Fantasy Premier League – Player List Analysis – Budget Forwards

We roll out the eighth article in our assessment of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Player List this morning. Having previously published articles on Goalkeepers, Budget Defenders, Mid-Price Defenders and Premium Defenders, we then looked at Budget Midfielders, Mid-Price Midfielders and Premium Midfielders. Up next, then, we turn our attentions to the men up front, focussing on players no more than 6.0:

Up to 5.5 Mark

Cardiff new boy Andreas Cornelius is likely to earn plenty game time in his debut season for the Bluebirds. “The Danish Tank” racked up 18 goals in 32 appearances for FC Copenhagen in 2012/13 but with just one full season of professional football behind him, there are concerns he may take time to adapt. Malky Mackay’s penchant for a target man within a lone striker system should ensure the 5.5 priced Cornelius plenty starts, while the likes of Fraizer Campbell (also 5.5) is more likely to earn game time off the bench when the Welsh club need to alter their approach and switch to two up front later on in games. Craig Bellamy is similarly priced and classified as a midfielder – he also has a share of corner and free-kicks but a role on the flank somewhat limits his appeal; the Welshman’s propensity for picking up injuries is also an issue, with just 33 appearances last time out. Cornelius looks the best bet of this trio, then, though a tricky start to the season may deter many.

With top scorer Glenn Murray sidelined for months due to a cruciate ligament injury, Crystal Palace new boy Dwight Gayle looks set to lead the line in Ian Holloway’s 4-2-3-1 formation. Coming in at 5.0, the former Peterborough forward looks in the driving seat to start the season for Palace – as mentioned in the recent Scout Report, Holloway has high expectations for a player who has cost a club record £4.5m. Free agent Carlton Cole is also being linked with a move to Selhurst Park but given the outlay on Gayle, he’d surely be ahead of the former West Ham man in the pecking order.

Palace’s home/away rotation with Hull could bring Danny Graham into consideration as a partner for Gayle. The Tigers on loan forward may have struggled last time out but he did, nonetheless, score 12 times in 36 appearances a couple of seasons ago for Swansea – at 5.5, he may still offer decent value and seems to have leapt ahead of Sone Aluko (5.0) in the pecking order. Alternatively, the likes of Robert Koren, Ahmed Elmohamady and Robbie Brady are cheaper in the Hull midfield at 5.0 apiece and offer an alternative rotation partner for Gayle. Similarly, pairing Graham with Palace midfielder Jerome Thomas (4.5) would also set you back a combined 10.0 and offers a schedule of (NOR, SUN. CAR, SWA, WHM, AVL, FUL) between Gameweeks 2-8.

Everton’s Victor Anichebe comes in 5.5 but with Arouna Kone added to the ranks and Nikica Jelavic also to consider, the Nigerian is likely to struggle for regular game time under new boss Roberto Martinez. Granted, Anichebe is versatile enough to play on the right though with Kevin Mirallas expected to get the nod, his minutes look far from guaranteed this time out. Hugo Rodallega also comes in at 5.5 and has impressed in pre-season but the Colombian remains behind Dimitar Berbatov and Bryan Ruiz for the forward roles – given that Ruiz is just 0.5 more expensive and offers the assurance of starts, Rodallega – like Anichebe – is likely to depend on game time off the bench.

Indeed, there’s a real shortage of forward options in the sub 6.0 bracket. Newcastle’s Shola Ameobi and Norwich’s Luciano Becchio may be cheap at 5.0 apiece but look like no more than bench fodder for their respective clubs, despite the former scoring in each of the Magpies last two matches. The arrival of Mark Hughes may promote Kenwyne Jones or Cameron Jerome (both 5.0) in the pecking order but with Peter Crouch looking likely to get the nod, Hughes is expected to go shopping for a more natural goalscorer to partner Crouch in his attempt to bring a more attacking brand of football to the Britannia.

Nicolas Anelka, on the other hand, looks to have a better Fantasy potential than most budget forwards – his versatility could see the Frenchman fielded through the middle or on the right as Steve Clarke prepares for life without Romelu Lukaku at the Hawthorns. At 5.5, Anelka – who notched twice in the Baggies’ last friendly – is also cheaper than the likes of midfielder James Morrison (6.0) and has Southampton, Swansea and Sunderland at home in the first five. Bearing in mind West Brom rotate with Aston Villa all season, he could offer a home/away partnership with Aleksandar Tonev for those eying up Paul Lambert’s new signing – at 5.0 in midfield, Tonev paired with Anelka would set you back 10.5, for those confident the Bulgarian will nail down a starting berth under Paul Lambert. Markus Rosenberg is even cheaper at 5.0 for the Baggies and notched in the club’s first two pre-season friendlies but is expected to move further down the pecking order when Clarke adds to his squad over the next few weeks.

Ricardo Vaz Te will be hoping Andy Carroll remains on the sidelines with a heel problem as the season gets underway. The former is typically fielded wide right by Sam Allardyce but looks the current favourite to be handed the lone forward role if Carroll fails to recover – with home games against Cardiff and Stoke and a trip to Newcastle in the first three, Vaz Te, at 5.5, may prove a decent short-term punt until the big Geordie regains full fitness.

The 6.0 Mark

For a fraction more budget, though, Fantasy managers are afforded greater security by a number of regulars. Andreas Weimann looks key to Villa’s prospects in the season ahead and racked up seven goals, four assists and 13 bonus points in his breakthrough year at the midlands outfit. Fielded on the right of a front three, the young Austrian offers the most budget-friendly route into Paul Lambert’s forward line- with Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and City in the first six, many may steer well clear, though Weimann may appeal for those on the hunt for a cheap striker in light of Villa’s double Gameweek 1.

Bryan Ruiz has been handed a 6.0 price tag after producing four goals and 10 assists in 2012/13. The Costa Rican has already scored in each of Fulham’s three pre-season games but his withdrawn role in “the hole”, allied with Dimitar Berbatov’s kind pricing and spot-kick duties, may see him struggle to convince investors of jumping on board. Four eye-catching fixtures between Gameweek 4-8 (WBA, CAR, STO, cpl) look particularly prosperous for the Cottagers, with Ruiz’s creativity likely to benefit.

The arrival of Mauricio Pochettino transformed Jay Rodriguez’s Fantasy potential in the latter half of last season. Having struggled to produce for previous boss Nigel Adkins, the former Burnley man proved himself to be more or less a match for Rickie Lambert under Pochettino and with game time looking secure, he’s already up and running in pre-season, scoring three times in two appearances. Lambert’s spot-kicks and set-piece duties, allied with his more advanced role and 7.5 price tag, is likely to sway many but Rodriguez’s much-improved form could turn out to be better value if his displays under the Argentine continue to flourish.

Peter Crouch will be hoping Mark Hughes’ arrival at Stoke can bolster his attacking potential. With 130 and 128 points accrued over the past couple of season, Crouch’s returns haven’t been too unimpressive – a drop in price, allied with the installation of a managers determined to go on the offensive, may subsequently see Crouch offer decent value in the season ahead. With a better quality delivery from the flanks, the six foot seven Potters forward may yet prove an overlooked differential for our three man frontlines as Stoke look to improve upon last term’s dire 34-goal haul under Tony Pulis. The fact that Stoke failed to register a single shot on target in their first match under Hughes earlier this week, however, suggests they are still clearly adjusting to his new approach.