This weekend, Manchester City will face Chelsea in the 2019 Carabao Cup final. While excellent news for those two sides, the news is less than delightful for fantasy managers. With this final taking place during a Premier League weekend, two matches have been moved, with four clubs now set to be inactive this round. The impact this will have on fantasy will certainly be significant as many "set-and-forget" players will be unavailable in the ESPN game with players missing from each and every tier.
Fortunately though, this gives us an opportunity to highlight, and potentially select, players who tend to be overlooked both in their tiers and in fantasy on the whole. All of these players are selected on small fraction of teams, making them excellent differential options who could help you win your matchups in the short term -- and your league in the long term.
Joshua King, Bournemouth, Tier 2 forward
The Bournemouth attack was purring in the early stages of the 2018/19 seasons with Ryan Fraser setting up goals and Callum Wilson putting them in the back of the net. Unfortunately for the Cherries, surrounding rumors disrupted the equation, as well as a knee injury to Wilson. In the latter's absence, former fantasy darling King has stepped to the fore.
People may remember the Norwegian international's heroics during the 2016/17 season and, though he's yet to reach those heights again, he seems to be rounding into form nicely. Over the past five matches, King ranks top five in goals and his 37.3 point outing against Chelsea is the fourth highest in the ESPN game over that period. He does tend to have highs and lows, but there is a logic to it. He's just really, really good at home.
This season, King has been involved in 11 goals (eight scored, three assisted) and a whopping nine of those have come at the Vitality Stadium. So, while options like Mitrovic and Zaha are definitely more flashy in the second forward tier, if King is playing at home, you should consider starting him.
James Maddison, Leicester City, Tier 2 midfielder
Maddison proved an incredible fantasy asset at the start of the season in Tier 3, having been directly involved in five goals (three goals, two assists) in his first seven weeks as a Premier League player. Unfortunately, a bump up in tier and a drop off in formal production have seen the Leicester man's relevancy fade with the big name players from big clubs tending to steal the spotlight.
It's understandable that Maddison has lost many believers due to his lack of goals and assists of late but on the pitch -- and in the ESPN game -- he does so much more than that. In fact, the young Englishman leads his tier in goals, shots on target and blocks, while ranking top five in nine of our 15 scoring categories. That level of multifaceted production allows Maddison to continue to produce even when he's not firing, having posted just three sub-five point appearances this season. After all, four of his last five highest point tallies came in matches in which he neither scored nor assisted. So, with a fairly decent floor established, what's his upside?
Maddison is currently second in chances created (64), just four behind league leader Eden Hazard (68), yet the Englishman has somehow managed seven fewer assists than the Belgian superstar thus far. Common sense tells us that the assists will come sooner than later if he is able to keep up this level of production. It's true that Maddison doesn't need the assists to be a usable fantasy option but, they're likely coming soon, and you'll want him in your team when they do.
Aaron Mooy, Huddersfield, Tier 3 midfielder
I wrote about Aaron Mooy in November and deemed him a must-start in the third midfield tier, and then he almost immediately suffered a knee injury that kept him out for two months. Now the Australian midfielder is back and playing his unique brand of football providing him a unique place in the ESPN game.
While fantasy players typically chase goals and assists, Mooy just isn't that type of player, but it doesn't prevent him from being a usable asset, especially in the third tier. In fact, his consistency, in my opinion, is his greatest strength. Yes, he's scored more than 15 points just once, but he's also scored fewer than five points just once, as well. Frankly, you probably aren't going to win your matchup with your third midfielder pick, but you can certainly lose it there if a high-upside gamble goes bust in a given week.
In many ways, Mooy is the vegetables on the plate of your fantasy team. He's not what you want for your first bite, but he makes the meal better for you. So sit there, put him in your team, eat your 5 to 15 points ... and like it!
Ricardo Pereira, Leicester City, Tier 2 defender
There are only two high-upside defenders left in tier two. With Jose Holebas suspended, let's talk about Ricardo Pereira. Like his aforementioned Leicester teammate, Pereira has been very impressive in his debut Premier League season. The right back has proven to be capable at both ends of the pitch, but his attacking prowess has really caught the eye.
Over the past five match weeks, Pereira has been top five in both chances created (12) and assists (2) among all players. Among defenders, he ranks top five in goal contributions (6) with two goals and four assists, making him one of the premier options at his position, let alone the second tier of it.
Of course, no fantasy equation is complete without discussing opponents, and Pereira and the rest of the Leicester defense are in line for a very nice run over the next couple of months. While the Foxes are coming off of a disappointing loss to Tottenham, they should take comfort in the fact that they will not face another top six side until Matchweek 36! Against lesser opposition, the Portuguese defender should be able to get up the pitch far more frequently to contribute the goals and assists that he's shown capable of providing.
Lukasz Fabianski, West Ham United, Goalkeeper
Fabianski has been a save monster for years and that certainly hasn't changed since the goalkeeper switched Wales for London. This season, the former Arsenal man actually leads the league in saves, but he does not lead ESPN Fantasy Soccer in selections or points.
This is likely due to the fact that West Ham boast a bottom-10 defense ... which means plenty of goals conceded at minus-5 points per action. That has certainly drained Fabianski of some potential upside. The lack of clean sheets is also a concern as the Hammers are actually joint second-worst in that category in the league, preventing the 10 points that come from them, as well.
Fortunately, our game does give points to keepers who concede just once in a match, which the Polish netminder has done more than any other Premier League player this season (11). Combined with his saves, that makes up the majority of his production, but he also ranks top five in crosses claimed and punched, as well as penalty saves. Ederson and Alisson draw all of the attention at the position, but Fabianski is a fantastic option who should certainly be a part of more fantasy teams.