Fantasy Football tips: who to pick from Man City to score the most points

The return of Premier League football this weekend means time is running out to sort your Fantasy Football team.

The name is only half the battle - Murder on Zidane Floor, anyone? - when you’ve got a tight budget to balance to select the best squad.

With Manchester City the reigning Premier League champions - and likely to be contenders again this term - picking a few of Pep Guardiola’s men is a must. However, the Catalan coach doesn’t always make it easy for fantasy players with his love for squad rotation.

Thankfully, we’re here to offer a helping hand on which City stars to select - and which to stay clear of in the battle to mop up maximum points.

Which Man City players got the most points last season?

Firstly, we’re basing our choices on the Premier League’s fantasy game, the most popular in the UK. In that game, you can have a maximum of three players per team, so there are some tough selections to be made.

Guardiola’s penchant for rotating means City goalkeeper Ederson was, somewhat surprisingly, the club’s highest points earner in 2020/21 with 160, and only Aston Villa’s Emiliano Martinez earned a higher number (186) for a stopper.

Ilkay Gundogan (157) and Raheem Sterling (154) complete the top three, followed by Riyad Mahrez (145), Ruben Dias (142) and Kevin De Bruyne (141).

For fantasy football, it’s obviously important to pick players who will feature prominently in the team. In that regard, Ederson made the most appearances last season for the champions (36), then Rodri (34), Dias (32) and Sterling (31). It’s also worth noting that De Bruyne missed two extended spells through injury last term.

How many points did Jack Grealish earn?

The England international is City’s big summer recruit and he picked up 135 fantasy points in 2020/21, a tally only seven of his new team-mates could better.

However, Grealish boasted one of the division’s highest totals before a shin injury in February resulted in him missing 12 consecutive league games.

Which City players ranked lowest last season?

Considering how many games he played, it’s remarkable just how few points Rodri collected last season: a mere 91.

Kyle Walker also registered the same number, despite being Guardiola’s first-choice right-back, while Oleksandr Zinchenko (69) and Fernandinho (65) also posted disappointing tallies.

A lack of game time for Benjamin Mendy (63), Aymeric Laporte (58) and Nathan Ake (29) resulted in very underwhelming totals.

Are there any other factors?

With Sergio Aguero moving on, Gabriel Jesus is the only senior recognised striker in the City ranks and should expect to feature more in 2021/22 - although you never know with Guardiola, and the signing of Harry Kane could change that.

Bernardo Silva has been heavily linked with a move away from the club, so he could be one to avoid. On the other hand, Phil Foden established himself as one of City’s go-to players in the latter half of the campaign and should expect more minutes this term.

Writer’s tips: Which players to pick

• John Stones - At a cost of just £5.5m, he’s a cheaper option than most of the league’s top centre-backs and is unlikely to be heavily rotated. Stones was integral to last season’s defence - the best in the division - and also popped up with four Premier League goals across the campaign.
• Jack Grealish - The big money signing might not start the first few matches after a hectic summer, but once he plays Grealish guarantees goals and assists. At £8m he seems undervalued and around 28% of players have already selected him. It’s not hard to see why.
• Kevin De Bruyne - You just can’t overlook the Belgian, who sets up goals for fun and is pretty handy at converting them himself. Grealish’s introduction could provide even more space for De Bruyne, who will be hoping he can form an instant relationship with City’s new no.10. There are only two players (Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane) who are more expensive than De Bruyne, but he’s worth every penny of the £12m.