5 Players Whose EPL Draft Prospects Have Worsened in 24/25.

In the EPL Draft Fantasy Football game, it's a sad day when we're on the brink of a new season and several previously solid fantasy assets have lost their luster. This happens far more than we'd care to admit and for many different reasons. The continuation of the five-subs rule, crowded and complicated dressing rooms, dips in player performances, and new transfers can all lead to fewer minutes and fewer opportunities for many key players. In this article, we'll discuss (at least) 5 Players whose EPL Draft prospects have worsened before the 24/25 season. Click here for details on how you can access our 24/25 Draft Kit.

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5 Players Whose EPL Draft Prospects Have Worsened as Real-Life Realities Set In

The Premier League is flush with cash these days. We've seen financial injections from American billionaires, hedge fund managers, sovereign wealth funds, and something called a Public Investment Fund. There's no getting around the fact that the Premier League has been allowed to become a pay-to-play league. This, of course, leads to some mind-blowing transfer fees. But a trend we've seen more recently is teams paying exorbitant fees to sign elite talent merely to add depth to their overall squad or to provide motivation to their starters. We must be cognizant of these situations as fantasy managers, as once-great fantasy assets make moves to congested squads and likely see a sharp drop in EPL playtime. But, this can also be an unfortunate side-effect of European competitions and poor player form. Below, we'll discuss players who fall into all of these categories.

Darwin Nuñez

How is it possible that the same player who headlined this column last season manages to do so again this year, especially when he's perpetually touted to have a breakout season? Well, unfortunately, when you find yourself in the stands throwing punches at fans, as Darwin Nuñez did during the semi-final of the Copa America, that'll happen. I'm certainly not casting aspersions here, as I fully support the man's right to protect his family. That was a shameful display of event organizing and security and, in my humble opinion, yet another deeply embarrassing moment for America on the world football stage. However, there are bound to be consequences to Darwizzy's actions, likely in the form of a ban. Now, whether that ban will come in the form of a FIFA international football ban or a club and international ban remains to be seen. We're all waiting on the CONMEBOL investigation into the events of that fateful evening to be announced. If that were the only factor involved in his appearing on this list, our expectations for Darwin this season would be a lot clearer.

Instead, let's enumerate the plethora of other factors that contribute to the question marks surrounding Nuñez. First of all, he's yet to rejoin his colleagues in training or even meet the new manager. Slot, though, is saying all the right things. He hasn't, however, guaranteed any position or a starting role for the Uruguayan. And why would he? Because the next, most obvious complication for Darwin comes in the form of a Liverpool attack that is just as crowded as it was last season, and now fully fit again. Jota has rejoined the squad and Arne is already singing his praises. Plus, he has looked brilliant in preseason. Gakpo, after an extremely successful Euros, will be hoping for some more consistent play time from his fellow Dutchman Slot.

Lucky for Darwin (and for you, dear reader), though his situation is technically "worse" than it was at the beginning of last season, I fully expect Darwin to kick on this season. Slot's comments go a long way to reassuring us that Nuñez will, at the very least, get the chance to prove himself. I find his current average draft position of mid-round 2 a bit rich for my blood, but I see the potential. Couple that with the fact that I've ranked Jota quite low and have avoided him in every draft, and I suppose I'm quietly betting on Nuñez to, at the very least, start the majority of matches at the striker position. So, while things have gotten complicated for Darwin, we actually start this annual article with optimism. If he snatches it, Darwin has a chance to be a showcase player under Slot.

Rasmus Hojlund and Marcus Rashford

This one should make sense intuitively for anyone who has been paying the slightest bit of attention. Let's start with Rasmus Hojlund. How is his situation worse than last season? Well, just as he's gotten himself settled into the Premier League, United have gone and bought themselves another promising young striker who plays in the exact same position as Hojlund. Already, people were asking if and how they could both play in this side. Ten Hag even famously stated, "Joshua Zirkzee & Rasmus Hojlund can play together. They compliment each other." This had United fans salivating and everyone else massively confused. This team has one of the best young wingers in the world in Garnacho, a breakout star in Diallo, and the face of Manchester United himself, Marcus Rashford. I'll refrain from mentioning Anthony as a viable starter.

A 4-4-2 employed for the specific purpose of shoehorning in a new striker with no familiarity to the Prem makes no sense whatsoever. I was actually targeting Hojlund in drafts because I was fairly confident he would snatch at the chance to prove himself early doors and be a value in drafts. And then Hojlund got injured. Set to now be sidelined for at least another month, it comes as no surprise that he features in this article. However, since I'm trying out this whole "optimism" thing, let me just say that he has now become an absolute value in drafts. The reporting around the injury has been so widespread and panicked that his draft stock has fallen to a level that is quite reasonable. Take another midfielder earlier in drafts and grab Hojlund as your FWD 2 or 3 in the middle of the draft.

And that leads us to Marcus Rashford. Let's start with the reasons he appears in this list and then, believe it or not, your daily dose of sunshine and rainbows will continue. He's finds himself here because of an absolutely miserable season in the real world and in our EPL Draft fantasy game. Finishing the season as the 107th overall player despite playing the 16th most minutes among his positional peers, he scored 8.6 points per start with a brutal ghost point average of 5.4 and a ceiling of 13.4. It was truly a year to forget, though he had plenty of time to think about it from the bench at the end of the season. Meanwhile, Garnacho and Diallo were looking like revelations in his absence. So, coming into the season, his situation couldn't have been worse. However, Hojlund's injury may have just given him a new lease on life. While everyone knows he's better from the left than he is at the 9, he'll have a chance to make his case for keeping a spot in this XI. Once Hojlund is back, Rashford will have to stave off competition from him, Zirkzee, and Diallo. As things stand, though, he has started 4/4 preseason matches, scored once, and assisted twice. Due to his failings last season, you're getting him at a cut rate price in drafts, which is certainly worth the gamble should he continue to feature this season in a team that is slowly but surely finding its feet.

Simon Adingra

Unfortunately, here at TDS we sometimes can't help but duplicate some of our takes on player valuations throughout the preseason. Considering we have something like 100 articles, it's inevitable. I say this because Ryan Barnes has already made the case for fading Adingra in your fantasy rankings in the 24/25 Brighton Fantasy Forecast. I suggest you read that in its entirety. However, here is the Cliffs Notes version: with Mitoma back and record signing Minteh all but assured a majority of the starts, where does Adingra play? There just simply isn't a consistent role available for the youngster in this team. Even though he broke out last season, it looks as though his wait to be a consistent starter will continue. At the time of publication, Adingra has started exactly zero of Brighton's preseason matches. Our projections guru, Draft Lad, has Adingra at 17 starts this season and even that feels optimistic to me. If Adingra falls to you in drafts, he may be worth the gamble. Otherwise, the only way that I'm spending draft capital on him is to handcuff someone like Minteh. And even then, do you want to carry Adingra all season just to start him every 3 matches? These are the things that you'll have to mull over as your finger hovers over the Ivorian's name during your draft.

Dejan Kulusevski, Timo Werner, and Richarlison

I'm quite glad I left this article late this season. What a wild ride this transfer window has been. What seemed like a quiet window was really just the cocking of a gun, the drawing of a bow, or the upward climb of a rollercoaster. Today, Spurs have agreed terms with Bournemouth to sign Dominic Solanke. It's hard to see anyone other than Solanke starting up top for Spurs now. It may not happen right away, but he's the most talented number 9 this team has had since Sir Harrance of Kane. And Son playing as the sole striker last season just was not it. This allows him to move back to his favorite (and most dominant) position on the left wing. That leaves one spot available in the XI on the right. Based on the end of last season and this preseason, I think that spot belongs to Brennan Johnson.

Spurs fans will see the remaining attackers not yet mentioned as incredible depth. Sure, I suppose. As a Liverpool fan, I'm elated to have depth in attack for the first time in over a decade. However, as we saw last season, Premier League squad depth is no friend to EPL Draft managers. Even those, like myself, who see Johnson as the RW starter agree that there will be rotation. We saw it at the end of last season as Ange chopped and changed his XI often. This dents Johnson's value, certainly. But I see it as an absolute death knell for the fantasy prospects of Kulusevski, Werner, and Richarlison. With Son starting on the left, Werner is cooked. Richarlison will likely begin the season at the 9 as Spurs put him in the shop window. At this point, why would he stay to play second fiddle? Finally, Kulusevski is an interesting case. Heading into the season, many were hopeful for a resurgence from him. We saw him trotted out as a striker in preseason and there was talk of him playing as an attacking MID as well. Now, though, it's hard to see him as anything but a rotation option, albeit for several positions on the pitch. If you want a rose-colored-glasses take, I suppose that's it. He can potentially just spell the other attackers, scoring fantasy points as he gives them a rest. I would simply ask you if that's the type of player that you want to draft in the 3rd or 4th round. I think not.

Chelsea Attackers... all of them.

How do you even begin to make sense of what Chelsea have done this preseason? Profit & Sustainability Rules (PSR) questions aside, their roster is like a metastasizing cancer as their compulsion to sign player after player knows no end. Comical graphics like the one below illustrate my point. For those not studied in Italian, he makes the point that "this is not the roster of an NFL team, but instead the Chelsea team as of August 9th." What's more? This graphic doesn't even include Samo Omorodion (the £34.5million striker), Pedro Neto, or the still-rumored Victor Osimhen.

It's quite literally a farce. How can you draft any Chelsea player right now with any hope whatsoever that they will consistently start for this team? That said, Maresca is known for being as stubborn as a mad hornet and for having an incredibly complicated system he asks players to master. One thing I could see him doing is finding a starting XI he likes and saying to hell with the ownership and the marquee signings they want on the pitch. And we've seen how those battles usually end up. Maresca will be a very rich, unemployed man.

As of now, the only Chelsea player I'm comfortable drafting is Cole Palmer. But even with him, questions abound. What will his role actually be? Will he still take penalties? Will he be rotated? It's uncomfortable for those who spent a top 6 pick on him. The rest of the Chelsea players we've seen going in drafts inspire even less confidence since news of even more signings dropped. Nkunku was taken in the 2nd round in both of my leagues (and the 3rd round in most others). I'm not touching him now. Nicolas Jackson is also an obvious loser in this whole debacle, especially if they actually continue to pursue Osimhen. Sure, he could start the season in the XI, but how long will that last? Is that a gamble you want to take with your 4th round pick? If Osimhen does come in, he's the obvious number 1 waiver priority, 100% of your FAB type of signing. If not, does Omorodion displace Jackson? We have no idea... which is an uncomfortable place to be. How many of your roster spots do you want to clog up with Chelsea players just to ensure that you have some who actually start? It's an insane situation we find ourselves in as EPL Draft managers. The ownership for this team have absolutely lost it and any hope for team cohesion or a unified dressing room seem unrealistic at best. If you can, steer clear.

(Dis)Honorable Mention:

• Arsenal Left Backs: Mikel Arteta, famous for largely sticking with a set lineup, certainly has an opportunity this season to change his ways and become a bit more like his former boss and mentor, Pep Guardiola. Arsenal has strength in depth in most positions, but no more so than at the Left Back spot. This was a problem area last season - no fewer than four players were tried at this position (Timber, Zinchenko, Kiwior, and Tomiyasu) over the course of the campaign. Injuries and poor form contributed to the rotation carousel.

  
  

  This summer, the Gunners added Riccardo Calafiori, Italian CB-cum-LB, to the mix. So currently the roster includes 5 players that can slot in there. But realistically it should largely be a duel between Timber and Calafiori - with a little Zinchenko sprinkled in depending on the matchup. Suffice it to say, this may get messy for fantasy managers who will likely need a handcuff to feel confident of nailing down a consistent DEF starter. It's a lucrative fantasy position on a stout defensive team that picks up a lot of clean sheets. But unlike the right side, where Ben White is nailed on, this one will probably be a fantasy headache. Prepare accordingly.

Check out our 24/25 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you could ever need. We've got a Live Draft Aide, Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Cheat Sheets, Strategy Articles, Draft 101, plus so much more. Dominate your draft!

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