Another week and we’re closer to finally being able to use trends to determine what’s going on with teams. Projections are tough at the beginning of the season as everything should come with a small sample size asterisk until after week five and even then you should still pay attention to minutes played and positioned played. One of my favorite examples is Stuart Dallas due to lining up at left back and center mid but there are smaller cases like Mason Greenwood on the wing versus at the nine.
With Ronaldo in tow, it seems like Greenwood’s fun in the sun is coming to an end but the hope is that with his finishing ability that he’ll at least last until wildcards as most people have larger issues to deal with currently. I’d recommend holding Mikhail Antonio through his suspension as he’s an excellent option versus Leeds United. The best replacement in Dominic Calvert-Lewin is currently hurt and Romelu Lukaku is behind Mohamed Salah and Cristiano Ronaldo for the captaincy for me this week so his inclusion can wait.
Taking a look at the NBC sports league Congrats to Gautham Shankar for their inspired choice of handing Ronaldo the triple captaincy. They switched things up going big at the back with double Liverpool and double city defense flanked by Antonio Rüdiger. This allowed a Lukaku + Ronaldo double-up to be the driving force behind a 117 point week.
Top Transfer Targets will take a look at the roster tiers in FPL breaking down the best options in each. The tiers will be broken down as 25-40 percent owned, 15-24 percent, 10-15 percent, under 10 percent which also includes my favorite punt of the week. The 40 percent club includes players who I won’t be writing about as how many teams they are selected in speaks for itself.
Let’s take a look at this week’s schedule:
Friday 17 September
Newcastle v Leeds United
Saturday 18 September
Wolves v Brentford
Norwich City v Watford
Burnley v Arsenal
Manchester City v Southampton
Liverpool v Crystal Palace
Aston Villa v Everton
Sunday 19 September
Brighton v Leicester City
West Ham v Manchester United
Tottenham v Chelsea
The 40 percent Club is made up of Mohamed Salah, Luke Shaw, and new member Cristiano Ronaldo. Michail Antonio and Bruno Fernandes have now dropped out while Trent Alexander-Arnold is gaining steam in being selected.
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Don’t get caught out in the crowd (25-40 percent rostered at the time of writing):
Trent Alexander-Arnold (DEF Liverpool 7.5m, 35.3% ): If you don’t have TAA in your squad, what are you doing? It’s understandable that managers are looking for ways to fit Mo Salah, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Romelu Lukaku into their sides but going without Alexander-Arnold isn’t the way to go. The Premier League leader in expected assists, TAA isn’t only more creative than every other defender in the league but he’s outpacing every other player. Number two is Salah followed by Diogo Jota and Jack Grealish. TAA is almost a lock for six points per week with a 50 percent chance of hitting double digits. That’s something that can’t be overlooked.
Worth your consideration (16-24 percent rostered):
Raphinha (MID Leeds United 6.5m, 15.7%): Raphinha is a classic case of form versus fixtures. While Leeds United has been struggling, they have amazing fixtures through gameweek ten. Raphinha has been shooting at a similar clip to last season but the shots aren’t hitting the target. Last year, almost 40 percent of the shots that Raphinha took found the target while this year that number has dipped to 16.7 percent. For a player of his quality, the finishing ability will return as the Leeds team finds more confidence and with that will come FPL points aplenty.
Solid if not Steller (10-15 percent rostered):
Jamie Vardy (FWD Leicester City 10.4m, 11.4%): Likely the most overlooked Michail Antonio replacement, Jamie Vardy already has two goals and one assist on the year entering week five. A forward who feasts on bottom-half opposition, Vardy has Brighton, Burnley, and Crystal Palace in his next three which is an amazing run for the ageless wonder. Vardy had a down season last year due to injuries but he seems to be back to his best to kick off this season.
Rolling the dice (under 10 percent rostered):
Reece James (DEF Chelsea 5.6m, 7.5%): Tottenham could be without Heung Min-Son, Lucas Moura, and Steven Bergwijn hampering their attack before Chelsea’s good fixture run begins in-game week seven. James also offers an offensive threat with a goal and two assists on the season. It’s wild that he could surpass his attacking returns from last season in the first five games of the year but that’s the Lukaku effect for you. James will offer supreme value in defense.