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
Steven Davis, Southampton, £5m
Steven Davis isn’t a particularly exotic pick but at just £5 million, he won’t break the bank. Of Southampton’s midfielders and forwards, Davis leads the way with 13 points, and should return a decent haul in the coming weeks as the Saints embark on a set of reasonable fixtures.
Crystal Palace, Stoke, Newcastle, West Brom, Brighton and Burnley all feature – with a trip to Manchester United next week being the only major worry. Davis is a regular in the Southampton midfield and usually helps himself to a handful of goals and assists in a season (we’re going to call last year a blip). He should claim a couple of bonus-point winning performances along the way, too.
A trip to Crystal Palace this weekend offers a chance for Southampton to heap misery on the bottom club, and should come just too soon for new manager Roy Hodgson to work his magic. A clean sheet for the visiting team looks promising – and that means an extra point for Davis. (Ryan Keaney)
Jamaal Lascelles, Newcastle, £4.5m
There are a number of reasons why FPL managers could be sceptical about the value to be found in Newcastle captain Jamaal Lascelles. The Magpies had a difficult summer window, they lost their two opening games of the season, and the general whiff of crisis emanating from the club is enough to put off prospective fantasy buyers.
However, Lascelles’s star is rising as Newcastle manage to find their feet in the division. They have recorded back-to-back clean sheets against West Ham and Swansea, with the former Nottingham Forest defender scoring 15 points after heading home the deciding goal at the Liberty Stadium.
Lascelles is handily underrated in the FPL game. With an ownership of barely over 2%, a price tag of £4.5m, and a reasonable set of fixtures on the horizon, he looks like an effectively priced rotation option. (George Osborn)
Alvaro Morata, Chelsea, £10.2m
This is hardly a under-the-radar suggestion, but Alvaro Morata’s form at Chelsea has made him impossible to ignore during the weekly FPL transfer shenanigans.
In four Premier League appearances so far, the Spaniard has claimed three goals and two assists, putting him top of the striker standings with 30 points.
Yes, he’s pricey at £10.2m, but that’s still £1.2m cheaper than Sergio Aguero, £1.5m cheaper than Romelu Lukaku, and a whopping £2.2m cheaper than Harry Kane.
Spend the extra cash on strengthening elsewhere, and expect Morata to make his mark against an Arsenal side that have lost on their last five visits to Stamford Bridge. (TSP)
And who to ship out
Charlie Daniels, Bournemouth, £4.9m
There is a lot to like about Charlie Daniels. He has scored over 100 points in the last two Fantasy Premier League seasons and has already bagged 11 points this season – which is very good for a defender in a side with zero wins from their first four games.
However, now is the time to cut him loose. You can get him back in November. Bournemouth’s south coast derby against Brighton this weekend will be quickly followed by games against Everton, Spurs and Chelsea in their next six fixtures. Things don’t look like improving much for Daniels and his cohorts in the short term.
He may well help himself to an assist and a goal or two over the next few weeks, but there just aren’t enough clean sheet opportunities to keep him in your side. (Ryan Keaney)
Willian, Chelsea, £7.1m
It’s really hard to suggest shipping out Willian. On the face of it, there is so much about him that you could easily recommend: he costs just £7.1m, and he recorded a perfectly credible eight goals and three assists last season despite being used mostly off the bench. He also looked a solid threat in midweek against Qarabag, getting an assist and hitting the bar in a dangerous appearance.
Unfortunately, the return of Eden Hazard means Willian’s prospects will likely be on the wane. Antonio Conte could surprise us at the weekend and start him against Arsenal, but it’s reasonable to expect that the Brazilian will be warming the bench again in the coming months.
This is a shame. But with most of the top transfer picks in this year’s game proving expensive, shipping out a likely rotational pick in favour of a cheaper starter like Watford’s Richarlison (£6m) or Arsenal’s Aaron Ramsey (£7m) looks like the rational thing to do. (George Osborn)
Wayne Rooney, Everton, £7.5m
Why do 17.3% of you still have Wayne Rooney in your FPL squads? I can only assume it’s because you’ve forgotten to make changes in the past two weeks.
He might have started the campaign with two goals in two matches against Stoke and Manchester City, but Rooney has already returned to looking like the player Jose Mourinho didn’t know what to do with last season.
Nearly 32, Rooney no longer has the engine to terrorise defences, and looked well off the pace in Everton’s defeats to Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as the dismal loss against Atalanta in midweek.
The Toffees failed to score in all three of those fixtures and it’s time for Ronald Koeman – and you, dear FPL manager – to make overdue changes. (TSP)
