Gareth McAuley became the envy of a lot of managers for not being able to pick him up. If you had McAuley, trading him out simply wasn’t going to happen. It’d be nice to think that Gareth McAuley can do it again this season but there’s increased competition in defence in the form of Ahmed Hegazi and at 37, McAuley is 11 years his senior. Ahmed Hegazi has been impressing in pre-season and will be looking to be more than a backup player.

One player whose position is secure for the coming season is club captain Jonny Evans. Evans brings a calm to the defence and isn’t that shy to grabbing a goal here or there either. Further goals from West Brom’s defence can be found in the form of Craig Dawson.

See More: Swansea FPL Draft Overview

Craig Dawson was deployed more as a right back last season (he can also play as a centre back) and he popped up with 4 goals which on top of 6 clean sheets is an impressive return for a player. There’s also the wing back, Allan Nyom who didn’t provide any goals last season, he did pop up with a couple assists.

West Brom defenders are a perk, Pulis sets his teams up to defend and with a lot of their strength in attack coming from set pieces. When drafting, expect McAuley and Dawson to go in around the 6th or 7th round with Evans a little later in the 8th or 9th round. If you want to steal a march on other managers, going in for Ahmed Hegazi could be worthwhile, especially if he replaces McAuley.

Midfielders

I have been high in my praise for defending but West Brom gave us a couple of high point scoring options in midfield last season, most notably, Matt Phillips and Nacer Chadli.

Matt Phillips was one of last season’s surprise packages whose excellent season was hampered with hamstring injuries. Phillips had scored 4 goals and assisted 9, which it turns out was 25% of the rest of West Brom’s goals for the season in the Premier League and Nacer Chadli, who did seem to run in hot and cold spells, managed to get himself 5 goals and 6 assists. These two players almost scored a quarter of West Brom’s goals all season.

I’ve raved about the Kante Rule a lot in these articles (other customisable rules are available) but it’s because I do believe this balances the game better. Jake Livermore and Claudio Yacob are two of those players that could benefit greatly from its introduction. Neither are known for their scoring prowess or ability to provide assists but they do help link the play together in midfield and aren’t shy about going in for the ball.

Chris Brunt offers an interesting conundrum, he’s been a proven goal scorer and has provided plenty of assists over his career but he seems to be getting shifted to a left back position more and more. This does reduce his point scoring ability as he’s still classed as a midfielder for the coming season.

I think that you’d be wise to pick up either Matt Phillips or Nacer Chadli during the draft, there are better wingers available in the league so expect these guys to be around in the middle rounds still, Chris Brunt may get picked up around the same time by those that haven’t realised he’s being used more defensively while Livermore and Yacob could still be available once the draft has ended.

Forwards

In Salomón Rondón, I thought West Brom would have that double figures in goals a season striker that would help push them to the next level, while he’s not been too bad for the baggies, he’s not hit the heights that I thought he would. He’s a starting striker but finished with 9 goals last season which puts him as the 30th highest goal scorer in the league (taking out ties).

One player who could really shine up front for West Brom is Jay Rodriguez. A couple of really bad injury hit years sent Rodriguez down the pecking order at Southampton but before then, he was starting to look like he could become quite the prolific striker. He has shown glimpses at the tail end of last season and has looked good in pre-season, as for 2nd striker picks, I don’t think Rodriguez is a bad one at all.

See More: Southampton FPL Draft Overview

A player who probably wishes they got more starts is Hal Robson-Kanu. His star turns for Wales at Euro 16’ seems an age ago now with his appearances last season primarily being from the bench.

As for drafting West Brom forwards, I would go in for Jay Rodriguez as one of my first choices for my second striker, yes, he’s an attacker in a Pulis team but he’s got a point to prove and offers more movement and agility up front than either Rondon or Robson-Kanu.

Wildcard

Tough one to decide this. West Brom’s squad is lacking a lot of depth, currently, they may just have the smallest squad on the draft fantasy football site. In the spirit of promoting youth, I’m going to go with Jonathan Leko. The youngster only made 7 substitute appearances in the Premier League last season but has represented at all levels that he’s eligible for and has attained a few reserve/young player awards in his time at West Brom.

Conclusion

If you could class players in your team as squad players than West Brom can certainly offer you plenty of options. Foster in goal and Evans in defence will be good pickups, McAuley could be but his time as a starter may be at an end. Phillips and Chadli are great 4th or 5th choice midfielders for your team while Rodriguez and Rondon will be good second choice strikers.