As Fantasy Premier League managers can now select their 15-man squads, The Scout analyses standout budget and premium players in each position.
Joshua King (BOU) £6.5m
A favourable run of opening matches for AFC Bournemouth has raised the appeal of their key players.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR), six of the Cherries' first nine opponents score only two.
They face only two of last season's top six in their opening 10 Gameweeks.
Cherries' first 10 GWs
| GW | Opp | FDR | GW | Opp | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | SHU (H) | 2 | 6 | SOU (A) | 2 |
| 2 | AVL (A) | 2 | 7 | WHU (H) | 2 |
| 3 | MCI (H) | 4 | 8 | ARS (A) | 4 |
| 4 | LEI (A) | 3 | 9 | NOR (H) | 2 |
| 5 | EVE (H) | 2 | 10 | WAT (A) | 3 |
That schedule has turned the heads of FPL managers.
Indeed, both King and his strike partner, Callum Wilson (£8.0m), are among the top five most popular forwards in FPL.
They sit in 20.6 and 24.6 per cent of squads respectively.
The underlying statistics suggest King could be the better-value pick for initial squads.
The Norway international surpassed Wilson for shots on goal last season, by 72 to 65. He also had the edge for chances created, by 34 to 30.
👑
— AFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) May 28, 2019
32 right foot 🚀
9 left foot 🎯
1 header 😬
Some great moments in his four years at #afcb, here are all 42 of Joshua King's @premierleague strikes 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uRZex1tsK2
King’s penalty duties are also a factor.
AFC Bournemouth won nine penalties, the third most in the Premier League.
As their first choice, King took six of them and scored five.
Costing only £6.5m, his early fixtures can make him one of the standout cut-price forwards in FPL over the first few months.