Fantasy Premier League managers are looking forward to a new weekend of action, hoping to rack up points and raise their rankings on the FPL leaderboards.
This weekend promises to be full of opportunities when it comes to starting some promising differential players, nailing your captaincy and boosting your points tally along the way.
Before you save your team selection and start praying for massive returns on your FPL assets, let’s look at some key statistics and discuss the hot topics before the deadline on Saturday.
FPL Matchweek 11 Fixtures
Brentford are at home to Bournemouth.
Crystal Palace are taking on Fulham at Selhurst Park.
Everton are visiting the Hammers.
Wolves clash with Southampton at the Molineux.
Brighton are hosting Manchester City.
Liverpool take on Aston Villa at Anfield.
The Foxes are heading to Old Trafford to take on Manchester United.
Nottingham Forest are welcoming Newcastle.
Spurs have a home fixture against Ipswich.
Chelsea host Arsenal for the North West London derby to close out the weekend.
FPL Assets Leading On Form
Let’s start by looking at the current form amongst FPL assets.
If you owned any of these players in recent weeks, you certainly have accumulated a fair number of points.
Goalkeepers:
- Matz Sels is currently leading with 7.3
- Bart Verbruggen takes second spot with 5.0
- Aaron Ramsdale is third with 4.7
Defenders:
- Joško Gvardiol is clear with 8.7
- Ola Aina is behind him with 7.7
- Milos Kerkez takes third place with 6.3
Midfielders:
- Mohamed Salah is first with 10.3
- Bryan Mbeumo follows him with 6.7
- Curtis Jones comes in at third with 6.3
Forwards:
- Chris Wood is leading with 9.0
- Danny Welbeck sits at second with 7.0
- Evanilson finds himself at third with 6.7
FPL Managers Are Showing Impatience With Erling Haaland
Rarely in FPL history has the most expensive player been the most transferred out player leading up to a new match week.
This usually only happens when the most prized asset in FPL suffers a severe injury.
Even then, some managers typically hold the player until he regains full fitness, fearing insufficient funds to repurchase him later in the campaign.
This week, however, we see the most expensive asset in FPL history become the most transferred-out player.
Erling Haaland still holds the number one spot in the Golden Boot race, sitting three goals clear of Bryan Mbeumo and Chris Wood.
After an impressive 63-point return in his first five matches, Erling Haaland’s output has dropped drastically, with only 14 points across his last five fixtures.
From mid-August to the end of September, FPL managers were racking up points, and the key strategy was simple: captain Erling Haaland.
Non-owners began to second-guess themselves—and rightfully so.
If you didn’t spend a record-breaking £15.0m on the Norwegian goal machine, you might feel some FOMO as he delivered outrageous returns for all Haaland owners.
Now, the non-owners who used their wildcard to bring Haaland into their teams seem to be the worst off among FPL managers.
Owning Haaland has become a double-edged sword.
If you own him, you likely captain him.
However, captaining a player who takes up more than 15% of your total budget and seeing him blank in four out of five matches is likely the main reason we see Haaland as the most transferred-out player this week.
Chris Wood Steps Up
On the opposite side of the spectrum, Chris Wood is the most transferred-in player among FPL managers this week.
This is likely due to his modest £6.5m price tag and an impressive 8 goals in 10 games this season.
Managers who sold Haaland and brought in Wood now have up to £8.5m in additional funds to strengthen other areas of the pitch.
Cole Palmer Yellow Flagged
FPL managers heavily invested in Cole Palmer might feel anxious upon seeing a yellow flag next to Chelsea’s main man in the FPL app.
While some are panic-selling, most owners remain calm after seeing Palmer’s inclusion in the latest England squad for upcoming fixtures against Greece and Ireland.
Palmer missed a few training sessions this week, according to Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca, but fans remain optimistic about his involvement in this weekend’s derby.
Is Kostas Tsimikas The New Rico Lewis?
Earlier in the season, FPL managers were thrilled to get a premium Manchester City defender for only £4.5m.
On top of that, this defender was starting every game and occasionally posed an attacking threat.
Rico Lewis was quickly identified as a low-risk, high-reward asset for most FPL managers.
However, doubts about Lewis’s selection have risen recently, with him missing out on a starting spot in City’s 2-1 loss to Bournemouth last weekend.
Rico Lewis did start in City’s UCL game against Sporting CP midweek, which suggests to many managers that Kyle Walker might be deployed to deal with Mitoma this weekend.
Over at Liverpool, fans have noticed the minutes Kostas Tsimikas has accumulated since Andy Robertson’s underwhelming performance against Bukayo Saka at the Emirates two weeks ago.
Priced at only £4.6m, Tsimikas might start to offer FPL managers the same value Lewis provided earlier in the season.
Notably, Liverpool currently boasts the best defensive record in the Premier League this season.
If Tsimikas secures a regular starting spot, clean sheets and strong returns could follow.
Are Brentford Assets The Best Options In The Coming Weeks?
The following 3 fixtures for Brentford are looking very promising for a variety of FPL Managers.
Brentford’s home fixture against Bournemouth is this weekend. They will then visit Everton and host Leicester City.
While there have been a few standouts in the Brentford squad in terms of returns, one name in particular stands out above the rest: Bryan Mbeumo.
With an electrifying season so far, Mbeumo owners will certainly not remove him from their squads in the coming weeks.
The overall feeling is that Bryan Mbeumo will most likely provide a significant return on investment in the next few weeks.
Other Brentford assets to consider include Vitaly Janelt, Mikkel Damsgaard and Nathan Collins.
What Do FPL Managers Make Of Trent Alexander-Arnold?
The most expensive defender in FPL this season has owners feeling conflicted about whether to include him in their teams.
With Liverpool’s brilliant defensive statistics this season, Trent Alexander-Arnold is amongst the assets who have accumulated the most points through clean sheets during this campaign.
Even though
Trent’s owners have nothing to be upset about, his counterparts at Liverpool, Ibrahima Konate and Virgil Van Dijk, have also racked up the same amount of points from clean sheets whilebeing priced significantly less.
The reason for the price discrepancy between Trent and his fellow defensive teammates is apparent: Trent possesses an incredible attacking and creative threat and generates an enormous amount of chances for his team.
While Trent is still on corner and free-kick duties, he has only contributed 1 assist this season and 0 goals from set pieces or open play.
In comparison, Konate has scored 1 goal and provided 1 assist, while Van Dijk has achieved the exact same attacking output as Konate.
This leaves Trent’s owners feeling a little hard done when it comes to the price they paid to acquire him as an asset.
Let’s Talk Differentials
FPL managers who achieve high rankings often contribute to selecting the correct differentials at the proper time.
While most managers own premium options like Salah, Haaland, Palmer, or Saka, some are looking for the one player with the potential to generate significant returns while also having low global ownership.
Here are some differentials to consider for EPL matchweek 11:
Phil Foden
Phil Foden won the PFA Player of the Year award for his performances last season but struggled with injuries and form at the start of this campaign.
The talented English footballer is fit again and has started the last two Premier League matches for Manchester City.
Phil Foden also scored for his club in the 4th minute midweek against Sporting in the UCL.
Foden, priced at £9.3m and with a global ownership of 7.4%, seems like a good bet for managers seeking a premium differential asset.
Son Heung-Min
Son Heung-Min started the season in a promising fashion with 2 goals and 2 assists in his first 5 games.
He missed games against Manchester United and Brighton but made his return against West Ham, scoring another goal.
Priced at £9.9m, Son is definitely an expensive option, but with only 6.5% global ownership, he might be the differential you need.
Bruno Fernandes
With the appointment of new Manchester United manager Rúben Amorim, FPL managers are very interested to see whether he can turn things around for his new club and potentially get Manchester United assets to perform well again.
Most of these Manchester United assets have seen their prices decrease, presenting a possible opportunity for managers seeking differential options for their teams.
Amorim’s fellow countryman Bruno Fernandes may be just the man to spark things back to life on the pitch for Manchester United.
With a price tag of £8.2m and 8.0% global ownership, Fernandes might prove to be an excellent buy.
Differential Captain Pick Of The Week :
Dominic Solanke
With Tottenham at home to Ipswich Town, Dominic Solanke might be just the man to boost you up the rankings.
Whilst most managers will captain Salah or Haaland, very few might be willing to give the armband to Solanke this week.
With 2 goals and an assist last week against Aston Villa, Solanke should be embracing the prospect of facing 18th-placed Ipswich this weekend.
Playing Your Free Hit?
Most managers will be saving their free hit for double game weeks later on in the season.
Those who are tempted to use their free hit this weekend might find some value below:
GK: Fabianski (£4.0m)
DEF: Porro (£5.5m)
DEF: Tsimikas (£4.6m)
DEF: Mitchell (£4.9m)
MID: Mbeumo (£7.9m)
MID: Foden (£9.3m)
MID: Garnacho (£6.3m)
MID: Son (£9.9m)
FWD: Evanilson (£5.9m)
FWD: Haaland © (£15.3m)
FWD: Solanke (£7.7m)
BENCH: Sels (£4.6m)
BENCH: Hudson-Odoi (£5.4m)
BENCH: Senesi (£4.8m)
BENCH: Ji-soo (£3.9m)
Final Thoughts
This weekend’s FPL gameweek 11 looks to be an exciting one.
There are countless moving factors at play for millions of FPL managers around the world.
Hopefully, this article has given you some insight into key data points, fan expectations, and the opportunities coming to life in various aspects of the game.
Good luck to all participating managers, and may your footballing genius be on full display this coming weekend!
Comments