With the 2017 Premier League season wrapped up now is the perfect time to look back at the fantasy numbers. It’s no surprise to see goalkeepers from some of the top clubs near the top of the list of fantasy performers following solid seasons. However, it might come as a surprise that the best fantasy performance among goalkeepers belongs to a keeper that played for a club that finished 16th in the table. Here is a look at the top five fantasy goalkeepers from the Premier League season.
Tom Heaton, Burnley
The top fantasy goalkeeper this season was Heaton. While Burnley finished a disappointing 16th in the table, they likely would have finished even lower if it weren’t for the outstanding performance of their goalkeeper. Heaton played 3,150 minutes for Burnley and was outstanding for them throughout the season. Heaton led the Premier League with 143 saves while conceding 48 goals. The Burnley goalkeeper also managed to produce 10 clean sheets, which was tied for the fifth-most among all goallkeepers. With each of the other four goalkeepers on this list each playing for teams that finished fifth or better in the standings it’s definitely a surprise that Heaton finished with the best fantasy score in the Premier League fantasy league scoring.
Hugo Lloris, Tottenham
Lloris was excellent for Hotspurs from start to finish this season. He was narrowly edged out by Heaton in terms of fantasy score. Lloris made only 77 saves over 3,005 minutes played. However, he also conceded only 24 goals while registering 15 clean sheets. Lloris clearly benefited from the strong play in front of him but he was solid when called upon. Tottenham allowed a league-low 26 goals in 38 matches so it should be no surprise that their No. 1 goalkeeper is near the top of this list.
Thibault Courtois, Chelsea
The Premier League champions allowed just 33 goals in 38 matches, trailing only Tottenham and Manchester United for the best mark in England’s top division this season. Courtois produced the third-best fantasy score in Premier League fantasy league scoring in his 3,240 minutes played. Courtois made 69 saves compared to 28 goals allowed and he finished the season with a league-leading 16 clean sheets.
As a team, Chelsea allowed a total of 33 goals this season. That was the third-best number in the Premier League as one of the key factors in them winning the league. They ended up scoring a whopping 85 goals, which was the second best in the EPL. Surprisingly, Tottenham scored more goals and allowed less, but still finished second in the standings with 86 points.
David de Gea, Manchester United
Manchester United was a much better team in its own end in comparison with past seasons. However, de Gea still needed to be at his best on the back end and he delivered with some excellent numbers. The United goalkeeper made 74 saves in 3,150 minutes played while conceding only 29 goals. Meanwhile, de Gea finished the season with 14 clean sheets. United only narrowly missed on a spot in the Europa League. However, that clearly had nothing to do with the performance of the club’s star goalkeeper.
On the season, Manchester United only gave up 29 tallies while scoring 54 at the other end. Their +25 goal differential was the sixth-best in the Premier League.
Petr Cech, Arsenal
Southampton’s Fraser Forster and Bournemouth’s Artur Boruc both deserve honorable mention in this spot but ultimately Cech produced the better numbers. Cech allowed just 37 goals over 3,098 minutes played. He made 114 total saves while securing 12 clean sheets throughout the course of the season. Arsenal finished a disappointing fifth in the standings and missed out on a Champions League spot by a single point. However, it would be impossible to blame Cech for the finish after he produced one of the best fantasy scores of any Premier League goalkeeper this season.
In terms of their goal breakdown, Arsenal allowed 44 goals this year. That’s not bad but was the tied for the sixth-most in the EPL. At the other end of the pitch, Arsenal tallied 77 goals this season, which was the fifth-best mark in the Premier League.
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