The Case for the Defence in Sky Sports Fantasy Football
The new Sky Sports Fantasy Football season is nearly here - and a closer look at the trends of recent season shows the importance of defence.
Last year saw a record number of defenders (five) break into the top 10 point-scorers in the Sky Sports Fantasy Football charts - the most out of any position.
From the rise in possession football in the Premier League under Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola to a desire for attacking full-backs - Andrew Robertson (12 assists) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (11 assists) impressed in 2018/19 - we take a closer look at the increasing recent emphasis on defenders in Sky Sports Fantasy Football.
2016/17: Azpilicueta stars
Cesar Azpilicueta was the sole defender to make it into the top 10 in 2016/17, finishing in ninth position. The Spaniard was the first defender in the history of Sky Sports Fantasy Football to achieve this and has since earned a place inside the top 10 for 2017/18 and 2018/19.
Azpilicueta has registered 669 points from 2016 to 2019, again highlighting the point-pulling power that centre-backs or full-backs - he has played in both positions - now possess.
2017/18: City players profit
Kyle Walker edged into ninth position with a haul of 204 Sky Sports Fantasy Football points, which was due to clean sheets and bonus points for Manchester City in their record-breaking season of 2017/18.
Just four points separated Nicolas Otamendi (244) and Cesar Azpilicueta (240) as they took up the fourth and fifth positions respectively. Otamendi registered 14 clean sheets and found the back of the net four times, while Azpilicueta capped 15 clean sheets with two goals and assists. Both players earned valuable Sky Sports Fantasy Football points from unlikely and underestimated positions.
2018/19: Van Dijk imperious
Virgil van Dijk topped the charts in a whirlwind year, recording 299 points and averaging 7.9 per match. The Dutchman won the Champions League, PFA Player of the Year and helped his national side to reach the UEFA Nations League final.
His statistics in Sky Sports Fantasy Football certainly matched up as he kept 20 clean sheets and scored four goals as Liverpool reached 97 points. Van Dijk also hit tier-one and tier-two passing bonus points on 27 occasions.
Aymeric Laporte (second in points) managed to do this an impressive 28 times, with 25 of those coming from tier two (70 or more passes in a single game), adding an additional 75 points to his overall tally of 269 in 2018/19. The Frenchman scored 30.57 points-per-million (£8.8m last year), more than any other player, proving a valuable and pivotal pick for Sky Sports Fantasy Football bosses.
2019/20: Defence key again?
With the emphasis more than ever on defenders, there is enough value in each player to be convinced that they are worth researching as much as the attacking stars.
Their point-scoring has increased year-on-year; who knows what the top five or 10 players in Sky Sports Fantasy Football will look like in 12 months' time?
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