Fantasy Premier League: Writer's Team of the Season

A chaotic, unpredictable, and entertaining season of Fantasy Premier League has drawn to a close.rnrnWith several premium and budget players performing exceedingly well and a Premier League season interrupted with COVID, 21/22 turned into one of the most topsy-turvy seasons of Fantasy Premier League.rnrnA large chunk of gameweeks in the middle with random game postponements, players unexpectedly missing out due to COVID, and as many as TWELVE Double Gameweeks! A thoroughly chaotic season of FPL.rnrnAs is the nature of the game, there are certain players whose emotional status for FPL players depends very much on which side of the formers' points they ended up, on.rnrnSome players' streaky nature makes them legends or trolls, depending on even the timing of their ownership. All things considered, I've put together my Fantasy Premier League Team of the Season!rnrn[nextslide teaser="Goalkeeper" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_87900" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Aaron Ramsdale of Arsenal makes a save (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Goalkeeper: Aaron Ramsdale (4.5m, Arsenal) rnEven though Aaron Ramsdale went through a rough patch for points in the final third of the season and finished only 5th in the Goalkeeper standing for total points with 135, I'm strongly of the opinion that he's deserving of a spot here, and I'll explain why.rnrnThe 4.5 million-priced Arsenal Goalkeeper came into the team right about a popular time for the first Wildcard being deployed by Fantasy managers.rnrnHistorically, good defensive data meant Robert Sanchez from Brighton at the same price was a popular contender for the goalkeeper spot too, as were other goalkeepers in the 5.0 and even 5.5 category.rnrnHowever, early adopters of Aaron Ramsdale were rewarded with six scores of 6 points or more in his first 13 appearances. He tended to make saves and subsequently do well with the bonus point system, meaning a clean sheet usually meant save and bonus points, giving him haul potential.rnrnHe scored far higher than any other goalkeeper in his price category in this initial period, giving FPL managers who bought him a big field advantage and as much as a 0.7m price rise!rnrnBy the time his performances and points began to fall off, his ownership was extremely high - the most popular goalkeeper in the game by some distance - meaning this points dropoff didn't impact managers quite as badly, since most were in the same boat.rnrnFor the big push that he gave his ownership in his first few months at a basement price of 4.5, Aaron Ramsdale is in the FPL Team of the Season, for me.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Defence%20-%20Big%20at%20the%20Back" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_87897" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Trent Alexander Arnold of Liverpool FC, Andy Robertson of Liverpool FC (Photo by David S. Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)[/caption]rn While Reece James, Joel Matip and Ben White made a strong case to be included in my Fantasy Premier League team of the season, the role-redefining point-scoring ability and longevity of the 3 premium defenders meant it was ultimately difficult to leave any of them out. rn Defenders:rnTrent Alexander-Arnold (7.5m, Liverpool) rn Delivering the goods for a third season running, Trent is arguably my favourite Fantasy Premier League asset in the entire game. He's redefined the point scoring potential of defenders with his second 200+ point season in three years and has done so with remarkable consistency.rnrnTwo goals, 12 assists, 18 clean sheets and a massive 32 bonus points en route to 208 points this season. Ended the season as high as 8.4 million and anything under 8.5 million next season will still be a bargain. To top off his consistency, Trent even brought haul potential such that he was a genuine captaincy option over an on-fire Mo Salah.rn Joao Cancelo (6.0, Manchester City) rnCancelo made a complete mockery of his 6.0m starting price. The City defender was truly integral to the way Manchester City played , making himself a reliable starter in a traditionally rotation-heavy team.rnrnCancelo spent much of the season as an auxiliary midfielder on the underlap when he started at left or right back. Despite underperforming his goalscoring expected data, Cancelo ended with 1 goal, 11 assists, 19 clean sheets and 27 bonus points on his way to breaking the 200 point barrier with a score of 201. A sure-shot to be included in my team next season.rn Andy Robertson (7.0, Liverpool) rnIt's boring to pick the 3 most obvious defensive picks but the fact remains that their level of output, consistency and reliability in playing nearly every game has placed them in an entirely different league of defensive royalty.rnrnAndy Robertson found his mojo in the second half of the season, outscoring his teammate Trent in that period. He managed 3 goals, 11 assists and 17 clean sheets to end up with another terrific 186 point total.rnrn[nextslide teaser="Five-star%20Midfield" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_87898" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United battles for possession with Bukayo Saka of Arsenal (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Five picks from Midfield:rnMohamed Salah (12.5m, Liverpool) rnAn absolute Fantasy Premier League juggernaut. I can seldom remember one single player combining his combination of explosivity, consistency and durability over five full seasons.rnrnJust incredible. Despite missing a couple of games due to international commitments, the Egyptian King scored 23 goals and got 14 assists, getting himself a season-high of 265 points total.rnrnHis first half of the season was so good, that he looked on course to even break his record of 303 points. Despite tailing off a bit in the final stretch, Salah was perma-owned and perma-capped by the vast majority of FPL managers throughout this season. True Fantasy Premier League royalty.rn Heung-Min Son (10.0m, Tottenham Hotspur) rn"Sonaldo", as he's affectionately known by FPL managers on social media, truly came into his own in the counter-attacking and direct setup instituted by Antonio Conte.rnrnHis goalscoring output over the final quarter of the season was key in making or breaking FPL seasons, such was its magnitude, and it propelled Son right into the golden boot race.rnrnA brace on the final day deservedly had him finish level with Salah on 23 goals and share the golden boot. 258 points, his second straight 220+ point season and his best one yet in FPL.rn rn &#x1f947; Most Castrol Golden Boots in #PL history:

rn4 - Thierry Henryrn3 - Mohamed Salah, Harry Kane, Alan Shearer pic.twitter.com/QuqGoWa7Lz rnrn— Premier League (@premierleague) May 24, 2022 rn rn Jarrod Bowen (6.5m, West Ham United) rnOne of the best players in the Premier League this season, even FPL aside. West Ham started the season on fire but all the attention and points were going the way of Michail Antonio and Said Benrahma.rnrnBowen's underlying numbers were quietly strong and despite only scoring his first goal of the season in GW7, Jarrod Bowen ended the season with a sensational 12 goals and 17 assists.rnrnBreaching the elusive 200 point mark for the season from the modest starting price of 6.5, Bowen delivered at all the right times, including when he was a popular captain in a Double Gameweek and his season will go down as a classic in the realms of Fantasy Premier League.rn Bukayo Saka (6.5m, Arsenal) rnSaka may have finished 7th in the list of total points scored by midfielders, but he earns his worthy spot in this team. Finishing second for "value" (points per million) for midfielders over the season, Saka came to the fore and delivered with consistency at exactly the right time that most FPL managers looked to own him.rnrnHe also burst into life roundabout GW26 when Arsenal's favourable schedule meant a host of managers were looking to him as the Arsenal attacker of choice. He didn't miss a single game this season and managed 11 goals and 9 assists in a young Arsenal team, but he makes it this time for a very underappreciated quality in FPL - reliability.rn rn Here are your #FPL 2021/22 top bonus points scorers... pic.twitter.com/5PEczv6DBq

rn— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) May 24, 2022 rn rn Kevin De Bruyne (12.0m, Manchester City) rnI was reluctantly going to leave De Bruyne out in favour of Mason Mount, Dejan Kulusevski or James Maddison but ultimately, it was silly to not pick a midfielder that hit close to 200 points.rnrnDe Bruyne missed a few games due to injuries early in the season but once he regained his fitness, he hit his stride notching 15 goals, 8 assists and a game-high 33 bonus points. Seldom rotated to the bench when fit, De Bruyne scored at 6.5 points per game and was the weapon of choice for "chasing" managers in the second half of the season.rnrnHis 30 points scored in the penultimate Double Gameweek of the season actually served to alter the fabric of the overall top-10 of Fantasy Premier League worldwide, and that performance will go down as a cherished memory for captainers and triple captainers, alike. An incredible player with yet another monster season.rnrn[nextslide teaser="An%20underwhelming%20season%20for%20Forwards" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_87899" align="aligncenter" width="590"] Ivan Toney of Brentford (Photo by Craig Mercer/MB Media/Getty Images)[/caption]rn Forwards:rnHarry Kane (12.5m, Tottenham Hotspur) rnLike other Spurs assets, Kane had a slow start to the season but really kicked on when Conte came to the helm.rnrnIn a season where almost no other forwards showed any semblance of consistency and reliability, Harry Kane stood up with 17 goals, 11 assists, and a very strong 192 points in his joint-lowest goalscoring league campaign in 8 years.rn Ivan Toney (6.5m, Brentford) rnIt's not very often that a striker from a promoted team makes it into the FPL team of the season but Ivan Toney has had an impressive campaign. Starting out at a very kind price, Toney hit 12 goals and 5 assists on his way to a 139-point campaign.rnrnEven though Teemu Pukki outscored Toney by 3 points, it was from more games with Toney outscoring Pukki 4.2 vs 3.8 for points per match.rnrn[story_link_related select_cta="must_read" description="Chelsea%20End%20of%20Season%20Review" url="https://thetopflight.com/2022/05/23/end-season-review-chelsea/" /]rnrnA consistent performer and a good value return for a player who could be a reasonably good set-and-forget striker option next year if he comes in at 7-7.5 million.

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Fantasy Premier League: Writer’s Team of the Season

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