Fantasy football would not be the exciting game we love if wasn’t for a FPL Dilemma or two. Every year, before the start of the season especially, there are always a couple of players with that distinct similarity in price, talent and Fabtasy Premier League value. The pair I will be talking around in this FPL Dilemma article are both priced at 6.5m, Callum Wilson (Bournemouth) and Andre Gray (Burnley).
Wilson started the last campaign with a bang and then a bigger bang as an Injury destroyed the remainder of his Premier League experience after just 6 Gameweeks. Although he came back towards the end he never managed to complete the full 90 and as Bournemouth were safe relatively early on, they had no appetite to risk him. Gray, on the other hand, had the luxury of a full season last year, albeit in the Championship, but nevertheless he played all but two of his games remaining injury free throughout. Let’s dig a little deeper into the stats and facts around these two Strikers and see which comes out the victor in this FPL Dilemma!
Callum Wilson (6.5m)
With really only 6 games under his belt in the Premier League it ‘should’ be difficult to gage the promise he could deliver. Callum, however, needed no time to get settled in scoring 5 goals in his first 6 games including a hat trick in an exciting thriller against West Ham. Looking further he had 52 penalty area touches, 7 shots on target yet zero assists in his maiden six games. Being the number one penalty taker for Bournemouth too, this adds a lot of weight in Wilson’s corner. With no other threat at Bournemouth for this position and providing he can keep fit, Wilson would be a very good option for your cheap 3rd Striker.
Bournemouth’s first six fixtures include Manchester United, West Brom and Everton at home and West Ham, Crystal Palace and Manchester City Away, not the easiest fixtures by any stretch! This is the first real negative about the Cherries Striker that definitely needs consideration.
Andre Gray (6.5m)
A superstar in Burnley’s ranks last season, Andre helped secure Premier League Status for the 2nd time in Burnley’s history and the amount of goals he scored was the contributing factor. 23 Goals and 10 assists for Burnley and then a further 2 of each for Brentford before he signed meant that Andre would have scored 194 points, less bonus, if the FPL scoring was applied. Therein lies the question however, with Gray never touching a Premier League Ball, how do we know if he can cut it? I personally think he can and his preseason form is absolutely amazing, scoring in every game totalling 8 in the first 5 games. Let’s remember, Wilson did it last year, so why not Gray?
Fixture wise, Burnley line up with Swansea, Liverpool, Hull and Watford at home with away trips to Chelsea and Leicester so on paper, has better fixtures than Wilson. The bonus fixture in Grays locker is that home tie to Hull!
Who to Pick?
It’s a tough one and with price out of the equation there can be no weight added to a player based on FPL value. Wilson has proved he can do it already, Gray has had an amazing preseason and last season, they both take penalties, although the spoils could be shared at Burnley and they are both a similar age. This comes down to fixtures in my opinion and with Burnley having 4 home games in their first 6, including ties against Hull and Swansea, the chips have fallen to the FPL newcomer, Andre Gray but this was a very close battle!
Written by Matty Kaye
