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Hello and thanks for coming back to read my picks to help you achieve FPL Legend status (or at least just improve your squad!)
After what was a relatively successful GW22 (I posted 62 points despite a captain fail!) and a rise in my Overall Ranking (OR) to 62K I’m back to share my picks! Injuries to the big-hitters are forcing some moves this week so hopefully, this article helps you out somewhat!
I’ve got another ‘Inside the Mind’ special with @FPLStag coming later this week – so make sure you keep your eyes peeled on my Twitter for when it goes live!
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3 Players to avoid for the coming weeks
#1 Harry Kane – Forward (£12.6m)
Goals: 14
Assists: 6
Season Points: 132
Upcoming fixtures: FUL (A), WAT (H), NEW (H)
A huge blow to the 30% (as I write this) of managers who own the Tottenham forward. According to Spurs, he won’t resume training until early March which means I expect he’ll miss at least 6 GWs.
He had been in blistering form with 6 goals, 2 assists and a massive 41 points in the last 5 games. We’ll have to find a replacement for England’s captain for now and I think you may like who I’m going to suggest.
#2 Alexandre Lacazette – Forward (£9.3m)
Goals: 7
Assists: 8
Season Points: 96
Upcoming fixtures: CHE (H), CAR (H), MCI (A)
It’ll be just my luck that Lacazette bangs this week, but there’s only 1 Arsenal asset worth owning in my eyes and his name rhymes with Scmaubameyang!
Lacazette had a purple patch early in the season (GW4 – 8) where he scored 4 goals and picked up 3 assists and represents almost half of his attacking returns this year. I’m also commenting from an eye test point of view in that he got into good positions but just lacked that cutting edge we saw earlier in the year.
His 90 minutes against West Ham was his first 90 minutes since GW12 which to me indicates Emery isn’t sure how to use him most effectively and ultimately isn’t yet sold on playing the two Arsenal forward together. He’s also joint 13th in the league for xG90 (0.42) which isn’t great for a £9-9.5m forward in my eyes.
#3 Trent Alexander-Arnold – Defender (£5.2m)
Clean Sheets: 10
Goals: 1
Assists: 3
Season Points: 93
Upcoming fixtures: CRY (H), LEI (H), WHU (A)
That’s my planned transfer out the window this week! I tweeted my intention to bring in the England star for this week but he’s been confirmed on Tuesday that he’s actually injured for around 4 weeks.
As Ben points out, it leaves Liverpool pretty short on numbers at the back so we’ll have to see how this one plays out.
3 Players to consider for the coming weeks
#1 Marcus Rashford – Forward (£7.4m)
Goals: 7
Assists: 7
Season Points: 86
Upcoming fixtures: BRI (H), BUR (H), LEI (A)
The Manchester United frontman is in electric form right now. In the last 3 games, he’s got 3 goals and 2 assists alongside 6 bonus points. Clearly, a darling in the eyes of Solskjaer the young English talent is playing through the middle from the start and then staying on the pitch if/when Lukaku comes on – often moving to a wider position. And what a deadly finish he produced in GW22 against Spurs!
He’s started every game since GW14 and has completed 90 minutes in 4 of those games (alongside completing 86, 83, 78, 76 and 69 minutes in that cluster if fixtures) so I’d hazard a guess that he’s not going to be dropped any time soon.
The underlying stats make great reading too. He’s taken an average of 4.2 shots per game in his last 5 with a conversion rate of 19% (4 goals from 21 shots) which is pretty great! His xG90 has crept up to 0.46 as well and he’s already matched his goals and bettered his assists vs last season.
#2 Leroy Sané – Midfielder (£9.6m)
Goals: 7
Assists: 10
Season Points: 115
Upcoming fixtures: HUD (A), NEW (A), ARS (H)
The boys on the @Hailcheaters podcast made a great point this week in as much as patience has paid off with the German midfielder. He scored 10 points in GW17 and then followed this up with 2 blanks and 1 bench appearance. He’s repaid our faith and scored 18 points in his last 2 in grabbing 1 goal, 1 assist and 5 bonus points – and an average score of 5.5ppg is very good!
He’s joint top for assists this season with 10 and is cheaper than both other assist rivals (Hazard £11.1m and Sterling £11.3m) meaning he’s great value for money. He has the 2nd best xA90 in the Premier League (for those with substantial minutes) at 0.44 and only Ryan Fraser is above him at 0.45, and we’re seeing Fraser’s points trickle off as Bournemouth have run through a tough set of fixtures.
#3 Luke Shaw – Defender (£5.0m)
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
Season Points: 49
Upcoming fixtures: BRI (H), BUR (H), LEI (A)
I don’t feel like you can ignore United assets at the moment with the form and fixtures being great. United have kept back to back clean sheets for the first time this year. De Gea rightly took a lot of praise for his outstanding performance against Spurs but this could be a great time to invest in the United backline. Shaw is a great avenue into that for the minute.
He’s the top scoring defender for United this season and after a slight injury in GW14 he’s now played 90 minutes in each of the last 5 games. His goals/bps potential admittedly isn’t great but at £5.0m as a route into a top 6 defence, I don’t feel like you can ignore him.
Pundit tips
Be patient with your moves. I’ve said this before but it really is so important to wait for all the information. It’s especially relevant this week with so many people moving early to bring in Trent Alexander-Arnold (for example) and him now being confirmed as injured.
I’ve been burned a couple of times this year in moving early but I’m starting to learn my lesson – it’s never too late to change your approach. The only time it’s ever worth considering a move is if you have EXACTLY the right money to make a move and any price rise would stop you making it. That being said, sometimes it’s worth waiting anyway and making a new plan.
You can find me on Twitter @FPL_Jim, where you can send me any questions, send me a direct message if that's your thing and I'll always get back to you!
