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The Premier League season started with a bang and so did the craziness of the Fantasy Premier League. The FPL frenzy brings with it weeks of strategizing, planning, and discussion with people losing their minds as they build their squads for the first gameweek.
Last weekend saw some big results and performances from players, helping the FPL managers climb the rankings.
Trusted FPL assets deliver in GW1
The first week of the FPL was no different, with amazing individual performances from the big-name players. Bruno Fernandes and Mohamed Salah, two of the most-captained players in GW1, delivered on their reputation.
Fernandes scored a hat-trick against Leeds United while Salah scored and assisted two goals in their respective Premier League opening games.
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In addition to the staple picks who performed as expected, there were also several surprise packages that exceeded expectations. Here, we take a look at five such players after GW1 in the FPL:
#5 Emmanuel Dennis - FWD (£5.0m) | Watford
Starting the season with as many as eight forwards listed in FPL, Watford players seemed like tough picks. But after injuries to Joao Pedro and Joshua King, things became much clearer.
With FPL managers going for straightforward picks like Ismaila Sarr and Troy Deeney, the Nigerian striker Emmanuel Dennis proved to be a real surprise.
Priced at just £5.0m, Dennis got a goal and an assist leading to a 12-point haul in Watford's 3-2 win against Aston Villa. He had five shots and created three chances in just 65 minutes before he was taken off due to an injury concern.
It remains to be seen if Dennis can start the next game for Watford, but the striker surely rewarded the few FPL managers who owned him last week.
#4 Trevoh Chalobah - DEF (£5.0m) | Chelsea
A surprise inclusion in the UEFA Super Cup was followed by a surprise Premier League debut for Trevoh Chalobah, but the young Chelsea defender did not disappoint. A return of 12 points, including a clean sheet and a stunning goal, was enough to make him one of the best performers of the opening week.
The Chelsea academy graduate proved excellent in bringing the ball out from the back and showed incredible composure at the back.
Manager Thomas Tuchel also spoke highly of him after Chelsea's win over Crystal Palace on Saturday, suggesting he could enjoy more involvement this season. FPL managers will be keeping an eye on the talented youngster as he pushes to cement his place in the Chelsea back-line.
#3 Said Benrahma - MID (£6.0m) | West Ham United
West Ham were the go-to team last season for some great FPL budget options, with Jesse Lingard being the pick of the crop in the second half. But with the Englishman back at Manchester United, it was time for other players to step up for the Hammers.
Said Benrahma slotted into that number 10 role behind their danger man Michail Antonio, turning up with a goal and an assist, with 12 points to reward his FPL managers.
The Algerian had been a star performer for his Brentford side before making the switch to West London, but he didn't feature prominently under David Moyes last season.
But if the performance against Newcastle United is anything to go by, Benrahma could be a great budget pick for the FPL season. He's already the fourth most-bought midfielder ahead of FPL GW2.
#2 Marcos Alonso - DEF (£5.5m) | Chelsea FC
FPL legend Marcos Alonso used to be an automatic pick when he was a regular starter for Chelsea. However, upon Ben Chilwell's arrival things looked different last season. But a stunning free-kick and a clean sheet against Crystal Palace earned him 15 points, proving to be a great differential pick for his FPL managers.
There were questions about the Spaniard starting the Premier League opener, but Chilwell's lack of fitness meant Alonso got the nod ahead of him. It will be interesting to see how things work out once the England international returns to full fitness. Alonso could be an FPL headache for the managers, but it was great to see the left-back turn back time to his good old days.
#1 Paul Pogba - MID (£7.5m) | Manchester United
While the plaudits and the front page headings went to Bruno Fernandes, Paul Pogba was the underrated hero for Manchester United in GW1. There has never been a doubt about the quality that Pogba possesses, but the Frenchman is rarely considered a top FPL asset.
He has elite passing and is lethal from outside the box, but for many years Pogba has more often than not played a deeper role in midfield, even though he has an affordable FPL price.
However, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer played him on the left in a more attacking role against Leeds United on Saturday and his best abilities were on display. With four assists in a single game, the midfielder became just the seventh player in Premier League history to do so.
With 16 points in GW1 and less than 10% ownership, Pogba was one of the best surprise packages in the FPL last weekend. Considering the decent run of fixtures and a lack of options in attack for United, he could turn out to be a great pick in the coming weeks.
