Due to the League Cup final on Sunday between Manchester City and Aston Villa, we’re looking at blank gameweek this week with four teams out of action—Sheffield United and Arsenal are the two other teams impacted. That being said, you may have to weigh up some one-week picks to fill out your team, hopefully not at the expense of longer-term options.
Of last week’s picks, defender Conor Coady secured a clean sheet for Wolves, prompting another defensive pick from the club for this week. Meanwhile, recent picks like Mason Greenwood (goal), Dominic Calvert-Lewin (goal), Alex McCarthy (clean sheet) and Robert Snodgrass (assist) each put up some solid numbers over the weekend.
Without further delay, here are the bargain hits and misses ahead of Gameweek 28. I’m welcoming all suggestions and debates on Twitter (@gastelumEPL)— I would love to include your thoughts here in this column next week and throughout the season. If you don’t want your name mentioned, just let me know; otherwise, I’ll be sure to give your Twitter handle a shout-out.
All of the stats used in this column come straight from the good folks at Fantasy Premier League on a weekly basis. Our friends at FPL.com take the data from a thousand private leagues, all of which consist of eight teams, in order to minimize the impact of data from public leagues where autopick drafting is more prevalent.
Of course, it’s just a sample size, so it’s not hard and fast; but it should give us a good idea of the tendencies of FPL Draft leagues and managers. Remember, the waivers deadline is a full 24 hours before the first game of the week, and the lowest-placed team in your league gets the first pick.
One-week Pick (OWP) - When a regular is suspended for a match, ineligible to face his parent club as a loanee, or his fill-in looks to deputize for only a week while the regular nurses a minor injury, this is where to find some replacements. They should only be looked at when you really need help at a position that week alone, and not looked at as long term plays. Best for salary cap leagues with unlimited transactions, not so much for draft leagues.
Short-term Pick (STP) - When a regular faces a multi-game suspension, an injury layoff lasting 2-5 weeks, international commitment, etc., this is where you look for players that can offer more beyond one week but do have a limited shelf life in most cases. Worth using a waiver claim or spending a bit more of your free agent budget (FAAB) than the One Week Buys. Can be useful in salary-cap format as long as you are comfortable with possibly needing to transfer them out in a few weeks.
Long-term Pick (LTP) - When a regular is either facing a month or more out or has lost his spot seemingly to someone better, these are the players that emerge as potential long-term investments and are therefore the most valuable of the group and worth paying up. Great for any format, but especially valuable in draft leagues with limited waiver claims.
[[ad:athena]]
BARGAINS:
DEF – Charlie Taylor (Burnley)
As no new keepers have entered the fold this week and all keepers under 50 percent ownership have already been recommended as bargain picks here, there will be no goalkeeper pick this week. Rather, two defenders enter the fold with Burnley’s Charlie Taylor as our most under-picked defender of the season. Taken in just three percent of our latest sample of FPL Draft leagues, Taylor isn’t a very well-known option in FPL but he has found his place in manager Sean Dyche’s team with 10 straight Premier League starts.
The left back has played an integral part of Burnley’s recent run in form with the Clarets currently enjoying a five-match Premier League unbeaten streak, taking 13 of their last 15 points during a difficult part of the schedule that featured Leicester City, Manchester United and Arsenal in consecutive weeks. In the last four matches, Taylor has recorded 20 points in FPL.com thanks to clean sheets in three of those games. With a trip to Newcastle and a home-match against a Son- and Kane-less Spurs, Burnley could yet secure another clean sheet or two before the Manchester City match in Gameweek 30 when the schedule opens up once again. The main point is this: Consider any starting Burnley defender, but just know Taylor is the most available.
DEF – Romain Saiss (Wolves)
Defensively, Wolves have been a fun team to watch; their form trails only that of Liverpool, who conceded more Premier League goals on Monday (two) than they have in the past two-and-a-half months combined. Despite the added load of a Europa League knockout game, Wolves still managed to secure a clean sheet against Norwich City over the weekend in a 3-0 win after consecutive scoreless draws. While it was a good turn of events for the club’s attack, it was more of the same for a stalwart defense that has now recorded three straight clean sheets (which extends to four if you count the 4-0 Europa League win over Espanyol).
Defender Roman Saiss was a clear standout on Sunday with an assist and two bonus points to go with the clean sheet. The Moroccan international has carved his place into Nuno Espirito Santos’ three-man back-line as the left-center back and has yet to miss a match in the new year. Saiss has already achieved a career high in assists, clean sheets and minutes played and also has two goals to his name this season. But the more promising part is the club’s upcoming schedule as Wolves look to climb into European contention with just two points separating them from fifth-place Manchester United. A short-term pick at the very least, I’m excited about Wolves’ defenders with a hobbled Tottenham, Brighton, West Ham, Bournemouth and Aston Villa due up next.
MID – Bruno Fernandes (Manchester United)
It might seem like a case of too little, too late, but the fact of the matter is that FPL Draft managers jump on any big-team winter signing, regardless of the player. Bruno Fernandes enters the week already at 80 percent ownership in FPL Draft, a figure that comes before his man of the match showing over the weekend where he announced himself to the Premier League with a goal and assist in the 3-0 win over Watford. That means that while it might not be too late to pick him up now, however unlikely, it will most definitely be too late if you don’t act this week.
The Portuguese international has impressed since his £60 million-plus transfer from Sporting Lisbon with two goals, an assist and three clean sheets, although the latter is more difficult to correlate with his presence in the team. But Fernandes has filled a clear void created by Paul Pogba’s lengthy injury as the club prepares for a future without the French superstar. But all signs seemed to be trending up for United as the club currently sit in fifth place just three points off Chelsea with an easy schedule ahead. If you can find a way to add Fernandes off the waiver wire with his limited availability in FPL Draft, you’ll be the envy of your league.
FWD – Matej Vydra (Burnley)
Two Burnley players in the course of one week! We at The Bargain Hunter are never one to shy from the annals of history, and this week was no exception. As I mentioned above, Burnley have been on quite a tear in the last month with a string of impressive results that have launched them from the relegation conversation into the top 10. The most impressive part about all of this is the fact that Burnley have had to deal without their two attacking stars in recent weeks with Ashley Barnes out indefinitely with a hernia and Chris Wood dealing with a hamstring injury.
But Matej Vydra and Jay Rodríguez have stepped up and filled right in for Sean Dyche. That was on clear display in the club’s 3-0 victory over Bournemouth this weekend where the club equaled their highest goal tally of the season without their two top scorers. Vydra has impressed the most with two goals in consecutive matches, which just happened to be his first two league starts of the season. But with this week being a blank gameweek, I thought it might be useful to have a one-week pick in the mix in case you’re looking for forwards with some of the best forwards in the league (Aguero, Aubameyang, Lacazette) not in action. You can’t go wrong with either Vydra or Rodriguez, but only for the current weekend.
