A position that’s often overlooked in Fantasy Premier League is the goalkeeper. Everybody tends to be far more concerned with the outfield players than who they decide to put between the sticks. And so, as a result, they end up selecting the first decent goalkeeper they see on the list, just to get the decision over with. But just how costly can this be in the long-run? You will find that the people who win their FPL leagues have a goalkeeper who racks up a minimum of 5 points per week, and over the span of a season (38 games), that’s an extra 190 points to their total tally. The people that overlook this position won’t even get half of that score, which is a big loss over time.
5 Joe Hart (Burnley) – £4.5
With a price tag of just £4.5, you can’t go wrong with a goalkeeper like Joe Hart. Already this season, he’s accumulated a total of 21 points – and that’s just from four matches! He’s a keeper in great form at the moment and is set to be Burnley’s No. 1 for some time, so there’s unlikely to be any issues regarding his play time.
Hart’s name has been somewhat tainted by poor spells at Manchester City, Torino and West Ham, but he’s managed to finally revitalise his career at Turf Moor, and is now onto bigger and better things.
4 Ederson (Manchester City) – £5.6
In a team as powerful as Manchester City, there isn’t going to be much worry about the side getting clean sheets. Ederson is the final man in City’s defence, but with such a strong backline, he doesn’t even need to do a great deal of work. Some might say he has one of the easiest jobs in the Premier League.
Ederson has picked up two cleansheets so far this season: one against Arsenal in City’s 2-0 win, and another against Fulham this weekend – match in which his side won 3-0.
The Brazilian shot-stopper now has a total of 24 points from 5 games. He’s a solid option to have in your side, especially as he’s City’s No. 1.
3 Alisson Becker (Liverpool) – £5.6
When he’s not trying to nutmeg the opposition striker just mere yards away from his own net, Alisson can be a reliable goalkeeper. His performances are solid, and in a Liverpool side as good as the current one, his job is a lot easier than it could have been.
Alisson has three cleansheets to his name (4-0 West Ham, 2-0 Crystal Palace, and 1-0 Brighton), which knocks his total tally up to 24 points – the same as Manchester City’s Ederson.
2 Wayne Hennessey (Crystal Palace) – £4.5
Another goalkeeper worth a pittance, Wayne Hennessey has been a solid point-earner in Fantasy Premier League for years now. He’s much like a cat in goal, leaping from one side to the other, keeping out virtually every shot flung his direction. To rack up as many points as he does, in a side as mediocre as Crystal Palace, is a great achievement.
Hennessey has two cleansheets for Palace (2-0 Fulham, 1-0 Huddersfield), and has accumulated a total of 27 points from 5 games. His two highest-scoring matches thus far were against Fulham (9 points) and Southampton (8 points).
1 Neil Etheridge (Cardiff City) – £4.6
Neil Etheridge may only be worth a meagre £4.6, but he’s managed to find himself at the top of the list for goalkeepers in Fantasy Premier League this season. Racking up an impressive 32 points, Etheridge finds himself 5 points ahead of the competition, despite not looking like anything special at the start of the campaign.
The Filipino shot-stopper has two cleansheets to his name (0-0 Newcastle, 0-0 Huddersfield), and has also saved two penalties so far, including one in the last minute against Newcastle to keep the score level and earn his side a point. He received a whopping 16 points for this performance.