The 2016 Premier League season is in the books and after the debate raged on throughout the year, there is no doubt at this point about the top performers. In terms of the individual teams, Manchester City ended up as the team that scored the most goals in the EPL this season. They had 71 in 38 games, which is nearly two goals per game. Tottenham was second in EPL scoring as they tallied 69 while Leicester City was the team that scored the third-most goals on the season as they managed 68. Each of those teams was in the top four in the EPL table but interestingly enough, Manchester United was fifth with just 49 goals. They were the only team in the Top 8 to score less than 50 goals.
In terms of individual performances of fantasy forwards, Harry Kane led the way in the Premier League with 25 goals but it was a breakthrough performance from the leading scorer for the Premier League champion Leicester City that stole the show with Jamie Vardy delivering the top fantasy performance at his position this season. Here is a look at the top four fantasy forwards in the Premier League for the 2016 season.
Jamie Vardy, Leicester City
It didn’t take long for Vardy to steal the Premier League spotlight with seven goals in his first eight games of the season. His 24 goals on the year were one shy of Kane’s 25 for the league lead but his overall production made him the most complete striker in the Premier League this season. Vardy recorded 24 goals and six assists with 53 shots on target this year and there is no doubt about how big of an impact he had up front helping Leicester City clinch the most improbable championship in the history of England’s top soccer division. He was – for a second year in a row – one of the most valuable fantasy forwards on the season.
Sergio Aguero, Manchester City
Aguero’s 24 goals matched Vardy’s production for Leicester City but he managed to record just two assists with a total of 52 shots on target. It was another impressive season for one of the most dangerous strikers in the entire world as his direct pace and urgency led to him finishing with 16 more goals than Kelechi Iheanacho for the team lead. An overall lack of consistency led to Manchester City finishing fourth in the Premier League table but there was never any doubt about Aguero’s brilliance as one of the top fantasy strikers. City’s 71 goals paced the Premier League and clearly, Aguero was a big part of that.
Harry Kane, Tottenham
Kane’s struggles down the final stretch of the season ultimately prevented him from catching Vardy for the best overall fantasy score this season and was a big reason why Hotspurs were passed by Arsenal on the final day for second place. Tottenham failed to win any one of its final four games and it’s no surprise that Kane was held to a single goal despite an average of 5.0 shots per game over that span. His league-leading 25 goals, one assist and 74 shots on target still made for an impressive season overall as Kane delivered the third-best performance among Premier League fantasy forwards this season.
Romelu Lukaku, Everton
There was a major drop off after the big three of Vardy, Aguero and Kane with Lukaku coming in as the fourth-best fantasy forwards in the Premier League this season. Lukaku’s brutal stretch to close out the year is a big reason for the gap as the Everton striker was held without a single point over the course of the team’s final 10 Premier League games. Lukaku finished with 18 goals, six assists and 48 shots on target so while the drop off is notable it was still a very impressive fantasy performance overall this season. Everton finished the year just 11th in the EPL standings as they simply couldn’t keep opponents off the score sheet (they allowed 55 goals in 38 games). However, they managed 59 goals on the season, which tied them for the seventh-most in the EPL this season.
