Recent weeks have seen Fantasy Premier League managers scrambling around to bring Mohamed Salah into their squads.
The Liverpool star is currently valued at 13.3m so fitting him into a tight FPL budget is a tall order but given his recent form – four double-figure hauls in the last six gameweeks – he’s forcing managers into ripping their teams apart to accommodate him.
However, this season has not been short of FPL options providing substantial value. And managers considering open-heart surgery on their squads to bring in the likes of Salah, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Harry Kane or Raheem Sterling would do well to remember that.
All over the pitch, there is value for money available. For every premium asset, there is a more than useful budget option.
GOALKEEPERS
After winning the Golden Glove last season, David De Gea was naturally the most expensive goalkeeper in FPL this term. However, at 6m, the Spaniard has kept just three clean sheets this campaign.
Neil Etheridge on the other hand, with an original price of 4.5m, has outscored De Gea in points 89 to 62. Despite being the custodian for relegation battlers Cardiff City, Etheridge has proved to be good value.
DEFENDERS
Marcos Alonso has already achieved legendary status in FPL and given his potential for attacking returns, 6.5m seemed fair for the left-back at the start of the season. Indeed, he is once more the highest-scoring defender, bagging 117 points so far.
Matt Doherty though is arguably been the better FPL asset. The Wolves defender has scored 89 points so far and was initially priced at 4.5m, a full 2m cheaper than his counterpart.
MIDFIELDERS
Salah is the reigning king of FPL and though he started this season slowly by his standards, he’s lived up to his original price of 13m lately. With 151 points, the Egyptian is the highest-scoring player in the game, but managers need to make big sacrifices to fit him in.
Alternatively, Ryan Fraser has proved to be the poor man’s Salah. Starting with a price tag of just 5.5m, the Bournemouth midfielder has raced to a tally of 109 so far this season.
FORWARDS
Harry Kane used to be the ultimate budget striker but ever since the season following his breakthrough campaign, he’s been among the most expensive in the game. At 12.5m, the England skipper hasn’t been a must-have this campaign but has still lived up to his billing with 130 points so far.
Meanwhile, Callum Wilson, another Bournemouth asset, has notched up a tally of 105 points. With an initial price of 6m, the striker has fallen short of Kane’s tally by just 25 points while offering savings of a whopping 6.5m to invest elsewhere in the squad.
