Burnley are back in the Premier League, and with Scott Parker at the helm, FPL managers may be tempted to dip into their squad for budget gems. But after a season where goals were in short supply, is there enough upside to justify the risk?
We’ve dived into the Opta-powered heatmaps tool from our Preseason Pack (just £1!) to explore whether any Clarets attackers are worth backing.
According to the Fixture Planner in our Preseason Pack, Burnley rank third-best for attacking fixtures over the opening three Gameweeks.
A favourable run, including a pivotal Gameweek 2 clash at home to Sunderland, offers an early opportunity to target any emerging value picks. We’ve dug into the Opta Heatmaps to find out if any of their attacking assets are worth a punt.
A familiar FPL name at £4.5m in years past, Josh Brownhill turned heads last season with 18 goals and 6 assists, finishing as Burnley’s top scorer.
Playing in a more advanced role - as shown in his Opta Heatmap - under Parker, the midfielder racked up 66 shots and also took three penalties—scoring all of them.
Interestingly, Brownhill almost doubled his xG of 9.93 by scoring 18 goals, suggesting a strong finishing streak. While this does indicate overperformance, it also highlights his clinical edge — with many of his goals (shown in green) coming from inside the box on his Opta Shotmap.
If he stays at Burnley, and keeps set-piece duties, he could be a dream midfield enabler. But with his contract expiring, monitor any transfer movement closely.
Flemming operated mainly as a central striker as shown in his Opta Heatmap for Burnley last season, scoring 12 goals and assisting four in 27 starts.
The former Millwall man’s versatility and attacking role under Parker could translate to FPL value—especially if he's priced as a midfielder which Opta are currently defining him as.
Anthony ended the season strongly after switching from right wing to the left. His final 13 appearances yielded 5 goals and 4 assists, a noticeable uplift from earlier in the campaign.
He also took corners, giving him an edge in terms of creativity. If he comes in at £5.0m or below, he might be a useful differential for when Burnley have a kind run of fixtures.
Edwards arrived on loan in January and was later signed permanently, but his output was underwhelming: just 1 goal and 1 assist from 14 appearances.
When comparing his per-90 stats to Zian Flemming using the comparison section of the Opta Heatmaps tool, Flemming comes out on top for all goal-scoring metrics and actual assists.
Edwards does post stronger creative stats, but clearly underperformed. For example, his single assist came from 2.01 expected assists (xA), 12 attempted assists, and 3 big chances created.
Unless there’s a pre-season explosion, he’s unlikely to attract much FPL interest.
Despite favourable opening fixtures, it’s hard to make a case for investing in Burnley’s forward line—unless Brownhill is priced kindly and stays with the Clarets. Even then, it’s more of a hopeful punt than a strategic move.
If you're looking at Burnley assets, Connor Roberts in defence is the standout. Two goals, three assists, and decent underlying numbers (2.32 xG and 3 big chances created) make him the safer pick.
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