It's that time of year again! 'Tis the season for Fantrax Dynasty League managers around the globe to begin to stash young, promising Fantasy EPL players, hoping to roster them now for free before these players fully nail down a spot in the XI and announce their presence. Ideally, fantasy managers are looking for players who can offer an immediate return in the 21/22 season, while also offering the promise of many productive seasons to come.
Needless to say, these players are rare. And, due to the sheer size of most dynasty league rosters, most of the younger talent in the league is already safely nestled deep in the roster of some lucky manager. So, we've gathered the lads together here at The Draft Society and asked them to all provide some dynasty targets who can be added in most leagues before the close of this season!
What is a Dynasty League?
We had better start with the basics for those who read that first paragraph and felt completely lost. Allow us to define some of the key terms involved with these types of leagues, and then highlight some of the differences between dynasty leagues and "normal" leagues (often called re-draft leagues).
First of all, a dynasty league describes a league which is ongoing over multiple seasons. Managers are allowed to keep a certain number of players on their roster at the end of the year, which means that these players are automatically added to that manager's roster the following year. These players are called keepers (not to be confused with GKs). Usually, managers can not keep their entire roster. Instead, they are allowed to keep a set number of players.
Finally, a major difference between dynasty leagues and re-draft leagues is that, in order to allow managers to roster and keep young talent, roster sizes are often much larger than those of re-draft leagues. For example, we have seen dynasty leagues with rosters of 25 players or more. This allows managers to hold players whose future prospects are promising, but who may not be playing consistently now.
A Preface Before Our Picks
As mentioned, it does a dynasty manager very little good if we suggest adding players like Pedro Neto or Mason Mount. Though young and talented, these players are universally rostered. In fact, due to the larger roster sizes of most dynasty leagues, many players with known promise who didn't see much on-field action this season will also already be rostered. For example, in any dynasty league worth its salt, Gabriel Martinelli and Callum Husdon-Odoi are rostered (and likely have been for not only this season, but previous seasons as well). Therefore, in making our picks below, we are going to try our best to recommend players who meet the following criteria:
They have a conceivable path to considerable play time next season.
They have the talent to be a viable fantasy asset, potentially even a star.
They are not a widely-hyped or highly-rostered player as of now.
They are likely available in most dynasty leagues, which will be our best estimation.
Current Players
These Dyntasy Picks are players that are currently live in the Fantrax system. These current players are free for you to go and pick up right now, before the season ends. Our analysts have scoured the youth academies to bring you the best young under-the-radar Fantasy EPL prospects!
Louie Barry | Forward | Aston Villa | @The_InnerGeek
Barcelona signed Louie Barry when he was 16. That's all you need to know. Okay, now he's at Villa, so it's less impressive. But he was one of the youngsters who bagged against Klopp, Salah, and co. as the Villa youngsters did an admirable job in their FA Cup 3rd round game last season. Barry could get some minutes next year as Villa aren't exactly deep up top, but it's his long-term prospects that have people excited. Oh, and he's a penalty taker, so that helps.
Folarin Balogun | Forward | Arsenal | @CNFC82
With the sought-after Folarin Balogun recently signing a long term contract (he was wanted by the likes of RB Leipzig) and Lacazette and/or Eddie Nketiah likely on their way out, the talented youngster should get some looks at the FWD spot next season (although he is certainly one more for the future/beyond next season).
Tyrick Mitchell | Defender | Crystal Palace | @JWillDraft
Tyrick Mitchell may already be rostered in some dynasty leagues due to his inclusion in the first XI this year at Palace. But with how abysmally defenders from this team have scored this season, there's a higher likelihood that he's available in your league. My argument for Mitchell begins with the fact that his prospects for future seasons really can't get any worse than this year. Again, Palace were miserable. Add to that the fact that he appears to be announcing his presence as of recent, with a breakout performance in Gameweek 36 that included a goal, an assist, 2 accurate crosses, 4 clearances, a successful dribble, and an aerial dual won. He seems to be coming into his own and gaining comfort in the team. To end on a word of warning, though, he should only be rostered in leagues that award ghost points, as he's not going to bag you clean sheets.
Liam Delap | Forward | Manchester City | @The_InnerGeek
Will Liam Delap become the next Aguero? Almost certainly not. But could he have a Jack Harrison like impact at a club...potentially as early as next season? Absolutely. The 18 year old was the top scorer in the Premier League 2 (the youth league basically) with 24 goals. The next highest number? 13. So yeah, he's dominating youth football.
Morgan Gibbs-White | Wolves | @DraftGenie
Gibbs-White may not be available in many dynasty leagues after his starts late season, but as one of his biggest fans I believe he has a bright future. While Gibbs-White may not initially get a starting role at Wolves next season, there is every chance he gets a loan to a lower EPL team, or gets himself 10-20 starts. At only 21 years old he still has a lot of time to make a name for himself. One of his biggest positives is the fact he can play multiple positions, and usually drops a very solid performance no matter where Nuno has played him.
Amad Diallo | Forward | Manchester United | @TheFFChaps
When Manchester United signed Amad Diallo in January of this year, it was essentially their very own Dynasty Pick. The Ivorian had only made 4 first team appearances for Atalanta at this time, but United were obviously convinced he was a player worth taking a risk on. Diallo scored on his debut for the Italian side back in October 2019, becoming the first player born in 2002 to score in Serie A. The young forward made his EPL debut against Leicester on May 11th and provided an assist for Greenwood. I would expect Diallo to be given more Premier League minutes next season, with a view to starting for the Red Devils during the 22/23 season.
Keinan Davis | Forward | Aston Villa | @CNFC82
Keinan Davis is in a similar position at Villa although he has already gotten more playing time than Balogun. He should continue to be an alternative up front to Ollie Watkins and could have a breakout season in 2021/2022.
On Your Radar Players
Our next section of Dynasty Picks are players that are not currently loaded into the Fantrax system. These are Fantasy EPL players for you to look out for during pre-season, and potentially add them to your roster when the 21/22 season is launched! If your league allows for any kind of 'offline' pickups, these are players you could therefore bring in and stash now.
Oliver Skipp | Midfielder | Tottenham | @TheFFChaps
Oliver Skipp spent the 20/21 season on loan with Championship winners Norwich City, and was a key cog in their central midfield. The Tottenham youngster started 44 out of a possible 46 (although he was injured for the final game of the season) and was one of the key reasons why the Canaries made an immediate return to the Premier League. Skipp is a defensive midfielder who gained just two attacking returns all season (1 goal, 1 assist), but we all know that doesn't matter too much in Fantrax! The Englishman averaged 2.2 tackles per game, 1.1 interceptions, and 1.4 aerials.
Skipp has done enough to convince Tottenham to keep hold of him, and I could certainly see him starting alongside Hojbjerg next season. The England Under-21 international is certainly more Declan Rice or Wilfred Ndidi rather than Mason Mount of James Maddison, but in a competitive Dynasty League he could certainly do a job. Skipp is worth rostering in leagues with roster sizes of around 22 to 25.
Harvey Elliot | Midfielder | Liverpool | @Tottiandor
Having come through the ranks at Fulham, Harvey Elliot was snapped up by Liverpool last season as one of the most astute signings for the future. With the title wrapped up at the end of last season, he even managed to get a few Premier League minutes under his belt. With Jota's arrival, he was deemed surplus to requirements and was duly shipped out on loan to Blackburn Rovers, where he grabbed his chance with both hands. Nominated for Young Player of the Season, breaking the record for most assists by a teenager in the Championship, winning Blackburn's Goal of the Season, and scoring 8 goals and assisting 11 in 31 starts are just some of the statistics that make him one of the most exciting young talents to keep an eye on. There will be a shakeup at Liverpool, but his best value would lie in another loan season to a mid-table Premier League side where he would feature regularly.
Alfie Devine | Midfielder | Tottenham | @JWillDraft
Alfie Devine may not break out next season. Let's just get that straight from the off. However, this player is one who dynasty managers will want to pay attention to. After joining Spurs from Wigan for £300k last July, he subsequently became the youngest goal-scorer in Tottenham's history. And, at 16-years-old, it's worth noting that he was training with the first XI at Wigan before his departure. For fantasy purposes, this is a speculative add for sure. However, there is more than enough reason to believe that he'll shine once given a chance. Plus, there's always a glimmer of hope that he's loaned to another Premier League team, which would make him a usable fantasy asset. (Also, though he's not likely to be an immediate impact player next season, you can still roster him now in Fantrax if you're willing to stash him for the future.)
Arnaut Danjuma | Forward | @DraftGenie
Danjuma may get a chance to shine in the EPL if Bournemouth can win the EFL playoffs, but could also get a move regardless. Danjuma has been great for Bournemouth in the EPL, and still has his best years ahead. At 24 years old he may not be your typical dynasty pick, but I still believe we haven't seen the best of him. Last season I drafted Danjuma in a Dynasty mock draft near Round 15/16, and would aim to take him even a Round or 2 higher this year.
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