Fantasy Premier League: The top players after the first four rounds
Goalkeepers
The differences between goalkeepers at the top are very close. Somewhat surprisingly, Tottenham's Guglielmo Vicario, who has repaid the faith of the five percent of managers who have kept him in their team so far, is in the lead with 21 points.
Worth mentioning is Alphonse Areola, who is just a point behind him and, thanks to the price tag (4.1m), is the best value-for-money keeper at this stage. He and Matt Turner were the two most selected goalkeepers costing that little at the beginning of the season, but the Frenchman is outperforming his rival so far. What's more, Turner now has to compete with new signing Odysseas Vlachodimos, who isn't coming to Nottingham Forest to sit on the bench.
Andre Onana has yet to back up his status as the second-most-owned goalkeeper in the game with points - after scoring nine against Wolves on his debut, he has only picked up two more since.
Among goalkeepers with a price tag of 4.5, Everton's Jordan Pickford has earned the trust of the most managers early on, but to say he hasn't been the best of fantasy keepers would be an understatement. In the first four rounds, he's managed to score an own goal and has just scored five points in total.
Regardless of who you have in goal though, if you're planning to use your wildcard fairly soon, I'd wait for that rather than wasting a free transfer on this area of the pitch.
DEFENDERS
Like the goalkeeper he plays ahead of, Spurs' Cristian Romero, who has managed to add two goals to his two clean sheets is top dog in his position with 27 points. Trailing him is his teammate Destiny Udogie, who is showing potential on the left side of defence.
Crystal Palace centre-back Joachim Andersen, with one goal and one clean sheet, is on 23 points, and although Brighton haven't managed to keep a clean sheet yet, Pervis Estupinan has managed to score 21 points, mainly thanks to a goal and two assists. He has had 24 touches of the ball in the opponents' penalty area, the most among defenders, but has a tough schedule ahead of him, which is something to consider.
Polish international Matty Cash managed to score the highest number of points in one game among defenders so far, 17 points in Gameweek 3 against Burnley, but he also scored minus points against Newcastle and Liverpool. However, as the defender is currently playing in a more advanced role on the right side of the Villans midfield, he's someone you should keep an eye on.
The last defender worth mentioning is Malo Gusto of Chelsea. Replacing Reece James on the right side of defence, he delighted his managers with 14 points in the game against Luton. At a price tag of 4.0 (now 4.2), he's an excellent bargain, but James is returning after injury, so buying his backup is no longer a good option.
MIDFIELDERS
Ignoring a certain Norwegian striker, the fantasy star of the season thus far is clearly Brentford winger Bryan Mbeumo. He's filling the void left by Ivan Toney and is even taking penalties in place of the England international. He has scored four goals in the opening four rounds, with two coming from the spot. With a price tag of 6.8, he's a real bargain. Moreover, Brentford have some very winnable games coming up.
Close behind the Mbeumo is England international Jarrod Bowen, who has managed to score three times and has one assist. However, as the Hammers have games against Manchester City and Liverpool coming, I would recommend waiting to buy him.
In the Brighton shirt, Japanese sensation Kaoru Mitoma is being slightly overshadowed by team-mate Solly March, who is third among the midfielders. However, as with Bowen, I would wait and focus on other players given the schedule Mitoma and March have.
Those other players could be James Maddison and Heung-min Son. Maddison looks to be one of the signings of the summer, instantly becoming the brains of Spurs and playing a part in everything they do going forward. Son meanwhile thrived in the last game when he replaced Richarlison at the spearhead of the attack and the role suited him perfectly, so it will be important to see whether he keeps playing there in the coming games or returns to the wing.
Mo Salah hasn't yet fully justified his 12.5 price tag, and with 23 points he is languishing on the cusp of the top ten midfielders. Last to mention, somewhat surprisingly, is Bruno Fernandes; he has 18 points so far, but it has to be said that he is second only to Bryan Mbeumo when it comes to expected goals among midfielders, so he is not fulfilling his potential yet but we can assume that the points will come.
FORWARDS
What else is there to say about Erling Haaland? Although his price has risen from last season to 14.0, the Norwegian is worth every penny. With 39 points, he leads the Premier League's all-time scorers table and already has six goals and one assist. Barring injuries or Pep Guardiola starting to rotate the line-up more, he should be the cornerstone of every squad for the rest of the season.
His strike partner Julian Alvarez is getting good minutes at the moment and is only 11 points behind him. It remains to be seen whether Guardiola continues to use him much but, at a price of less than 7.0, he is an excellent buy so far.
Brighton's young starlet Evan Ferguson and Nottingham Forest's Taiwo Awoniyi are tied for third. Ferguson bagged a hat-trick against Newcastle but was subsequently unable to take part in Ireland's Euro 2024 qualifiers due to injury. Awoniyi meanwhile has three goals in four league games.
It will be interesting to see how Darwin Nunez fares going forward for Liverpool. The Uruguayan striker earned a place in the starting line-up with a brace against Newcastle and has rewarded Jurgen Klopp with two assists. He often misses chances, but if he continues to start, his potential for the future is huge.
Cameron Archer also has a lot of potential given his price tag. He moved from Aston Villa to Sheffield United before the end of the summer transfer window and immediately notched a goal and an assist against Everton. With a price tag of 4.5, he seems like an ideal addition to the attacking ranks.
