My Fantasy Team is (Probably) Better Than Yours

How good is my fantasy team you ask? Really god damn good. I guess you could kind of call me a fantasy sports guru. I owned March Madness thanks to the Virginia Cavaliers and Kyle Guy. Now, I'm hoping that luck will translate into the Premier League. This is my first year doing Premier League fantasy and after a riveting draft, I cant wait for the season to start.

1st

So who did I pick first? Romelu Lukaku. KIDDING. I think I was the 8th overall pick (out of 9) and I somehow snagged Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with my first pick. Tied for the golden boot last year with 22 goals, Auba is one of the leagues top forwards (no crap). There's no doubt in my mind that he'll follow up a great season with an even better one. Perhaps the arrival of Nicolas Pepe will propel him to new levels?

2nd

Now I know what you were thinking. There's no way he didn't draft Paul Pogba first overall. He's always talking about the Frenchmen nonstop. Oh, I did draft him. Just with my second pick. Not a clue why he was still on the board in the 2nd round. 

transfermarkt.com

Pogba was both United's leading goal scorer and assist man last season. With the club failing to bring in much needed attacking players and with Lukaku most likely on his way out the door, this season could be another one in which Pogba packs his stat sheet. Even so, The French midfielder seems to be staying in Manchester for at least another season so hopefully, this pick doesn't come back to bite me.

Fun fact: someone drafted Gabriel Jesus before Pogba. Can't make this stuff up. 

 3rd

So as my friends started to draft defenders, I remained focused on strengthening my midfield. There simply were too many good midfielders on the board to look elsewhere.

So I snagged Richarlison. Everton's top scorer last season netted 13 goals in what was nothing short of an excellent debut season. The young Brazilian will be a key part of Everton's squad this year. I have 3 of the leagues top 10 scorers in Aubameyang, Pogba, and Richarlison.

4th

Next up? Anthony Martial. The United winger has reportedly had a strong pre-season (if that means anything) and I'm hoping he can build on his previous seasons at Manchester United. Martial has more than enough experience to take his game to the next level. I kind of gambled on him but I think he can produce. That's if he can stay healthy and consistent.

Planet Football

5th

So my fifth pick came around and I was still drafting midfielders. With my 5th pick, I chose Youri Tielemans. The Leicester City player had his career saved when he came from AS Monaco last season on loan. He appeared in 13 Premier League games last season in which he scored 4 goals and he recorded 3 assists as well. 

Tielemans is easily one of the Prem's hottest prospects. I'm hoping he can build on a strong premier league showing and dive right into a breakout season.

6th

For my 6th pick, I went with a forward in Josh King. The Bournemouth striker recorded 12 goals last season in the Prem. He's no Aguero or Mohamed Salah, but he's a solid striker that will definitely net his fair share of goals. 

EuorSport

7th

I'll admit, I thought I was screwed when the 7th round came around. My friends had been picking defenders for a few rounds now and I had none. To my surprise, there were some really good options still on the board. 

So in desperate need of defenders, I picked Luke Shaw. The left-back has a soft spot in my heart considering how awesome his bounce-back season was last year. He practically resurrected his career from a lengthy absence due to a broken leg on top of a multitude of minor injuries that had given him the look of a player that could not be relied upon. Shaw not only was an excellent defender, but he was great on the attack as well. I'll be looking for Shaw to bag some assists.

8th

So, believe me, I was going to fill out my defense but with Pedro still, on the board, I thought it would be a crime not to take him. Yes, he had a weak season last year but a player of his caliber should never be counted out. If Pedro can manage 10 league goals as well as 10 assists than I think this will be a huge bargain considering how far Pedro fell.

Goal.com

9th

Do I have a soft spot for Leicester players? I don't think so. But I do think Leicester is a hot-bed of excellent young players. Ben Chilwell had a tremendous season last year as Leicester's first-choice left-back. Chilwell recorded 4 assists (third-most among Leicester players). Now, do I think Leicester will record a lot of clean sheets? No, but I don think Chilwell can bag some assist. I think he's a solid option at defense for any fantasy team. 

10th

Can't really have a superb team without a superb goalie. That's why I selected Jordan Pickford. I think clean-sheets might be in short supply for Everton but I have no doubt in my mind that Pickford will make a godly amount of saves this season. Pickford finished 11th last season with 95 saves. Can he build on that? I think so. 

The Times

11th

Despite netting only two assists last season, Coleman seemed like an excellent pickup. The Irish right-back will be 30 and he's easily Everton's first-choice right back. It would be great to see him get his assists up and maybe bag a few goals. If his stats see a boost, my small gamble could pay off.

So there are my first 11 picks. I'm not going to get into who's on my bench because that's boring in my opinion. I encourage everyone to play Fantasy Premier League and if they do, do the draft version. Regardless if you're playing or not, the season starts on Friday and I can't wait. This summer has been crazy and action-packed, hopefully, the season itself will be just as exciting!

PS: here's my bench:

• Divock Origi

• John Stones

• Vincente Guaita

• Emerson Palmieri