Goalkeepers in Fantasy Premier League do not only rely on keeping clean sheets to amass points, with save points a key factor in your choice of keeper, as is not getting hit for 5 or 6 in a game. I am looking at options as set and forgets with a £4.0m goalkeeper on the bench, but hopefully this will help you if you are looking for rotation pairs.
For our Goalkeeper analysis I’ve reviewed the last 2 years clean sheets, the last 2 years saves made, and the last 2 years goals conceded.
The first analysis is on clean sheets.
Premium goalkeepers hold the monopoly on the most clean sheets obviously, however a couple of other options that are clear are Leicester, West Ham, Crystal Palace, Newcastle Bournemouth, Burnley and Brighton.
I’ve then reviewed saves:
Teams
Teams that make a lot of saves with a £5.0m goalkeeper or below are Arsenal, West Ham, Watford, Palace, Bournemouth, Burnley, Southampton and Brighton.
I then reviewed what teams conceded over the last 2 years.
On the face of it, this rules out Bournemouth, Burnley, Southampton and Brighton, however it could be argued Burnley had a great season the year before, so last year could be an anomaly.
I’ve then put these stats together to see who really jumps out as solid options.
For me this shows a couple of real options in Arsenal, West Ham, Palace, Burnley and Brighton.
Bernd Leno (£5.0m) – Arsenal
Arsenal aren’t great at the back as can be seen by the amount of goals they concede and saves that have had to be made. However they are likely to be a top 8 team and could improve defensively with the introduction of Kieran Tierney, if that goes through, whilst Leno will be in his second year with a bit more confidence.
Lukasz Fabianski (£5.0m) – West Ham
Fabianski made the most saves last year and was a great fantasy asset all season. He was my set and forget and has basically been impressive since he joined the Premier League. You could do much worse than rely on Fabianski for the season.
Vincente Guiata (£5.0m) – Crystal Palace
Palace are another team for which you could rely on their keeper. Guiata came in last year and did a great job however they have lost their best defender this pre-season and have some serious injury problems in the centre of defence.
Tom Heaton (£4.5m) & Nick Pope (£4.5m) – Burnley
Burnley could be a great option this season, if only we can find out who the number 1 choice is! Both Heaton and Pope are valued the same, and with Burnely not having Europe this year and able to fully focus on Saturday to Saturday games, I expect them to concede less and keep more clean sheets than last season. Both Heaton and Pope are top class keepers, England internationals and for me, once I know who is the chosen number 1 I will be setting and forgetting them.
Matt Ryan (£4.5m) – Brighton
My final option is Ryan from Brighton, but he comes with a disclaimer. Ryan could be great for save points, but I expect Brighton to be more attacking than last year, and therefore that comes with the risk of conceding more, and possibly shipping quite a few goals in a few games this year. He is however the best nailed on option at £4.5m for the start of the season, so I personally am likely to start with him until I know what is happening with the Burnley ‘keepers.
Written by @LotmerFPL
