FPL Gameweek 2 Review – Talking Points, Transfer Targets, & More
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Palace defence is solid. Johnstone currently looking like a much better option than Pickford. Small regrets… Owners are unlucky that he gave away that pen.
In the first half, Nketiah had the two best chances. He got a fantasy assist when he won the penalty. Joe wants to underline again that he was right about Nketiah starting despite some skepticism from some corners of Reddit.
Odegaard took the penalty. Saka owners like us were weeping.
Gabriel owners are livid with Tomiyasu for getting himself sent off (and the ref for very questionable decision-making). I can already hear everyone: “maybe this means Gabriel starts next week!” Well, I doubt it. Zinchenko came off the bench and so he will probably play.
Liverpool vs Bournemouth
We already posted a full fantasy review of this game on Reddit, which you can read here
Liverpool were defensively dreadful, especially early on
Trent did assist the assister for both outfield goals, and had shots himself… but he’s injured now, and currently can’t be trusted for cleans one bit
Diaz and Jota are both tempting… but we don’t know if they’ll still be starting a few weeks from now
Brighton vs Wolves
Brighton were absolutely brilliant. They’re one of the best teams in the league right now
We could see an Enciso vs Joao Pedro rotation all year, based on this. Neither are viable options if that’s happening
Mitoma and Estupinan were both excellent, again
We might have underrated March. It was tempting to think of last season as an outlier, but we shouldn’t stick to judgements like that when evidence appears to the contrary. Still, Mitoma and Mbeumo are better options for the same price
We’re pumping the brakes on Wolves, following their decent game against Man U. They always create chances without finishing any… and that’s been the story for years now
Brentford vs Fulham
Wissa and Mbuemo continue to offer great value
In general, Brentford haven’t missed a beat after losing Toney
Fulham don’t look good. At all.
Mitrovic has finally left, so we’ll see if they get a new striker… but in the meantime we’re steering clear
Spurs vs Man U
Spurs attack is very fun to watch, and could really be dangerous once they gel properly
Maddison remains a great option, and looked brilliant again. He was seen on crutches after the game but apparently is just precautionary
Son is still not worth the money. He was better here than in the first game, but still not Peak Son
Richarlison looked bad again. Don’t rush to get him, but don’t rush to sell him either. He is still a 7.0 OOP forward, playing for a good possession-based team
Rashford looked good in the first half, and not so great in the second. We still shouldn’t be panicking yet
Bruno had another pretty unconvincing performance, missing an absolute sitter at one point. Feel free to sell him if you’re double-up with him and Rashford, but if not you shouldn’t panic yet
Villa vs Everton
Everton are just as rubbish as we thought. They’re one of the top targets for clean sheets in the league right now
Their defence also looks really out of its depth. It doesn’t feel great owning Pickford right now, but it’s way too early to make a goalkeeper change, and they have Wolves next anyway
Watkins is off penalties, which hurts his value a little. His ‘assist’ here was only because he won the pen. Also annoying is that he got subbed off on 74 minutes, then his replacement scored immediately. We could see him getting subbed more often when Villa’s European games start. All that said, it’s surely just a matter of time before he starts scoring… right?
DCL started and was injured 35 minutes later. Plus ça change
West Ham vs Chelsea
Chelsea’s clean sheet lasted all of six minutes. They even conceded after going a man up. Maybe Caicedo magically fixes all their problems, but we can’t count on that until we see it
Ben Chilwell had been added by almost 690,000 managers (including our James) for Chelsea’s trip to West Ham. But Poch unexpectedly removed him with 30 minutes remaining on Sunday in favour of a flat back four – our biggest fear with this Chelsea squad. Obviously you’re not selling him. But there’s also a bigger question mark over him than we thought
Jackson was extremely active, and led the line well. He’s rapid, and a real physical presence. Unfortunately he’s not actually scoring goals yet… but he’s definitely one to watch over the next few weeks, at only 7.0.
Sterling looked back to his very best. He was brilliant, and was unlucky not to get an FPL assist because Fernandez missed the penalty. We can’t back him until Chelsea actually start scoring, however
Ward-Prowse returned to the PL, and returned to form as the best set piece merchant in the league. It’s always hard to tell when his returns come so you can’t really pick him in FPL, as his performances don’t improve with better fixtures. BUT, he’s a great option in Draft, particularly in deeper leagues. You can start him, he won’t return every week, but he should get 10 returns for the year
Man City vs Newcastle
Right now, we’re getting Isak and Gordon starting, then Wilson and Barnes coming on after 60-70mins. Presumably this will continue, but the Champions League could shake everything up. Their fixtures also aren’t great. They all feel risky
This week’s Pep Roulette selection was Grealish, Foden, and Alvarez. Foden was definitely the standout option, setting up one goal and almost assisting another. But he’s probably still a trap… resisting falling into that trap is easier said than done
Notts Forest vs Sheff Utd
Awoniyi is an excellent striker, and brilliant for FPL Draft. Sadly, there are just too many options in the main game to consider him (the same generally goes for Gibbs-White)
Sheff Utd were lucky to score (0.5 xG) in the game. Hamer’s goal was a screamer but those sorts of goals are hard to repeat. As such, we should feel unlucky to not have gotten the clean from Turner – starting him was still a good decision
Any Other Business
Paqueta’s move to Man City is almost certainly off, now that he’s being investigated for betting offences
The cheap assets are just outperforming the expensive ones. Mbeumo and Mitoma look like the best midfield double in the league right now, and Wissa’s one of multiple cheap forwards getting the job done up top
People are already thinking about using their wildcard. We can’t blame anyone who has a wholesale injury crisis, but don’t wildcard just for price rises. Everyone we want right now is cheap – Wissa, Mbeumo, Mitoma, Estupinian, etc. Everyone we might want to sell is expensive. As such, it doesn’t feel like it’s needed, but – of course – it’s somewhat team-specific
These are my (James’) top three transfer targets right now:
Mbeumo – he looks great and is on pens for a good team with good fixtures
Foden – he was incredible against Newcastle and, at least for the time being, City have no fixture congestion. He is ALWAYS a trap though, so I’ll give myself a week to talk myself out of it
Jackson – I’m not rating him as highly as the other two, but he looks good enough and has brilliant fixtures.
Defences still suck. Besides Chilwell and Estu, none of them are that appealing. Trent is possibly injured and a waste of money. So, I (James) probably have to sell him and buy a defender. As you can see above, I’m far more interested in midfielders, but I just can’t get there without a hit (after bringing Chilwell in last week). So, one to watch and wait for updates.
