Home or Away? The Top 10 FPL Goalkeepers
On the eve of a packed Gameweek 31, which itself is on the eve of a two week international break, the Fantasy Premier League begins to run out of normality. With just a matter of weeks before bumper Double Gameweek fixtures, we ask the simple question. Are Goalkeepers earning more FPL points at home or away? Just like with our recent midfielders article, we provide a rundown of the top 10 points earners between the sticks. Midfielders are more profitable on the road, will shot stoppers follow suit, or are they men of home comforts?
Home or Away? FPL Midfielders
It's crunch time in the Fantasy Premier League. Fixtures for the elusive Double Gameweeks are slowly being added to the FPL website, and many patient managers who have endured the winter months are heavily considering playing chips and the second wildcard for a points boost when the right time arises. With many changes abound, we evaluate the top 10 midfielders heading GW31, and ask the simple question... Do they produce better fantasy returns at home or away? Tricky fixtures for the likes of favourites Mesut Ozil, Roberto Firmino, and Dimitri Payet to name a few, have had us call into question whether or not we need to worry about these popular selections heading into this week and the future.
To read our sister article on midfielders, click here, or on the image below with cover stars Gylfi Sigurdsson and Mesut Ozil.
The simple question...
Requires the simple answer. We've looked just at overall points tallies from home and away fixtures running up until GW30, and after tapping away with a calculator have unearthered whether players are more effective from a fantasy standpoint in front of their own fans, or if they're more likely to make a crucial save at rival grounds.
Notes on Butland • Prior to the 2015/16 season, Butland claimed just 20 points from two seasons. Butland was back-up to Asmir Begovic at Stoke. It took Butland 6 Gameweek’s to reach 20 points this season.
• Butland has scored only a single point on 6 occasions this season: GWs 10, 17, 19, 23, 24, and 30.
• Stoke have kept 10 clean sheets this season, and 8 of those come between GWs 8-18.
• Butland is only 1 of 3 shot stoppers that have played all 2,700 minutes of the season (30 games).
• The England international tops the GK save chart for the season, with 99. Butland’s nearest rival, the injured Petr Cech, has made 90.
Butland’s best home days…
GW12 (Chelsea, home): 10pts GW6 (Leister, home): 7pts *claimed an assist* GW15 Man City, home): 7pts GW18 (Man United, home): 9pts GW22 (Arsenal, home): 7pts GW28 (Newcastle, home): 8pts
Butland’s best away days…
GW8 (Aston Villa, away): 6pts GW9 (Swansea, away): 6pts GW11 (Newcastle, away): 11pts GW13 (Southhampton away): 6pts GW16 (West Ham, away): 11pts GW29 (Chelsea, away): 5pts
Notes on Cech • The Arsenal stopper has been involved in 9 FPL seasons before 2015/16, earning a combined 1146 points.
• For Cech’s 10th and current season the current tally of 127 points matches the tally earnt in the 2011/12 season. Cech has bettered 127 points on 5 occasions.
• GW29’s north London derby away at Spurs is the first game Cech has missed all season. In his absence, David Ospina claimed 6 points in a 2-2 draw, with 9 saves, and 2 bonus points.
• Between GWs 1-29, Cech and Arsenal kept 12 clean sheets.
• 6 of Cech’s best FPL performances this season have come against just 3 teams: Newcastle (16), Stoke (17), and Bournemouth (16).
• Cech has only conceded 3 goals or more this season on 2 occasions: o GW18 (SOU, away, 4-0 defeat) o GW22 (LIV, away, 2-2 draw) o GW27 (MUN, away, 3-2 defeat)
Cech’s best home days…
GW3 (Liverpool, home): 10pts GW5 (Stoke, home): 7pts GW8 (Man United, home): 7pts GW19 (Bournemouth, home): 6pts GW20 (Newcastle, home): 10pts GW24 (Southampton, home): 8pts
Cech’s best away days…
GW4 (Newcastle, away): 6pts GW9 (Watford, away): 6pts GW11 (Swansea, away): 7pts GW16 (Aston Villa, away): 6pts GW22 (Stoke, away): 10pts GW25 (Bournemouth, away): 10pts
Notes on Gomes • The former Spurs shot stopper is 1 of 5 keepers to save a penalty this season. Gomes saved a penalty away at Bournemouth for GW8 in a 1-1 draw. • Gomes has been shown the most yellow cards as a Goalkeeper this season (3). Only new team mate Costel Pantilimon matches Gomes’s 3 yellows. • Gomes is 4th on the list of saves in the FPL this season, with 89. • Gomes and Watford have managed 10 clean sheets this season, but only 2 have come away from home: o GW10 (Stoke, away, 2-0 win) o GW16 (Sunderland, away, 1-0 win)
Gomes’s best home days…
GW2 (West Brom, home): 6pts GW3 (Southampton, home): 10pts GW5 (Swansea, home): 9pts GW11 (West Ham, home): 9pts GW15 (Norwich, home): 6pts GW17 (Liverpool, home): 8pts GW24 (Chelsea, home): 8pts GW27 (Bournemouth, home): 7pts
Gomes’s best away days…
GW8 (Bournemouth, away): 9pts GW10 (Stoke, away): 6pts GW16 (Sunderland, away): 7pts GW25 (Spurs, away): 4pts
Notes on Schmeichel • As of GW30, Kasper has only done a double of clean sheets against one team, Newcastle (GWs 13 & 30).
• Leicester only kept their 1st clean sheet during GW10’s 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace. It was the game when Ranieri fed his team pizza after the game.
• Schmeichel has made 3 or more saves from 14/30 of the Dane’s FPL outings this season.
• 5 of Leicester’s 11 clean sheets this season have come between GWs 19-24.
• The Dane is only 1 of 3 keepers to play the full 2,700 minutes of the season (with Butland and Fabianski).
Kasper’s best home days…
GW10 (Crystal Palace, home): 7pts GW19 (Man City, home): 10pts GW20 (Bournemouth, home): 6pts GW23 (Stoke, home): 6pts GW24 (Liverpool, home): 6pts GW27 (Norwich, home): 7pts GW30 (Newcastle, home): 6pts
Kasper’s best away days…
GW13 (Newcastle, away): 6pts GW15 (Swansea, away): 6pts GW21 (Spurs, away): 7pts GW29 (Watford, away): 9pts
Notes on Hart • Joe Hart kept clean sheets in the first 5 games of the season, and in that time amassed 31 FPL points. In that 31, Hart only made 1 extra point in saves.
• Man City have kept 13 clean sheets this season, keeping 8 of those in the first half of the season.
• From only 3/13 clean sheets made this season; Hart has made 3 saves or more. The other 10/13 games Hart has picked up the standard 6 points a keeper accumulates when keeping a clean sheet.
• The England international has made 59 saves this season, the 13th most by a keeper in the Premier League
Hart’s best home games…
GW2 (Chelsea, home): 7pts GW4 (Watford, home): 6pts GW16 (Swansea, home): 4pts GW21 (Everton, home): 6pts GW22 (Crystal Palace, home): 7pts GW29 (Aston Villa, home): 6pts
Hart’s best away games…
GW1 (West Brom, away): 6pts GW3 (Everton, away): 6pts GW5 (Crystal Palace, away): 6pts GW10 (Man United, away): 6pts GW12 (Aston Villa, away): 6pts GW19 (Leicester, away): 7pts GW24 (Sunderland, away): 9pts GW30 (Norwich, home): 6pts
Notes on Lloris • The French international has only missed 1 game all season, the opening day 1-0 defeat to Man United. • Spurs have kept 10 clean sheets this season, as many as Watford and Stoke. 4 of those 10 clean sheets came between GWs 4-9. • Lloris has made 68 saves this season, the 10th most in the league, and 31 saves behind Butland. • At 5.2m, Hugo is the 6th most expensive keeper in the FPL. Lloris started the season at a rounded 5.0m.
Hugo’s best home days…
GW4 (Everton, home): 7pts GW6 (Crystal Palace, home): 7pts GW 7 (Man City, home): 5pts GW9 (Liverpool, home): 8pts GW14 (Chelsea, home): 6pts GW18 (Norwich, home): 7pts GW25 (Watford, home): 6pts
Hugo’s best away days…
GW5 (Sunderland, away): 6pts GW17 (Southampton, away): 9pts GW24 (Norwich, away): 6pts GW30 (Aston Villa, away): 6pts
Notes on Adrian • The Spaniard has safe hands, on seven occasions this season the keeper has registered between three to four points on account of saves he is making.
• Adrian has scored more than seven points in his last three games.
• The Hammers keeper was sent off in GW2 against Leicester and missed three games of the season, he also registered his only negative points of the season in that fixture.
• West Ham features in both double gameweeks and could be a great acquisition to your fantasy teams.
• Adrian has only scored one point in three gameweeks this season.
Adrian’s best home days…
GW16 (Stoke, home): 7pts GW20 (Liverpool, home): 6pts GW24 (Aston Villa, home): 6pts GW27 (Sunderland, home): 9pts GW28 (Spurs, home): 8pts
Adrian’s best away days…
GW1 (Arsenal, away): 11pts GW15 (Man Utd, away): 6pts GW17 (Swansea, away): 6pts GW29 (Everton, away): 9pts
Notes on de Gea • De Gea missed the first four games of the season but has played in the ninety minutes for the other twenty five fixtures up until this point. He is essential to the Manchester United team.
• The only time De Gea has not had to make a save was in GW24 away to Stoke. It would appear there are some things you can’t do at the Britannia.
• The Spaniard has registered eight or more points four times this season, two games at home, two away.
• Despite the apparent need for De Gea in the current Man Utd side, there is only one fixture he has registered two save points in a game. This occurred in GW6 against Southampton.
• Seven out of ten of De Gea’s clean sheets have happened at home. Comforts.
Dave’s best home days…
GW7 (Sunderland, home): 7pts GW10 (Man City, home): 6pts GW12 (West Brom, home): 6pts GW15 (West Ham, home): 6pts GW19 (Chelsea, home): 8pts GW24 (Stoke, home): 6pts GW28 (Watford, home): 9pts
Dave’s best away days…
GW9 (Everton, away): 7pts GW11 (Crystal Palace, away): 9pts GW22 (Liverpool, away): 9pts
Notes on Fabianski • Since the beginning of the season the Pole has steadily decreased in price, making him more accessible to FPL managers looking for a wildcard goalkeeper.
• Fabianski has registered an assist during home loss to Sunderland in GW21.
• The Swan’s keeper did not register any bonus points until GW27, since then he has four in four games.
• Six of Fabianski’s seven clean sheets have occurred at home.
Fabianski’s best home days…
GW2 (Newcastle, home): 6pts GW6 (Everton, home): 6pts GW17 (West Ham, home): 6pts GW18 (West Brom, home): 7pts GW22 (Watford, home): 6pts GW29 (Norwich, home): 8pts
Fabianski’s best away days…
GW19 (Crystal Palace, away): 6pts GW27 (Spurs, away): 8pts
Notes on Boruc • Bournemouth only kept two clean sheets with Artur Boruc in the first fifteen games of the season against Sunderland at home and Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. • Boruc has picked up six bonus points, both three point performances against superior teams. During GW15 against Chelsea, and in GW20 against Leicester. Both of these performances came away from home. • The Cherries goalkeeper hasn’t changed price all season. • Out of Bournemouth’s thirty games Boruc has played 25 whilst Adam Federici has placed five.
Boruc’s best home days…
GW5 (Sunderland, home): 6pts GW18 (Crystal Palace, home): 6pts GW22 (Norwich, home): 7pts GW28 (Southampton, home): 6pts
Boruc’s best away days…
GW15 (Chelsea, away): 11pts GW20 (Leicester, away): 14pts GW27 (Watford, away): 6pts
Verdict
What we found during our midfielders article was that the top performers have better returns on the road. To flip it on its head, keepers are more reliable at home, making more saves and earning more points in front of their fans. Here is a quick run down of what we've found.
Butland: Home
Cech: Home
Gomes: Home
Schmeichel: Home
Hart: Away
Lloris: Home
Adrian: Away
De Gea: Home
Fabianski: Home
Boruc: Away
Totals: 7 home, 3 away
The greatest ode to picking a good Goalkeeper is balancing value, save potential, and a good run of fixtures. Perhaps the key this season, with only 30 points between Butland and Fabianski, is to just stick with one keeper. For the upcoming Double Gameweek 34, Arsenal, Man City, West Ham, and Man United feature from the top 10. Cech or Ospina, and Hart are the only 2 with Double Gameweek fixtures playing in Gameweek 35. De Gea and Adrian aren't playing in GW35 due to the FA Cup semi-finals, and are at best used as a back-up option if you're choosing to play your bench boost. If there's one pattern we have established, it's hopefully having you safer in the knowledge that home keepers are where the points are.
All aboard.
