The Coach: Out-of-position options
Philipp Lahm in holding midfield? Mitchell Weiser at right-back? Joshua Kimmich at centre-back? These were, at the time, baffling decisions, which turned out to be strokes of genius.
Jonas Hector, 1. FC Köln
One of the things I love to do most in Official Fantasy Bundesliga is to try and emulate those types of calculated choices. So while Flo ‘The Scout’ used his binoculars to discover under-the-radar stars and Matt ‘The Expert’ crunched the numbers on the big-money signings during the DFB Cup first round, I went in search of players whose potential could multiply on account of a position change.
In my last article I discussed how to manipulate the system when it came to squad choices, but player choices offer just as much opportunity. Therefore, I’ve picked out five defenders who cater to a variety of budgets and could pick up two points for a clean sheet despite not playing at the back.
Fantasy value: 14M
Fresh from his exploits with Germany at UEFA EURO 2016, Hector once again lined-up for Köln in holding midfield as he had done for the majority of the second half of last season in their 7-0 win over BFC Preußen.
While moving into a more central position restricts his opportunities to whip in crosses, the points dropped from those situations should be offset by the 26-year-old adding to his weekly tally courtesy of things like successful challenges.
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Pavel Kaderabek, TSG 1899 Hoffenheim
Fantasy value: 9M
Let’s not ignore the glaringly obvious fact that Kaderabek got sent off for picking up two bookings in the space of 12 minutes in Hoffenheim’s 6-0 thrashing of 1. FC Germania Egestorf/Langreder.
In his defence, however, it’s worth noting that the Czech international didn’t get sent off once in 28 appearances last season. With Julian Nagelsmann toying with the idea of a back three, Kaderabek could be a hidden gem when getting into more advanced positions from right-wing back.
Sandro Sirigu, SV Darmstadt 98
Fantasy value: 5M
Plenty of Darmstadt players caught the eye in their resounding 7-0 win over Bremer SV. Flo picked out Antonio Colak for good reason, but it was Sandro Sirigu who grabbed my attention with his exploits on the right wing.
The Ulm native made just six top-flight appearances in 2015/16 yet has featured prominently in pre-season under new head coach Norbert Meier. If his performances in the summer months are anything to go by then Sirigu has the potential to rocket in value.