With the highest score in the Fantasy Premier League last season, Eden Hazard is hot property heading into the 2015/16 campaign. At the time of writing, the Chelsea winger is far and away the most popular player in the game and is owned by an astonishing 56.9% of Fantasy managers. While the majority clearly see him as a must-have, could Hazard’s hefty £11.5m price tag be better used elsewhere? With this in mind we ask the Burning Question: Is Eden Hazard Really ‘Essential’?

Applebonkers says…

Tantalisingly for Chelsea fans, Hazard should still be on an upward curve in his career. With the same manager in place and same team-mates around him, you’d therefore estimate at least a similar sort of output this time round.

It would have taken a price tag north of 12m to start window shopping elsewhere. Assuming Diego Costa passes the penalty baton back to Hazard after their Gameweek 38 shenanigans last season, then he remains the only big hitter in midfield with that trump card in his locker.

Essential is a word I prefer to avoid, but in a game of so many unknowns there is a comforting feeling of predictability about the Belgian.

Simon March (2014/15’s Fantasy Premier League winner) says…

“Essential” is a bit of a derided term around these parts but I do believe there are particular players that, in certain circumstances, it may too dangerous to go without. Right now, for me, Eden Hazard, falls firmly within that category.

Even if we look past the fact that he averages over 200 points a season, that he was the top FPL point scorer last season or that he is the standout performer among the reigning Premier League champions, it’s impossible to ignore his ownership percentage. At the moment, Hazard sits in over 56% of squads and he will also be a popular captaincy choice. This means that, while his ownership remains so high, the matter of whether he performs well or not will, each week, be a hugely influential factor, potentially the most decisive factor, on rankings throughout the game. I’m not sure I’d want to bet weekly against a player of that quality at those stakes.

Eventually, a broader range of high-scoring players will emerge and Hazard’s ownership figures will start to be dispersed among those alternatives. Other options will become more viable. Until then, however, the cost of owning Hazard may well be the cost of keeping up with the competition.

Jonty says…

I said Angel Di Maria was essential last year and look where that got me. If any player is to take the mantle in 2015/16 it is Hazard. The Belgian’s huge ownership means that if he scores a penalty and gains bonus points in Gameweek 1, non-owners face a potentially disappointing start to the season.

His track record is also impressive. Last year he racked up 233 points and part of his appeal was an ability to gain FPL bonus points from just an assist, goal or even his general passing play. This season, I think he can easily gain a similar total points haul, but he may struggle to match his bonus tally of 42, with passing prowess given less prominence in 2015/16’s bonus allocation.

This year his price also has to be taken into account. Last term he finished on 10.8m, which was remarkable value for his points return. He now starts at 0.7 more, while team-mates Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and midfield rivals like Theo Walcott are less. Can he offer the same bang for his buck at a new inflated price? This year I think there may be better value heavy hitters in the 8m to 10.5m category.

There is also Chelsea’s poor set of fixtures early on, with West Brom and Manchester City amongst their opening trio of opponents. Over the season I have no doubt Hazard will be amongst the top scorers but arguably he won’t over the first three Gameweeks.

I’ve tried drafting teams with or without him. The ones without all look better, with Fabregas allowing a whopping 2.5m to be spent elsewhere. But then I look at Hazard’s ownership, his track record and his strong performances in pre-season and that word ‘essential’ comes back into my thoughts again.

D1sable says…

Season long I’m going to have to say ‘yes’ with the current information we have. Of course Fantasy Football can spring surprises and I have learnt not to completely write off anyone, so while I’m open to changing that view, as it stands, he offers, at least for my mind, the best route into the probable League champion’s attack.

He’s still young at 24 and I can only see progression in his ability and performances. He’s 100% nailed on, started all 38 matches last season, he’s on penalties, and rarely succumbs to injury. He also loves bonus points (although with the new system perhaps slightly less), which makes him a great Captain choice.

Having said all that I’m not starting with him. His fixtures and early season form in the past have made me look elsewhere (perhaps naively) but this is mainly due to me planning an early wildcard. Would I advise anyone to follow suit who wasn’t planning on hitting the button? Absolutely not.

Evs says…

Do we have anyone else in his mold, with the exception of Sergio Aguero? Arguably not.

We no longer have a Gareth Bale, Frank Lampard or Steven Gerrard, who in their prime ripped up midfield scoring charts. The only competitor I see to him in FPL points scoring is Alexis Sanchez, who seems to share points amongst other Arsenal attacking colleagues.

Last year I went for Cesc Fabregas over Hazard to save a couple of quid. This worked out well over the first few months as both players went toe-to-toe on points. The cheaper Fabregas’ price rose, I refused to sell him and by Christmas I was left behind and was chasing the pack without Hazard, who by then had become a points juggernaut.

So for me, once bitten twice shy. Hazard is the prime midfield option and is the first name on my team sheet.

Ryan says…

No player is essential. The elite options have been priced accordingly and thus we cannot have all of them. With a budget of 100m, sacrifices will need to be made so a team cannot include all of Sergio Aguero, Eden Hazard and Alexis Sanchez plus a multitude of 8.5 – 10m options. With so much value in Arsenal’s attack, Sanchez could be dropped from that list, leaving Aguero and Hazard as two who might be considered ‘essential’. Even then, though, having both would use nearly a quarter of the budget and that will have serious implications on the rest of your team.

Going without Aguero early on might help matters but once he returns and starts a good run of fixtures in Gameweek 4 you’ll want to get him in. As a way of releasing funds, Hazard owners will be tempted to sell and it begs the question- why would you want Hazard for his first three matches, that include a visit to Manchester City and West Brom. Perhaps less funds spent on Chelsea assets might not be a bad idea to start off with.

Mark says…

Hazard is scaring the pants off me: I can’t remember going into Gameweek 1 facing a decision which I felt could genuinely make or break my season.

I’ve got nagging reservations about Chelsea over their opening fixtures and there’s no doubt that the funds liberated by omitting the Belgian can transform my squad in key areas.

While Hazard has, at times, looked effective in pre-season, Chelsea have appeared to be predictable and over reliant on his ability to break open opponents. For me, it stands to reason that Swansea will devise tactics to shutdown this avenue of attack and go all out to block supply and impede Hazard’s progress – by fair means or foul. They witnessed Arsenal’s stubborn resistance at Wembley and Garry Monk will take heart and notes from that.

Following that tricky Gameweek 1 match-up, Hazard and Chelsea go to the Etihad in a scenario that will likely see Jose Mourinho show his traditional brand of bus-based caution in a bid to smash and grab the points. Then it’s off to the Hawthorns, with Tony Pulis set to make shackling Hazard the number one priority. Everton and Arsenal follow on in the next three. In short, it’s a hugely testing start for Mourinho’s side.

That all adds up to stuttering beginnings for last season’s top Fantasy asset and, potentially, with Alexis Sanchez and Sergio Aguero active and in demand, we may even start to see Hazard’s huge ownership begin to decline, along with his price.

This all sounds convincing but the flipside is that Hazard will likely end the season as the top scoring player across the Fantasy games. Mourinho will surely find a way of protecting him, granting him space and ensuring he’s the major influence. However, given their early opponents, I’m not sure how quickly that will come together. Until then, I’m wavering.

Is Hazard essential? He is to Chelsea’s title hopes. Right this minute, he’s not to my initial Fantasy lineup.

Like I say, I may have just broken my season already.