FPL: This season's best out-of-position players (2024)

Out-of-position players are a form of cheat code in FPL — someone designated as a defender who is actually used in midfield, or a midfielder operating as a forward.

They come along only rarely in the Fantasy Premier League game, but when they do, it’s important to take note.

So, which players have the potential to be out-of-position in the 2024-25 Premier League season and what can we learn from their pre-season performances so far?

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Reclassifications

Six players had their positions reclassified in the game for 2024-25 and now have out-of-position potential.

Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku (£6.5m) was listed as a forward for his injury-hampered debut season a year ago, but is now a midfielder. However, he has played some of Chelsea’s pre-season games as their No 9, which makes him a mouthwatering prospect.

In reality, I expect Nkunku to be one of two central attacking players in a midfield four under new coach Enzo Maresca once the season gets underway in just over a week but he should still be able to rack up decent attacking numbers from there.

Keep an eye on Bournemouth’s Antoine Semenyo (£5.5m), who has also moved from a forward to a midfielder for this season. He almost always plays as a winger and was a reverse out-of-position player in the previous campaign. However, not only has the club’s talisman Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) picked up a knock in pre-season, he is also rumoured to be moving to Tottenham Hotspur in this transfer window, which could lead to a more central role for Semenyo.

Out-of-position players aren’t always positive, though. Kai Havertz (£8m) played out-of-position last season after a summer transfer from Chelsea to Arsenal, classified as a midfielder but ending 2023-24 in sensational form as their No 9. However, he’s now moved to be a forward in the game this season and has been competing with Gabriel Jesus for minutes up top in pre-season, as well as playing deeper as a No 8.

Jesus began last season as Arsenal’s centre-forward with Havertz in a deeper position and any hint of a repeat of that role in 2024-25 will annihilate his fantasy potential.

Defenders

Defenders who play as advanced wing-backs or in midfield have the potential to be fantasy gold — so I’ve been scouting this pre-season to find potential candidates.

Manchester City defender Josko Gvardiol (£6m) was rejuvenated under Pep Guardiola last season as a left-back.

Gvardiol was allowed bags of space on City’s left towards the end of the season, providing late attacking runs into the box which yielded six goal involvements in April and May. However, if Jack Grealish starts the new campaign as City’s left-winger, he’s a player who stays wide, which will reduce the room available for those enticing Gvardiol runs.

We’ve also seen Gvardiol back in his more traditional centre-back role in pre-season, with several of City’s first-choice players in that position having had busy summers on international tournament duty.

Liverpool’s Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.0m) is another player to arrive back late from a tournament, and so his position in new coach Arne Slot’s system is not yet clear. In an England shirt this summer, he was played as a defensive midfielder, and he’s also been used as a wing-back rather than a full-back.

Any hint of an advanced position for Liverpool this season, to go with a price drop for 2024-25 and their favourable opening fixtures, will make Alexander-Arnold an enticing prospect. According to Fantasy Football Hub’s AI Predictions, he’s set to be the top-performing defender over the opening four gameweeks of the season.

Chelsea’s Malo Gusto (£5.0m) has spent some time in pre-season out-of-position in a defensive midfield two in a new-look formation introduced by Maresca. It’s still unclear whether this will remain a long-term tactic, especially with some Chelsea players still to return, and Reece James (£5m) suspended for their opening three league games.

One attacking defender of particular interest to me ahead of Gameweek 1 is Crystal Palace wing-back Tyrick Mitchell (£5.0m), who is a big differential in the game.

Mitchell managed five goal involvements last campaign, playing in the wing-back role and could justify the extra £0.5m over his colleagues at centre-backs. Palace finished that season in great attacking and defensive form, but it’s difficult to be sure how key departures in the summer transfer window (Michael Olise is gone already and may not be the last to go) will impact their overall appeal.

Midfielders

When it comes to midfielders playing as forwards in FPL, there are some exciting options this season — and at some of the top sides, too.

Slot has been complimentary about how Diogo Jota (£7.5m) has performed as Liverpool’s No 9 so far in pre-season, which means he could see off competition from late arrivals Cody Gakpo (£7.5m) and Darwin Nunez (£7.5m) in their front three.

Tottenham have been experimenting with Dejan Kulusevski (£6.5m) as a striker in pre-season, although this is thought to be a short-term solution. They have been linked to several traditional No 9s in the summer transfer window. I prefer Brennan Johnson (£6.5m) at this price point, who seems to have made the right-wing slot his own. He is perhaps just one poor performance from being dropped, though.

Pre-season injuries at Manchester United, including one for striker Rasmus Hojlund (£7m), could mean an unconventional formation for them early on. Bruno Fernandes (£8.5m) and Jadon Sancho (£6.5m) have both been linked with a prominent role further forward. Sancho feels a risky FPL selection, though, given his difficult relationship with manager Erik ten Hag last season.

Fernandes carries masses of FPL potential given his set-piece involvement, finishing the 2020-21 season as the best-performing fantasy asset in the game, with 32 goal involvements.

And new Southampton signing Ben Brereton Diaz (£5.5m) is in the game as a midfielder but looks set to start their campaign as part of a two-striker pairing, following seven goal involvements for relegation-bound Sheffield United last season after arriving on loan in January from Spain’s Villarreal.

His Championship play-off winners face a tough opening weekend trip to Newcastle United but then their fixture schedule opens up, so Brereton Diaz is well worth a look.

(Top photo: Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Holly Shand (@HollyShand on Twitter) is a Fantasy Premier League pundit who has played the game for over eight years. She has finished in the Top 100K on six occasions, twice finishing in the Top 10K. She is a regular guest on the Official FPL Show. Follow Holly on Twitter @HollyShand