For the 2017-18 season, Premier League fantasy drafting is truly coming alive. With this format change, it means managers will have to adapt, assess a whole new host of factors and where possible, glean tips from other drafting sports.

Although fantasy sports made its name with baseball, NFL fantasy has become a major industry and has a number of analysts and pundits solely focussing on the fantasy aspect. The BITEZ (Brits in the End Zone) boys run a British based podcast which provides NFL fantasy advice and are here to provide tips and insights for premier league fantasy ahead of the new season.

 

Injuries, Suspensions, Transfers & Fallouts

What to do with those tricky players who aren’t guaranteed to start the first game of the season at their current club…..

What do NFL fantasy podcasters know about the premier league? …Luckily enough for all of you reading, we have all had a love affair with real football for the best part of 3 decades.

Oh yeah and in NFL a draft system in fantasy is part and parcel of the game.

The draft is a strategic minefield. Players can move up and down rankings based on so many outside factors. Does he have an ongoing injury, has he fallen out with the manager, is there a looming suspension and is he the subject of constant transfer speculation.

These are all factors that NFL managers have to contend with each year (although, transfers outside of the NFL are extremely rare for key players). So we are here to tell you some tips and tricks of where to draft some of the more problematic players…..

 

EDEN HAZARD

Hazard was a fantasy darling last year and had his most productive season to date. You would probably think therefore that he should be an early / mid first round after Kane and Lukaku. However, take into account that firstly he’s injured and we’re not quite sure how long he’s going to be out for. Now normally that would be an oversight, however take into consideration that Barcelona have sold Neymar, are looking into buying a replacement and have recently been linked with the Belgian, well, then now you have a decision.

BITEZ Recommendation:  If you have a late first round pick then he’s worth the gamble but would take De Bruyne and Alli ahead of him

NFL Comparison: Julio Jones (WR). One of the best in their respective positions and will be taken in the first round. Has capacity to dominate, but may have some down games and injury concerns.

 

ALEXIS SANCHEZ

Arsenal’s main man and fantasy extraordinaire. However the constant sulks and speculation have led many to believe that Sanchez may not stay in North London past August this year. Though again their have been contradictory reports stating that Sanchez will in fact see out the rest of his contract with Arsenal and play one final season at the Emirates.

BITEZ Recommendation (JP @jonathan peters18): I actually had the 2nd pick in one of my fantasy drafts yesterday and went Lukaku ahead of Sanchez as I didn’t want to take the risk with guaranteed goals right there in the shape of Lukaku. If he falls to you with the 4th/5th pick then go for it I’d say. He is a difference maker at the midfield position.

NFL Comparison: Rob Gronkowski (TE). When he is on the field he is almost unstoppable. Whilst Sanchez is facing a possible transfer, Gronk’s constant injuries provide big risks to managers when picking the 6ft5 tight end.

 

DIEGO COSTA

It has been widely publicised that Diego Costa has no future at Chelsea. Not only did Conte text Costa to tell him this but they went out and spent a small fortune on bringing Morata to the club. No matter how many goals and points Costa scored last year do not draft this guy.

BITEZ Recommendation: Do not draft Diego Costa – if he’s there in the final few rounds might be worth a punt and you can easily drop him once the season is a few weeks in and he’s finally been transferred out the club.

NFL Comparison: Josh Gordon (WR). Fantastic player with lots of potential, but just like Costa’s antics at Chelsea, Gordon has outstayed his welcome in the league and neither should/ will be available to managers.

 

SERGIO ‘KUN’ AGUERO

One of the best all time premier league goal scorers playing for one of the best all time managers in one of the most attacking minded teams this league has seen. Easy first round pick right? Well maybe, but, once again, it’s not so straight forward. We saw last season that Guardiola was not afraid to drop Aguero in favour of Gabriel Jesus. There were rumours of Aguero leaving and his mentality has constantly been questioned by Pep.

BITEZ Recommendation: It would take one brave manager to not draft Aguero in the first round. Again I’d rather take Kane and Lukaku ahead of him but if you’re in that 4/5/6 spot and want to take a striker rather than a goalscoring midfielder Aguero is your guy.

NFL Comparison: Le’veon Bell (RB). Again, one of the best in their position but injuries and contract holdout/ suspensions, respectively raise concerns over their availability the whole season. Oh, and they also have young, great understudies snapping at their heels ready to replace them.

 

ROSS BARKLEY

It looks as though Barkley has no future at Everton and that Tottenham is his most likely destination. Let’s say he gets his move – is he guaranteed to even start at Tottenham? Not with Alli and Eriksen fit. Not even a hefty price tag is a guarantee anymore, just ask Moussa Sissoko. So if Barkley stays at Everton he looks unlikely to play and even if he leaves (depending on where he goes) he might not even get a start. With only 3 bench spots available for outfield players you need to make sure you have people starting week in week out.

BITEZ Recommendation:  If Barkley is available late on in drafts he’s worth a gamble but I wouldn’t spend a draft pick before round 9 on him

NFL Comparison: Eric Decker (WR). A player who has been very productive in their fantasy careers but, like Barkley may be about to do, has moved to a new team where there is uncertainty as to how involved he will be.

 

LAURENT KOSCIELNY

Koscielny missed the FA Cup final last season due to a red card he picked up on the final day of last year. This also means he will miss the first 2 games of this premier league season. However don’t let that put you off drafting the Arsenal centre back. Having moved to a back 3 Arsenal certainly look more solid and are in line for an increase in clean sheets this year. Defenders tend to go later in drafts but make sure not to be put off by Koscielny’s 2 game ban.

BITEZ Recommendation: Take the arsenal centre back around round 8 but make sure to draft a starting centre back later on to replace him for the first couple of game-weeks.

NFL Comparison: Doug Martin (RB). A player who could get a lot of opportunity and minutes in a productive team, however he will also miss the first few games through suspension.

 

DAVID DE GEA / THIBOUT COURTOIS/ HUGO LLORIS/ PETR CECH

Goalkeepers are an interesting one for fantasy. Now obviously you’d like to have one of the big name keepers for one of the top teams who are more likely to keep clean sheets. However the fact you have to draft two keepers mean you could wait and draft to mid table / lower end keepers and rotate them depending on who they’re playing and whether they’re at home or not. For example last season Tom Heaton was one of the top scoring keepers playing for Burnley. So there is no urgency to go too early and get one of the top keepers.

BITEZ Recommendation: Don’t draft a keeper until round 11/12 – if you can nab one of the top guys great. If not don’t worry. I always look out for defensive minded team’s keepers e.g. Ben Foster, Tom Heaton.

NFL Comparison: Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Andrew Luck, & Drew Brees (QB). These are all great quarterbacks and leaders, but it is not a scarce position so you can pick players much later on with great value.

 

So there you have it, just something to bear in mind when drafting your fantasy premier league teams. Remember to think about the outside influences but not to the extent where they are the only guidance on your decision making. Draft well and hope you get the first pick so you can just take Harry Kane and forget about the rest!

If you want to try your hand at NFL fantasy this year or are intrigued by hearing about it more, listen to BITEZ and their exciting new podcast.

Also, follow them on @brits_endzone for any fantasy advice and www.britsendzone.com for latest blog posts.