While yesterday’s transfer deadline day was certainly an exciting time for any footy fan, an even more important day marked on everyone’s calendar has finally arrived...you guessed it, the Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 1 Deadline.

The late nights of staying up trying to make a (decent) team while still fitting in Harry Kane, Sergio Aguero, and Raheem Sterling will soon come to an end. No more checking your Fantasy Premier League app every five minutes at work or waking up at 3am with cold sweats over which formation to play.

Fear no more. I’m here to tell you which Everton players to buy, which to avoid, and which to keep an eye on for the upcoming FPL season. For starters, Everton has an amazing schedule to start off the season, as they only face one team from last season’s top-6 (Manchester City) in their first 10 matches, which means you’re going to want to stock up on Everton players while you can (but be careful, you’re only allowed to have three players from each team in your squad).

Click here for the full 2019/20 FPL Fixture Difficulty Rankings.

Players to buy

Lucas Digne - £6.0

Lucas Digne had a fantastic inaugural season with the Blues last season, notching four goals, five assists, and 13 clean sheets in 35 matches. Digne also finished third out of all defenders with goals (4), third in bonus points (22), first in creativity (1142.0), and first in ICT index (232.7). Wowza.

Digne brought a breath of fresh air to the left side of Everton’s play that had been lacking since the dynamic Leighton Baines - Steven Pienaar duo several seasons ago. Digne also managed to form a nice partnership with Bernard, which made fans reminisce of the good old days.

Last season, Digne finished 8th out of all fantasy defenders for most points with 158, while Andy Robertson (£7.0) led the pack with 213. Now, you’re probably thinking, “for only £1 more, I can snag Robertson who had nearly 50 points more than Digne? What’s not to love?” The answer is: fixture strength. Liverpool face four of last season’s top-6 teams in their first 10 matches compared to Everton’s one. That whole £1 costs a fortune in Fantasy and Digne should be a lock in every player’s fantasy league.

Gylfi Sigurdsson - £8.0

While he isn’t getting any younger (turning 30 on September 8th), Gylfi’s form isn’t going away anytime soon. The signing of Moise Kean should be huge for Gylfi, as he will now have a striker to make some slick runs into the box which the Icelander will thrive off of. Gylfi is still the solidified number 10 heading into the season and virtually Everton’s only attacking midfielder, so expect a lot of returns from the man who notched 13 goals (tied with Richarlison, who I’ll talk more about below) and 6 assists last season. Gylfi was also on penalties last season, however, his record was pretty poor, scoring two and missing three. We’ll have to wait and see if Gylfi will be given the responsibility again, but we expect him to ultimately stay on penalties and share free kicks/corners with Digne.

Richarlison - £8.0

It might be tricky fitting Sigurdsson and Richarlison into the same team seeing as they’re both priced the same and therefore in the relatively-high range, but going back to Everton’s strength of schedule, it might not be a bad call. However, if you have to choose just one, we suggest taking Gylfi.

Richarlison was another one who had a great inaugural Premier League season, scoring 13 and assisting 2. After having a nice Copa América tournament with Brazil this summer, we expect Richarlison to hit the ground running. Last season, Silva toyed with Richarlison’s position a bit, playing him at lone striker a few games, but then finally found his fit in a wide role. We expect Richarlison to start the season on the wing and with the signing of Kean, we expect that low assist number to go up as well. Richarlison is a talented and consistent player who we believe will have a great second season with the Blues.

Jordan Pickford - £5.5

Jordan Pickford is a steal at £5.5. He finished third overall in points for all goalkeepers with 161; only Ederson (169) and Alisson (176) had more. Pickford was also tied third for clean sheets (14), first in penalties saved (3), second in bonus points (13), and third in bonus points system (706). If you’re looking for a potential differential pick away from the top two of Alisson (£6.0) and Ederson (£6.0), Pickford is your man.

Players to avoid

André Gomes - £5.5

André Gomes was one of Everton’s players of the season last year and will be a lock in the midfield, but unfortunately that doesn’t mean much in Fantasy. Gomes plays the midfield pivot role very well, but doesn’t pick up much in the goals and assists department. You’ll see his importance on the field, but not so much in Fantasy.

Theo Walcott - £6.5

Theo Walcott had some minor flashes of form last season, but went missing for a better part of the campaign. It’s safe to say that his Arsenal days are behind him. Walcott can still be a serviceable player for the Blues, but consistent playing time isn’t guaranteed for the 30-year-old and a so-so preseason hasn’t been helping his case all that much.

Dominic Calvert-Lewin - £6.0

Although Dominic Calvert-Lewin has been given the famous number 9 for this season, it’s unknown if he will play like one. Everton will most likely stay with their single striker formation with two wingers, so Calvert-Lewin will only have so much time to prove himself before new signing Moise Kean steps in.

Michael Keane - £5.5

Now this was one of the more trickier ones on the list, but hear me out. Keane is an absolute rock at the back and as reliable as they come, but unfortunately his attacking returns just aren’t there. He managed one goal and one assist in the first three Gameweeks, but from there on out, he only tacked on one assist. At the cost, you’re basically relying on Keane for clean sheets alone, which shouldn’t be a concern for this Everton side, but at the price, there are better options out there.

Players to keep an eye on

Moise Kean - £7.0

This is an obvious one. Moise Kean has begun training with the team already but is a long shot to start this weekend against Crystal Palace. Expect Dominic Calvert-Lewin to start the first, if not the first two games of the season, but then Kean will get the bulk of the workload going forward. I would wait until Gameweek 4 or 5 before considering Kean, as it will take some time for him to get acclimated to the new system and league.

Alex Iwobi - £6.0

Buy. Buy. BUY. But not just yet. Iwobi is ineligible to play in Everton’s match this Saturday against Crystal Palace, but will certainly be involved as a regular in upcoming matches this season. Everton paid a pretty penny for Iwobi and won’t let him sit on the bench. £6.0 for a starting winger in a frontline of Kean and Richarlison is a hard offer to pass up. Expect Iwobi to get his first start against Watford on August 17th. Stay away from Bernard, as he will most likely be used as a super sub for the better part of the season.

Jean-Philippe Gbamin - £5.0

Gbamin will take at least a few Gameweeks to get into the swing of things, but it’s clear that he will start in the midfield alongside Gomes, due to the recent departures of Gueye and McCarthy, injury to Delph, and Schneiderlin and Davies’ lower position in the pecking order. However, Gbamin could very well play a bit further up the field from Gomes, as he is technically gifted and very confident with the ball at his feet. He scored two and assisted one for Mainz last season, so wait and see how Gbamin could make a considerable impact.

Séamus Coleman - £5.5

Coleman is another sneaky differential pick that could pay dividends. Though faced with unfortunate injuries the past few seasons, on a good day, Coleman is one of the best right-backs in the league. However, with the recent acquisition of Djibril Sidibé, that could mean some serious competition for Coleman. This is another “wait and see” kind of situation, but if Coleman is fit and wins that starting role, he is a good player to pick up.