The ICT Index is a feature that was introduced in the 2016/17 Fantasy Premier League game, and remains a key tool for managers.
A football statistical index, it has been created specifically to give the verdict on a player as an FPL asset.
Having previously explained the methods behind each element of the Index, we are now going to analyse a number of its top performers from the 2015/16 season and look at some of the ways it can be applied for the new campaign.
The Index is available via the statistics screen, which enables sorting by each element - Influence, Creativity, Threat and overall ICT Index score.
Peerless Creativity
The table reveals that Arsenal's Mesut Ozil (£9.5m) topped the rankings with an overall tally of 429.9.
His level of Creativity was peerless. The German playmaker registered a score of 2405.1 in this area, significantly more than his nearest rival, West Ham United's Dimitri Payet (£9.5m), who mustered 1848.
Ozil claimed 19 assists last season to Payet's 13, so the gap is perhaps expected.
But when you compare these two assets for Threat, we see some interesting results from the Index.
Ozil registered 849 to Payet's 679 - an average of 24.2 per match compared to 23.2.
This small advantage for the German reflects Ozil's stronger tendency to raid the box and produce attempts from inside the penalty area. Payet relied more on his ability to shoot from long-range and at set-pieces.
The result indicates that Ozil could well return more goals in 2016/17. Payet, meanwhile, may need more stunning free-kicks to keep ahead.
Edging ahead
Neither of those midfielders could touch Harry Kane (£11.0m) for goal threat.
The Tottenham Hotspur striker topped the ranks for overall Threat with 2094, edging ahead of Everton's Romelu Lukaku (£9.0m) on 1863.
Manchester City's Sergio Aguero (£13.0m) was still king when it came to Threat per appearance though. The Argentinean registered 32.2 to Kane's 30.8, underlining Aguero's status as the go-to FPL forward option.
Kane was ranked second for overall Influence, with Leicester City's Riyad Mahrez (£9.5m) at the summit having claimed 17 goals and 11 assists. His impact on matches for the champions is indisputable.
Ashley Williams' (£5.0m) haul of 24 FPL bonus points was reflected in his Influence score: the Swansea City skipper ranked third overall and was second to Aguero for Influence per Appearance (31.9 vs 32).
Key performers
While these results help single out the key performers of last season, FPL managers can now turn to the ICT Index to identify prospects for the coming campaign.
When comparing players, it can offer a view on which ones are more likely to return goals or assists.
This can be key when making a close call between defenders - the Index will help identify those full-backs acting as supply lines, or centre-backs who are posing a threat at set-plays.
The Index can also offer an early appraisal of new signings relative to established assets.
While we're expecting Zlatan Ibrahimovic (£11.5m), to make an immediate impact for Manchester United, the Index will enable an early comparison to Kane and Aguero, not just for goals but for their overall Threat level to opponents.
Similarly, it will be fascinating to see if his new team-mate Henrikh Mkhitaryan's (£9.5m), can match the Creativity and Threat output of Ozil and Payet.
Manchester United's new playmaker could even challenge both Kevin De Bruyne (£10.5m), and Alexis Sanchez (£11.0m) in that respect.
With the ICT Index available, it is now easier to make such comparisons.
Match-to-match it can help gauge their effectiveness as FPL assets and lend a new insight to help steer our selections.
Explore: Fantasy Premier League - ICT Index
