James Cooper is the current reigning champion of the Elite XI managers, holding the crown as the 2022/23 league winner after finishing the season with an overall rank of 6,420. Prior to this, James had accrued 1 x Top 1k finish, 5 x Top 5k finishes, and 7 x Top 10k finishes.
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As with Corey Baker, whose draft we looked at in last week’s article, James’ FPL decisions are heavily influenced by the underlying data of the players and their teams. His comprehensive knowledge of football tactics and formations enable James to make best use of the data, and predict outcomes effectively. Once he has formed his opinion, he is very strong-minded, not bending easily to the prevailing narratives.
In his first draft, James has opted for a cheap and cheerful goalkeeping duo. Jordan Pickford (£4.5m) will be first choice as James seeks to take advantage of Everton’s generous opening fixtures, with Alphonse Areola (£4.0m) deputising from the bench.
Who do you have between the sticks? 🧤 pic.twitter.com/3JkbH3BvRq
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) July 14, 2023
James’ backline may raise a few eyebrows. Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.0m) should not come as a surprise; James believes the Liverpool defender can better exploit his immense passing range from a new midfield role, and could well be worth the investment, despite a hefty price rise.
Reece James (£5.5m) is the ‘Marmite’ pick of the defenders, while Pedro Porro (£5.0m) represents a differential option at just over 4% ownership. The thing all three defenders have in common is their propensity to get forward and accumulate attacking returns and BPS.
FPL gave us pause for thought by pricing Trent at 8m, but he’s still currently in my thinking. Subject to the ups and downs of the transfer window, I am expecting Liverpool to be a little more reliable defensively - which means Trent’s attacking output from that midfield position is an attractive proposition, even if it costs a premium. Two new managers at top clubs are expected to implement systems which will see their full backs provide width and get forward consistently. That’s why I am currently happy to put faith in James and Porro. Of course, we’ll need to keep an eye on James’ injury record, as usual.
With so many underpriced midfield options, James has joined the Elite XI Consensus and opted for a 3-5-2 formation. His omission of Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) has given James plenty of budget to spread around his attack. He joins almost three-quarters of FPL managers who have decided to go without The Egyptian King, a decision which could be pivotal and is covered further in this week’s Premium Analysis article here.
In case you missed it. See which Spurs midfielder Eddie has his eye on.
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) July 17, 2023
👉 https://t.co/d2eE3Gr0vq pic.twitter.com/6hMymMHJDw
James clearly rates Arsenal midfielders highly and has decided to go for a double-up with both Martin Ødegaard (£8.5m) and Bukayo Saka (£8.5m) nailing down two of the five precious spots.
In midfield I think the 8.5m Arsenal mids are such good value that I’ve got two of them. This is the sort of player profile that I think would have cost 10m in FPL of old - so the reliability of Ødegaard and the explosive potential of Saka are welcome. Rashford I think is a strong pick given his return to form last season. Goalscoring mids are always attractive in FPL and I am expecting him to be a reliable source of returns once again. Mitoma deserves a spot after his breakout season with decent early fixtures to look forward to. Again, he’s a player who could have ended up costing a couple of notches more without cause for complaint.
A spot for Bryan Mbeumo (£6.5m) rounds off James’ five-man midfield and, although James believes he could be a solid option, he is also acting as a placeholder for some of the other exciting options at this price point and below. Keeping a close eye on Brentford’s pre-season activity will illuminate Mbeumo’s role in their post-Toney era.
As with every other Elite XI manager, James’ first-choice striker is Erling Haaland (£14.0m) but it is his second pick which sparks interest. Chelsea’s new forward Christopher Nkunku (£7.5m) has done enough in the Bundesliga to capture James’ attention and give him a shot in the squad.
Nkunku is an interesting one - but whether he’s up front or behind another striker, my feeling is he’ll play a key role in Chelsea’s new-look attack. Taking a slight risk in an otherwise generally safe squad is tolerable, and I think he could be a surprise package.
This, of course, is merely a first draft and will be subject to change. Our Elite XI managers like to tweak and refine as much as the rest of us. If you want to keep up-to-date with James’ (or any other Elite XI manager’s) moves, then head over the Elite XI: Team Reveal area and be sure to turn on notifications and alerts to find out when our managers have updated their squads.
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