Bonus Round

As the debate between expensive strikers and midfielders rages on, I thought I'd look at how bonuses affect this question. To date, midfielders have earned 105 bonus points where as forwards account for 82 (for the record defenders contribute 76 and keepers 13). The big difference is how these points are distributed with the forward's points going to just 22 players, where as 41 midfielders have gained the approval of the pundits to date.

At the top of each bracket, 11 players valued at 8m+ account for 30% of all midfield bonus points but for forwards this is even greater, with 10 8m+ players accounting for 55% of all forward points. This shows how the premium strikers are attracting a greater percentage of the points on offer. Taking the top three premium players at each position shows this in even harsher light:

Lampard, Gerrard and Fabregas - 13 bonus points (12% of midfield total)
Adebayor, Rooney and Drogba - 27 bonus points (33% of forward total)

Looking at the bargains available (sub-6m) shows that these midfielders have gained 53 points (50%) so far, where as cheap strikers account for just 22 points (27%).

The bottom line
Bonus points can be obtained from cheap midfielders where as it seems that you need serious investment to get bonus points from your forwards. This is another mark in favour of paying top-dollar for your forwards then picking up guys like Cattermole or Dunn who have shown they can be three-category contributors for a cheap price.

As always let me know what you think and if you predict this trend continuing into the future. Why not tweet your thoughts to me @plfantasy.