How could we possibly have predicted this?
If you had told me this time last year that Sunderland players would be making up 7% of the top 100 Fantasy Premier League performers, I simply wouldn’t have believed you.
It’s easy to look at the table and see how well we’re doing as a team this season, but it’s even more incredible to see our individual players in the spotlight when you’re actively scouting out good performers for your FPL each week. With a combined signing fee of just over £55 million,
it’s clear to see that our 7 entrants into the top 100 have been well worth the money.
Ahead of Gameweek 1, I would never have dreamed of filling up the Sunderland slots in my team but, 12 weeks later, that’s exactly what I’ve done. Albeit, if there’s one thing about me, it’s that Luke O’Nien will never leave my FPL. He’s keeping my bench warm and full of spirit until he makes his long-awaited Premier League debut.
I do feel a bit guilty about not backing Sunderland from the off, so we’re breaking down the 7 Sunderland players featuring in the top 100 FPL performers and why I should’ve put my trust in them earlier.
Robin Roefs
Points: 56
Number overall: #17
Number position: #1
Cost in GW1: £4.5
Ownership in GW1: 18,876
Cost in GW11: £4.7
Ownership in GW11: 874,346
With an outstanding 56 points so far this season, Roefs sits comfortably as the best goalkeeper in FPL. he averages a spectacular 5.1 points per match, which also puts him in 17th overall. The second best goalkeeper, Raya, averages just 4.8 and started off the season with 1,531,911 players having him in their squad, meaning Roefs would have been a brilliant player to start off with. Roefs has been very consistent throughout the season, hasn’t conceded more than two goals per match, and seems set to continue bringing in the points for any of the 850,000 managers who have brought him into their team.
Granit Xhaka
Points: 52
Number overall: #29
Number position: #10
Cost in GW1: £5.0
Ownership in GW1: 266,288
Cost in GW11: £5.1
Ownership in GW11: 698,127
Xhaka started the season as the most owned Sunderland player with a whopping 266,288 managers having him in their squad, and that has nearly tripled in the weeks since. It was common sense to bring him in at the low price point of £5 million, especially since he has ended up averaging 4.7 points per match. His biggest week yet came in GW10 where he gained 10 points after his first goal for the club. That week led to 50,000 more players bringing him in, with his current ownership standing at just under 700,000. If you joined the 640,000 other managers who owned him in that week, you clearly had more sense than I did.
Nordi Mukiele
Points: 51
Number overall: #31
Number position: #15
Cost in GW2: £4.0
Ownership in GW2: 33,250
Cost in GW11: £4.2
Ownership in GW11: 692,033
Sunderland AFC have already reported on why Mukiele is a great fit for your FPL, and they weren’t wrong. He averages 5.7 points per match, with an incredible GW8 bringing in 17 points. Not only is he scoring for the club, he also consistently gets defcon. Mukiele has had almost 640,000 transfers in since the start of his season, so if you brought him in as soon as he signed for the club ahead of GW2, you definitely made the right choice there.
Dan Ballard
Points: 49
Number overall: #39
Number position: #17
Cost in GW1: £4.5
Ownership in GW1: 20,153
Cost in GW11: £4.6
Ownership in GW11: 292,599
Due to his outstanding performances last season – we’ll never forget 121:59 – a lot of Sunderland fans brought Ballard into their team. As they very rightly predicted, he managed to header his way into FPL’s heart. He’s already scored two blinders this season, is averaging 5.4 points per match, and even grabbed a remarkable 19 defensive contributions against Manchester United at the start of October. His ownership has risen from 20,000 to 292,000 so he has clearly proven himself to be a great asset.
Omar Alderete
Points: 45
Number overall: #59
Number position: #25
Cost in GW1: £4.0
Ownership in GW1: 69,254
Cost in GW11: £4.1
Ownership in GW11: 625,824
In spite of his lack of minutes lately, Alderete did so well earlier in the season that he’s still standing firmly in the top 60. He averaged 6.5 points in the first 6 weeks and has flown from 69,000 to 625,000 ownership. He would’ve been an amazing asset at the start of the season to get you ahead of the game so kudos to those who predicted his incredible performance.
Trai Hume
Points: 41
Number overall: #75
Number position: #29
Cost in GW1: £4.5
Ownership in GW1: 18,175
Cost in GW11: £4.5
Ownership in GW11: 47,728
Trai Hume. Where can we even begin? He signed for us for around £200,000 in 2022 and is now the 75th best player in FPL just three years later. Unrivalled. Hume still has a small ownership and some good fixtures for the next few weeks so could definitely be a good individual pick to boost your points. Only 38,000 managers gained his 11 points in week 8, so we certainly should’ve put our faith in him earlier.
Wilson Isidor
Points: 41
Number overall: #76
Number position: #8
Cost in GW1: £5.5
Ownership in GW1: 21,380
Cost in GW11: £5.6
Ownership in GW11: 425,542
Isidor sits just one place behind Hume in the top 100, even though they’re tied on points. He has a massive ownership now, featuring in 3.5% of teams, with over 400,000 FPL managers bringing him into their squad since GW1. After all, with Isidor, where can you really go wrong?
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