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
Sergio Aguero, Manchester City, £11.5m
Manchester City haven’t had too bad a time of things without Sergio Aguero. A 1-0 away win at Chelsea was followed up by a 7-2 demolition of Stoke City. However, there are a number good reasons to back him in your FPL side in the coming weeks.
On a broader level, City’s run of fixtures look promising. Five of their next seven matches have a difficulty rating of ‘two’ according to the FPL site, meaning that you really should be picking some of Pep’s players.
But there are specific arguments in favour of Aguero that you shouldn’t ignore. Despite missing City’s last two games, he still has six goals and three assists in the FPL this season.
Crucially, he’s owned by relatively few managers. He only features in 8.5% of FPL sides, which means that the third highest scoring player in the game so far could offer you a handy differential this weekend.
Javier Hernandez, West Ham, £7m
Sure, West Ham have been playing pretty terribly this season, but that isn’t reason to rule out signing Hernandez for this FPL game week.
Firstly, a home fixture against Brighton is exactly the sort of game Slaven Bilic’s side need to turn their fortunes around. They’ve actually won two of their three home matches so far, keeping clean sheets against Huddersfield and Swansea.
Hernandez has managed three goals in his eight appearances, which isn’t a huge return, but he should be afforded the chance to take centre stage with Andy Carroll ruled out through suspension.
West Ham fans have been surprised to see Chicharito occasionally handed a wide role by Bilic, but Carroll’s absence will see him back where he belongs in the six-yard box to gobble up chances.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, Stoke, £5.6m
If ever there was a ‘one in ten’ player, it’s Stoke’s summer signing Maxim Choupo-Moting. By that, we mean that the forward (who’s listed as a midfielder in FPL) is capable of brilliant performances – such as his point-earning double against Manchester United in September – but doesn’t turn it on with any sort of consistency.
Stoke will be bruised after their humiliating 7-2 defeat at Manchester City last week, but a home match against struggling Bournemouth will help them get back on track.
Only eight players have averaged more shots per game than Choupo-Moting this season, and if he can find the target against the Cherries, this could be his one in ten. At £5.6 million, that allows you to invest heavily elsewhere.
And who to ship out
Ben Davies, Spurs, £5.9m
Axing Ben Davies is a tough decision. The full-back has had a strong start to the season, with Spurs’ system allowing him to bomb forward. He’s already racked up three assists and two goals, leading to three double-digit returns in eight game weeks.
However, there’s reason to believe that he’s living on relatively borrowed FPL time. He missed last weekend due to illness and is likely to sit out a home clash against a Liverpool this weekend. While that previously wouldn’t have mattered, Danny Rose’s return to fitness means Davies’ days in the first XI could be numbered.
Combined to the fact that Davies has had a reasonably healthy price rise since the start of the season, selling him this weekend could put you in a better position to reinvest in the rest of your team in Gameweek 10.
Juan Mata, Manchester United, £7m
It’s little wonder Mata has only been selected by 2.9% of FPL managers this season. The United playmaker isn’t always a favourite of manager Jose Mourinho, and was left out of the team that drew 0-0 at Liverpool last week.
In truth, the Spaniard can’t have too many complaints. He scored in the recent win over Crystal Palace, but that was Mata’s only goal in the current campaign – and he hasn’t provided a single assist either.
With 26 points so far – four fewer than injured teammate Marouane Fellaini (£4.9m) – it might be time to ditch him ahead of United’s intriguing test at Huddersfield.
Michael Keane, Everton, £5.4m
It’s surprising to see that Keane is still included in 7.4% of FPL squads given Everton’s rotten form. The Toffees have won just one of their last seven games in the Premier League, and have failed to keep a clean sheet since the opening day against Stoke.
That has seen Keane, a costly summer signing from Burnley, return just 16 points – putting him in 65th position in the total score rankings for defenders.
There are plenty of better options to spend £5.4 million on – look at West Brom and Southampton defenders (Cedric, for £5m perhaps) ahead of what should be a drab draw at St Mary’s on Saturday.
