Pogba’s creativity, Antonio’s xG, DCL’s threat: The key FPL stats for Gameweek 2

Football is back and we could hardly have asked for a better start from a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) perspective.

Goals were flying in all over the place, so I figured I’d start the week with a good stats dive into the Fantasy Football Scout Premium Members Area.

WHICH PLAYERS CAUGHT THE EYE?

In terms of expected goal involvement (xGI), Michail Antonio (£7.5m) was the stand-out performer of the round with a 0.58 higher total than second-placed Christian Norgaard (£5.0m).

However, it is worth noting that Antonio’s non-penalty expected goals (non-pen xG) total was just 0.70, and as a result, he ranks eighth in that specific metric.

No player was afforded more big chances (three) than the Hammers’ frontman, but having missed his penalty he may no longer be the designated taker moving forward.

A popular target when the game launched, Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£8.0m) ranks third for non-pen xG (0.94) and no player across all positions took more shots in the box than the Toffees’ striker in Gameweek 1 (five).

Only Kieran Tierney (£5.0m) created more chances than Paul Pogba‘s (£7.6m) five. However, just one of the Frenchman’s five attempted assists was a big chance created and he also fluffed a golden opportunity when put through on goal in the first half. 

Adama Traore (£6.0m) really should have got on the scoresheet, too. The pacy winger took four shots in the box and was the biggest xG underperformer (0.81) of the Gameweek. He’s certainly one to monitor if he is going to be used in a similar role by Bruno Lage going forward.

Said Benrahma (6.0m) was a popular pick on the Fantasy Football Scout boards and the Algerian notched an xGI total of 0.51, which does not rank in the top 25 across all positions. He scored from his only shot on target, while the sole chance he created was converted, so he is one to monitor as well. 

WHICH PLAYERS NUMBERS ARE CONCERNING?

That’s all for now! We will be delving deeper into this data and more on The FPL Wire tomorrow. All my custom stats tables used in the article can be accessed in the Fantasy Football Scout Premium Members Area, and I’ve linked them below for convenience:

ATTACKING METRICS ACROSS ALL POSITIONS:

https://members.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/my-stats-tables/view/39538/

TEAM ATTACK AND DEFENSIVE METRICS:

https://members.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/my-stats-tables/view/39536/

ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW FROM GAMEWEEK 1

• Brentford 2-0 Arsenal
• Man Utd 5-1 Leeds
• Burnley 1-2 Brighton
• Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace
• Everton 3-1 Southampton
• Leicester 1-0 Wolves
• Watford 3-2 Aston Villa
• Norwich 0-3 Liverpool
• Spurs 1-0 Man City
• Newcastle 2-4 West Ham