The xP-per-million metric cuts through noise fast. At the floor prices of £4.0m and £4.5m, these are the players who free up cash for your premium assets, and the numbers make a strong case for several of them right now.
Best value pick overall: the £4.0m goalkeeper bracket
Five goalkeepers share the top xP-per-million figure across all positions: Forster (BOU), Dennis (BOU), Steele (BHA), Dovin (COV) and Lecomte (FUL) all sit at £4.0m with an xP of 3.04 and an xP/£m ratio of 0.76. That 0.76 figure is the highest of any player in this dataset. For a position where most managers want to spend as little as possible, any of these five represents maximum efficiency. Of the group, Steele (Brighton) and Lecomte (Fulham) back teams with recent pedigree for defensive solidity, though the data presented here does not distinguish between them on projected points. Pick the one whose fixture list suits GW2 and move on.
Defenders
The best-value defenders all price at £4.0m with an xP of 2.26 and an xP/£m of 0.56. The five names are A.Garcia (AVL), Thomas (COV), Kitching (COV), van Ewijk (COV) and Dasilva (COV). Aston Villa’s A.Garcia is the standout here on fixture grounds, given Villa’s attacking quality tends to keep opponents pinned back. The four Coventry options are Championship-based, so managers in FPL leagues using an expanded player pool should note that concentration risk: four picks from one backline means a single bad Coventry defensive week hurts hard.
Midfielders
The top midfield value bracket sits at £4.5m, xP 2.27, xP/£m 0.50. That group includes Burrowes (AVL), George Hemmings (AVL), D.Essugo (CHE), Shepherd (COV) and Borges Rodrigues (COV). The two Aston Villa midfielders are worth flagging. Villa’s system last season generated significant attacking returns for players further up the pitch, and at £4.5m Burrowes and Hemmings offer that exposure at the lowest possible cost. Essugo at Chelsea is another name to watch if Chelsea’s midfield structure gives him consistent minutes.
Forwards
The top forward tier splits into two groups. Mheuka (CHE), Obi (MUN) and Scarlett (TOT) lead at £4.5m, xP 2.56, xP/£m 0.57, just ahead of Furo (BRE) and Kusi-Asare (FUL) at £4.5m, xP 2.48, xP/£m 0.55. Scarlett at Spurs and Obi at Manchester United carry appeal purely because their clubs generate enough attacking volume to make even squad forwards viable at points. Furo at Brentford fits the same logic. Ivan Toney’s departure opened minutes, and Brentford’s direct style creates chances for forwards willing to run channels.
Squad-building takeaway
A skeleton of two £4.0m goalkeepers, two £4.0m defenders and one or two £4.5m forwards gives you the cheapest possible base without sacrificing projected output at those positions. That approach can unlock an extra £1.0m to £2.0m elsewhere, enough to upgrade a mid-tier midfielder to a genuine premium. The xP/£m numbers above are your justification: 0.76 at goalkeeper and 0.57 at forward are strong floors. Use them.
Related reading
- Best value picks for GW37: budget enablers
- Best value picks for GW38: budget enablers
- Best value picks for GW36: budget enablers
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