Hi all,

Today we move on to the most exciting area of the squad (in my opinion), the midfield. A mix of punty options and big hitting Mids is needed for a successful campaign, and picking the right ones will be crucial.

Other than the usual FPL rules (and 6 points for a goal), midfielders can gain points in a huge number of ways: successful crosses, key passes, big chances created as well as the CBI rules mentioned in the defenders article. Crossing however seems an area in which very few players will gain points for, as 3 accurate crosses in a game is a tall order for players not on set pieces. We will be focusing more on Key passes (chances created).

These rules mean midfielders get the most points out of any position in UFPL and this is where you want to spend most of your money.

With these rules creative midfield players that can also score are a necessity. Although goal scoring centre-midfield players who also put in a defensive shift can quickly rack up the points by contributing in both phases of play. Defensive midfielders are also an option, with a steady stream of points from CBIs, and the ones which can pick up a goal can be brilliant bargain options.

Midfield makeup should consist of a few good reserve players, a couple of mid priced Saturday punts and a solid backbone of big hitters. We will talk though the various options now. All stats shown are on a per game basis, and are from Whoscored.com

Reserves

Albrighton (4.5m) – 20th in key passes, 2nd in Accurate Crosses, cheap, dangerous, usable, what more do you want or 4.5

Jedinak (5m) – 16th Highest scoring from last year, 1st by an absolute mile on CBI stats, Nailed on for every match, could be on pens. Jedinak scores so highly you wont want him in the reserves.

Mid Price

Many mid-to-low priced players score so highly you will want them in your team. These payers tend to score well with a mix of CBI points and a few goals or assists along the way, they are usually on set-peices. In my opinion these are better options than players like Arnautavic or Siggurdson as they provide steady points when they don’t score or assist, and monster hauls when they do.

Noble – (5.5m) – 14th on CBIs, 3rd on Recoveries, 3 Goals, 6 Assists, absolute monster in UFPL, Finished as 6th highest scoring Mid, on Pens, buy him!

Snodgrass (6.0m) – 6th on Key Passes, Goals, assists and set pieces all in his locker.

Huddlestone (5.5m) – 11th Highest scoring mid, 6th on CBI, 5th on Recoveries ,Monopolizes set pieces, Hull have excellent early fixtures

Tadic (7.5m) – Bit of a punt here, averaged 4 key passes a game last year, can score, assist, should be on Pens and some Free kicks, Southampton have the best opening fixtures of them all.

Premium Options

Hazard (10m) – 14 goals, 10 assists, 5th in Key Passes, 3rd Highest scoring mid, On pens and some free kicks, Hazard has it all, will pick up points in every way possible, I’d back him to have an even better year this year.

Ramsey (9m) – only played half a season last year, still managed 10 goals, 9 assists and was the 12th highest scoring midfielder. His central midfield role means he can pick up the occasional CBIR points too.

Silva (9m) – the pass master, despite not being hugely popular in the regular game, his Key passing stats make him ideally suited to a place in your UFPL team. 1st in key passes, 7 goals, 12 assists, 8th highest scoring midfielder.

Conclusion

These are just a few good options for your UFPL team, but there are a dearth of quality midfield options this year, players like Eriksen, Ozil and Nasri to name but a few. Most importantly do your research, have a look at the members table son Fantasyfootballscout.com and the passing stats on whoscored.com.

Any thoughts or opinions?

Thanks for reading,

Ben