Fantasy Premier League 2021 First Reaction – I’m Thinking It’s Back!

Arsenal's striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, English Premier League (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images)
Arsenal's striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, English Premier League (Photo by IAN KINGTON/AFP via Getty Images) /
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Position Changes

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (12m, FWD -> MID)

It was much-vaunted but I never thought they would. Aubameyang played much of last season on the wing with Lacazette or Nketiah featuring as the main striker. The people at FPL have been very steadfast with their definitions; Alonso, Doherty and other wingbacks have stayed as defenders despite spending more time in the opposition box than their own.

Meanwhile, Salah and Mane are often further ahead of Firmino but because they play on the wing while the Brazilian stays in the middle they remain midfielders and a forward, respectively. Therefore, we now have Aubameyang as a midfielder!

Last year he scored 22 goals and 205 points! Given his positional change meaning additional point per goal and per clean sheet (with a slight reduction in BPS), he would probably have ended up at ~230.

We also have rumours swirling that Lacazette could be out the door this summer, which could mean he ends up OOP as a striker! If that happens he is never ever leaving my team. As it stands he is in my initial drafts and I think he could be a season keeper if Arteta’s project starts to take off with him front and centre.

Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial (9.5m/9.0m, FWD <->MID)

Similar to Aubameyang, Rashford spent much of last season listed as a forward but playing on the wing. Meanwhile, Martial was listed as a mid but playing as the central striker. They have duly been switched and with a generous price hike for Martial to go alongside.

This would also mean their points would roughly swap, Rashford scored 177 but would get closer to 200 with the additional points, while Martial was on 200 and would be back to ~175. They are probably both good options if Man United can maintain the form they showed during the final run-in, but I would lean towards Rashford thanks to that extra point per goal and clean sheets.