8 footballers who exceeded expectations most according to the FPL price index

Which footballers’ Fantasy Premier League prices have increased most?

Fantasy football might seem like a bit of fun, but the figures within often tell other stories such as who has performed better than expected.

Such a thing can be measured by looking at the Fantasy Premier League’s price index. As more and more FPL managers buy a player, that player’s value increases, so to see who has exceeded expectations, one need only look at the players with the biggest price increases this season.

Eight footballers stand out when considering their price increase from gameweek one to gameweek 37, so with one round of fixtures to play, who did fans flock to as the season progressed?

8. Phil Jones

£5.0m to £5.5m

Manchester United defender Phil Jones — (Dave Thompson/PA)

Having earned 15 clean sheets in a strong defensive year for United under Mourinho, Jones has seen his selection go from 28,003 managers to 302,804, with his selection peaking during four consecutive clean sheets against Southampton, Everton, Stoke and Burnley.

7. Harry Maguire

£5.0m to £5.5m

Leicester City's Harry Maguire and Chelsea's Alvaro Morata — (Nick Potts/PA)

Maguire hasn’t missed a minute so far this season, and has seen his selection rise from 53,600 to 677,455 managers. Will Gareth Southgate follow suit this summer?

6. Nick Pope

£4.5m to £5.0m

Burnley goalkeeper Nick Pope — (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Since then Pope has gone from strength to strength, and was called up to the England squad in March. His 110 saves this season have earned him a total of 19 FPL bonus points, and in percentage terms his selection increase must surely be the greatest of any player this year.

From a fan group of 3,195 in gameweek one his selection has increased to 579,440, with 10% of the game’s managers now choosing him for their squad.

5. Harry Kane

£12.5m to £13.1m

Tottenham striker Harry Kane — (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Kane has scored well since then, accumulating an impressive 27 goals that have seen his ownership go from 1,473,220 at the start of the season to 2,222,843 now.

4. Nicolas Otamendi

£5.5m to £6.4m

Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi makes a tackle on Mohamed Salah — (Nick Potts/PA)

The 30-year-old now has more than 1.5 million managers backing him, and has become one of the more reliable centre backs in the division.

3. Roberto Firmino

£8.5m to £9.4m

Liverpool footballer Roberto Firmino — (Anthony Devlin/PA)

Brazil’s Roberto Firmino has brought a selfless attitude to the role which has seen him score 15 goals and provide eight in the league. His 179 points have ensured his selection his risen by over a million managers since gameweek one.

2. Raheem Sterling

£8.0m to £9.2m

Manchester City footballer Raheem Sterling — (Barrington Coombs/EMPICS Sport)

Sterling’s value actually fell to £7.8m at one point, but 18 goals and 17 assists have changed all that. One of the first names on the England team sheet for sure.

1. Mohamed Salah

£9.0m to £10.5m

Liverpool footballer Mohamed Salah — (Martin Rickett/PA)

Salah has also chipped in with 11 assists in a Liverpool forward line which, for many, trumps the 2013/14 vintage of Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and Sterling.

A healthy 874,608 managers backed him in gameweek one. That figure now stands at 3,161,808. Expectations have been well and truly exceeded.

FPL figures correct at time of writing.