The Premier League is back, and so too is Fantasy Premier League. Here we take a look at some players you should drop and add going into Week 4.
Fantasy Premier League is back after the international break, and now is the time to ensure your lineups are in good shape going forward. The Champions League and the Europe League are also set to start next week, meaning some teams might want to rest key players.
West Brom players seem to be the go-to selections early on in FPL, and with good reason. Ben Foster and Gareth McAuley have been dominated in their positions, and look well placed to keep it up.
The Manchester derby is this Saturday, and Manchester City will be without their star striker, Sergio Aguero. Many managers have dropped the Argentinian already, unwilling to wait three matches for him to return from suspension. It may be wise to look at cheaper options to replace Aguero, and use the money to strengthen in other areas.
There were also a few intriguing transfer deadline day moves that could affect FPL. Crystal Palace have brought in Cristian Benteke and Loic Remy to lead their attack, while Leicester turned to Islam Slimani to ease Jamie Vardy’s goalscoring burden.
With no more breaks for a while, this is crunch time for many FPL managers. Here, we take a look at a couple of bargains and a couple of players to avoid in each position.
Goalies
Busts
With top end clubs facing off against each other in Week 4, it would be wise to look at a team’s opponent before selecting your keeper this week.
Southampton’s Fraser Forster (£5) disappointed in Week 3, when his Saints settled for a draw against lowly Sunderland. Forster has a 75 percent chance of playing this weekend, but even if he does get the nod, he will be going up against a somewhat rejuvenated Arsenal.
Forster hasn’t registered more than two points in his first three matches this season, going 0-2-1. The Saints had one of the best defenses in the league the past two seasons under Ronald Koeman, making Forster an attractive option. But with Claude Puel now in charge, the Englishman no longer looks like such a safe pair of fantasy hands.
Bargains
If you aren’t on the Ben Foster (£4.6) hype train, get on it now! West Brom have a win, a draw and a loss so far, and have allowed only two goals. For that, you can thank Foster, who ranks fourth in total saves.
Foster has enjoyed a good run of form early on, and has the second most goalie points with 18. He is also the fourth most selected keeper, with 14.8 percent of managers inserting him into their squads.
Week 4 should be kind to Foster and West Brom, who hit the road to take on Bournemouth. The Cherries have struggled so far this season, so Foster has another great chance to keep a clean sheet.
Speaking of decent matchups, West Ham’s Adrian is also facing a club that shouldn’t cause his team too much trouble. West Ham will be at home on Saturday as they take on Watford.
Adrian (£5) has been a bit overlooked in FPL so far. West Ham have struggled early on, but their two losses did come against Chelsea and Manchester City, and their Spanish keeper put in a good fantasy performance in the Hammers’ Week 2 win over Bournemouth.
West Ham are the favorites against Watford, and Adrian — at a cheap price — could be a bargain replacement if you don’t trust your current starting keeper.
Next: Defenders