6 out-of-position players to pick in your 2021-22 FPL team

By Benjamin Newman


Published: June 23, 2021 10:56 am

Last Updated: June 23, 2021 11:02 am

2021-22 FPL team: Who to pick?

On Tuesday, the brand new 2021-22 FPL game launched.

One of the first decisions each new FPL manager has to make is crucial: what should you name your FPL team?

Check out our list of the 101 best and funniest FPL team names, here.

After that, it’s time to start selecting your team.

Check out our list of the 5 must-have players for the start of the Fantasy Premier League season, here.

Join the 101 Great Goals FPL league

We have set up our own FPL league for the 2021-22 season.

You can join be using the following code: xtp90j

What is an out-of-position FPL player?

Every so often, the Fantasy Premier League game will make a questionable decision when classifying a player’s position.

For example, should attacking wingbacks be considered as defenders or midfielders? A similar question arises with regards to utility players.

These decisions give way to the emergence of out-of-position (OOP) FPL players, who can prove to be goldmines for points over the course of a season.

In recent years, the likes of Sheffield United’s John Lundstrum and Leeds United’s Stuart Dallas have proven to be OOP godsends.

FPL: 6 out-of-position players

So who could be this season’s OOP heroes?

Below is a list of 6 out-of-position players you may want to consider picking in your FPL squad.

1) Kai Havertz (midfield)

Team: Chelsea

Price: 8.5

In Chelsea’s final match of last season, Kai Havertz stepped up as Chelsea’s match-winner in the Champions League final against Man City.

On that occasion, Thomas Tuchel picked Havertz to play as a false nine. That trend has continued at Euro 2020, where Havertz has continued his positive scoring form for Germany.

If Havertz continues to play in his more attacking role for Chelsea, FPL managers could view the German as an OOP striker.

2) Allan Saint-Maximin (forward)

Team: Newcastle

Price: 6.5

Allan Saint-Maximin can be viewed as a reverse OOP.

Newcastle’s electric talent, Saint-Maximin, has been reclassified as a forward this season, rather than a midfielder.

Ultimately, that decision could be a blow for FPL managers, who may be put off signing Saint-Maximin in one of three forward slots.

It would be interesting to understand why ASM is a forward, but Miguel Almiron (5.5) is a midfielder.

In total, Newcastle have four forwards in FPL this season: Saint-Maximin, Callum Wilson (7.5), Joelinton (6.0) and Dwight Gayle (5.5).

3) Matt Ritchie (defender)

Team: Newcastle

Price: 5.0

Staying with the Toon, a more favourable out-of-position switch is Matt Ritchie’s change from a midfielder to a defender.

Ritchie often played in a left wing-back role for Newcastle last season, which makes the FPL reclassification wholly understandable.

However, if Steve Bruce switches up his tactics this year, and Ritchie ends up playing on Newcastle’s left-wing, he could prove an interesting OOP pick.

4) Jacob Sørensen (defender)

Team: Norwich

Price: 4.5

Many FPL managers might be convinced into drafting Norwich’s Jacob Sørensen into their starting squad this season.

The 23-year-old Dane joined Norwich in 2020, after the Canaries were relegated from the Premier League.

While far from a nailed-on starter at Carrow Road, Sørensen has been classed as a defender even though he finished last season playing as a centre-mid for Norwich.

5) Bryan Mbeumo (midfield)

Team: Brentford

Price: 5.5

While Brentford’s Bryan Mbeumo is labelled a midfielder by FPL, the 21-year-old ended last season playing in tandem with Ivan Toney in the Bees attack.

During Brentford’s playoff triumph, manager Thomas Frank used a 3-5-2 formation which employed wingbacks. In that system, Mbeumo was stationed in attack.

A guaranteed starter, Mbeumo comes into the Premier League with 40 goal contributions in 73 starts.

6) Marcus Rashford (midfield)

Team: Manchester United

Price: 9.5

Even though 2020-21 was far from his best season, Man United’s Marcus Rashford was still the 5th highest scoring midfielder in FPL.

But should Rashford even be a midfielder? Is he an out-of-position striker?

Last season, Rashford was often deployed on the left-wing. Edinson Cavani played a more central role.

However, were Ole Gunnar Solskjær to reposition Rashford, the England international could become a highly valuable asset.

More out-of-position notes & reclassification updates

Another player who could be considered out-of-position is Southampton’s Nathan Tella.

Tella (5.0) is classed as a midfielder. But he made 18 appearances for Southampton last season in the Premier League, often in an attacking role.

Tella is far from a nailed-on starter at St Mary’s, however.

It’s also worth noting that Arsenal’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (10.0) is now a forward, rather than a midfielder. While Stuart Dallas (5.5) is no longer a defender, but a midfielder.

This article was edited by
Josh Barker.

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Premier League table

#	Team	MP	D	P
1	Leeds United	0	0	0
2	Manchester City	0	0	0
3	Manchester United	0	0	0
4	West Ham United	0	0	0
5	Everton FC	0	0	0
6	Southampton FC	0	0	0
7	Chelsea London	0	0	0
8	Arsenal London	0	0	0
9	Newcastle United	0	0	0
10	Leicester City	0	0	0
11	Liverpool FC	0	0	0
12	Aston Villa	0	0	0
13	Tottenham Hotspur	0	0	0
14	Wolverhampton Wanderers	0	0	0
15	Crystal Palace	0	0	0
16	Norwich City	0	0	0
17	Watford FC	0	0	0
18	Burnley FC	0	0	0
19	Brighton & Hove Albion	0	0	0
20	Brentford London	0	0	0

Player	Team	Red Cards	Yellow Cards