Fantasy Premier League Tips: Midfielders for Gameweek 1

by CianTracey on August 16, 2012

As the clock ticks down to the first fantasy premier league deadline of the season we continue our attempts to find the points ahead of gameweek one. This time we turn our thoughts to what has to be the most highly contested area of the pitch, the midfielders. With so many options available to fantasy premier league managers the permutations are enough to make even the most stead fast of managers loose the head.

But as usual we have done our analysis and come up with some early contenders for your gameweek one squad.

Santi Cazorla (Arsenal) £9.0 million. Fixture: Sunderland (Home)

Arsenal’s new Spanish wizard is fully expected to slot straight into Saturdays line up for the visit of Sunderland. Cazorla was part of the Spanish squad that reclaimed their European crown this summer. The attacking midfielder will offer Arsene Wenger another option in the final third with the imminent departure of Van Persie. Cazorla is best suited to playing out wide but don’t be surprised to see him pushed further forward where his pace and quick feet are sure to cause Premiership defenders trouble this coming season. The Spaniard claimed 9 league goals and 5 assists for Malaga last season, which should certainly have fantasy football managers paying careful attention to him. Arsenal will be keen to prove they can survive without RVP and Cazorla is more than capable of chipping in with his share of goals and assists. Sunderland’s leaky defence could see Cazorla get off the mark on his league debut for his new club.

Eden Hazard (Chelsea) £9.5 million. Fixture: Wigan (Away) Reading (Home)

Chelsea’s star signing comes into the game at a hefty £9.5 million. But fantasy football managers have not been put off by the price tag, as he is already one of the most popular selected midfielders. Hazard didn’t exactly set the Community Shield alight last Sunday but the opposition he faces in gameweek one will not be as tough as the Premiership champions. Hazard was in sensational form for Lille last season bagging 22 goals and 16 assists in all competitions. We fully expect Hazard to operate behind Torres along with Mata. This front trio is capable to ripping both Wigan and Reading apart in gameweek one. Chelsea will be conscious of getting off to the best possible start and with two games in the opening gameweek, fantasy football mangers will fully expect them to do so.

Jobi McAnuff (Reading) £5.5 million. Fixture: Stoke (Home) Chelsea (Away)

Reading’s left sided midfielder is another who fantasy football managers will be hoping can profit from the double gameweek. McAnuff scored 5 league goals last campaign and was a key fixture in Reading’s Championship success. Buoyed by being made club captain last year, McAnuff has gone from strength to strength and will be hoping to make an impression on the Premiership this season. At just £5.5 million, he offers a cheaper alternative and with a home fixture against Stoke could prove a decent piece of business for prospective managers.

Mark Noble (West Ham) £5.0 million. Fixture: Aston Villa (Home)

Noble is a player that I’m sure will need no recommending to fantasy football managers. Noble is the heart of West Ham and is guaranteed to play the majority of games this season (injury permitting). His goal return is quite decent for a central midfielder which is mainly due to the fact that Noble is the Hammers’ first choice spot kick taker. He scored 8 goals and a further 9 assists in all competitions last season. He has previous experience of playing in the Premiership and will be keen to show that he has matured in a better player since then. At just £5.0 million Noble is an absolute steal. Just don’t expect his price to remain that low for very long.

Miguel Perez Cuesta (Michu) (Swansea) £6.5 million. Fixture: QPR (Away)

Michu is Swansea’s major coup this summer and if you are to believe what you read about this guy, the Swans have bagged themselves a real talent. The Spanish attacking midfielder joins from Rayo Vallecano with whom he scored 17 goals for last season. He has been given the number 9 shirt for the coming season and is expected to continue his impressive goal scoring record. Michu is already being tipped as one of the bargains of the season without a ball even being kicked such is the expectation surrounding him. If you haven’t already heard of him, Michu could be about to grab your attention as early as gameweek one when Swansea face QPR who narrowly avoided relegation last season.

So there you have our early tips for midfielder tips ahead of the first gameweek of the season, we will be back on Friday with our