Fantasy Premier League is about to take an extended break, so let’s get stuck into some quickfire FPL tips and advice ahead of Gameweek 5.
FPL Gameweek 4 deadline: Friday, 18th September, 6.30pm BST
The Football Faithful FPL league code: zog9n6
Fantasy Premier League: Three essential FPL tips ahead of GW5
Brighton and avoiding a knee jerk reaction
Following their 5-0 demolition of Coventry City, FPL managers have been jumping on Brighton assets this week. Pascal Groß (£5.7m) and Max De Cuyper (£4.9m) are two of the most transferred in players after racking up big points hauls not just last week, but throughout the opening month of the campaign.
There has been a rush to get these cheap options in despite the fact they play Arsenal at home this weekend, days after playing in the UEFA Conference League. These guys are, of course good long-term assets to have in your squad, so fading one tough fixture is doable. But then the Seagulls face a tricky trip to Sunderland, followed by Crystal Palace at home and back-to-back away games against Liverpool and Manchester City.
That is a brutal run of fixtures, during which they are also contending with Europe. I would not be looking to transfer in any Brighton players until at least GW11, when their fixtures start to turn.
It’s a timely reminder to avoid making a knee jerk reaction to the most recent thing you’ve seen. Don’t go chasing last week’s points. Look at, say Mamadou Sangare (£5.7m), who was heavily transferred in following his 14-point return in GW1. He has since gotten just eight points in three matches, including a blank against Sunderland, and been handsomely outscored by Groß in that period.
I didn’t make a single move in the opening three gameweeks, and although I missed out on many price rises and probably some hauls too, I feel like I’m in a strong position with my squad. It’s about making the right moves at the right time. If I had knee jerked Groß out of my team for Sangare ahead of GW2, my rank would look a lot worse right now.
Double-triple up on Arsenal defence and Chelsea attack
Arsenal look as good at the back as they did all of last season. It’s a no-brainer to have at least two of their defenders and maybe even a third. Riccardo Calafiori (£5.7m) has been excellent and gets forward a lot, Ezri Konsa (£4.5m) is incredible value, and David Raya (£6m) remains a dependable goalkeeper. Gabriel Magalhães (£8m) is worth the high price tag if you can afford him, though a wildcard may be needed to make that happen.
The Gunners look improved in attack, though I think the only players who offer good value there are Christos Tzolis (£6.4m) and Martin Odegaard (£6.8m), but even then I would rather have one of their defenders. Bukayo Saka (£9.5m) will pick up a lot of points, but there are better FPL picks for the kind of money he costs.
Speaking of which, Chelsea attackers are a definite buy at the moment. While their defence is ultra porous, their forward line is sublime. Joao Pedro (£7.8m), Cole Palmer (£9.7m) and Morgan Rogers (£7.7m) have developed an understanding with each other very quickly and the result has been 14 goal involvements between them alone.
There is a very good chance that when Chelsea score, one of them is involved, so owning all three with a relatively soft fixture run is ideal.
The only fly in the ointment is Pedro, who is a doubt for the match with an injury. Xabi Alonso gave us very little information about his status ahead of the deadline. Given this, and the fact that Brentford away is a difficult fixture, I would not recommend buying him until after the international break. If you have him, hold him, but don’t sell him yet.
Liverpool players are a sell
I have no doubt that Liverpool players will be an attractive option at various points in the season, but I don’t think they are worth the money right now. There are better picks available, they’re still find their way under Andoni Iraola, and their next three fixtures are pretty tough.
The only defensible hold is Cody Gakpo (£7.2m), who has been superb from a fantasy point of view so far this year, but otherwise I would sell my Liverpool assets if I had any.
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