In Fantasy Premier League (FPL), knowing who the set piece takers are can give you an edge over your mini-league rivals..
These skilled players can be the game-changers, unlocking valuable points with their dead-ball expertise.
In this comprehensive guide, we will delve into the intricacies of FPL set piece takers, uncovering the strategies to optimize your team selection, boost your points tally, and outmaneuver your rivals.
So, without further ado, let’s unravel the secrets behind harnessing the power of FPL set piece takers!
Why are set piece takers valuable in FPL?
Set pieces lead to goals. Simple.
According to whoscored.com, in the premier league last year, there were 1086 goals last season. 217 of these came from set pieces and a further 74 goals from penalties.
That means about 20% of goals came from set pieces and about 7% of goals came from penalties – totalling about 27%.
The best set piece takers in the league last year were Liverpool with 17 and the worst were Manchester United with 5.
| Team | Set Pieces | Penalties | |
| 1 | Liverpool | 17 | 2 |
| 2 | Brentford | 16 | 7 |
| 3 | Tottenham | 16 | 5 |
| 4 | Arsenal | 15 | 3 |
| 5 | Manchester City | 14 | 9 |
| 6 | Fulham | 14 | 5 |
| 7 | Southampton | 12 | 2 |
| 8 | West Ham | 11 | 6 |
| 9 | Leeds | 11 | 1 |
| 10 | Crystal Palace | 11 | 1 |
| 11 | Newcastle | 10 | 6 |
| 12 | Aston Villa | 10 | 3 |
| 13 | Nottingham Forest | 10 | 3 |
| 14 | Leicester | 9 | 3 |
| 15 | Bournemouth | 9 | 0 |
| 16 | Chelsea | 8 | 3 |
| 17 | Everton | 7 | 3 |
| 18 | Brighton | 6 | 6 |
| 19 | Wolves | 6 | 3 |
| 20 | Manchester United | 5 | 3 |
Getting set piece takers can provide you with a valuable source of set piece assists and a few goals off direct free kicks. It’s far more likely that the taker will get you an assist by the way, there were only 17 goals scored directly off free-kicks last year.
But that doesn’t mean you can’t get goals out of set pieces. You just need to pick the guys with an aerial threat.
So, based on some stats and our own judgement, here is a big list of them all:
Top Set Piece Takers in FPL
| Team | Penalties | Free Kicks (direct) | Corners & Indirect Free Kicks | Aerial threat |
| Arsenal | Saka Jorginho Martinelli | Ødegaard Martinelli Saka | Saka Ødegaard Martinelli | Gabriel Saliba |
| Aston Villa | Watkins Bailey | Douglas Luiz Bailey | Douglas Luiz McGinn Bailey Alex Moreno | Mings Konsa Watkins |
| Bournemouth | Solanke | Billing Christie | Christie Rothwell | Solanke Senesi Billing |
| Brentford | Toney* Mbeumo Wissa Dasilva | Jensen Mbeumo | Jensen Mbeumo Damsgaard Dasilva | Pinnock Jansson |
| Brighton | Gross Milner | Gross | Gross March Milner | Dunk Webster |
| Burnley | Rodriguez | Gudmundsson Brownhill | Brownhill Gudmundsson | Beyer Rodriguez |
| Chelsea | Nkunku James | James Nkunku | James Chilwell Sterling Nkunku | T. Silva |
| Crystal Palace | Eze Edouard | Olise Eze | Eze Olise | Andersen Guehi Mateta |
| Everton | Calvert-Lewin Townsend Gray | Gray Townsend | Gray McNeil Mykolenko | Calvert-Lewin Tarkowski |
| Fulham | Mitrović* Andreas Wilson | Willian Andreas Wilson Mitrović | Willian Andreas Wilson Reed | Mitrovic Adarabioyo Vinicius |
| Liverpool | Salah Szoboszlai Mac Allister | Alexander-Arnold Mac Allister Salah Szoboszlai | Alexander-Arnold Robertson Szoboszlai Tsimikas | Van Dijk Darwin Jota Konate |
| Luton Town | Morris Adebayo | Freeman Campbell | Doughty Campbell | Adebayo Lockyer Morris Burke |
| Man City | Haaland De Bruyne | De Bruyne | De Bruyne Foden | Haaland Dias Stones |
| Man Utd | Fernandes Rashford | Fernandes Rashford Eriksen | Fernandes Shaw Sabitzer | Maguire Rashford |
| Newcastle | Wilson Isak Joelinton | Trippier Schär | Trippier Almiron Willock | Schar Isak Wilson Joelinton |
| Nottingham Forest | Gibbs-White Johnson Awoniyi | Johnson Gibbs-White | Gibbs-White Lodi N. Williams | Awoniyi Niakhate Boly Worrall |
| Sheffield United | Sharp Norwood Berge | Norwood | Norwood | Ahmedhodzic Egan McBurnie |
| Tottenham Hotspur | Kane Son | Kane Dier Son | Son Perisic Kulusevski | Kane Dier Romero |
| West Ham United | Bowen Ings | Bowen Cresswell Benrahma | Cresswell Bowen Fornals | Soucek Zouma Antonio Aguerd |
| Wolverhampton Wanderers | Cunha Kalajdzic | Sarabia Cunha Bueno | Neto Bueno | Dawson Diego Costa Kalajdzic |
*Don’t forget that Toney is banned for half the season! And Mitro is likely leaving Fulham.
How to Use Set Piece Takers in FPL
So, now you know that Cunha at Wolves takes penalties and he’s only 5.5, what a bargain! Bring him in right?
ABSOLUTELY NOT.
Wolves suck. And I am not just saying that because I support West Brom.
You don’t want to just pick any set piece taker off this list for your FPL team. You want to look at them, and see if they have any other sources of points too.
Top Set Piece Takers to Buy in FPL
So who are these top set piece takers then eh?
Top Penalty Takers in FPL
Man City scored the most penalties last year. Nine penalties makes Haaland a no-brainer.
Brentford had the second most penalties with seven. Toney is banned until something like gameweek 22 which makes Mbeumo very interesting.
Top Free-Kick and Corner Takers in FPL
Gone are the days of set-piece specialist James Ward-Prowse but there are still some good options.
Liverpool led the league in set piece goals last year which is part of the reason why Alexander-Arnold is so sort after. Of course, they share it out a bit more than most but he’s still a good bet.
Brentford come next but I can’t see any interest in Jensen apart from in deep draft leagues. He just doesn’t deliver enough from set plays.
Trippier stakes his claim in here too. We have already said we don’t like his early fixtures but we do like him in the long term.
All Round Set Piece Takers in FPL
Bruno Fernandes is the outstanding pick here. On pens, free-kicks and corners, he could be in for some big hauls. Last year, they only had 3 penalties but that is not normal for Man United who frequently rack up 8-10 penalties per year. The only concern is that a new forward coming in could take these off him
Gross at Brighton is on a lot but he is not that great a player for FPL because of his work in open play.
Eze at Palace is far more interesting. Especially because Olise is injured going into the season.
Andreas at Fulham could be interesting if Mitro walks. But if Mitro walks, he’s also not interesting because who will finish off his passes – don’t expect much output from him.
Top Aerial Threats
You’ll frequently see Virgil score 3-5 goals in a season.
Gabriel at Arsenal is the standout pick for them too. He is just better in the air than Saliba and there aren’t many big targets to aim for off a corner.
That’s it!
So, there you have it, the top set piece takers in FPL. Now you know that set pieces are important but its not just as simple as picking any of these guys off the list! You have to look at how successful they are too.
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