Fantasy Bundesliga tips: Out of Position Players for the 2024/25 season

Commonly referred to as OOP for short, these footballers are classified in a position in the fantasy game but play more advanced roles on the pitch. 

Most often, this is a defender playing in midfield, or a midfielder filling into a forward’s position. 

Some names have been marked with *NEW* indicating a fresh face in this season's Bundesliga. Here are some of the names to look out for to gain that extra advantage. 

OOP Defenders who play in Midfield

Alejandro Grimaldo (20M) & Jeremie Frimpong (18M) – Bayer Leverkusen
This duo needs absolutely no introduction – behold the two most explosive assets in Fantasy Bundesliga. Grimaldo was the top scoring player last season’s game with 9149 points under the newly updated scoring system. A whopping 933 points clear of the second-top scorer (Wirtz, MID, 8216 points), with an astounding 10 goals and 15 assists in 33 Bundesliga outings. Add to that, his set-piece responsibilities and he is any Fantasy Bundesliga fanatic’s dream. His Dutch counterpart, Jeremie Frimpong, was equally threatening and notched 9 goals and 9 assists in 31 matches as Die Werkself lifted the Meisterschale.

Mitchell Weiser (13M) & Felix Agu (9M) – Werder Bremen
Weiser enjoyed another stellar season in the Bundesliga with Bremen last year. The full-back played the entire campaign at right midfield where he notched up 3 goals and 7 assists in 30 games. This left the 30-year-old with 6563 points, making him the sixth best scoring defender in the game. Felix Agu has made the left midfield spot his own under Ole Werner. The young German bagged three assists last season and presents a cheaper route into the Bremen defence, but Weiser is undoubtedly the pick of the pair when it comes to Fantasy Bundesliga returns. 

Robin Gosens (13M ) – Union Berlin
Last season was a campaign to forget as Die Eisernen who barely avoided relegation, however Robin Gosens proved to be one of their brighter sparks. Having arrived Inter Milan for a club record fee reportedly around €15million, the German adapted brilliantly to life in Union colours. Classified as a defender in game, Union’s 3-4-2-1 setup allows the full-back to play on the left side of their midfield. In Bundesliga 30 appearances to date he has bagged 6 goals and 4 assists to accumulate 5555 points and finished the season as the eleventh highest scoring defender in the fantasy standings. Josip Juranovic (DEF, 10M) and Tom Rothe (DEF, 7M) could also be worth keeping an eye on as both play similar positions to the German. 

*NEW* Yan Couto (12M) – Borussia Dortmund
A revamped Borussia Dortmund under the tutelage of Nuri Sahin appear set to grace the Bundesliga this weekend. New signing, Yan Couto, looks set to be one of the stars of the show having arrived from Manchester City on loan with a €25million buy-out option included. The Brazilian set La Liga alight last season on loan at Girona, where he found the net once and added a further 10 assists in 34 games. The 22-year-old may be gradually eased into the BVB lineup, but he is already off the mark having assisted Julien Duranville on Saturday evening’s 4-1 win over Phonix Lubeck in the DfB Pokal. Couto will likely feature on the right flank in Sahin’s 3-4-2-1 setup, with the dual-footed Julian Ryerson (DEF, 12M) also one to watch if he slots into a similar midfield role. 

*NEW* Kaishu Sano (8M), Anthony Caci (10M) & Phillipp Mwene (10M) – Mainz 05
Japanese international, Kaishu Sano, arrived from Kashima Antlers a fee of €2.5million this summer and remains somewhat of an unknown quantity. The 23-year-old provided 2 assists in 20 appearances for the Japanese J1 League side last campaign and looks set to play in the heart of Mainz’s midfield despite being listed as a defender in game. Elsewhere, potentially more reliable picks take the form of Caci who provided 2 goals and 3 assists in 31 appearances for Bo Henriksen’s side last year. The Frenchman also stands over set-piece duties. Mwene is a tenacious tackler but perhaps offers less attacking output, with just 1 goal and 2 assists in 23 outings for the Carnival club in 2023-24.

Pavel Kaderabek (10M) – TSG Hoffenheim
The Czechia defender is entering his eleventh season in Sinsheim since his arrival from Sparta Prague in 2015. Head coach Pellegrino Matarazzo sees the 32-year-old as the clear favourite for the right midfield in his preferred 3-4-1-2 formation, with very sparse competition in his position. Last campaign, Kaderabek found the net on 3 occasions whilst providing a further 5 assists in 29 appearances. Hoffenheim kick-start their campaign with a home fixture against Bundesliga new boys Holstein Kiel - big potential for a hefty haul of points. 

*NEW* Fin Stevens (4M) – St.Pauli
Stevens is perhaps the cheapest OOP defender in our list, who arrived in the Hanseatic City this summer for a €600k fee from Brentford. The 24-year-old spent the 23/24 campaign on loan at Oxford United where he scored once and made 5 assists for the League One club. Playing at right midfield, the Welsh native has since joined newly promoted St.Pauli who return to the Bundesliga for the first time since 2011-12. He should start the opening matches but St.Pauli have a plethora of wide midfielders who could replace him if form dips including Manolis Saliakas (DEF, 8M) who may also play out of position. 

OOP Midfielders who play as a Forward

Patrick Wimmer (10M) - VfL Wolfsburg
The Austrian endured a difficult 2023-24 season in Lower Saxony as Wolfsburg struggled under former coach Niko Kovač. Ralph Hasenhüttl came in to steady the ship and will look to kick on this season, with reliable sources suggesting Wimmer might play as a second striker alongside Jonas Wind. Registered as a midfielder in the Fantasy Bundesliga game, the 23-year-old has already scored in the DfB Pokal against TuS Koblenz this campaign. However, it must be noted that Wolfsburg host the mighty Bayern Munich as they  commence their 2024-25 Bundesliga odyssey this weekend.

Merlin Röhl (10M) – SC Freiburg
The Christian Streich era has come to an end after 12 long years, but the Bresigauers have a rich supply of talent in their ranks. None more so than Merlin Rohl who broke into the senior team on numerous occasions last campaign. Although he faces stiff competition from the experienced Lucas Holer and a lively Junior Adamu, Rohl could see minutes as one of the two strikers leading the line in Freiburg’s 4-4-2 formation. Keep an eye out for predicted lineups as the 22-year-old will look to improve on his 2 goals and 4 assists in 24 outings in the previous season.