Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 7

Welcome to Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 7

Show of hands, please. Who had Ivan Toney in their team for Gameweek 6? Well done, if so! But, who dared to captain him? Wow, incredible – top darts! I bet you were also joining the striker in laughing at those FPL managers who decided to part ways before going on to that hat-trick. I’m sure the player with the highest possible 118 score did, even if they did take a -20 to achieve that squad. As for those who triple captained him – oh come on! Have you got a time machine or something?!

Other managers no doubt smiling from ear to ear were those who either took a punt – or stayed with – Rashford, as he collected a whopping 18 points in Man United’s excellent performance against Arsenal, along with those who went for Mac Allister and saw past Trossard and of course Groß – there’s that Eszett for Kop, a reference you will get if you read last week’s site team.
While Toney appears in a respectable 18.4 per cent of teams at the time of writing, Rashford is in 13.4 per cent and Mac Allister is in 4.3 per cent. In addition, three players who scored 12 points in Gameweek 6 came in the shape of Pope, Trossard and Solanke. The Newcastle ‘keeper is in 10.1 per cent of squads, while the Brighton number 11’s owners make up 3.7 per cent of the now over 10 million taking part in the game and Bournemouth’s 2019 purchase from Liverpool rewarded the 0.4 per cent of FPL managers who have him in their squad. What am I getting at with this? Well, you could argue it was very much the gameweek of the differential.

That can further be back up with the fact that the most popular goalkeepers, Ward and Sanchez, each achieved one point, as Alexander-Arnold and James fared the same. Cancelo only managed one more point. The top three most-owned midfielders, also known as Salah, Martinelli and Diaz, also blanked. The forwards, of course, did a bit better as Haaland and Mitrovic carried on with their goalscoring, even if Jesus didn’t.

So, with all this mention of low-owned assets, step forward Mr Differential himself, our very own Matt, as he joins me, Swirly, in picking players with ownership of 15 per cent or less at the time of writing. Whilst it’s a safe option to go with highly-owned players, it’s the unknown stars in a reasonably decent pricetag that could really propel you up the rankings, should they bag the points. Matt takes a look at goalkeepers and midfielders, while I have the responsibility of finding the best defenders and forwards.

Ahead of reading these tips, just bear in mind the Champions League fixtures and resultant fixture congestion for sides that could see rotation back in the Premier League.

Goalkeepers

Nick Pope (£5.1m, 10.1%) is probably the standout keeper for the coming weeks, in my opinion. Looking at just the two games before the international break, Newcastle come up against West Ham and Bournemouth – two sides who are struggling both in front of goal and at the back. The Hammers have conceded in all but one game and scored in only their last two, with one goal apiece. However, you can argue they should have been given the equaliser against Chelsea! The Cherries, meanwhile, have scored five times this season but they are from five different scorers and therefore no single striker is exactly setting the world alight.

The Magpies are a side who give away a low xG in their games which should encourage anyone who owns defensive assists, and we all know how amazing Pope can be! The side has already kept a clean sheet in half of their games – with the other games being against City, Liverpool and Wolves – so I wouldn’t be too worried!

What a season Dean Henderson (£4.7m, 13.4%) is having so far. No wonder he gave that explosive interview about United. I would be fuming too if I were him. Two penalties saves already this season, one double digit score and the third highest points tally in the game; all of this and yet Nottingham Forest have only kept a single clean sheet all season. I think what is making the 25-year-old such a top points scorer is his ability to make saves, as The Reds do have a leaky defence. With 25 saves across six games, the shot stopper has averaged 4.2 saves a fixture so far. That’s an extra point every 90 minutes. Coming up against Fulham and Leeds in particular should allow for more save opportunities and the possibility of a clean sheet. Setting you back £4.7m, he could be a brilliant option if you are looking to jump off Ramsdale or another premium ‘keeper.

Now there’s differentials and then there is this pick! Gavin Bazunu (£4.5, 0.7%) at Southampton could be a brilliant punt to try and break the template! In his next two games, he plays Brentford at home and then Aston Villa away. The Bees are flying high this season having scored 15 goals so far this season, with Toney being their leading man, so this might not have a high percentage of clean sheet chance, but it should allow for plenty opportunities for save points. Bazunu himself has made 15 saves across the six games so far this season, averaging 2.5 saves in each tie. The lack of clean sheets this season is a slight worry and would put most off, but I feel Saints aren’t too far off from completely keeping the ball out, as they have conceded only a solitary goal in their last four games that include wins against Chelsea and Leicester, with only a 1-0 loss to Man United. Whilst the match at St Mary’s might be tough for clean sheets, I think the Villa tie could offer a better chance as Steven Gerrard’s side have only scored five goals this season and are struggling. The 1-1 draw to City may give them a confidence boost, but Saints’ win against Chelsea should trump that!

Defenders

While Joao Cancelo has attracted the attention of 47.8 per cent of managers, following his heroics last season, a teammate of the Portuguese number seven is Ruben Dias. Favoured by just 10.2 per cent of managers, the £6m fellow countryman to Joao has started each of Man City’s six Premier League games, albeit coming off after 63 and 69 minutes in Gameweeks 2 and 3 respectively. He has 22 points to his name so far – as the £1m more expensive Cancelo leads the way with 33 – and, as the previous two campaigns have shown, isn’t averse to an odd goal or assist here and there.

This gameweek will see Man City try to manage the firepower of Spurs, having only kept three clean sheets in the last 10 Premier League meetings, however Dias could be more of a long-term investment if you are looking to save money – especially as this season looks like the return of the forwards who are getting in and amongst the points. If, of course, you want to save even more money and go for a Cityzen back who doesn’t have an injury doubt, you could do a lot worse than John Stones, who is a budget-friendly £5.4m, appears in 2.2 per cent of FPL squads and has a goal threat in him. In the case of the latter, he’s registered two assists this season, which follows on from the less-impressive one goal in 1,117 minutes played the last campaign and four goals from 1,933 minutes the season before that. As for Pep’s rotation, this guy has started the last four fixtures and so you’d like to think that would continue – even with Ake returning to fitness and therefore providing competition for a centre back slot.

Having brought him in last gameweek, the site team were in good company, as Diogo Dalot went from £4.4m back to the £4.5m pricetag he started the season with. It’s not surprising that the Man United defender was initially offloaded by so many, having ridden out the rather rocky start to the season at the hands of Brighton and, most significantly, Brentford. That 4-0 demolition inspired Erik ten Hag to inject positivity into his squad and, alas, four straight wins against Liverpool, Southampton, Leicester and Arsenal have shown what the power of happiness can bring. Well, that and not starting Ronaldo and Fred together anyway.

Anyway, back to the player who appears in just 6.5 per cent of FPL squads. Dalot has 23 points to his name, with the 1-0 win at St Mary’s a particular highlight. That was the fixture that saw the 23-year-old keep a clean sheet and assist the only goal. Two bonus points and the clean sheet against Leicester, just a few days later, also gained a respectable eight points. The next few games present further potential to successfully keep the opposition out, as a trip to Crystal Palace and then a home tie against Leeds a week later comprise the Red Devils’ next two. A tricky tie against Man City then lies in wait, however the points potential returns in Gameweek 10 on a trip to Goodison Park.

On the subject of Man United defenders, I will just add that Dalot is actually the team’s most-owned defender. Lisandro Martinez comes in at the same price and is in 5.4 per cent of squads, while Tyrell Malacia and Raphael Varane have started the last four fixtures, cost £4.4m and £4.8m and are owned by 3.9 and 3.3 per cent of managers respectively.

If the likes of Zinchenko, Gabriel and now Saliba are out of your price range but you’re looking for a way into Arsenal’s defence, do not fear – Ben White is here! Costing just £4.5m, the former Brighton player appears in only 5.5 per cent of teams and yet he’s able to also take advantage of those Gunners clean sheets. He may not be likely to be among the goals or assists, however the player’s departures that just so happen to take part after the magic 60 minutes mean that he can grab a clean sheet, take an early shower and any subsequent goals don’t matter. That’s exactly what happened in the 2-1 victory over Aston Villa, which saw the collection of eight points as Gabriel picked up just two and Saliba fared worse with only one, thanks to a yellow card.

Arsenal have a great opportunity to return to winning ways from this weekend, as Everton come to town. A trip to Brentford may be harder to keep a clean sheet – having gone down 2-0 the last time they went to the Gtech Community Stadium – however you can’t complain with this pricetag that allows for easier rotation when compared to the likes of Alexander-Arnold, Cancelo or James.

Talking of Reece James, his defensive teammates do in fact include some differentials. I say some, all of those at the back, bar James and Mendy, appear in fewer than 15 per cent of sides. While Cucurella, another ex-Brighton player, appears in 12.7 per cent of teams, it’s actually Wesley Fofana who I would like to draw your attention towards. Having recently moved himself, after jumping from the stricken ship SS Leicester City, the bargain £4.4m defensive option who is owned by only 2.2 per cent of FPL managers started immediately for Chelsea in their 2-1 victory over West Ham.

On the presumption that the 21-year-old continues to start for the Blues, it’s an away day trip not too far away that comprises Gameweek 7. Facing Fulham, at a time that the likes of Andreas and Mitrovic are rewarding those who either have them or have started them in their teams, may not be a great time to bring him in – especially with Liverpool back at home one week later. With the run of games from Gameweek 9 onwards, however, Fofana could well be one to keep a close eye on.

Midfielders

Marcus Rashford (13.2%) would be my pick for this week. He comes up against a Crystal Palace squad who have conceded in all but one game this year and Man United are improving as the weeks go on. Leeds, the opposition back at home in Gameweek 8, are similar as they have conceded in all but one game. This should mean the Red Devils’ attack could be a smart move in the next two games! Rashford himself came out of the Arsenal match with two goals and one assist, enough to give any player a load of confidence. At £6.5m, he would be excellent value if he keeps up the form and is 100 per cent fit, having held his leg for a time in the 3-1 victory over the Gunners. Jadon Sancho and Bruno Fernandes are also great options, but they would cost much more money! And I think we can all admit Bruno’s output largely depends on Ronaldo staying on the bench.

Raheem Sterling (10.4%) is another player who could do well over the next two games. This might sound strange, when on paper he comes up against Liverpool in Gameweek 8, but let’s be honest – Liverpool are terrible right now! I think teams have realised the best way to beat Klopp’s men is to defend deep, inviting the Reds to attack but winning the ball and launching it forward or a through pass to the speedy attacker to latch on to. We saw it with Zaha, with Rashford and Sancho, with Isak too. Everything I have seen this season leads me to believe the speed of Sterling can really take advantage of a Pool defence that is looking similar to the days pre-van Dijk and Alisson. Being the price he is, at £10m, not many people own him.

Brighton midfielder – take your pick here! Pascal Groß (£6.0, 27.2% – OK, OK, the only non-differential) is the highest scoring midfielder in the game, while Mac Allister (£5.6, 4.2%) is the third highest and Trossard (£6.5, 3.7%) is in 11th place of the same table. This just shows how good the Seagulls have been this season and with games against Bournemouth and Crystal Palace coming up, I would like to think they will add to their points tally. Graham Potter really has been doing a fantastic job there and everyone thought the sales of Bissouma and Cucurella would scupper all hope, but you wouldn’t even notice the defensive midfielder and left back were gone. Surely you have some sort of Brighton attack by now but I would advise getting one in. The trio mentioned have nine goals and four assists combined this season and that’s without adding in the likes of March, Caicedo and Mwepu to the mix. There seems to be a buzz around Brighton and I for one am loving it!

Here is the 100th Nottingham Forest signing of the summer, Morgan Gibbs-White. Coming up against Fulham and Bournemouth, he has four appearances for the Reds, coming straight into the side since moving from Wolves on 19 August. In those four games, he has made two 90-minute appearances and grabbed one assist in that time. Not exactly earth-shattering figures, but I feel MGW – and I don’t mean megawatt – can kick on and improve. In all the formations I have looked at since MGW came to the newly-promoted team, it appears he is very advanced playing in the number 10 role or as a second striker. This might not be the case when the action actually starts – I admittedly haven’t watched them play – but surely the attacking stats will improve, especially since he is on corners for his new club! If you are looking for a punt, the £5.5m man owned by only 0.4 per cent of FPL managers could be a cheeky punt if you intend to wildcard in Gameweeks 8 or 9!

Forwards

My favourite differential forward pick is Alexander Isak. Having hit the ground running with scoring once and then just being offside for another in the last-minute loss against Liverpool, it was then Crystal Palace’s defence that thwarted a truly memorable start for the Swede.

Having signed from Real Sociedad, after finding the back of the net 33 times in 105 games, there was much anticipation on FPL Twitter when it came to the 22-year-old’s arrival – and you can already see why. Especially with the fact that Newcastle now look forward to some decent fixtures once they have Gameweek 7’s trip to West Ham out of the way. Bournemouth at home, Fulham away and then Brentford back at St James’ Park – not bad when you consider the fact that these teams have so far conceded 18, nine and nine respectively in just six fixtures.

Isak only appears in 4.1 per cent of teams at the moment – thanks to him being the new kid on the block – and I wouldn’t be surprised to see that number rapidly change when, not if, he continues to bang them in. Indeed, that price of £7m isn’t going to last long, so you can make a bit of dosh while you’re at it!

He started the best possible way, but then things suddenly went downhill via his forehead. Who am I talking about? Of course, it’s Darwen Nunez, who made a return for 79 minutes in the 0-0 draw with Everton having served his three-game ban. That time out saw his ownership plummet to the 7.5 per cent it is now, as a very volatile FPL transfer market is bound to massively react to a -2 score and resultant time on the sidelines.

Whilst Liverpool still managed to score 13 goals whilst being Darwen-less, with the highlight of course being the 9-0 victory over Bournemouth, you could argue the result that he returns for as a 0-0 isn’t exactly a good sign. However, Gameweeks 7 and 9, against Wolves and Brighton, will need to see Klopp’s men go all guns blazing, as the other games between now and mid-October have ‘tricky’ written all over them: Chelsea, Arsenal and Man City.

Back to Wolves, and this is a side that has conceded just four so far this season – the best in the league. However, the Midlanders’ trips to Anfield have resulted in 3-1, 4-0 and 1-0 losses in the last three and so this is the opportunity for the Uruguayan to redeem himself from that moment of madness – a sentence I’m sure we’ve said before when it comes to Liverpool. So, with a pricetag of £8.9m, he’s one to keep an eye on. Or you could join 43,000 managers so far this gameweek and take a punt on him if you feel brave, of course.

We all remember Gameweek 9 last season, where there was that rush to captain Kai Havertz as 11.43 per cent of FPL managers put their faith in him at the time – or all of Twitter as it seemed. Alas, this didn’t turn out to be a great decision as the 7-0 result didn’t result in a single return for him. Yes, very much like Salah against Bournemouth. But we don’t talk about that.

Anyway, fast forward to now and the German found the back of the net in the 2-1 victory over West Ham in Gameweek 6, the one goal time he’s scored so far this season and, funnily enough, the only time that he’s not started a fixture in this campaign. You’ll remember from my mention of Cucurella and Fofana that it’s Fulham up next, a side that you’ll also recall has conceded nine in six games. Appearing in 2.2 per cent of FPL squads, Havertz does have the benefit of going into the game on the back of seven straight head-to-head wins between the two teams, as you have to look back to 2006 for the last time the Blues’ lost against the Cottagers. Such a low ownership could really result in a big green arrow, should the number 29 bring in some returns.

To finish, this one really is a punt, regardless of being a differential. Aston Villa have finally moved away from a diamond formation that really didn’t work for them, as it created a narrow side that lacked creativity and prevented the likes of Leon Bailey from being able to get creative along the wing. The 1-1 draw against Man City hopefully showed a turning point for the Villans and it is Ollie Watkins who could well be worth a nod.

From 474 out of a possible 540 minutes played, the player who hales from Torquay has managed a goal and set up two others so far in the 2022-23 campaign. Just 2.3 per cent of FPL managers can say they have him in their side and they now look forward to him travelling to a Leicester City side that is in crisis, languishing at the bottom of the table with 16 goals already let in – only two better than the side with the worst tally, Bournemouth. After that, Gerrard’s men can try to look up the table with a home tie against Southampton, then journeys to Leeds and Nottingham Forest, teams that have so far conceded 10, 10 and 14 goals respectively from half a dozen games.

Thanks for reading Fantasy Football Tips Gameweek 7. This article was written by Swirly.

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