With most teams including the big hitters such as Salah and Agüero, it is often the budget gems that determine success in Fantasy Premier League (FPL). This year, there are a plethora of midfield options available to managers in the 5 to 6.5 bracket. The Fix Comparison Matrix numbers indicate that the FPL point returns of Richarlison (14) and Pereyra (16) were no fluke. Pereyra was the clear standout performer, with four shots in the box (SIB) compared to the Toffee midfielder’s two. The Argentinian also created one big chance for a team-mate, indicating the all-round aspect of his game. The comparison is a little unfair on Maddison who was away to last year’s tightest defence and played only 63 mins. Keeping that in mind, his numbers are very encouraging, with an attempted assist and one shot on target (SOT) that was well saved by De Gea. Jota’s numbers however are worrying. He attempted no assists, failed to register a single SIB and was eclipsed by his Portuguese team-mate, Neves, who scored from his only SOT and had his only attempted assist converted as well. The numbers indicate that Neves’ returns were a bit fortunate, and must be observed over a longer period of time to determine sustainability, and Neves’ viability as an FPL option.
A lot of pre-season hype surrounded the attacking potential of Van Aanholt. This has led to a lot of managers ignoring the budget gem playing alongside him – Wan Bissaka. Palace put up a staunch defence at Craven Cottage, with an Expected Goals Conceded rating of just 0.55, indicating they have lost none of the defensive resilience they established under Hodgson towards the end of last season. Coming in at only 4.0 in FPL, Wan Bissaka made three tackles, seven recoveries and 11 interceptions, indicating that he could be a Bonus Points (BPS) darling and a cheaper alternative to his left footed Dutch team-mate. He provided an attacking outlet as well, creating a big chance for Zaha which resulted in an assist and a mammoth score of 12 points in FPL. With numbers like these, it is hard to envisage Wan Bissaka losing his spot in the Eagles’ lineup anytime soon. The young English right-back could be a shrewd recruitment for your FPL squads, allowing you to better distribute your money in the attacking positions.
In a weekend that saw nine defenders rack up double-digit scores, Mendy, who is priced at 6.0, was the pick of the bunch with a score of 15. The Frenchman took two shots, with one on target and both of his attempted assists were duly converted by Sterling and B. Silva. He had 83 touches, two tackles, six recoveries and four interceptions, which bodes well for his BPS potential in the future. As Mendy’s Touch Heatmap shows, the left back spent more time in Arsenal’s half than his own, indicating that the two assists were not a flash in the pan. The Frenchman is currently seeing a massive wave of transfers in, and if you do not already own him, you should be making plans to do so. Our Fix Algorithm projects Mendy to be the top scoring defender for the next six weeks, with a score of 26.3.
Only six forwards scored in gameweek one – Jiménez, Joselu, Sturridge, Vardy, Wilson, and Zaha. Wilson led the way for SIB with six, which was head and shoulders ahead of premium favourites; Kane (two), Aguero (two), Firmino (one), Zaha (two), Arnautovic (two) and Aubameyang (zero) as displayed in the info-graphic below, pulled from our Fix Comparison Matrix numbers. Only four midfielders managed more than two SIB – Mané (four), Pereyra (four), Salah (three) and Lemina (three), indicating that the forwards were perhaps unlucky not to get on the scoresheet. So, for now, patience is advised with forwards, as the last gameweek appears to be an exception, not the rule.
Join 89% of our members who won their main mini-league last season.
GET IT NOWAlready a Premium user? Login here
