Best fantasy football forwards for 2021-22
Picking the best forwards in fantasy football can be the difference between beating your friends and finishing mid-table in your custom leagues.
There are no prizes for guessing that the trick is to pick strikers who score but there is a knack to using your budget wisely in order to maximise points.
As the 2020-21 Premier League season gets under way, Goal takes a look at the best fantasy football forwards, as well as a few bargain options.
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Best Premier League fantasy football forwards
The best fantasy football forwards are those who score goals in great numbers, but also those who provide assists for their team-mates.
Bonus points are given to the players who have the most positive influence on a match, so a striker who is key to how his team attack is likely to score even better.
Anthony Martial | Man Utd | £9m
A midfielder in the game last season, Manchester United Anthony Martial has been converted into a striker for FPL in 2020-21.
The France international became the Red Devils' focal point in attack and enjoyed the best ever season of his career, scoring 17 goals and laying on nine more for his team-mates.
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer hasn't recruited a new striker to the club, so the signs are that he has full faith in Martial to continue his improvement.
At £9 million to begin with, he is somewhat cheaper than other options and could well represent good value.
Sergio Aguero | Man City | £10.5m
Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero is the most expensive striker (along with Harry Kane) in the game at £10.5m to begin with, but he has done more than enough to justify that price tag.
He is one of the top scoring forwards in Premier League history and is generally favoured by Pep Guardiola to lead the City line ahead of Gabriel Jesus when fit.
City score goals - they hit over 100 last season, which was significantly higher than Liverpool's tally - and Aguero usually gets a lot of them. Not only does he score himself, he also contributes his fair share of assists.
However, a note of caution: beware the Guardiola habit of rotating his players - the Catalan occasionally likes to mix up personnel even when the usual starters are fit.
Harry Kane | Tottenham | £10.5m
There is little doubt that Harry Kane is the best Number 9 in the Premier League, if not the world, and he is the most expensive striker in FPL (along with Aguero).
While he has endured a drop in his usual return of close-to-30 goals a season, much of that is down to injury - he has missed nearly a quarter of each of the last two campaigns.
Kane's forte is scoring goals through his clever box play, but the Spurs captain is also adept at finding the net from distance. However, unlike Aguero, he is not known to assist many goals.
Nevertheless,with the likes of Matt Doherty joining the ranks, Kane will be hoping his goalscoring chances increase again in 2020-21.
Jamie Vardy | Leicester City | £10m
Last season's Golden Boot winner Jamie Vardy has shown little sign of slowing down and, despite the fact that he will turn 34 during the campaign, should continue to score with regularity for Leicester.
Vardy posted an overall points tally of 210 in FPL last term and that was down to the fact that he was directly involved in 30 goals - 23 strikes, seven assists.
Like Aguero, the Foxes front-man has been one of the most consistent points-getters in the game for over five seasons and that is reflected in his price tag.
Timo Werner | Chelsea | £9.5m
Germany international Timo Werner has been brought to Chelsea as the main striker and there will be a lot of pressure on him to hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge.
He scored 28 goals in 34 Bundesliga appearances for RB Leipzig last season and showed signs in pre-season of his predatory prowess.
Werner will rely on the like of Hakim Ziyech, Mason Mount, Pulisic and Co. to keep the supply coming and if they get the passes to him, he will certainly score double figures.
Raul Jimenez | Wolves | £8.5m
Wolves striker Raul Jimenez has shown himself to be one of the best strikers in the Premier League and, while he scores plenty of goals, his all-round play marks him out as unique.
The Mexico international scored just under 200 FPL points in the last two campaigns and was directly involved in 24 goals in 2019-20 (17 goals, seven assists).
Jimenez scored much better than Harry Kane, Roberto Firmino and Gabriel Jesus last term, yet is cheaper.
Roberto Firmino | Liverpool | £9.5m
Roberto Firmino may not have scored double figures last season, but the Brazil international contributed to a total of 18 goals for Liverpool last season (nine goals, nine assists).
While Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane are the goal-getters for the Reds, Firmino remains crucial in creating those opportunities.
He has never scored less than 150 FPL points in the last five seasons - so don't let his lack of goals put you off.
Danny Ings | Southampton | £8.5m
Danny Ings had an incredible season for Southampton last year and posted a tally of 22 goals in the Premier League as he challenged for the Golden Boot.
It was his best ever campaign in the Premier League and he showed lots of confidence to maintain his form throughout the season.
His price has shot up for FPL 2020-21, but if he can pick up where he left off it will be a worthwhile selection.
Alexandre Lacazette | Arsenal | £8.5m
France international Alexandre Lacazette hasn't hit the heights he might have expected to when he first signed for Arsenal three years ago, but he has consistently scored double figures.
He looks set to be the Gunners' main man in attack, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Willian either side.
Best Premier League fantasy football bargain forwards
Aleksandar Mitrovic | Fulham | £6m
Fulham front-man Aleksandar Mitrovic is an international-class striker and returns to the Premier League having hit 26 goals in 40 Championship appearances last season.
When Mitrovic was last an option in FPL, he scored 134 points, having been directly involved in 15 goals, but he hasn't always had such joy in front of goal in the league.
Now 25, he has matured somewhat as a player and will be eager to rectify his previous disappointing experiences in the Premier League.
Callum Wilson | Newcastle United | £6.5m
New Newcastle United signing Callum Wilson arrives at St James' Park with a good reputation as both a goalscorer and a creator in attack.
He is priced reasonably for a player who will undoubtedly lead the Magpies' line this season and will be aiming to score double figures, as he has done in the past for Bournemouth.
Patrick Bamford | Leeds United | £5.5m
Former Chelsea youth Patrick Bamford scored 16 goals for Leeds United last season as they secured promotion to the Premier League and he will be expected to step up in 2020-21.
Spain international Rodrigo (£6m) has been recruited to take some of the pressure off but, as he beds in at Elland Road, Bamford is likely to lead the line at the beginning of the season.
Neal Maupay | Brighton | £6.5m
Former France Under-21 international Neal Maupay bagged double figures in his maiden Premier League season and will be aiming to improve on that in 2020-21.
His exploits for Brighton have seen his price rise somewhat, but Maupay has demonstrated a capacity to score lots of goals at every club he has played for.
With Brighton's new system under Graham Potter taking hold, it bodes well for his chances of getting on the scoresheet more often.