As Fantasy Premier League managers can now select their 15-man squads, The Scout analyses standout budget and premium players in each position.
Gylfi Sigurdsson (EVE) £8.0m
Few players can match the Everton midfielder’s all-round potential in Fantasy.
Sigurdsson produced 13 goals and six assists to record his career-high total of 182 points last term.
And his underlying statistics show why.
The Iceland international fired 86 shots on goal and created 74 chances for team-mates in 2018/19.
Each of those totals not only ranked top for Everton, they also placed among the top six midfielders in FPL.
Only Eden Hazard surpassed both those tallies. The Belgian fired 93 shots on goal and created 98 chances in his final season at Chelsea.
Set-piece appeal
A big portion of set-piece duties boosts Sigurdsson’s appeal.
He is the Toffees’ first-choice for penalties and also shares free-kicks and corners with Lucas Digne (£6.0m).
That is particularly encouraging as Everton created 75 chances from set-pieces last season, more than any other side.
The opening schedule hands Sigurdsson the platform to reward his 15.9 per cent FPL ownership.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR), only two of their first 14 opponents score more than three.
Everton's first 14 Gameweeks
| GW | Opp | FDR | GW | Opp | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CRY (A) | 2 | 8 | BUR (A) | 2 |
| 2 | WAT (H) | 3 | 9 | WHU (H) | 2 |
| 3 | AVL (A) | 2 | 10 | BHA (A) | 2 |
| 4 | WOL (H) | 3 | 11 | TOT (H) | 4 |
| 5 | BOU (A) | 3 | 12 | SOU (A) | 2 |
| 6 | SHU (H) | 2 | 13 | NOR (H) | 2 |
| 7 | MCI (H) | 4 | 14 | LEI (A) | 3 |
That raises his chances of making a strong start to the season, offering goals and assists from the outset.
Tomorrow: Ryan Fraser