With Romelu Lukaku out injured and Manchester United suffering a loss of form, there are plenty of decisions to make for FPL managers ahead of the Gameweek 9 deadline.
The likes of Jamie Vardy and Kai Havertz have emerged as popular options this week, and here are our Fantasy Premier League Picks for Matchday 9.
GK: Alex McCarthy (SOU) – 4.5m
Southampton’s Alex McCarthy heads into gameweek 9 with three clean sheets and 23 points in his last five matches and faces a Burnley side that have scored only five goals in eight games this season.
DEF: Joao Cancelo (MCI) – £6.2m
Joao Cancelo has played every minute of Premier League action for Manchester City this season – keeping six clean sheets and registering two assists in eight matches.
DEF: Lucas Digne (EVE) – £5.3m
Lucas Digne offers great clean sheet potential this weekend as Everton take on a Watford side that have failed to score in each of their last two matches, and have created the fewest Expected Goals this season.
DEF: Ben Chilwell (CHE) – £5.7m
Ben Chilwell has scored three goals in his last four appearances for club and country and is an excellent option for gameweek 9 as Chelsea take on bottom dwellers Norwich City, who have only managed two goals in eight games in the league.
MID: Andros Townsend (EVE) – £5.7m
Andros Townsend has emerged as a stellar cheap midfield option with three double-digit scores in the last five gameweeks, and the Everton winger could be amongst the points again this weekend as the Toffees take on newly-promoted Watford.
MID: Kai Havertz (CHE) – £8.1m
With Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku injured, Kai Havertz will start up front for Chelsea this weekend as they take on a Norwich side that have the second worst defensive record in the league so far this season.
MID: Raphinha (LEE) – £6.7m
Raphinha missed gameweek 8 due to international duty for Brazil, but the Leeds winger is still one of the best budget midfield options in the game with two goals in his last three games and 14 chances created this season.
MID: Mohamed Salah (LIV) – £12.8m
Mohamed Salah is as close to a must-have asset as you can have in FPL as the Egyptian has registered three double-digit scores in the last four matches. Salah tops the league for shots in the box and chances created and takes on a Manchester United side that have conceded six goals in their last two games.
FWD: Jamie Vardy (LEI) – £10.7m
The most popular transfer in gameweek 9 has been Jamie Vardy, and the Leicester striker is the second-highest points scorer in the game this season. Vardy has scored five goals in his last four matches and is ranked second for shots, big chances, and penalty area touches amongst forwards this season.
FWD: Pierre Emerick Aubameyang (ARS) – £9.9m
Pierre Emerick Aubameyang has scored in each of Arsenal’s last three home games this season, and the Gunners striker could be an excellent replacement for Romelu Lukaku for FPL managers as the North London club take on Aston Villa at home in Gameweek 9.
FWD: Michail Antonio (WHU) – £8.1m
Despite not scoring in his last two games, Michail Antonio is still a great asset to own this week. Antonio has scored in each of West Ham’s last two fixtures at home to Tottenham, and the forward has managed 11 shots in the penalty box in the last four matches.
Captaincy Pick
Mohamed Salah is likely to be the most popular captaincy option this weekend, but Manchester United could set up in a defensive shape against their rivals which limits Salah’s points ceiling. Instead, our captaincy choice for this week is Kai Havertz, who will be playing out of position as a striker for Chelsea against the second leakiest-defence in the Premier League.
Shivaan Shah