Gameweek 15 is the penultimate one before we leave for the World Cup and it’s another gameweek. We saw 37 goals scored and plenty of play.
Arsenal rose to the occasion in the London derby and Manchester City won a victory against Fulham through a 95th minute penalty despite going down to 10 men.
As always, there’s a lot to talk about, but I’ll cover the main talking points and how they impact going into Gameweek 16.
Foden and Haaland on the bench
It is the first speech Phil Foden (£8.4million) on the bench for the third league game in a row.
Many managers brought him in for Manchester City’s fantastic performances, and it was a good step. No one could have predicted that Pep Guardiola would name him among the substitutes for three league games on the trot, especially when he was playing well and considering the fact that he started him in all the previous 10 league games.
Those of us who still own him have a decision to make now, though, as City have another big match at home to Brentford in Gameweek 16. I just think it’s too much of a risk to take on Foden despite such a solid performance. With only one week left before the World Cup, we have to be aggressive and I don’t think that being another spot Foden cameo from the bench is worth it.
On top of that, there are plenty of alternatives for him with good fixtures this week.
Wilfried Zaha (£7.5million) scored a goal and assisted 12 FPL points and played Nottingham Forest this week. Steve Cooper’s men have scored 30 goals (second most) with an expected goals scored (xGC) of 23.35 (17th).
Zaha also played like a forward last week, is often the most advanced player on the pitch for Palace and is sure to start. He’s also on penalties, so a fine option for Gameweek 16.
Leandro Trossard (£7.0million), Marcus Rashford (£6.7million) we had Bukayo Saka (£8.0million) also great power changes for Foden. They are all guaranteed to start for their teams and have good fixtures.
Trossard’s Brighton have a home game against Aston Villa, who look their best team under new coach Unai Emery. However, Roberto De Zerbi’s side are still in great form and have now scored eight goals in their last three games. Trossard has seven goals and three assists this season and is the best option in Brighton’s squad.
Rashford also had a big boost from an attacking perspective – Fulham have scored the fourth-most goals (24) and have the worst xGC in the league (25.99) and although Manchester United didn’t impress Villa much yesterday, they in a big way. confirmation to bounce back here.
Saka provided a comeback again last week with an assist and now has four goals and seven assists. Arsenal have been fantastic and had a good match against Wolves. England’s midfield had both a goal and an assist threat and it was their first penalty.
Erling Haaland (£12.1million) was still benched by Guardiola but that didn’t stop him from scoring in his 26th minute cameo. He could have easily had a second too, with his goal ruled out by VAR for offside.
He’ll certainly start against Brentford now he’s good again and if he’s one of the managers who sacked him a few weeks ago, I’d let him be a priority move. He will be the game’s best captain choice this week and with Norway not participating in the World Cup there are unlikely to be any early substitutions or obstacles for him.
Liverpool and Salah return to competition
Liverpool pulled off a shock win over Tottenham on Sunday. Mohamed Salah (£12.7million) we had Darwin Nunez (£8.9million) Both are in spots and are fantastic options for Gameweek 16 as Southampton travel to Anfield having just parted ways with Ralph Hasenhuttl.
I will look to get at least one of them in for this week as they are among the best options.
Harry Kane (£11.6million) was on the scoresheet once again for Spurs in that game, notching his 11th goal of the season. He also had a plum fixture, against Leeds United at home.
All of the above are options that I would consider, but they can be uncomfortable to bring in because of their price points. If you can get them for free I would highly recommend it and those with two free moves will be in prime position to do so.
A more affordable option that is a great punt for Gameweek 16 is Ivan Perisic (£5.5million).
He is class as a defender in FPL but in Son Heung-min’s absence he played in a front two with Kane yesterday. He was unlucky not to score, hitting the woodwork twice. His net position map also shows that he is the most advanced player on the pitch, even ahead of Kane.
With a week off, he should start against Leeds too, and it is very likely that he will be used in the advanced position again.
Spurs have a Carabao Cup match against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, but I doubt he will play in that and should be awarded for the league game instead.
Newcastle continued to destroy
Newcastle were also in top form, beating Southampton 4-1 to close the door on Hasenhuttl’s tenure. However, as good as they are, I would still avoid buying their assets this week because they have a game against Chelsea.
If you already have your own Kieran Trippier (£5.9million), Miguel Almiron (£5.7million) or Callum Wilson (£7.5million), I will keep them but will avoid buying any of their team mates. Wilson is one to keep an eye on as he took off at half-time yesterday due to illness, but should be good to go after another week off.
Newcastle’s options are not affected bad take but I think there are a lot of options this week with good fixtures that we can opt for instead of the top bidder.
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(Photo: Chloe Knott – Danehouse/Getty Images)
