With 2020/21 Fantasy Premier League now over, The Scout reviews each position to highlight lessons from the season and players to consider next term.
Midfielders
A loan move to West Ham United helped transform Jesse Lingard’s potential in Fantasy this season.
The midfielder had failed to feature in any of Manchester United‘s first 21 matches before joining the Hammers in January.
Yet Lingard thrived under David Moyes, scoring nine goals and supplying five assists in 16 appearances.
His average of 6.6 points per match (ppm) was identical to that of Bruno Fernandes, who finished the season as the top-scoring player in Fantasy.
Best midfielders for points per match*
| Player | Points per match | Total points |
| Bruno Fernandes | 6.6 | 244 |
|---|---|---|
| Jesse Lingard | 6.6 | 106 |
| Mohamed Salah | 6.2 | 231 |
| Son Heung-min | 6.2 | 228 |
| Gareth Bale | 5.7 | 113 |
| Ilkay Gundogan | 5.6 | 157 |
| Kevin De Bruyne | 5.6 | 141 |
| Riyad Mahrez | 5.4 | 145 |
| Jack Grealish | 5.2 | 135 |
| Sadio Mane | 5.0 | 176 |
| Raheem Sterling | 5.0 | 154 |
| Harvey Barnes | 5.0 | 126 |
*Minimum two appearances
Jack Grealish and Harvey Barnes also ranked among the top 10 midfielders for ppm.
Aston Villa‘s Grealish produced six goals and 12 assists in the first 24 Gameweeks before being sidelined through injury.
His average of 5.2ppm was more than the 5.0ppm of Liverpool winger Sadio Mane, who finished as the fourth top-scoring midfielder in the game on 176 points.
Leicester City‘s Barnes also had his campaign disrupted by injury, yet still matched Mane’s 5.0ppm thanks to nine goals and five assists.
Foden and Jota to push on?
Phil Foden and Diogo Jota were also among the top performers for ppm, returning 4.8 and 4.5 respectively.
However, 11 of Foden’s 28 outings were as a substitute for Manchester City.
He averaged 6.8 ppm when named in the starting XI, producing eight goals and seven assists in 17 appearances.
If he avoids rotation next term, Foden can emerge as a key figure in midfield for Fantasy managers.
Jota, meanwhile, averaged a goal every 123.7 minutes. That ranked second among all midfielders, bettering the 140 minutes of his Liverpool team-mate Mohamed Salah.
Raphinha appeal
Finally, Raphinha showed huge all-round potential after signing for Leeds United last summer.
The Brazilian did not make his first start of the season until Gameweek 9.
But his totals of 65 shots, 43 shots in the penalty area and 24 shots were all among the top six midfielders from that point onwards.
And his 64 key passes, 12 big chances and 10 assists placed among the top three.
Also in this series
Part 1: FPL positions: Martinez shows the many routes to points
Part 2: FPL positions: Promoted goalkeepers among best for value
Part 3: FPL positions: Full-backs dominant in defence
Part 4: FPL positions: Tuchel’s Chelsea the best defence
Part 5: FPL positions: Midfielders merit more attention
Part 7: FPL positions: Rely on Kane against lower-ranked sides
Part 8: FPL positions: Iheanacho and Watkins can push on
