Bundesliga
Davies, Duda and the Top 5 OOP players in 2021/22
Alphonso Davies as a wing-back and Ondrej Duda right up front? An out of position player (OOP) can help you get ahead in Bundesliga Fantasy.
bundesliga.com takes an early look at five of the best in 2021/22…
Club: Cologne
Position: Midfielder
Value: 9M
Ondrej Duda is listed as a midfielder in Fantasy, but started 18 of his 32 Bundesliga games last term at the point of Cologne's attack, returning seven goals and seven assists to average seven points per game, racking up 222 in total.
The 26-year-old also started all three of Slovakia's matches at UEFA Euro 2020 up front, and new Billy Goats coach Steffen Baumgart could be tempted to continue with him in an advanced position, even if Sebastian Andersson and Anthony Modeste are also on the books at the RheinEnergieStadion.
Club: Bayern Munich
Position: Defender
Value: 13M
Alphonso Davies is already one of the world's best left-backs, despite his tender 20 years of age. Accordingly for a Bayern Munich starter who last season saw off the challenge of FIFA World Cup winner Lucas Hernandez, he comes in at a significant cost of 13M. But he could prove to be a shrewd purchase in the longer term.
Watch: Davies' landmark season at Bayern!
New coach Julian Nagelsmann used wing-backs in nearly 60 percent of his games with RB Leipzig last season, and Fantasy owners of left-sider Angelino reaped rich rewards, the Spaniard's 293 points the highest among defenders. Davies can expect significant minutes further up the field once fit, and the same ankle injury which leaves the Canadian unlikely to feature in the first month of games could also make him up to 600,000 cheaper once he is back.
Club: Augsburg
Position: Midfielder
Value: 8M
Andre Hahn's story is similar to that of Duda's - a midfielder in the game who often finds himself leading the line in real life. Last term, the Augsburg man started 14 of his 29 games as a centre-forward, scoring eight goals and assisting five more in the process. His 197 points also came in at an average of seven per match.
Hahn, like Duda, has company in his squad in the form of natural No.9s such as Florian Niederlechner and Alfred Finnbogason, but he outdid both for attacking returns last season and there's no reason to suspect that same won't happen again, especially given Finnbogason's injury travails.
Club: Greuther Fürth
Position: Midfielder
Value: 6M
Julian Green may not be wrongly listed as a midfielder, but the USMNT international came through as a striker at Bayern, and he still plays up there often enough for Greuther Fürth. In last season's promotion campaign the Florida-born 26-year-old played 18 games on the left flank and as many games right up front (5) and he did in central midfield.
Green's attacking return of nine goals and two assists might be supressed somewhat playing up a division, but for 6M, he could be worth a punt as a great budget enabler who scored the third-most goals among his colleagues last term.
Club: Hertha Berlin
Position: Defender
Value: 7M
Maximilian Mittelstädt may not be the safest pick in Fantasy, with Marvin Plattenhardt and Luca Netz providing stiff competition to be regarded as Hertha Berlin's first-choice left-back, but there should also be occasions when he is perhaps the most out of position player in the game.
Last season the Berlin native had 11 games at left-back, 10 in midfield, and even one right up front. Coach Pal Dardai seems undecided as to who should occupy the left wing spot in his 4-2-3-1 formation. If Mittelstädt gets the nod, expect him to surpass the 132 points he tallied last term, 20 of which were for goal attempts.