We’ve teamed up with Ryan Keaney and George Osborn from the 3 Bonus Points podcast to bring you three players to transfer in and three players to ship out of your FPL line-up. For more tips, follow the podcast here.
Who to bring in this week
Phil Jones, Manchester United, £5.1m
One of the recurring themes of FPL this season has been just how darn expensive everyone is. This is particularly true at the back where popular defensive options such as Tottenham’s Toby Alderweireld, Chelsea’s Marcus Alonso and Manchester United’s Eric Bailly each cost over £6m.
However, there is a top-level defender who you can pick up without breaking the bank. Manchester United’s Phil Jones wasn’t expected to start following the arrival of Victor Lindelof, but with the Swedish centre-back left out of Jose Mourinho’s first XI so far, he’s a tempting option for FPL managers.
Costing just £5.1m, he has already racked up 19 points, three clean sheets and a bonus. With United looking defensively solid and Jones’ ownership hovering just above the 5% mark, it could be worth investing in him sooner rather than later. (George Osborn)
Ben Foster, West Bromwich Albion, £4.5m
There aren’t many good reasons to willingly spend £5.5m on a goalkeeper in FPL. With a budget of just £100m, every single pound counts, so it doesn’t make sense to waste £1m more on a top-level keeper when they are unlikely to outscore their cheaper rivals by enough of a distance for you to feel good about it.
Instead, think about cheap options. Jonas Lössl and Huddersfield Town have started the season brightly, but Ben Foster is the player to put your faith in. Tony Pulis’ West Brom side are difficult to beat and set up to frustrate teams who come at them.
Foster has been a consistent scorer in Fantasy Premier League over the last two seasons, scoring on average three points each week. He has recorded 10 clean sheets in those two seasons and, at £4.5m, he’ll free up just enough money for you to be able to afford a slightly better fourth midfielder .
Pair him with another cheap goalkeeper – like Wayne Hennessey or Mat Ryan – and simply rotate in whoever has the nicest fixture each week. (Ryan Keaney)
Mathias Jørgensen (Zanka), Huddersfield Town, £4.6m
Only three defenders have picked up more than Zanka’s 22 points so far, yet over 90% of FPL managers still haven’t included the Huddersfield defender in their line-ups.
Signed from FC Copenhagen in the summer, the 27-year-old has made an impressive start in English football, helping the Terriers to three clean sheets in their first three matches. There had been concerns about how David Wagner’s team would perform at the back following their negative goal difference last season, but so far they have looked solid.
Expect that record to continue against a struggling West Ham side this week. The Hammers have lost every match so far and have the extra pressure of playing at home for the first time when they run out on Monday. It could be another high-scoring FPL game for Huddersfield. (TSP)
And who to ship out
Kevin De Bruyne, Manchester City, £9.9m
Kevin De Bruyne has been one of the top early picks in FPL this season. Despite his expensive original £10m price tag, he was selected in over a million sides in the opening three game weeks following 22 FPL assists last season.
However, his stock is falling rapidly after a slow start. Although he has been an ever present for City, he has been playing a touch deeper than teammate David Silva. This has contributed to his failure to record a single goal or an assist, leaving him on an unimpressive 8 points.
There is still a chance he could be on course to return points soon. Five of City’s next seven fixtures have a difficulty rating of ‘2’ or below according to the FPL site, which could help his prospects.
But with De Bruyne trapped in a deeper role and his price already falling, it’s wiser to cash out and re-invest in City players like Gabriel Jesus and Benjamin Mendy who offer better opportunities for consistent returns. (George Osborn)
Willian, Chelsea, £7.1m
Willian is about to go back to enjoying life as a rotation player for Chelsea. With Pedro returning from injury and Eden Hazard featuring for Belgium during the international break, you’re soon going to be unable to justify spending over £7m on someone who isn’t playing every week.
Last season Willian appeared in 34 games, but on only 15 occasions did he play more than 60 minutes – the target for that clean sheet bonus. Cut your losses now while his price remains strong and invest the money elsewhere – he’ll get the odd goal or assist, but not enough to be a consistent performer.
Teammate Cesc Fabregas could be an option, as well as Dusan Tadic who is about to enjoy a comfortable run of fixtures with Southampton. Maybe even drop down for Huddersfield’s Aaron Mooy (£5.7m) or West Brom’s Chris Brunt (£5.5m), who are both set-piece takers and would allow you to upgrade a striker with the extra cash. (Ryan Keaney)
James Milner, Liverpool, £6.4m
The appeal of having Milner in your team is obvious: he plays for a Liverpool side that kept 12 clean sheets last season (the 7th best record in the division) and is the club’s penalty taker, scoring seven times in the Premier League in 2016/17.
The only problem is that he’s no longer first choice at Anfield. While Milner started the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace, he only featured as a substitute in the Reds’ other two fixtures, coming on in the 80th and 86th minutes.
That isn’t enough to gain the expected returns on a £6.4m defender, so it’s time to drop Milner for another option – perhaps Huddersfield’s Zanka, as mentioned above, or pretty much anyone at West Brom. (TSP)
