Season Preview: Everton

Overall Outlook - I'll start the preview with the fact that I like Everton.  They have a quality team that tries to play entertaining football.  They manage their team within a budget that is supported by the revenue the club can generate.  They have a few of my favorite players in Tim Howard and Mikel Arteta and gave credibility to Landon Donovan's career which previous had "big fish in a small pond" written all over it.  It pains me to say this but last season was about as good as it is going to get for Everton in the current Premier League climate.  They'll likely finish somewhere between 6th and 9th depending on how Liverpool, Villa, Citeh, and Spurs perform against talent and expectations.  The chances of them taking the next step up the table when even a player like Donovan is out of their financial reach seems pretty slim.  Basically, expect more of the same from Everton unless something dramatic happens.


Projected Starters - Howard, Coleman, Heitinga, Jagielka, Baines, Pienaar, Fellaini, Arteta, Osman, Cahill, Saha

In the Rotation - Distin, Yobo, Hibbert, Rodwell, Yakubu, Bilyaletdinov, PNeville

Kicks - Arteta and Baines generally split the free kick duties with Pienaar getting an occasional try as well.

Newcomers

• Jermaine Beckford, F - one of the stars of Leeds' promotion from League One last season the 25 goal man is taking two steps up in competition.  While big things are expected of him, it is likely too much to expect that he'll have much of an impact early for a top half side unless Saha, Yakubu, and company suffer from another string of injuries.  Probably worth watching for later in the season and into 2011-12;

Rising Youth

• Seamus Coleman, D - Jeremy is more excited about Coleman than I am which isn't so much because I don't think he'll be a good player but rather because years come and years go and Tony Hibbert somehow remains the right back at Everton.  If Coleman ends up taking the spot then he is definitely worth a place in your squad as an inexpensive defender starting on a good team;
• Jack Rodwell, M - he was a part-time favorite the last few years because Yahoo had him listed as a defender and he generally played in midfield when he played and even scored the occasional goal.  Well, this year Yahoo has him designated as a midfielder and you have to wonder if he's ever going to break in as a full time starter.  Regardless, his value is a bit lower than last season since he won't be getting any CS points.
• Dan Gosling, D - Bye bye, we liked you at Everton when you played and we're hoping we like you even more at NUFC even if we aren't in love with the way you left town;

Fantasy Breakdown

• Best - Mikel Arteta is the obvious answer here and he's certainly the straw that stirs the drink at Goodison Park but from a fantasy standpoint, Leighton Baines is a better player compared to his position on the field finishing last year as the top point-getting defender;
• Best Value (non-newcomer) - While both are only part-time starters, Bilyaletdinov and Heitinga are the best value for the money coming into the 2010-11 season;
• Best Projected Value - I'm betting that Bily, with an off-season to acclimate, will win a regular spot in the line-up and end up the season with results not too different from Martin Petrov at his peak scoring goals, getting lots of crosses in, and getting assists regularly from those crosses;
• Worth Considering With Good Match-ups -  Howard, Baines, Arteta, Pienaar, Cahill, Saha
• Worth Knowing If He's Starting - Coleman, Heitinga, Bily, Beckford