With just this weekend between us and another international break, it’s hard to believe that two months of the season have passed already. But now we’re starting to see the cream rise to the top as the dust settles around some of the more unpredictable stars to start the season.

This past weekend was an eventful one for the last column. Chris Wood recorded a goal and a bonus point, Andriy Yarmolenko scored a goal to earn two bonus points and Serge Aurier was sent off in the first half with a red card, none of which should come as a surprise, for better and worse.

Without further delay, here are the bargain hits and misses ahead of Gameweek 8. I’m welcoming all suggestions and debates on Twitter (@gastelumEPL)— I would love to include your thoughts here in this column next week and throughout the season. If you don’t want your name mentioned, just let me know; otherwise, I’ll be sure to give your Twitter handle a shout-out.

All of the stats used in this column come straight from the good folks at Fantasy Premier League on a weekly basis. Our friends at FPL.com take the data from a thousand private leagues, all of which consist of eight teams, in order to minimize the impact of data from public leagues where autopick drafting is more prevalent.

Of course, it’s just a sample size, so it’s not hard and fast; but it should give us a good idea of the tendencies of FPL Draft leagues and managers. Remember, the waivers deadline is a full 24 hours before the first game of the week, and the lowest-placed team in your league gets the first pick.

One-week Pick (OWP) - When a regular is suspended for a match, ineligible to face his parent club as a loanee, or his fill-in looks to deputize for only a week while the regular nurses a minor injury, this is where to find some replacements. They should only be looked at when you really need help at a position that week alone, and not looked at as long term plays. Best for salary cap leagues with unlimited transactions, not so much for draft leagues.

Short-term Pick (STP) - When a regular faces a multi-game suspension, an injury layoff lasting 2-5 weeks, international commitment, etc., this is where you look for players that can offer more beyond one week but do have a limited shelf life in most cases. Worth using a waiver claim or spending a bit more of your free agent budget (FAAB) than the One Week Buys. Can be useful in salary-cap format as long as you are comfortable with possibly needing to transfer them out in a few weeks.

Long-term Pick (LTP) - When a regular is either facing a month or more out or has lost his spot seemingly to someone better, these are the players that emerge as potential long-term investments and are therefore the most valuable of the group and worth paying up. Great for any format, but especially valuable in draft leagues with limited waiver claims.

BARGAINS:

GK – Roberto (West Ham United)

It’s a pity that we have to start off this week’s edition with reports saying Bargain Hunter extraordinaire Lukasz Fabianski will miss up to three months after suffering a torn thigh muscle over the weekend. Fabianski leads all goalkeepers in FPL with 32 points and has been one of the most consistent goalkeepers with five straight seasons logging more than 3,000 minutes, a streak that looks sure to end this year. It’s also a massive blow for the Hammers as the side currently sits in fourth place on a four-match unbeaten streak. In steps, backup keeper Roberto, who has the biggest gloves to fill at the Olympic Stadium.

Outside of his sudden appearance over the weekend in a 2-2 draw with Bournemouth, the only reference point we have for the Spaniard is a less-than-impressive performance in an embarrassing League Cup loss to third-flight Oxford United. However, Roberto comes into an in-form first team with a very favorable schedule in the month ahead: Crystal Palace, Everton, Sheffield United, Newcastle and Burnley. While Fabianski was taken in nearly every FPL draft league, Roberto is taken in only one of the 1,000 leagues we sampled (can we find this manager?) and readily available as a way to break into a top-four defense.

DEF – Fikayo Tomori (Chelsea)

With Super Frankie Lampard at the helm, Chelsea have been completely turned upside down, embracing a stable of talented academy products to lead the way. But while hotshot standouts like Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount are mostly taken in FPL Draft leagues, 21-year-old Fikayo Tomori is still mostly available in 59 percent of leagues despite impressing mightily over the last month. The Canadian-born defender has been at the club since the under-8 level and is now in the first team after a couple of injuries to Antonio Rüdiger and Kurt Zouma.

In the win over Brighton at the weekend, Tomori put together his best performance yet with a clean sheet and a bonus point for the club’s first clean sheet of the season. And now there looks to be plenty of clean sheets ahead of the side with Southampton, Newcastle, Burnley, Watford and Crystal Palace in the coming month. The dilemma is that Tomori might not be around for much longer in FPL Draft leagues, but once Zouma returns to fitness this month, we don’t know for sure whether Lampard will continue to stick with Tomori as a starter, making him a short-term pick up at least for the time being.

DEF – Nathan Ake (Bournemouth)

From one Chelsea youth product to another, Nathan Ake left Chelsea for Bournemouth two years and has not looked back, going from an endless series of loans to an irreplaceable staple in Eddie Howe’s Bournemouth side. Over the last two seasons, Ake has recorded 16 clean sheets, six goals, four assists and more than 6,700 minutes for the Cherries and looks to be on track for another solid year despite more of Howe’s tactical shortcomings in defense. The club has yet to record a clean sheet but fixtures like Norwich City, Watford and Newcastle in the next month provide some premium chances for the side.

Despite being such a consistent defender who has contributed to five goals in each of the past two seasons, the Dutch international is only taken in 54 percent of FPL Draft leagues, making him look like a steal. Any manager could benefit from having a reliable defender like Ake as your first choice off the bench and his consistency makes him a long-term pick just waiting to be plucked off the waiver wire. As the season drags on and injuries and inconsistencies hit teams across the board, you’ll be happy to have a stalwart like Ake in your side.

MID – Anwar El Ghazi (Aston Villa)

Aston Villa’s midfield has been carrying the team so far it their first season back in the Premier League. And while everyone wants a piece of the John McGinn pie in draft leagues—sorry, but he’s taken in 84 percent of FPL Draft leagues—Anwar El Ghazi presents a less-heralded option to keep an eye on. And that’s the best part, finally there’s an attack-minded player who we can track instead of hastily snatch up due to the usual trend of over-zealous FPL Draft managers. The Dutch international is taken in only three percent of our latest sample of leagues, meaning that we can sit back and monitor his progress.

So far, El Ghazi has impressed in his first Premier League season with two goals and an assist, including a goal over the weekend against Burnley. And now that Aston Villa have started to find their groove in attack—Villa have scored as many goals in the last two games as they did in the first five—the next two matches against Norwich City and Brighton could provide a clearer outlook of El Ghazi’s potential. As mentioned before, there’s no statistical reason to jump the gun, but be sure to keep El Ghazi on your watchlist in the coming weeks.