There are two schools of thought when it comes to Draft Fantasy Football, with some opting to favour known quantities in the game, in comparison to others who prefer to take risks.
The latter focus on differential picks that could reap them large rewards if they quickly adjust to the Premier League. This season, Antonio Rudiger and Victor Lindelof are both playing their first season in England after signing for top-six clubs.
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Defenders are not a priority at the beginning of the draft, as managers prefer to attain the high-profile attacking talent, before switching their attention to the defensive options. When it comes to drafting your defence, the focus will be on those playing in good defensive teams that are likely to keep clean sheets and those that offer high attacking value.
As these two will be arriving to play in two of the best defences in the league, they will be on the radar of managers on draft day, but which one would be the safer pick?
Playing time
This is a huge factor when considering either one of these players. Chelsea will start with three centre-backs in the majority of their fixtures, which means that there are more spots open to Rudiger. That said, the trio of Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill worked well last season.
Antonio Conte is likely to start the campaign with those three, meaning that Rudiger will be restricted to the bench. The German will get opportunities through injuries, suspensions and loss of form, but the rotation will limit his time on the pitch.
The route to the first-team is a quicker one for Lindelof as Manchester United never had a settled centre-back partnership last season, which means that he is likely to get an opportunity to secure one of the two positions.
He was a long-term target of the club and they will have signed him to be a starter, especially for the fee that was paid. ESPN report that he is likely to start alongside Eric Bailly. Therefore, based on their probable playing time, Lindelof looks to be the better pick.
Fantasy potential
There are no previous totals to look at, which means that their Draft Fantasy value isn’t truly known in the environment of the Premier League. Based on the sides that they now play for, there is a good chance that both will keep clean sheets regularly.
Last season, Manchester United kept the joint-most clean sheets, with 17, while Chelsea kept only one less. Therefore, they possess similar clean sheet potential, but as Lindelof seems to be a more regular starter, he is a more appealing choice.
It is also interesting to note that United chopped and changed their defence during the 2016/17 campaign. If they have a more settled back line, they could keep more than 17 clean sheets, especially with Jose Mourinho as manager. United will have a strong defence this season and it is important to win one of their starting defenders in the draft.
In terms of attacking value, neither offer much in the final third. Lindelof scored once for Benfica last season, while Rudiger contributed two assists at Roma. They could both contribute occasionally, but neither can be picked for what they offer in that part of their game.
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Verdict
Out of the two newly-signed centre-halves, Lindelof is the one to target on draft day. He will be a regular starter for Manchester United, who have a good chance of having the best defensive record in the Premier League this season. Jose Mourinho managed to coach them to 17 shutouts last term and his team were very unlike one of his. The addition of Lindelof will improve them and more clean sheets could be the result.
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