4. Riyad Mahrez, Leicester, 2015-16, £5.5m
Riyad Mahrez was a goldmine for Claudio Ranieri and FPL bosses alike during Leicester’s title-winning season. As the Fantasy Football Scout notes, he flew out of the blocks with a 15-point haul in week one against Sunderland, rewarding the 5.9% of managers who started the season with the winger in their side.
It was no fluke. Mahrez made double figures in five of the opening six gameweeks, his 56 points among the best starts ever to a FPL campaign. Inevitably, other managers jumped on board, and by week seven Mahrez was in more than 50% of teams.
Jamie Vardy, of course, had a dazzling season of his own, returning a goal or an assist for 15 weeks on the bounce, though he started £0.5m more expensive than his team-mate.
Mahrez finished the campaign as the top scorer in FPL with 240 points, despite his modest starting price.
3. Michu, Swansea, 2012-13, £6.5m
Of course, there is a certain amount of nostalgia and sentiment to FPL. We gaze proudly at these little icons clocking up points like they’re family.
Michu was the epitome of an on-screen cult hero, going from relative unknown to bagging 190 points, his price rising by £2m throughout the year.
As Woods says, he is probably the biggest one-season wonder in FPL history.
“A few savvy managers picked up on the fact the Spaniard had scored 15 goals in La Liga the season before and had him on the opening day when he scored twice at QPR,” adds our resident FPL expert.
“He was effectively a £6.5m striker classified as a midfielder. It felt like he was in most managers’ teams by the time he ended 2012-13 with a whopping 18 goals.
“He managed two the following season… and then left for Napoli.”
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