Our Fantasy EPL 21/22 Draft Kit promises to be the most comprehensive set of pre-season Draft Premier League articles ever produced! A key component of our Draft Kit will be the Team Preview articles which analyze key assets to sit alongside our all-important Draft Rankings. This article delves into the Best Fantrax Fantasy EPL Players from Wolves!
Check out our 21/22 Draft Kit for all the pre-season information you would ever need. Draft Rankings, Team Previews, Strategy, Draft 101. We've got it all!!!
Wolves Best Fantasy Players
As noted above, these are the Best Wolves Players for the Fantrax Fantasy EPL platform. We analyze the Wanderers' top three prospects ahead of the new season, with an estimated draft pick for each player.
Adama Traore
Position: Forward
20/21 Points: 370
20/21 Points Per Start: 12
Recommended Draft Pick: 17-20 (12 Team League: Mid Second Round)
Overview: Amazing fantasy asset and ghost point warrior when he plays. The only risk is a lack of starts; if he was nailed on, he'd be a first rounder. His upside could be worth a punt in the second round.
Adama is one of the most entertaining attacking players in the Premier League - and also the most productive, fantasy wise. His legendary ghost point reputation speaks for itself. The man is a walking successful dribble. This past season, the Wolves winger dropped nearly a dozen ghost points per 90 (3rd highest in the league), with a staggering 153 successful dribbles (CoS). However, given Wolves' poor form and lack of a top striker, Adama's attacking returns were disappointing (only 2 goals & 2 assists). And while he struggled for starts at the beginning of the season, which scared many fantasy managers, he still ended up surpassing his number of starts from the previous season (28 v 27).
With a new manager coming in and Adama's future up in the air (he has been linked with a move away), his value is uncertain. Even if he does stay at Wolves, once Neto is fit, there will be a lot of competition on the wing and the potential for rotation. But we do know one thing for sure - the past few seasons have proved that when he plays, he scores very well (the ghost points provide an incredible floor). And if new manager Bruno Lage turns Wolves into an attacking machine, as expected, and pairs him with proper strikers to finish off his crosses, the sky is the limit. Pay close attention to the pre-season and what Lage says about Adama. He could be first round talent available in the second or third round.
Raul Jimenez
Position: Forward
20/21 Points: 86.5
20/21 Points Per Start: 8.7
Recommended Draft Pick: 45-50 (12 Team League: Rounds 4-5)
Overview: Top 10 FWD when fit and firing, but a horrific head injury kept him out most of last season. If he can fully recover (mentally & physically), he could be a steal. But that is a big risk to take with an early pick.
Going into drafts last season, the Wolves target man was a consensus late first round pick. This came as no surprise given his 2019/2020 campaign, in which Jimenez bagged 17 goals and 6 assists, ending with a PPG of over 12. He started last season with a few goals but he then suffered a fractured skull in a match against Arsenal last November, which kept Jimenez out for the remainder of the season. Wolves were not the same after that and struggled for goals without him up top.
He has begun full training and is expected to be ready for the Premier League opener in August. But will Jimenez be the same player? There aren't many case studies on how players react to these types of head injuries so you'll have to take the risk. His aerial game is among the best - will he be hesitant to go up and head the ball given the nature of this injury? A lot of question marks. When he was fit, Raul was never a big ghost point accumulator like Adama, but he is a clinical finisher and has it in his locker to be a top 30 player this season, especially if the new look, attack-minded Wolves under manager Bruno Lage start humming. Conservatively, round 4 or 5 is a good spot for him, but he may be grabbed earlier in many drafts. High risk, high reward.
Pedro Neto
Position: Forward
20/21 Points: 375
20/21 Points Per Start: 12.3
Recommended Draft Pick: 177-208 (12 Team League: Round 12-13)
Overview: Wolves' best fantasy player when fit. A top ten player before the injury, he will be out until at least October, and these injuries usually have a long-lasting effect. While tempting, it is a risky play to take him.
Neto was one of last season's biggest revelations. Going undrafted in many fantasy leagues, he confounded all of our expectations and turned into Wolves' best performer, and had the fantasy points to prove it. Despite missing the last 7 games of the season, the Portuguese scored 5 goals, dropped 8 assists, and averaged over 12 points per start in a very poor Wolves side. More impressively, Neto finished in the top ten in ghost points per 90 (over 10 gpp90).
That is until he broke his kneecap in April, which will leave him out at least until October. This makes it incredibly difficult to gauge the ideal spot in which to select Neto in the draft. It is not an ACL injury but still a very serious one that is difficult to get over (6 months rehab). Stashing a long term asset is difficult to do and burns up a roster spot for months, and rarely does a player return to form immediately after he resumes training. Different injury and player, but Ricardo Pereira is a good cautionary tale from last season. It is a complete guess as to when Neto reappears in the starting lineup and reverts to being the baller from last season. Similar to Raul above but requiring more time and patience, it is a big gamble. Many will take him as early as the third round; don't do that.
Honorable Mention:
Joao Moutinho would likely get a nod here but he is getting on in years and likely out the door. The central midfield is completely up in the air - Ruben Neves is rumored to be leaving but scored decently last season and could be a solid MID5. Meanwhile, Daniel Podence has shown glimpses but is very injury prone and is coming off of groin surgery. On the defensive side, Nelson Semedo scored well, again, in an abysmal Wolves side. He should crack on under Lage and will provide good value around pick 80 (Rds 7-8 in a 12 team draft).
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