The Scout runs the rule over players ranked highly in the ICT Index.
The Index helps Fantasy Premier League managers look beyond points to determine players' values as FPL assets through their Influence, Creativity and Threat.
Neil Etheridge (£4.7m)
For the third successive season, a goalkeeper could be the number one player for value in FPL.
Tom Heaton (£4.8m) and Lukasz Fabianski (£4.7m) have offered the best points-per-million value over the previous two campaigns.
This term, Cardiff City shot-stopper Etheridge leads the way after 26 Gameweeks.
He has 113 points, only five fewer than the top-scoring goalkeeper, Alisson (£6.0m).
While Alisson has claimed 14 clean sheets for Liverpool, Etheridge has seven shutouts by comparison.
Leading ICT players this season
| Player | ICT Influence | Owned | Points per million (£) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salah | 905 | 50.4 | 13.9 |
| Hazard | 902 | 26.6 | 15.3 |
| Pogba | 855 | 42.5 | 16.3 |
| Sterling | 804 | 10.9 | 15.3 |
| Etheridge | 793 | 12.5 | 24.0 |
Instead, it is Etheridge's ability to consistently produce saves that raises his FPL potential.
He has made 95 saves for the Bluebirds, including keeping out three penalties.
Yet he is owned by only 12.5 per cent of FPL managers, almost half that of Alisson's 24.4 per cent.
It is the budget freed up by buying Etheridge that is key to his appeal.
Owning the Cardiff goalkeeper along with AFC Bournemouth winger Ryan Fraser (£6.1m), for example, would cost a total of £10.8m.
That is the same cost as Alisson and James McArthur (£4.8m), who is the top-scoring FPL midfielder under £5.0m.
| Players | Cost | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Etheridge/Fraser | 10.8 | 234 |
| Alisson/McArthur | 10.8 | 198 |
While the latter duo totalled 198 points, that is some way behind the 234 points offered by an Etheridge/Fraser combination.
This shows that, by targeting cut-price goalkeepers who offer plenty of saves, FPL managers can free up the budget to strengthen their attacks.
Also in this series
Part 2: ICT Analysis: Van Aanholt creativity on the rise
Part 3: ICT Analysis: Chambers offers cut-price solution
Part 4: ICT Analysis: Gross can profit from run-in
Part 5: ICT Analysis: Mane goal threat growing
Part 6: ICT Analysis: Zaha's influence on the rise
Part 7: ICT Analysis: Barnes rivalling Aguero