As Fantasy Premier League managers can now select their 15-man squads, The Scout analyses standout budget and premium players in each position.
Patrick Bamford (LEE) £8.0m
Leeds United have a somewhat mixed schedule to start the 2021/22 campaign.
They face three of last term's top 10 sides, Manchester United, Everton and Liverpool in the first four Gameweeks.
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According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of those matches scores four.
However, Leeds' longer-term schedule is far more favourable, with six of their opening 10 encounters scoring only two in the FDR.
Leeds’ first 10 Gameweeks
| GW | Opponent | FDR | GW | Opponent | FDR |
| 1 | MUN (A) | 4 | 6 | WHU (H) | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | EVE (H) | 4 | 7 | WAT (H) | 2 |
| 3 | BUR (A) | 2 | 8 | SOU (A) | 2 |
| 4 | LIV (H) | 4 | 9 | WOL (H) | 2 |
| 5 | NEW (A) | 2 | 10 | NOR (A) | 2 |
Bamford enjoyed an outstanding season on his return to the Premier League last term.
Initially priced at just £5.5m, he finished as the second top-scoring forward in Fantasy on 194 points, producing 17 goals and supplying 11 assists.
That has earned him a price rise of £2.5m this time around.
Bamford's goals 2020/21
Nonetheless, the statistics show Bamford can thrive over that testing early schedule and prove he's worth the extra outlay.
The Leeds frontman was a major threat when facing sides who finished in the top 10 in 2020/21.
His 56 shots, 49 shots in the box, 17 big chances and 22 shots on target against such opponents all ranked top among forwards.
Despite his exploits last term, Bamford is only the third most popular Leeds player in opening squads, owned by 17.2 per cent.
But as the focal point of Marcelo Bielsa's attacking team, the striker can justify his new cost and reward those backers with early goals and assists.