In this blog, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 2's numbers are analysed to determine the best players and teams to target going forward.

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xFPL review

Mbeumo tops the Custom Stats xFPL table for Gameweek 2 with an xFPL score of 13.7. The 24-year-old took three shots, all of which were in the box, while he also registered two ‘big chances’ (BC) and created one as well. Foden was the weekend’s most creative player with seven attempted assists, he also took two shots in the box (SiB) and registered an xFPL score of 9.1. B. Fernandes’ owners were unlucky not to get any FPL returns, the Portuguese International took three SiB, one of which was a BC and created two BC as well, notching an xFPL score of 8.8. Many FPL managers backed Salah with the armband, the Egyptian took five shots, three of which were BC and attempted one assist. His xFPL score of 11.2 is inflated, since the penalty effectively counted as two BCs, as it included the penalty attempt itself and the rebound which he scored from. No player took more shots than Wissa (seven), the budget forward (£6.1m) was afforded two BC and landed three shots on target (SoT) with an xFPL score of 9.6.

Evaluate players with Opta statistics.

What is xFPL?

xFPL is calculated primarily using expected goals (xG), assists (xA), which combine as Fantasy Premier League (FPL) involvements (xG + xA = xI), as well as expected clean sheets (xCS). These numbers are a result of underlying statistics (i.e. shot type and location will give a probability of scoring = xG). xFPL is the combination of these statistics and factors in appearance and bonus points to give an overall expected FPL point score.

Transfer Activity Analysed

Evaluate transfer analytics to see which players are popular with other managers.

As the above image from our Transfer Analytics feature shows, Mbeumo is the most transferred-in player this week with nearly half a million managers bringing him in. Estupiñán’s attacking returns in consecutive game weeks have seen nearly 400,000 managers bring in the Ecuadorian International, and his popularity is understandable given the problems in defence for many FPL managers. Wissa has also proven a popular target with nearly 365,000 FPL managers bringing him in, while Brighton midfielders Mitoma and March are also popular acquisitions seeing nearly 300,000 transfers each. In terms of transfers out, defenders once again top the table, with R. James and Stones both losing approximately 350,000 owners each. The suspended Mac Allister (275,000) has also seen significant sales with Rashford (267,000) and J. Pedro (219,000) in fourth and fifth. The transfer combinations are pretty spread out but are dominated by Brentford players with Wissa and Mbeumo accounting for the top-five transfer combinations across FPL this week.

Mitoma vs March

Use a range of pitch maps to help inform your transfers.

Brighton have scored eight goals in their opening two matches which has made their midfielders Mitoma and March popular options this week. The latter currently tops the FPL scoring charts with 24 FPL points in his first two matches which includes three goals. As the above image from our Fix Heatmaps feature shows, March has significantly better numbers than Mitoma for goal threat with 1.66 xG compared to just 0.49 for the Japanese International. He has also taken five SiB and landed six SoT compared to just one and two for Mitoma. However, in terms of creativity, the Japanese international is significantly ahead with two assists already to his name. He has attempted nine assists compared to just three for March and has also created two BC. Both appear to be great picks but for FPL managers looking for an early differential, March is owned by just 7.7%, while Mitoma’s ownership is a whopping 41%.

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