Gameweek 1 is in the books for the Premier League, so it's time to look back and see where all the fantasy points went on DraftKings:
TOP FLOOR PLAYERS
His two goals were obviously the story in Liverpool's 4-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, but Sadio Mane actually finished with the most floor points this week, scoring 14.75 thanks to four shots, including two on goal, five crosses, three tackles won and two fouls suffered. He was one of 33 players to score at least 8.00 floor points, including 24 with at least 9.00 and 18 with at least 10.00. It's not to say that those players didn't score goals, as nine scored at least one goal, and three -- Mane, Richarlison and Roberto Pereyra -- scored twice.
Within the group of 24, Fulham's Cyrus Christie tied for the second-most floor points, with his 12 crosses helping him to 13.00 fantasy points, the highest floor among defenders. Christie reached those 12 crosses without a single set piece, a situation that also applied to Mane and Leicester City's Demarai Gray (13.00 fantasy points), who had three shots, including one on goal, four crosses, two tackles won, three fouls suffered and two interceptions Friday against Manchester United.
Fulham's Jean Michael Seri was the highest-scoring floor player with set pieces, with three of his five crosses coming from corners. However, he added four tackles won, two fouls suffered, four interceptions and one shot to complete his well-rounded 12.75 fantasy line. Seri isn't
Gameweek 1 is in the books for the Premier League, so it's time to look back and see where all the fantasy points went on DraftKings:
TOP FLOOR PLAYERS
His two goals were obviously the story in Liverpool's 4-0 win over West Ham on Sunday, but Sadio Mane actually finished with the most floor points this week, scoring 14.75 thanks to four shots, including two on goal, five crosses, three tackles won and two fouls suffered. He was one of 33 players to score at least 8.00 floor points, including 24 with at least 9.00 and 18 with at least 10.00. It's not to say that those players didn't score goals, as nine scored at least one goal, and three -- Mane, Richarlison and Roberto Pereyra -- scored twice.
Within the group of 24, Fulham's Cyrus Christie tied for the second-most floor points, with his 12 crosses helping him to 13.00 fantasy points, the highest floor among defenders. Christie reached those 12 crosses without a single set piece, a situation that also applied to Mane and Leicester City's Demarai Gray (13.00 fantasy points), who had three shots, including one on goal, four crosses, two tackles won, three fouls suffered and two interceptions Friday against Manchester United.
Fulham's Jean Michael Seri was the highest-scoring floor player with set pieces, with three of his five crosses coming from corners. However, he added four tackles won, two fouls suffered, four interceptions and one shot to complete his well-rounded 12.75 fantasy line. Seri isn't a lock for set pieces every week, but his overall production makes him a valuable roster piece regardless of those crosses. From Seri to Christian Eriksen (10.50) to Matteo Guendouzi (8.50), we saw plenty of paths to eight fantasy points. Here's the list of 33:
FANTASY POINTS BY STATISTICAL CATEGORY
Crosses were the highest source of fantasy points by statistical category this past weekend, accounting for 270.75 points overall, including 241.50 from players in the starting XIs. That was ahead of both shots (253/222) and goals (250/230), with tackles won (239/223) finishing much closer than fouls drawn (201/177). Interceptions, assists and shots on goal were the lowest-scoring categories, though each shot on goal counted as a shot as well. Here's how the breakdowns look in chart form:
It's no surprise that crosses are the most prolific statistical category, and while we always knew that shots were catching up, the number of tackles won may be of particular interest to those looking for value players in future weeks because those tend to be won by defensive midfielders and centerbacks who have lower salaries.
FANTASY POINTS BY POSITION
DraftKings positions don't always mirror real-life positions, but I think it's occasionally valuable to see which specific spots are producing fantasy points. As I wrote earlier this month, individual Opta positions can apply to different formations. For example, the position we classify as "ML" could be a left-sided midfielder in a 4-4-2 formation, or it can be a left wing-back in a 3-5-2. No every team plays the same formation, so it's important to dive into the specific formations if you're going to prioritize one position over another.
FANTASY POINTS BY TEAM
It's also beneficial to see how teams scored their fantasy points. Did they pepper their opponents with shots like Watford (19 shots against Brighton) and Liverpool (18 against West Ham), or did they cross a ton like Fulham (32 against Crystal Palace) or win a bunch of tackles like Huddersfield (21 against Chelsea). The sample size is obviously very small, but we can at least take a look:
BASEMENT DWELLERS
And finally, here are the eight players who went all 90 minutes and finished with zero or negative points:
