The first 4 weeks are done and dusted and it’s time for a clean slate. However well or badly you’ve done so far you’ve got to forget about and focus on the next part of the season. Try not to kick yourself if you haven’t done as well as you hoped just try to learn from those mistakes and not do them again! With only a matter of days left to choose your team, here’s some players that you should consider including in your XI.
Goalkeepers
Ederson £7.9m looks the pick of the premium options with Alisson still injured and the Brazillian being a rare nailed player in Pep Guardiola’s side. Of the budget options Pope looks very good value at £6.5m. He’s made 3 save bonus’ in the first 4 and faces just 1 top 6 side in the next 10 games. Gunn £6.4m has also matched pope in bonus terms and covers 2 single match day captains but it’s hard to trust the Southampton defence and their medium term fixtures aren’t great. Adrian £6.7m is a very good valued option but he’s a locked in transfer when Alisson returns which is a big off put.
Defenders
Man City and Liverpool defenders still look the best options defensively out of the top 6. The Blues have just conceded 18 shots inside the box this season and 7 big chances. Liverpool aren’t as solid as last season and that could be down to the absence of Alisson. The injury to Laporte is bad for City’s defence but opens up cheaper options like Otamendi £8.8m who received passing bonus in 2 of his 3 games. Zinchenko £8.2m is also brilliant value until Mendy is back as he’s scored 4 bonus tiers in 4 weeks; he’s also at a nice price that you can trade him for a similarly priced defender or midfielder, it’s just whether you want to risk a potential early transfer. All 3 of Liverpool’s nailed defenders VVD, Robertson and TAA have their pros and I’d be looking at possibly just one of them as they’ve got some tricky fixtures coming up but long term they’re still good picks.
Soyuncu £6.2m top scored pre-overhaul with 30 points and looks a very handy option at his cheap price. He also covers 2 single captaincy days. Leicester’s defensive stats have also been really good but have leaked a single goal in most games. Pereira £8.5m is a bonus darling as he has the second best minutes per bonus but at and extra £2m+ it’s hardy to justify the extra outlay. Another bonus king is AWB £8.5m but clean sheets have been letting him down. He’s nearly guaranteed Tier 2 tackle bonus every week as he only missed out once and that’s equivalent to an assist. Everton’s attacking left back Digne £8.6m has two assists to his name and has great fixtures up until December when he faces 4 top 6 sides on the bounce. Pieters £6.4m is a great value pick and saves £0.1m over Pope. Burnley have great fixtures and he’s reached tackle tier twice.
There looks to be 2 very cheap options in Aston Villa’s Guilbert £4.5m who has some attacking threat but likes a yellow card and Brighton’s Burn £4.6m. Burn has started every game and looks nailed when Brighton play 3 at the back. He’s not threatening either bonus points at the moment either but he’s still a good enabler. Guilbert only started in the last 2 games and has competition from El Mohamady but if you start with either you’re not stuck or have to use a handful of transfers to upgrade them which is a big positive. I’d go for a maximum of one.
Midfielders
De Bruyne has been the highest scoring midfielder so far with 35 points and Man City’s fixtures are still really good. He is the most expensive midfielder for a reason but he’s picked up just one bonus point and a MOTM so far. The Belgian is heavily owned by 33% of managers and is a touch cheaper than his attacking teammates. Richarlison £10.2m had a slow start to the season with a few bonus points but hit a 20 pointer last week which shows his explosivity. His price does feel a bit steep considering there’s plenty of budget options but upcoming fixtures are positive. The £7m-£8m mark has a bucket load of options and picking 1 seems a wise move. Mount £7.3m is a big part of Lampard’s plans and has good medium term fixtures after the next 2 tricky games. He’s already scored twice and loves to shoot, showing why he’s got 3 SoT bonus already. James £8m has also burst onto the scene as another cheap option for a top 6 side. He’s scored 3 times already. Villa’s McGinn £7.3m covers a captaincy option during the first week and has been a consistent scorer with different types of points. Wilson £7.3m had impressed in his short spell at Bournemouth and is a set-piece master. 1or 2 of these guys looks a shrewd bet.
Arsenal are crucial for the overhaul with their Europa League commitments as they place the majority of their games on a Sunday and Pepe £9.8m and Ceballos £8.3m. The latter looks like a very good option but has only started half of the games so far. He might be one to watch and bring in at a later stage once he can start consistently. Pepe looked lively but looks a similar wait and see but he’s posted some very good stats and is listed as a midfielder which is handy considering the forward options. He’s deployed on the right flank which is the opposite side of the pitch to Aubameyang in certain games.
Madisson £8.3m is a medium term option that can cover 2 captaincy days. He’s just assisted twice but definitely one to consider. Norwich have been hit with a lot of injuries and if you’re looking for a cheap option Leitner £6.1m should pick up passing bonus here or there and Cantwell £5.8m should be in the side for the next few months has some attacking potential.
Strikers
Going for 3 strikers up top looks the best option with there being a plethora of good options to choose from and it allows flexibility for captains. At least one premium is essential and 3 is still a very plausible option, so it’s tough to decide how you should go from the start. Captaincy is a big factor as you want to spend your money on who you’ll give the armband to most weeks and who you can swap to captain.
Manchester City’s Aguero and Sterling are both brilliant captaincy options with their upcoming fixtures. With Champions League on the way and Jesus back in training Aguero may be at risk now and then but can be transferred out to nearly anyone. One looks like a good bet especially if you decide to pick KDB. Salah has started the season well but doesn’t look like an essential captaincy option for the next few weeks but going without the 40% owned player will be bold. His teammate Mane at £0.7m less is an option to save money but both should score similarly. Aubameyang looks a very good option as he covers a number of single and Sunday captaincies. He’s rarely rotated but can sometimes be pushed out onto the left hand side. Kane has some really good fixtures but can he be trusted with the captaincy after a blank at home to Newcastle and other performing better than him so far.
While Pukki £7.8m has come out of the blocks flying he doesn’t have any stand out days to captain him. If you can have him in your side and cover captaincy elsewhere he looks great value but Norwich have only 1 non Saturday game. Similar has to be said with Barnes £8.9m but Burnley have some brilliant fixtures. West Ham’s Haller £8.2m has been posting some brilliant stats and also plays next Monday night against Aston Villa. You could always start with him and move to another cheap option as West Ham’s fixtures are a mixed bag. Finally Abraham £8.3m is another cheap Chelsea player who’s started the season well under Lampard. It’s going to be tough to choose 3 options from this lot. Remember it’s easier to move down in price than up if you’re unsure between 2 players.
Single day captains
When it comes to single day games you have to consider whether you want these players in your side for the long term whether it’s a transfer in or now during the overhaul. Sometimes it may cost you 2 transfers to get them in and out. Usually on these occasions it’s not worth it unless you’re trading heavy hitters. Keep that in mind when you’re thinking about these games.
Aston Villa and West Ham feature in just one single day game and both sides have some options worth giving owning. Villa’s McGinn £7.3m is a good value midfielder who can be moved to a number of options in the same bracket or Guilbert who’s an enabler for other players who could score you 14 points or -2! West Ham’s Haller looks a great value for a forward and is the focal point of the side.
Southampton have 2 single game days but not many options stand out to me. Bournmouth have just the one against the former side and Wilson in that £7.3m midfielder price point is a viable option.
Leicester feature in two single game days and The Foxes have a number of different assets to choose from. Soyuncu is a good long term defensive option that could cover you over these days, Maddison and Tielemans are both midfield options who tick over gradually but could have the odd explosive game. Then there’s Vardy who could have a quiet game or score a brace out of nowhere.
Arsenal play every single Sunday or Monday and have a couple of single game days making 1 of their players close to essential. Aubameyang looks the safest option but the likes of Ceballos and Pepe are brilliant value but come with a bit more of a risk, especially the former.
Written by FPL Junior (@FPL_Junior)
