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            <p>With premium midfielders in high demand and pricier players in other positions increasingly popular, having a good FPL budget midfielder or two could be crucial.</p>
<p>But with all options having their pros and cons, we take a look at our favourite picks priced at £6.0m and under. We then outline <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/predictions">Hub AI's</a> view in terms of predicted points.</p>
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<h2>Morgan Rogers - Aston Villa</h2>
<p>Rogers has been a key part of the Villa team this season, starting all 15 league matches and averaging 81 minutes per game.</p>
<p>He offers excellent value at £5.4m, playing advanced and centrally for a Champions League team.</p>
<p>His returns have been solid for his price, with four goals and two assists leading to 59 FPL points.</p>
<p>But his underlying stats in comparison to other budget midfielders don't suggest he is a runaway standout pick.</p>
<div id="attachment_69170" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-69170" class="size-full wp-image-69170" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rogers-heatmap-GW1-15.jpg" alt="Morgan Rogers' heatmap" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-69170" class="wp-caption-text">Morgan Rogers' heatmap</p>
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<p>Rogers ranks joint fifth for big chances (six), eighth for expected goals (3.02), fourth for expected goal involvements (5.2), ninth for expected assists (2.13) and fifth for both expected and actual FPL points.</p>
<p>But as might be expected at this price point, there is no one player who dominates across the board.</p>
<p>Rogers is one of the most reliable for minutes on our shortlist and among the best picks according to Hub AI for long-term predicted points.</p>
<p>The main drawback at this stage is Villa's fixtures. They play rank third worst on our <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fixture-ticker">ticker</a> over the next three gameweeks, playing Nottingham Forest (A), Manchester City (H) and Newcastle (A).</p>
<p>Their games mostly improve after Gameweek 18, so Rogers represents a good pick if you don't necessarily need to play him in the short term.</p>
<p>Something else to note is Rogers is on <a href="https://www.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/fpl-yellow-cards-and-suspensions">four yellow cards</a>, a booking away from a one-match ban. The threshold increases to 10 in Gameweek 20, when Villa will have played 19 games.</p>
<div id="attachment_69169" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-69169" class="size-full wp-image-69169" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Rogers-GW1-15-2.jpg" alt="Morgan Rogers' stats" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-69169" class="wp-caption-text">Morgan Rogers' stats</p>
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<h2>Antoine Semenyo - Bournemouth</h2>
<p>Semenyo has had more shots than any other player apart from <strong>Erling Haaland</strong>.</p>
<p>He has scored four goals from an expected goals (xG) tally of 4.05 - only teammates <strong>Marcus Tavernier </strong>and penalty taker <strong>Justin Kluivert </strong>have a better record among the budget midfielders.</p>
<p>Semenyo has averaged 88 minutes per appearance, missing only one game due to suspension after picking up five yellow cards.</p>
<p>This gives him the edge over his fellow Cherries - including forward <strong>Evanilson </strong>- who have been more vulnerable to early substitutions.</p>
<p>But for all his shot volume, only 13 of his 58 attempts have been on target (22.4%). He's not in the top 20 for shots on target.</p>
<div id="attachment_69217" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-69217" class="size-full wp-image-69217" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/xG-per-shot-Semenyo.jpg" alt="Most of Antoine Semenyo's shots have been lower-xG opportunities" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-69217" class="wp-caption-text">Most of Antoine Semenyo's shots have been lower-xG opportunities</p>
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<p>Semenyo's positioning has shifted over the season, with the Ghana international playing on the left at times in recent weeks.</p>
<p>Looking at the two periods in the heatmap graphic below, there has been a slight downturn in his expected points. Up to Gameweek 8 he averaged 4.47 per appearance, reducing to 3.74 between Gameweek 9 and 15.</p>
<p>His expected goal involvement has fallen from 0.5 per game to 0.3 in the latter period, however that still is on par with Rogers.</p>
<p>Bournemouth's next five fixtures are rated fourth best by our ticker, so Semenyo remains a potential pick.</p>
<p>Hub AI rates him as the best budget midfielder in this timeframe on 23.6 predicted points.</p>
<div id="attachment_69218" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-69218" class="size-full wp-image-69218" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Semenyo-heatmaps.jpg" alt="Antoine Semenyo's heatmaps" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-69218" class="wp-caption-text">Antoine Semenyo's heatmaps</p>
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<h2>Justin Kluivert - Bournemouth</h2>
<p>Kluivert burst on the FPL radar in Gameweek 13 when he scored three penalties against Wolves, a league record tally from the spot in a single game.</p>
<p>The Dutchman has been on penalties since Evanilson missed from 12 yards in Gameweek 4 and has scored four in the league.</p>
<p>Penalties are the major point of difference between him and Semenyo. But that aside, other factors point to Semenyo being the more solid choice.</p>
<p>Kluivert has limited open-play goal threat, with his non-penalty xG of 1.61 trailing well behind Semenyo's 4.05.</p>
<p>He has averaged just 60 minutes per game and has been benched for three fixtures.</p>
<p>There is now also just £0.2m between them in price after Kluivert's post-hat-trick surge in popularity.</p>
<p>Those looking to cover the Bournemouth attack but not keen on Semenyo might be better off looking to Evanilson. He leads the way for xG and expected points per game.</p>
<div id="attachment_69219" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-69219" class="size-full wp-image-69219" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Kluivert-2.jpg" alt="Justin Kluivert's stats" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-69219" class="wp-caption-text">Justin Kluivert's stats</p>
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<h2>Enzo Fernandez - Chelsea</h2>
<p>Fernandez is the third most popular transfer in ahead of Gameweek 16, with about 200,000 new owners and counting.</p>
<p>This comes after three goals and two assists in his last four games, in which he has played 90 minutes in each.</p>
<p>The Argentinian midfielder has over-performed in this time however and buyers should not expect the same rate of returns.</p>
<p>Much of his appeal depends on his role in the team - and the rest of Chelsea's lineup. He has been operating in a more advanced, attacking midfield position in recent weeks, which has allowed him to flourish.</p>
<p>This has been enabled by other players playing deeper, for example <strong>Moises Caicedo </strong>playing as an inverted right-back and pushing into defensive midfield alongside <strong>Romeo</strong> <strong>Lavia</strong>.</p>
<p>While this may not last, Fernandez should still have set-pieces to fall back on. He has shared corners and free-kicks with<strong> Cole Palmer</strong>, offering him a route to points in addition to open play.</p>
<p>Chelsea's fixtures are strong - they top our ticker up to Gameweek 22. At £5.0m, he is the cheapest pick on our shortlist and could well be worth the risks.</p>
<div id="attachment_69220" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-69220" class="size-full wp-image-69220" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Enzo-heatmaps.jpg" alt="Enzo Fernandez's differing heatmaps" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-69220" class="wp-caption-text">Enzo Fernandez's differing heatmaps</p>
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<h2>Amad Diallo - Manchester United</h2>
<p>Diallo has become a more prominent player for the Red Devils this season.</p>
<p>He featured in just nine league games last season but has already made 13 appearances in this campaign.</p>
<p>Ruben Amorim took over as head coach in Gameweek 12 and the Ivorian has adapted well to his tactics, starting three of Amorim's four league games in charge.</p>
<p>He has been used as a right wing-back rather than a more familiar role further forward.</p>
<p>Playing out of position would normally put FPL managers off. Diallo has thrived though, picking up four of his six assists since Amorim took charge.</p>
<p>No player in the league has bettered his assist total since, with <strong>Bukayo Saka </strong>the only one to match it.</p>
<p>He has been involved in 57% of United's goals while on the pitch in this time, a higher percentage than any of his teammates.</p>
<p>His wing-back role has still allowed him plenty of chances to get forward. Among budget midfielders, he ranks third for touches in the box per appearance (4.75), behind Kluivert and Semenyo.</p>
<p>While all this looks appealing, there are downsides.</p>
<p>He has over-performed his expected assists (xA) over the season, with his 1.33 xA well below his actual total of six. His goal threat has been minimal too, at 0.16 xG per appearance.</p>
<p>It's also too early to say he is a nailed starter, with Amorim rotating his starting 11 since taking charge.</p>
<p>Manchester City away in Gameweek 16 is not the best entry point, which may offer FPL managers more time to monitor.</p>
<p>The emergence of Fernandez - who has better fixtures - at a similar price arguably makes Diallo a weaker option.</p>
<p>But he could still prove value at £5.1m should he continue to start most games. He has received plenty of praise from his new manager, so this could well happen.</p>
<div id="attachment_69221" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-69221" class="size-full wp-image-69221" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Amad-Diallo-heatmap.jpg" alt="Amad Diallo's heatmap" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-69221" class="wp-caption-text">Amad Diallo's heatmap</p>
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<h2>Alex Iwobi - Fulham</h2>
<p>No budget midfielder has scored more points than Iwobi this season, whose five goals and three assists have helped him to 76 points.</p>
<p>The Fulham winger has collected nine bonus points, again leading the way among sub-£6.0m midfielders.</p>
<p>Only <strong>Dwight McNeil </strong>can match his eight goal involvements, while his expected points of 58.48 is third best behind Kluivert and Tavernier.</p>
<p>Iwobi's three assists have come against an xA of 3.24, so his returns in this area don't look unsustainable.</p>
<p>But while he is second best for shots on target among similarly priced players (14) - and his shot accuracy of 56% is significantly better than Semenyo's - he has over-performed his xG.</p>
<p>His five goals have come amid an xG of 1.86, the 19th best in his category.</p>
<p>Fulham have some good home fixtures coming up, against teams including Southampton and Ipswich.</p>
<p>This may persuade some FPL managers to take a punt on Iwobi continuing his hot streak. One more goal would break his record for goals in a single league season.</p>
<div id="attachment_69224" style="width: 808px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-69224" class="size-full wp-image-69224" src="https://cms.fantasyfootballhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Iwobi-GW1-15.jpg" alt="Alex Iwobi's stats" width="798" height="650" /></p>
<p id="caption-attachment-69224" class="wp-caption-text">Alex Iwobi's stats</p>
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<h2>Best FPL budget midfielders: AI predicted points</h2>
<p>Hub AI includes three of our shortlisted players in its top five for predicted points up to Gameweek 20 - but two other names are included for consideration.</p>
<p>Semenyo leads the way on 23.6, just over a point ahead of his nearest rival.</p>
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