In this new series, we will analyse the trends and statistics in order to predict who the FPL players most likely to be the next bandwagon will be for Gameweek 4

Current Bandwagons

The Pukki party has continued this week, with the Finnish forward grabbing another goal and an assist against Chelsea, claiming 11 points.

He’s had almost 800,000 transfers in over the course of this week, bringing up his ownership to 36% – this makes him the 4th most owned player in the game, behind Van Dijk, Sterling and Salah. Who would’ve saw that coming?

Screenshot taken from fantasyfootballfix.com

The second biggest bandwagon this week was also mentioned in last week’s GW3 preview, Todd Cantwell. Over 500,000 managers have brought him in this week following his goal against Chelsea, adding to the 2 assists claimed against Newcastle – excellent returns for a bench fodder-priced midfielder.

Chelsea’s young English guard has also seen some movement, with Mount and Abraham being brought in both a combined 700,000+ managers following their performances in the aforementioned Norwich vs Chelsea game.

Potential Bandwagons: GW4

Sebastian Haller (FWD, £7.4M)

A player who did very well in GW3 was West Ham’s Sebastian Haller, their record signing who bagged a brace against Watford.

Though there’s only a very small sample size, obviously, Haller sits 3rd in the list of Non-Penalty Expected Goals – behind only Sterling and Barnes.

Considering that the market for forwards is very focused around one man at the moment, the aforementioned Teemu Pukki, Haller is going somewhat under the radar.

A number of popular forwards are disappointing owners at the moment, including King, Jota, Kane and Wilson, with most opting for Norwich’s star man as their replacement.

Haller could well rise massively in ownership if he performs again this week.

Who do West Ham face? None other than Norwich themselves, a side who have seen 14 goals in their opening 3 games, conceding 8 of them.

West Ham have also conceded 7, with them having the highest Expected Goals Against of any team so far – indicating that this could be a bit of a goal fest.

Mason Mount (MID, £6.2)

I know that he’s already building himself a bandwagon, but Mount’s stock could continue to rise massively this week – given that he actually plays. He’s flagged, but is expected to play in Chelsea’s home fixture against Sheffield United.

His numbers have been impressive so far, racking up 12 shots – the 2nd-most of any player in the league so far – as well as 7 attempted assists in the opening 3 games of the season.

He’s also established himself as one of Chelsea’s primary set piece takers, making him even more of an enticing FPL asset.

Mount looks to be a key part of Lampard’s plans at Chelsea, operating on the left-hand side of their front three recently. His touch map against Norwich shows his tendency to drift inwards to get shots off in central areas:

Again, if he plays – and does indeed continue to perform – the recent bandwagon for Mount could really pick up more steam.

Another factor in this is the recent news of Anthony Martial’s injury, a mid-priced midfield option who will be shipped out by many as he’ll miss United’s GW4 fixture.

Other mid-priced options such as Perez, N’dombele and Sigurdsson are also being shipped out, with Mount being a fine option to replace them.

Ashley Barnes (FWD, £6.6)

It’s not often that a player will be recommended going into a game with Liverpool, but Barnes has been massively impressive since the turn of the year.

He’s started the season with 4 goals in the opening 3 games, including goals away at Arsenal and Wolves.

Over the course of 2019, only Agüero and Mané have scored more goals than Barnes, with the Burnley forward being level on goals with Vardy and Sterling, and one ahead of Salah in that time.

Most Premier League goals scored by English players in 2019: Ashley Barnes (13)

Raheem Sterling (13)

Jamie Vardy (13) Time to try again for that Austrian passport. 😉 pic.twitter.com/n58Cpk85eB — Squawka Football (@Squawka) August 29, 2019

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That being said, his ownership currently sits at under 10%. Looking at the stats, he’s had the most shots of any player with 13, 2nd-most shots on target with 8, and 2nd-most shots inside the box with 10.

Liverpool haven’t been as solid defensively as they were last season, failing to keep a clean sheet despite winning all 3 of their opening games so far. They have an Expected Goals Against of 3.97 – worse than the likes of Burnley, Southampton, Leicester and Sheffield United.

Also, Liverpool haven’t kept a clean sheet against Burnley in their last 6 matches. If anyone is to continue this streak, it’s likely to be Barnes that does the damage.

A decent performance against Liverpool, before going into a run of fine fixtures following the international break, could see Barnes’ value skyrocket.