It’s been a slow start to the season from a fantasy football perspective, but things could pick up in the weeks to come, and here are some of the big talking points in FPL ahead of Gameweek 4.
There is a wide range of great options amongst 8.0 million midfielders in FPL this year, with assets such as Bukayo Saka, Phil Foden, Mason Mount, and Luis Diaz.
However, none of them has had tremendous starts to the campaign, and the best mid-priced midfielder in the game currently may be Ilkay Gundogan at 7.5 million. Gungodan has already scored two goals in three starts for Manchester City this campaign and has nailed down a starting role as one of the number eights in midfield.
The German midfielder has taken up plenty of promising positions from an FPL perspective to start the campaign and has benefitted from the gravity of Erling Haaland. With defenders more attached to the Norwegian, Gundogan is afforded more space to exploit in the box with his trademark late runs and has already profited with two goals.
The midfielder has averaged 0.55 nPxGi over the last two seasons in the league and could be a smart buy this week for premier league fantasy football managers ahead of two home games for City against Crystal Palace and Nottingham Forest.
Ivan Perisic (5.5m)
Ivan Perisic has already shown glimpses of his potential as an FPL asset this season, with two assists and one clean sheet in one start for Tottenham. Playing as a wing-back, Perisic has been supremely attacking for Tottenham in the little time he has spent on the pitch, often overloading the box and holding the width on the left to deliver crosses for the likes of Kane and Kulusevski.
The Croatian is also on some set pieces for Tottenham alongside Son Heung-Min and offers ridiculous value in Fantasy Premier League for what he brings to the table for 5.5 million. The only question mark with Perisic as an FPL asset is the guarantee of minutes. The former World Cup finalist isn’t getting younger at 33 and may be rotated alongside Ryan Sessegnon as the left wing-back. It’s a gamble to bring him into your team at this stage, but if you ever feel Perisic is certain to start the next run of games, he should be one of the first assets you look to transfer into your FPL team.
CAPTAINCY CANDIDATES | ||
PLAYER | FIXTURE | NPxGi per 90 |
Salah (13.0 m) | Bornemouth (H) | 0.68 |
Haaland (11.7 m) | Crystal Palace (H) | 0.95 |
Jesus (8.0 m) | Fulham (H) | 0.91 |
Reece James (6.0 m) | Leicester City (H) | 0.29 |
It’s an embarrassment of riches in terms of FPL captaincy options in Gameweek 4, with four of the Big 6 teams playing home games against lower-league opposition.
However, with more choices available to Fantasy Premier League managers, picking the correct captain for GW becomes trickier. The clearest choice for the armband would be Mohamed Salah, who has kept up his crazy consistency to start the new season with two goals and an assist in three matches. Liverpool are also in desperate need of a bounce back after a winless start to the campaign and have the easiest fixtures amongst the top teams, at home to Bournemouth.
However, there are other options to consider as well, such as Erling Haaland, who has kept up his phenomenal record of a goal a game for Manchester City to start the season. Gabriel Jesus has arguably been the player of the season so far, with five-goal involvements in three games and a 19-point haul the last time Arsenal played at home against Leicester City in GW2.
One intriguing differential option for GW 4 is Chelsea’s, Reece James. The Blues take on a Leicester team that have had a terrible start to the season amid the uncertainty in the side, and the Foxes have had the leakiest defence with eight goals conceded in three matches. Chelsea are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, but James is the best FPL asset in the Blues side and could come away with two returns on Sunday.
Shivaan’s FPL Team Selection for GW4: No transfers, Salah Captain
After changing my formation around last week and switching to a back four with Luis Diaz as my Liverpool third asset, GW4 will be another week where I save my transfer and roll. Most players in my current FPL XI offer a decent return on investment, giving me three green arrows in the first three Gameweeks.
Picking my first XI and bench was straightforward with how the fixtures played out this week. The only question on my mind heading into GW4 is that of Pedro Neto. The 5.5m midfielder has been heavily linked with Arsenal over the past few days and may not start for Wolves against Newcastle at home, considering that the transfer deadline day is next week. The Portuguese winger is currently a wait-and-see for now, and I may transfer him out in favour of Harrison Reed (4.5m) from Fulham if there are more developments.
Captaincy is a tricky decision this week, but it’s tough to look past Mohamed Salah, considering his pedigree and consistency as an FPL asset. Best of luck for Gameweek 4!
Shivaan Shah