The Best Value Strikers Make The Difference
Here we will discuss the best value strikers that are under £7.0m (that’s £6.5m or under) in FPL this year. Unless you decide to sacrifice any type of quality in your midfield then the chances are you are going to have at least one, maybe two, lower priced strikers in your team.
Shane Long – £6.5m
The first choice striker at Southampton appears to be filled by Shane Long. Southampton are a team that currently have two strikers in their ranks (the other being Charlie Austin) with a talented midfield behind them. With the likes of Tadic, Davis and new signing Redmond behind them we can expect plenty of goal scoring opportunities. Long scored 109 points last season. These factors, coupled with his pre-season form, could make Long a steal at £6.5m.
Andre Gray – £6.5m
For someone who has never tasted the Premier League, and who has only had three seasons in the Championship, there is an enormous amount of expectation of Andre Gray. Despite playing for one of the relegation favorites Burnley, he is currently being backed by 11.4% of FPL managers. The expectation clearly comes from his 23 goals in last season’s Championship win. Since then he has scored a staggering 9 goals in pre-season. With statistics like this his price tag may be more than fair and could prove to be one of this season’s best value strikers.
Alvaro Negredo – £6.5m
The last time we saw Alvaro Negredo in the Premier League was two seasons ago where he scored 9 goals in 32 Premier League appearances. In all competitions that season he was very close to one in two. Now playing for Middlesbrough we can expect him to be their first choice striker. If you are looking for proven quality with at least some Premier League experience then Negredo at £6.5m may be a good option.
Andy Carroll – £6.5m
Another option at £6.5m. Andy Carroll has been plying his trade in the Premier League for close to a decade now. His goals per appearances ratio isn’t actually too impressive. However, his points per minutes played ratio is a lot more appealing. He also has a midfield behind him that boasts the likes of Feghouli, Noble, Ayew and of course Payet. This, and his form towards the end of last season and his two goals recently against Juventus may be the catalyst for his best season to date. Certainly another attractive option at £6.5m.
Abel Hernandez – £6.0m
Reaching his prime Abel Hernandez might be a great differential. Only picked by 1.0% he is a striker that has the ability to make or break your team. Last season he scored 20 league goals in 39 appearances. The reservations some FPL managers will have is that Championship goals rarely translates to an equal or close amount of Premier League goals. On top of this, much like Burnley, Hull may struggle for goals. An unlikely candidate to be one of the best value strikers but if you want to take a punt Hernandez could be the way to go.
You can see the effect the best value strikers had on FPL last year by checking out our Fantasy Premier League 2015/16 Review.