It feels as though this season is flying by. We’re already eight matches down, well on the way towards getting an idea of who the top teams are, while learning which sides will be battling for Premier League survival come May…
In terms of Fantasy Premier League, it was a drab week for the costly stars. Harry Kane (12.7m) drew a blank, as did Romelu Lukaku (11.8). Sergio Aguero didn’t even play (11.5), nor did Alvaro Morata (10.2)
An average of 41 points is amongst the lowest it has been in 2017/18, but personally, I managed to pull away from the pack slightly with a score of 77. Here are our weekly tips ahead of gameweek nine.
Three players to buy
Wilfried Zaha – Crystal Palace - £6.7m
Crystal Palace have been struggling without their talismanic winger. He’s back now, and it comes as no surprise to anyone that they picked up their first win as soon as he returned.
£6.7m is an absolute steal for a player of Zaha’s calibre and it’s only going to rise. Palace’s fixture list gets kinder throughout October and November, starting with a trip to newly promoted Newcastle United on Saturday.
Raheem Sterling – Manchester City - £8.1m
Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City look invincible right now. You’re missing out if you don’t have at least one or two of their attacking stars in your FPL squads, so why not opt for the man of the moment; Raheem Sterling.
The Englishman has fought his way into City’s team. Against Stoke City in GW8, he scored once and tacked on a pair of assists. That has seen his value rise slightly to £8.1m, alongside his ownership shooting up to over 12%.
Tammy Abraham – Swansea City - £5.7m
I started the season with Tammy Abraham in my line-up, but swiftly removed him due to the goals drying up. I’ve kept tabs on the Chelsea loanee due to his cheap price, and after a brace in GW8, I’d seriously look at bringing him in.
He’s scored three goals in his last three gameweeks, yet still has an ownership of less than 10%. Thirty nine points in total is an excellent return for either your third starting-striker or your bench option. Bring him in and take the gamble.
Three players to sell
Marcos Alonso – Chelsea - £7.0m
I’ve always found it hard to choose defenders in Fantasy Football. I’ve always tended to avoid the most expensive guys, though. Marcos Alonso’s £7.0m value puts him right at the top of the pile, but he’s just not justifying that money.
The Spaniard has provided no clean sheets since GW5, whilst offering no goal contributions since GW2. His transfer money can be spent far better elsewhere, particularly if you opt for a defender costing around the £5million mark.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan – Manchester United - £8.4m
After all those goal contributions early on in the season, Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s form has been on a huge downward spiral. He’s not scored or assisted in the last three Premier League fixtures – looking wholly uninspiring in the process.
Over 125,000 managers have waved goodbye to United’s midfield Armenian and I’d suggest you do the same before his price plummets. Surprisingly, 27% of managers still have Mkhitaryan in their teams. Jose Mourinho must be thinking about dropping him to the substitutes bench at this point.
Jamie Vardy – Leicester City - £8.6m
It turns out Jamie Vardy isn’t quite having a party this term. He’s fired blanks in his last couple of fixtures, which has seen his ownership drop below 16%. FPL bosses aren’t hot on the striker right now, and getting rid of him seems to be the right thing to do, particularly when there are better, cheaper options out there
The Foxes have just sacked Craig Shakespeare, so it may take the former non-league hero some time to adjust to new tactics. With the wealth of striking options Leicester has, Vardy may not even start…
Don’t forget we have Friday Night Football this weekend, with West Ham taking on Brighton at 20:00 BST. That gives you until 19:00 to make your changes.
