The 2021/22 Bundesliga Fantasy season kicks off today and Leipzig players top our charts as the strongly reinforced side takes on Covid-hit Mainz against whom the team is averaging four goals a game in their last five matches.
Forwards
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Robert Lewandowski | FCB | @BMG | 17M | Those who are trying to be cheeky by not including Lewandowski in their team to save some money should know what his early form has been like over the past two seasons: 20/21 - 11G, 4A in the first 6 games. 19/20 - 16G in the first 11 games and scored in every match. |
| 2 | André Silva | RBL | @M05 | 15M | Leipzig are averaging 4 goals a game in their last 6 matches against the 05ers and while they might've lost the last game 3-2 as these aren't the same "whipping boys" as before under Bo, this Leipzig team is still too good for a Covid-hit Mainz squad. |
| 3 | Erling Haaland | BVB | vs SGE | 16M | Don't count him out just because Sancho left. He is more than capable of scoring goals without him like the hattrick he scored in the DFB Pokal against Wehen Wiesbaden. Frankfurt, however, did not have the best outing in the cup as their first team was outclassed 2-0 by a third division side in the first round. |
| 4 | Andrej Kramarić | TSG | @FCA | 14M | Striker Kramarić > Midfielder Kramarić > Winger Kramaric It might not be the best for his attacking bonus points but he is just as prolific as a left-winger with 15 goals and 2 assists in 20 games. I feel like this game could be high-scoring as there has been an average of four goals in the last five games against both these teams and Kramarić could be a good ceiling differential pick. |
| 5 | Wout Weghorst | WOB | vs BOC | 14M | Although there are some concerns that Wolfsburg won't find the same success they did under Glasner with new coach Van Bommel, this is the best team they've had since the KDB era and Weghorst should have adequate service to get a goal or two against newly-promoted Bochum. |
| 6 | Mark Uth | KOE | vs BSC | 8M | If 19/20 Paderborn and Mark Uth bring back any memories of how goal-scoring they were then you know that Uth could be even better under Steffen Baumgart who believes in an attack only philosophy. |
| 7 | Stevan Jovetić | BSC | @KOE | 10M | The attack was the biggest cause of concern for the Berliners last season and it seems to be the key focus for Dárdai's team this year as they've scored 35 goals across 7 pre-season games including 4 goals against Liverpool in a 4-3 win. FC Köln had the second or third worst defence for the past three seasons in a row and Baumgart's high pressing, high line play could be a gift for Hertha's attackers including Jovetić who might play as a winger rather than his preferred striker position. |
| 8 | Thomas Müller | FCB | @BMG | 15M | Although he is second fiddle to Lewandowski, it can be quite rewarding to be the 6x golden boot winner's right-hand man as he was the assists leader last season with 18 assists to go with 11 goals and Müller was also the second-highest scoring player in Fantasy last season with 364 points. |
| 9 | Rafael Santos Borré | SGE | @BVB | 7M | A striker's debut can't get any worse than failing to register a single shot against a third division team but I have faith in Kostić's ability to turn a striker into a goal-scoring machine. Borré is the best bargain among forwards for 7M mainly because he has Kostić by his side. |
| 10 | Hamadi Al Ghaddioui | VFB | vs SGF | 4M | Al Ghaddioui is as cheap as the cheapest forward can get and your money is probably better spent elsewhere with so many good forward options around now that even wingers are a part of it but there are three reasons you should consider him: • He is 6'2" will be the focal point of Sosa's pinpoint crosses. • He plays *possibly* the worst defence and team in the league at home. • He costs just 4M. |
Midfielders
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Christopher Nkunku | RBL | vs M05 | 14M | A lethal goal-scorer was the final piece of the puzzle for RB Leipzig and finally, we might see more of Nkunku's crosses and through balls ending up in the back of the net. That is until Olmo and Szoboszlai return and overload the midfield. |
| 2 | Filip Kostić | SGE | @BVB | 14M | Kostić was Frankfurt's standout performer in pre-season with two goals and two assists and the team's loss in the DFB Pokal without him emphasizes his importance to this team. He is the one who will pull most of the strings in attack for the Eagles and is a virtual lock as a top 3 midfielder this season even without Silva (Unless a certain Italian team woos him away). |
| 3 | Lars Stindl | BMG | vs FCB | 13M | It is hard to look away from an OOP player that the team is so reliant on and Hutter knows a thing or two about how to beat Bayern at home getting the better of the reds in the past two seasons with Eintracht Frankfurt. |
| 4 | Christoph Baumgartner | TSG | @FCA | 11M | Baumgartner is back in his bonus point collecting attacking midfield role where he also averaged a return in almost every game last season and could be a differential gem with a game against Augsburg who were third for shots conceded last season and two individual fixtures against Union and Dortmund (first game) in the next two matchdays. |
| 5 | Joshua Kimmich | FCB | @BMG | 15M | One of the Bayern wingers would be preferred over here but Kimmich is still a worthy option as he is always involved in the attack and is on set-pieces but if you are getting him then it is most likely because he has three individual fixtures in the first three weeks so he is a good backup plan if your star fails. |
| 6 | Suat Serdar | BSC | @KOE | 9M | This pick will surely raise some eyebrows but if Dardai keeps letting Serdar shoot at free will as he did in the pre-season resulting in Serdar scoring 4 goals in total, he could be the next high floor player soon. |
| 7 | Vincenzo Grifo | SCF | @DSC | 12M | Grifo is a tempting differential pick but Arminia posses one of the better defences in the league and could bunker in this game which might make him too big of a gamble. The ceiling just isn't there for me and 12M seems like a lot to spend on a player who might not get you a big return this early. |
| 8 | Renato Steffen | WOB | Vs BOC | 9M | It is either him or Arnold who is known for his outside of the box goals and big scores against low block teams but whether Van Bommel will employ the same tactics is still unknown. This is why Steffen might be the better choice from the Wolfsburg midfield as he is more likely to score from the wing. |
| 9 | Kerem Demirbay | B04 | @FCU | 11M | Demirbay has great potential if he plays like a #10 under new coach Seoanne with authority over all set-pieces and he even scored a penalty and free kick in the Pokal game but I would like to wait and watch how Leverkusen perform against a disciplined Union Berlin side. |
| 10 | André Hahn | FCA | vs TSG | 8M |
Defenders
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Angeliño | RBL | vs M05 | 14M | Although he is the pick of the Leipzig defenders as he is on corners as well, it is worth considering Mukiele who is more rotation prone and not as attacking but costs 4M less. |
| 2 | Borna Sosa | VFB | vs SGF | 11M | I would be certain that he is a must-have if Kalajdžić was playing but some of the B team players such as Al Ghaddioui surrounding him makes me feel less confident that Sosa will have an attacking return and more confident that he will concede even against a newly promoted side. |
| 3 | Niklas Süle | FCB | @BMG | 11M | Whether he keeps a clean sheet does not matter. You can always count on right-back Süle to get you plenty of attacking bonus points. |
| 4 | Jérôme Roussillon | WOB | vs BOC | 7M | Bochum's best player Robert Žulj who had 28 G+A last season has left the team and his replacement Takuma Asano has just 1 goals in his 28 games. Uninspiring to say the least and Bochum might have the worst attack this season. |
| 5 | Christian Günter | SCF | @DSC | 11M | Arminia are the better defensive team here so if you get Günter you are more likely betting on his clean sheet potential now that Doan has left the team than his attacking potential. |
| 6 | Marvin Plattenhardt | BSC | @KOE | 7M | |
| 7 | Christopher Trimmel | FCU | vs B04 | 10M | In my mind this game has 1-1 written all over. |
| 8 | Jeremie Frimpong | B04 | @FCU | 7M | |
| 9 | Jacob Laursen | DSC | vs SCF | 4M | It might seem like Freiburg are heavy favourites here but Arminia are capable of producing wins out of nowhere as they did with a 1-0 win in the same fixture last season. |
| 10 | Nico Schulz | BVB | vs SGE | 6M | The only good thing about Schulz is that he is cheap. |
Goalkeepers
| Rank | Name | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florian Müller | VFB | vs SGF | 8M | These are two attacking-minded teams missing key players in midfield and defence so this match could quickly turn into a shot fest and there are few players better than Müller at saving shots in the league. |
| 2 | Stefan Ortega | DSC | @VFB | 8M | Clean sheet + saves potential against Freiburg and despite his expensive price tag I am sure that he will finish the season as one of the best keepers in fantasy again. |
| 3 | Rafał Gikiewicz | FCA | vs TSG | 7M | Hoffenheim are one of the more attacking teams in the league and I am fully expecting them to bombard Gikiewicz with shots this week. |
| 4 | Robin Zentner | M05 | @RBL | 6M | A Covid-hit team against one of the best attacks in the league? It is a potential ceiling game for Zentner with all the saves on offer but I won't take a chance and play musical chairs with him as it is still unknown who the other two affected players are other than Onisiwo. |
| 5 | Mark Flekken | SCF | @DSC | 6M | Flekken was the set and forget keeper for last year and although he might be playing the second-worst attack from last season after Schalke, there is still potential for clean sheet points here. |
Value Rankings
| Rank | Name | Position | Team | Opponent | Value | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jan Thielmann | MID | KOE | vs BSC | 4M | Thielmann has been one of the pre-seasons standout performers and could thrive under his new OOP role as a striker at just 4M. |
| 2 | Manuel Riemann | GKP | BOC | @WOB | 5M | Stefan Ortega led the 2. Bundesliga in saves percentage (78.6) for the 19/20 season and went on to become one of the best keepers in fantasy last year leading the Bundesliga this time in saves percentage (71.7%) and saving the second highest number of shots. If that is a winning formula then Riemann could be the next Ortega as he led the 2. Bundesliga in saves percentage (74.8%) last season and is also the cheapest starting keeper in the game at just 5M. |
| 3 | Julian Green | MID | SGF | @VFB | 6M | |
| 4 | Georginio Rutter | FWD | TSG | @FCA | 7M | Rutter could be the next big talent in the Bundesliga and has been Hoffenheim's best player in pre-season scoring 1 goal and assisting 3. |
| 5 | Branimir Hrgota | FWD | SGF | @VFB | 6M | There isn't much optimism regarding the promoted teams with both Bochum and Greuther Fürth expected to be relegated immediately but if there is one player from those teams who is going to spam a lot of shots then it has to be Hrgota and the game against Stuttgart's B team is perfect for that. |
| 6 | Atakan Karazor | DEF | VFB | vs SGF | 3M | An OOP defender playing in midfield might seem like too good to be true for 3M but it might just result in a bit more attacking points and duels won at best as he will be a defensive midfielder. |
| 7 | Melayro Bogarde | DEF | TSG | @FCA | 2M | His spot in the XI depends on how fast Kadeřábek recovers but he is still better than Scally for this week. |
| 8 | Frederik Jensen | MID | FCA | vs TSG | 4M | Midfielders who play in a #10 role are usually some of the best assets in Fantasy but Jensen has been mostly overlooked despite being just 4M and rightly so. |
| 9 | Joe Scally | DEF | FCB | vs BMG | 2M | I wouldn't expect much from a player who might lose his spot soon and plays against a team this week that scored in every single game last season. |
You can find additional Bundesliga Fantasy resources for the 21/22 season here.
The creator of the website.