Finding FPL players that you don’t need to transfer out is huge valuable for Fantasy Premier League success. But what if we built a whole team with these players? It’s called a “zombie team” – a team in which the players can’t be transferred in or out.

Jian Batra builds the best one here.

Plenty have requested this article, so I’ve put one together.

Believe you can win Fantasy Premier League, because you can.

The Best FPL Zombie Team | Fundamentals

When putting together this team, there were three predominant factors I took into account. Firstly was the likely consistency of the player. Secondly, a player’s injury record. Thirdly, whether or not I thought their club would be successful this season.

Of course it’s very difficult to build a squad in which all players fit the criteria. First and foremost, I made sure that each player would start; scoring me at least two FPL points.

The preferred formation was 4-4-2. As we have seen time and time again in Fantasy Premier League, the greatest value is in the midfield.

The Best FPL Zombie Team | Midfield Structure

There are a plethora of FPL options in midfield and as such I ensured I picked a strong one. The structure of the team, however, must maintain a balance in order to be successful over the entirety of season.

As such, the most favoured premium FPL pick was selected in all three categories; defenders, midfielders and forwards.

The template for building the midfield was one premium, one expensive (£8.5m-£10m) (but must be a quality player), two under-priced midfielders who weren’t in excess of £7.5m (the game being released so early opened this window of opportunity) and a regularly starting £4.5m midfielder.

The Best FPL Zombie Team | Defensive Structure

Apart from the criteria already listed, there were a few more rules for my defensive structure.

As mentioned, I’m going for a premium defender. After that, I want to ensure the most template defender is covered (as long as I agreed with his selection, which I did).

Most importantly, I’m avoiding any £4.0m defenders. It’s imperative to have five regular starters and some squad depth to cover the Blank Gameweeks, injuries and postponements across the full course of a season.

The Best FPL Zombie Team | Forwards Structure

The FPL forwards were a very simple selection for myself.

Pick the best forward, the premium and then the mid-priced forward who is actually under-priced in comparison to his peers at the similar price point (£7.5m – £8.0m).

The player chosen in comparison to the plethora of options at his price point was done so by predominantly referring to the eye tests in previous seasons and how external factors could help boost their points tally this year.

This article confers with my “Buffet Theory” which I wrote about in Lessons Learnt article. It highlights the benefits of holding a player and not being too erratic to try and catch their each and every haul, whilst missing all their blanks.

Andrew Ferguson, the winner of the 2020/21 £75k Dream Team, has discussed minimising transfers. As a winner of a fantasy football competition, it would be stupid not to take his advice onboard!

FPL How to Improve – Lessons Learnt and Tips

The Best FPL Zombie Team | The Squad

The best FPL zombie team 2021/22

Double Leeds Defence

Illan Meslier (£5.0m) + Luke Ayling (£4.5m)

Currently the 11th most favoured keeper in FPL, I think Meslier provides excellent value.

Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) is the cheaper and more favoured pick, but I think a Brighton without Ben White (£4.5m) and the injured Tariq Lamptey (£4.5m) might struggle. A double-up on Leeds feels justified.

I’m quite bullish on the Leeds defence following the change in system in the second half of the season. This was best demonstrated in the game against Manchester City, where they adopted a low block structure and looked to counter.

It’s beneficial because the lack of a high press (in comparison to the first half of the season) allows them to perform better against the bigger teams with more technical players (that can crowd the midfield out quicker).

It’s difficult to score consistently against a side where the time and space between the lines will be so minimal. With players like Jack Harrison (£6.0m) and Raphinha (£6.5m) on the flanks possessing the work rate they do, that only gets harder.

To put in to perspective how drastic this tactical change was; between Gameweek 1-19, Leeds had an xGA (expected goals allowed) of 31.59 (ranking 2nd worst). In the second half of the season, their xGA was 27.12. It doesn’t seem like a huge improvement, but it took them from 2nd worse to 10th best.

Let’s take a closer look at Meslier. The fact he has such a high ceiling due to his save potential makes him far more favourable than the premium FPL keepers who historically have lower ceilings due to having better defences.

Meslier faced 141 shots on target last season (higher than most) at a save percentage of 74.5%. This highlights his potential for a massive haul.

As for Luke Ayling, there aren’t many better options at his price-point. He facilitates the enhancement of the rest of the squad.

Whilst his returns didn’t materialise for FPL managers last season, his underlying statistics were great. He had an xA (expected assists) of 3.54. To give context, Stuart Dallas (£5.5m) only recorded an xA of 3.13 and managed three assists.

Hopefully for his owners, Ayling fills his potential by playing in the full-back role and becomes this season’s Dallas.

You can find a full range of statistics with the OPTA Stats FPL tool.

Fantasy Premier League Stats by OPTA

Two £4.5m Defenders

Ben White (£4.5m) + Joel Veltman (£4.5m)

The former teammates are two of the other brilliant defensive FPL options at the £4.5m price point.

Brighton boast a very good fixture run at the start of the season, as do Arsenal (after Gameweek 3). Whilst that’s not strictly related to this article, it still helps.

Both players provide something very different for their managers. White’s transfer fee of £50 million ensures he will start every game when fit, which over the course of a season is music to a manager’s ears.

Secondly, with Thomas Partey (£5.0m) now settled at the club, Arsenal should enjoy a defensive security that they’ve lacked over previous seasons. I don’t expect any attacking threat from him given he amassed an xG of just 0.42 last season.

However, providing a regular source of clean sheets at his price points makes him a more than justified selection.

Veltman is a more explosive FPL option.

Graham Potter is a top, top manager. He displayed this through his side’s performances (unfortunately, not results) last season. The three-at-the back system provides a defensive security, but the positional intelligence and work rate of the wing-backs facilitates the ability to attack in numbers at a frequent rate.

They amassed an xG of 51.46 across the season, showcasing the quality of chances they were making. When Veltman moves back into his wing-back role after players return from injury, you can expect multiple avenues for points. As such, he becomes a reliable option.

Budget £4.5m Attackers

Josh Brownhill (£4.5m) and Michael Obafemi (£4.5m)

Very simply, they both fit the criteria.

Brownhill has looked good in pre-season and has even scored. It’s clear he will start for Burnley this season and presents a reasonably likely avenue of FPL points through attacking returns. Especially considering that he’s on free-kicks.

Billy Gilmour (£4.5m) is also an option. He should take some set pieces and was subbed at 60 minutes in his last match. That bodes well for his Gameweek 1 starting berth.

With Danny Ings (£8.0m) leaving Southampton, Obafemi may certainly get some game time now. Quite frankly, there aren’t any better options at that price point. In regards to the “zombie team”, he is simply there to pick up a few points here and there to cover for Blank Gameweeks primarily.

Under-priced Midfielders

Raphinha (£6.5m) and Harvey Barnes (£7.0m)

Both of these players pass the eye test with flying colours.

As with any high quality winger, they are extremely effective coming inside with pace, power and trickery to bypass defenders and create space for others.

Both are very direct, which is something I really like about both of them. It facilitates the opportunity to increase their attacking outputs which is ideal for FPL managers.

Raphinha is certainly nailed for every game when he’s fit. He has so many avenues to points through his multiple set piece taking which causes his xA to go through the roof.

To put his chance creation ability in perspective, he ranked fourth-best in the league for xA per 90 minutes and was ranked first in the Leeds squad for chances created (2.4 per 90 mins). Jack Harrison was 2nd and was still some way off.

Like I said previously, I’m bullish on Leeds. Not only does his mass involvement and ability to beat a man allow Leeds to sustain pressure, but the manner in which he completes his defensive duties ensures Leeds’ ball retention from a second wave press is very effective.

I was fortunate enough to be at the FA Community Shield, and as such I got to see first hand how sharp Harvey Barnes looks.

Some might remember he was FPL gold dust before his horrific injury. I imagine he will be the same again this year.

He was, metaphorically speaking, central to every attack Leicester had. James Maddison (£7.0m) and Youri Tielemans (£6.5m) would constantly feed him the ball, and he would be as direct as possible in creating opportunities for his team mates.

Further, he’s not afraid to take on a shot himself and definitely has a goal in him. He amassed an expected goal involvement (xGI) of 10.5 in just 22 starts. A very positive and healthy stat for prospective Barnes owners.

As long as Rodgers doesn’t change to a two striker formation, Barnes should be set for a fantastic season.

Luxury Attackers

Danny Ings (£8.0m) and Riyad Mahrez (£9.0m):

Both in the upper echelon of their categories. Both deserving of the price and a place in our squads.

Ings at £8.0m is a fantastic deal. He will now play in an Aston Villa side who boast creativity in Emiliano Buendia (£6.5m), ball progression in Leon Bailley (£6.5m) and someone to play alongside him to provide hold up play and runs in behind to stretch the defence in Ollie Watkins (£7.5m).

I’m a huge fan of Ings, and the eye test showcases why. Unfortunately at Southampton he didn’t quite have the service he required to constantly score goals. As such, he was often dropped deep to help build up the play.

That’s actually a positive for FPL managers now. Not only can he score a huge magnitude of goals this season, but he’ll also bring others into play and get assists. I expect him to flourish in partnership with either Ollie Watkins or Leon Bailey.

Expect a minimum of 17 goals and 5 assists from him this season, providing he can stay injury free.

The Hub’s prediction tool showcases him to be the forward with the second-highest points per game between Gameweek 1-4, showcasing what he can do with a good fixture run.

Riyad Mahrez looks set to start the season with very, very little rotation risk and will be Pep Guardiola’s star man going forward.

Considering he took the pressure penalty against Borussia Dortmund and Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m) is unlikely to be back from injury, I expect him to be on penalties which always helps.

He’s appeared to be very sharp in pre-season which is always a good sign. It allows a flow of momentum and increased confidence heading into the 2021/22 FPL season.

From the eye-test and especially what I saw in the Community Shield, it looks really good for prospective Mahrez owners.

Guardiola looks to continue to employ a 3-2-5 on the ball or a version of the 4-3-3 with inverted full-backs. Both are to Mahrez’s benefit as he is allowed to operate freely in the 4-3-3, and in the 3-2-5 in an inside forward/ half space channel where he can have maximum involvement and effectiveness.

In those pockets from the right hand side, there’s not many better in world football. His assist potential increases exponentially with City’s dynamic movement in the final third (see Ferran Torres (£7.0m)).

Mahrez has plenty of FPL potential across the season.

The FPL Players Who Pick Themselves

I don’t want to unnecessarily overcomplicate something which is quite simple, so the analysis on these four players will be short and concise.

Luke Shaw (£5.5m)

In the form of his life, boasts a brilliant capability for attacking returns with his quality down the left flank. He has all the underlying statistics in his favour, has three fantastic and defensively sound players along his line, and is playing in a side who look to be flourishing going forward in pre-season especially.

Not too expensive either, and at 52.8% ownership it’s not worth the risk to go against him when he provides such a compelling case.

Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.5m)

He recorded the second-most FPL points amongst defenders last season, and that was classified as a bad one.

With Virgil Van Dijk (£6.5m) returning to the side eventually and the acquisition of Ibrahima Konate (£5.5m), Alexander-Arnold will have less defensive duties. This should provide him with a sense of security and a licence to bomb forward.

Regardless of how Liverpool’s season goes he will certainly deliver attacking returns. Given his unmatched creative abilities from a full-back role “creating” a huge ceiling for himself, he provides too much upside not to own.

The Hub’s predictive tool also have him down as the defender to record the most points in the first four gameweeks.

Trent Alexander-Arnold is predicted to have a strong first 4 gameweeks FPL.

Harry Kane (£12.5m) and Mohammed Salah (£12.5m)

The two talismen in their team, and definitely up there in the top three players in the league. It would be very brave to bet against Kane and Salah as the highest two FPL point scorers this season.

Both take a lot of shots and both are on penalties. There’s nothing really going against them either, apart from Kane’s uncertain future at Spurs.

Nothing more needs to be said.

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