Gameweek 2 Thoughts

Last week I wrote about Teemu Pukki when I filled in for Nik on AM’s Players to Watch. The Finnish striker followed up his goal against Liverpool with another performance to keep his name in the headlines, bagging a hat trick to help Norwich City past Newcastle United. Pukki smashed home a volley, snuck a low strike in at the near post and finished his afternoon by sliding an effort underneath Martin Dubravka on an odd-man rush.

I wanted to revisit him because, at the time of publication, he’s the most sought-after player in FPL with over 590k transfers-in. As someone who was looking to get Pukki following Norwich City’s three-match run against Chelsea, West Ham United, and Manchester City, the price rise is far from ideal. Another successful outing could see him flirting with the 7.0m price bracket come GW4. Although I have bumped the Finnish Finisher in my rankings, I would look elsewhere this week. Manuel Lanzini, Leandro Trossard, and Anthony Martial represent good options in midfield, while Marcus Rashford could end up being my captain at home against Crystal Palace.

My batch of picks for Gameweek 2 produced good results on the whole. Yerry Mina earned a clean sheet, Mason Mount scored his first Premier Goal, and Davy Propper grabbed an assist. Ainsley Maitland-Niles and Christian Benteke also had successful outings, as both players returned double-digits despite failing to score or assist. Allan Saint-Maximin missed out through injury, but that hasn’t wavered my confidence in the Frenchman as a long-term add for deeper leagues.

Without further delay, here are my player recommendations for Gameweek 3.

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Defenders

Tyrone Mings, Aston Villa (44%): Mings has the makings of a peripheral vacuum. No player has racked up more clearances (23) or blocks (6) than the left-sided center-back since the start of the season. Mings got off to a good start in the GW1 defeat at Tottenham, returning 11.75 points thanks to an assist and 17 clearances. He followed up with another double-digit fantasy outing against Bournemouth. In a match that saw the Cherries held to 12 shots and Villa control the majority of the possession (62.6%), Mings made six clearances and three interceptions en route to 10.5 points. Since the quantity of defending opportunities isn't likely to regress, fantasy managers could be adding a defender capable of flirting with double-digits even when Villa concede multiple goals. Mings is a reliable option that has the potential to provide defender three value in 12-team leagues.

John Lundstram, Sheffield United (10%): Lundstram is the first out of position defender to emerge this season. Playing as the most advanced midfielder in Sheffield United’s midfield trio, the 25-year-old offers the coveted combination of clean sheets and offensive returns. Lundstram delivered in a big way in GW2, produced 24.5 points thanks to a goal and a clean sheet. His upside makes him a good find for managers who need defensive help in 12-team leagues. With that said, he’s a long-term play. Only three of Sheffield United’s next eight matches are fantasy-friendly.

Dan Burn, Brighton (8%): After two strong performances, Burn has my attention. Standing at six-feet, seven inches, the youngster has emerged as one of Brighton’s primary set-piece targets. Burn appeared to have tallied assist from a set-piece in the first half of the 1-1 draw with West Ham United. However, VAR revealed he was offside on the initial free-kick. The most significant thing I picked up on was his ability to get into advanced positions from his wide center-back spot, which is essential when you consider Brighton generates most of their chances from the flanks. He’s a long-term investment in 12-team leagues.

Jeffrey Schlupp, Crystal Palace (34%): Schlupp was Crystal Palace’s utility man last season. The 2018/19 season saw him make 17 appearances in defense, 15 in midfield and one as a forward. Schlupp saw 25 minutes in relief of Max Meyer on the left side of midfield in GW2 and will likely challenge for a place in the starting XI once he returns to full fitness. While you may need to hold him on your bench for another match or two, I love his upside as a defender who could see regular minutes on the left-wing. Schlupp, who finished as a top-30 defender in total points last season, is worth a bench spot in deeper leagues.

Nicolás Otamendi, Manchester City (43%): This one is straightforward. Otamendi is in contention for another start with Jon Stones dealing with a muscular problem. Pep Guardiola confirmed that Stones would miss around “a week to ten days” last week, which means the Argentine could retain his place alongside Aymeric Laporte for the trip to Bournemouth. Otamendi is insurance for managers banking on Stones.

Midfielders

Leandro Trossard, Brighton (41%): Trossard was one of the four new arrivals I analyzed in my Incoming Transfers to Watch article. As a direct winger with a nose for goal, Trossard struck me as excellent value late in drafts since his ADP was MID 61. We had to wait until GW2 to see the Belgian in action, but his debut was well worth the wait. The 24-year-old seemed to have opened the scoring midway through the first half only for his sweetly struck volley to be ruled out for offside after a VAR review. Despite seeing his goal disallowed, Trossard would not be denied on 65 minutes. Trossard picked up the ball at the edge of the area, sidestepped an Issa Diop challenge and then fire a right-footed bullet past Lukasz Fabianski. While his finish captured the headlines, I was more impressed with how he stalked the play as it developed. Trossard’s tracking was vital as he put himself in a prime position to latch onto the scraps from the initial speculative long ball over the top for Glenn Murray. Given his shooting ability from a distance, I wouldn’t be surprised to see the winger add a few more goals from similar situations. Looking beyond the goal, he also set up a quality opportunity for Pascal Gross and dropped deep to start a team move that ended with a botched header by Davy Propper. Fantasy managers in leagues with ten or more teams should add Trossard ASAP. If he’s already owned, trade for him. He has the tools to be a top-20 midfielder every week.

Harry Wilson, Bournemouth (32%): Harry Wilson has emerged as the clear-cut option on the right wing for Bournemouth due to injuries. David Brooks isn’t expected to return to action until mid-October, Junior Stanislas has been ruled out for three to four months, and fellow summer signing Arnaut Danjuma is struggling with a foot injury. Some managers may write off Wilson’s goal against Aston Villa since it was the product of a deflection, but the winger did enough on his debut to deserve the lucky bounce. Wilson produced a team-high five shots, two of which were on target, and would have scored a second if not for a reflex save from Tom Heaton. Despite a matchup with Manchester City this weekend, now is the time to add Wilson. The winger has locked down a starting role and Bournemouth has Leicester City (a), Everton (h), Southampton (a) and West Ham United (h) following their GW3 clash with City.

Forwards

Che Adams, Southampton (30%): We’re just two weeks in and the pool of viable forwards available in over 50 percent of leagues is already in bad shape. Given the lack of options at the position, fantasy managers should make the Southampton striker their top priority. My stance on Adams has everything to do with the fact he’s one of a select few starting strikers still obtainable in most leagues. While the summer signing from Birmingham is yet to find his shooting boots, I have a feeling he will put one in the back of the net this weekend. Brighton conceded against West Ham United off a counterattack, which is key when you consider that his pace and off-ball movement caused problems against Burnley and Liverpool. Against Burnley, he made a great run to the back post and was inches away from turning home a Yan Valery cross with an athletic, leaping lung. In the match against Liverpool, Adams did well to exploit a gap between Trent Alexander-Arnold and Joel Matip to get on the end of the cross. Even though he failed to get his header on target from close, I am willing to write it off since it was just his second Premier League start. Look for Nathan Redmond and James Ward-Prowse to play Adams through from deep positions whenever the opportunity presents itself in GW3.