We are about to enter a quieter period over the next few weeks for Fantasy Premier League. We still have two games left this gameweek and then an international break after Blank Gameweek 29, which only contains four fixtures.
Chelsea take on Newcastle United tonight (8pm UK time) and the second game of the double, Bournemouth vs Luton, will be played on Wednesday night.
Advertisement
It’s safe to say that it hasn’t been a great gameweek for most FPL managers and it’s been a low-scoring gameweek for the majority.
As ever, we will highlight the main FPL talking points of the weekend’s action.
Double disappointment
Dominic Solanke (£7.2m) was captained by more than two million managers this week, which was unsurprising given he had a very favourable double gameweek. He missed a penalty, which led to his zero-point score, but he still has another game to make amends.
Milos Kerkez (£4.4m) was taken off at half-time and it’s unclear whether it was an injury or his earlier booking that led to his withdrawal. However, it doesn’t look good for his chances of starting the second game against Luton.
They still have two good home games after Luton against Everton (H) and Crystal Palace (H) and enticing fixtures up until the end of the season, so Solanke, Neto (£4.7m) and Illia Zabarnyi (£4.5m) are good long-term holds.
Mother’s Day delight for Son
Son Heung-min (£9.9m) is the highest-scoring player (17 points) of the gameweek so far with his goal and two assists. James Maddison (£7.9m), Brennan Johnson (£5.8m) and Timo Werner (£6.3m) were also on the scoresheet as Tottenham Hotspur thumped Aston Villa 4-0, with the latter scoring after coming off the bench.
Johnson started ahead of Werner and that position on the left wing looks up for grabs, so it’s best to avoid them as FPL options.
Son and Maddison will be the best two midfielders to own in Blank Gameweek 29, so they should be the top transfer priority whether you’re using your Free Hit chip or not.
Spurs kept their first clean sheet since Gameweek 17 and although I don’t expect them to keep one against Fulham next gameweek, Pedro Porro (£5.7m) is still a great option. He returned from injury and played the full 90 minutes and his attacking threat makes him well worth inclusion.
Aston Villa have an off day
I wouldn’t be worried about owning or buying Villa assets. They had an off day and are still one of the best attacking sides in the league, with 59 goals (fourth) and an expected goals (xG) of 52.14 (fourth).
They were also down to 10 men, with John McGinn (£5.4m) receiving a red card after 64 minutes. Their fixture in Blank Gameweek 29 against West Ham is a good one.
Advertisement
David Moyes’ side have conceded 49 goals (fifth-most) with an expected goals conceded (xGC) of 50.99 (third-worst).
With there only being four fixtures next gameweek, the likes of Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) and Leon Bailey (£5.7m) will be fine picks.
Douglas Luiz (£5.7m) might suffer FPL-wise, though, as with no McGinn, he will likely have to play a deeper role.
I wouldn’t worry about owning their defenders as it doesn’t look like a good week for clean sheet prospects for any team.
Burnley and West Ham
Burnley recorded a good result away to West Ham with a 2-2 draw.
David Datro Fofana (£5.0m) scored the opener with a fantastic long-range effort and looks to be the only bright spark in their attack.
He has three goals in only five starts and has played 90 minutes in the last five games. Vincent Kompany’s side welcome Brentford to Turf Moor in Blank Gameweek 29, so it’s a winnable game for them.
Fofana is only owned by 0.2 per cent of players at the time of writing so is a great differential for those managers looking to play their Free Hit. Brentford have conceded the fourth most goals (52) so far with an xGC of 43.0 (10th).
Jarrod Bowen (£7.9m) blanked after three goals and an assist in his last two, but he would still be one of the first names in my team in my Free Hit side for next week.
Reguilon and Toney watch
Sergio Reguilon (£4.4m) was a surprise omission from the starting line-up against Arsenal but Thomas Frank stated it was due to a minor hamstring issue and that the Spaniard ”should be available for the Burnley game”.
FPL managers should keep a close eye on the situation as he will be one of the best defenders to own for Blank Gameweek 29.
Ivan Toney (£8.1m) has now blanked in his last four games after returning from his ban in great form. However, two of those fixtures were against Manchester City and Arsenal, who are the top two defences in the league. He scored four goals and one assist in his first five matches after his long-term suspension.
Advertisement
He will be one of the best options for Blank Gameweek 29 and a popular captain pick, too. I wouldn’t let the recent run of blanks put you off when he has a fixture against Burnley.
The 27-year-old is nailed-on to start, the talisman for his team, and on penalties.
Low-scoring week
It has been a low-scoring week so far, with the overall average at only 30 points.
This is mainly down to popular double gameweek players not performing, but other high-owned players such as Erling Haaland (£14.4m), Phil Foden (£8.2m) and Alphonse Areola (£4.3m) all blanking, too.
Likely, the majority of managers won’t have had a good week, but if you still have Bournemouth and Luton players to play, there is still hope.
All it takes is one or two attacking returns to turn it around.
(Top photo: Michael Steele/Getty Images)