Gameweek 1 saw a number of key premium assets haul, but there were also a number of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) differentials who returned.
So, we asked the Scout Network for their view on the best players going under the radar ahead of Gameweek 2, particularly those with an ownership of 5% or less.
FPL Nymfria
Ismaila Sarr (£6.0m) is owned by just 4% of FPL managers and has already hit the ground running on his return to the Premier League by netting against Aston Villa. Sarr’s fixtures look great for the next six Gameweeks, with only Tottenham Hotspur a potential issue.
FPL Poet
Bryan Mbeumo (£5.5m) played as an out-of-position striker alongside Ivan Toney (£6.5m) in Gameweek 1. He had nine touches in the penalty box against Arsenal and I expect Brentford to continue building momentum in at least the next four matches: Crystal Palace (a), Aston Villa (a), Brighton and Hove Albion (h) and Wolverhampton Wanderers (a). Their Gameweek 2 fixture looks especially promising against a Palace defence that shipped three last weekend. Although Mbuemo wasn’t involved in the goals against Arsenal, he looks a real dangerman for the newly-promoted side.
Kingfut
Whilst Sarr and Mbuemo both look like great budget differentials with under 5% ownership, I am keeping an eye on Watford’s £5.0m striking options ahead of a beautiful set of fixtures from Gameweek 4 onwards. Emmanuel Dennis (£5.0m) and Juan Cucho (£5.0m) both netted on their Premier League debuts, and could prove to be excellent differential enablers over the coming weeks.
FPL Milanista
Ismaila Sarr was at the heart of an outstanding performance from the Hornets last weekend. He tormented the Aston Villa defence, playing a key role in the win by helping to set-up Dennis for the opener, before netting the second towards the end of the first half. Sarr had 10 penalty area touches, two shots on target, and created four chances in the opening Gameweek, all of which highlight his ability to contribute massively in terms of both goals and assists. I personally don’t see much appeal in his next two fixtures (Brighton & Spurs – both away), but the Senegalese winger is strongly on my watchlist for the four Gameweeks that follow as Watford entertain a run of Wolves (h), Norwich City (a), Newcastle United (h), and Leeds United (a).
FF Titans
Sarr really impressed on his return to the Premier League. His performance inspired Watford to victory and statistically he ticks a lot of boxes. He had three shots on goal, two on target and scored from one of them. He also created four chances in the game. Furthermore, the Hornets have a good run of fixtures to come, including games against Wolves, Norwich and Newcastle.
FPL Experiment Podcast
It looks like there could be plenty of value in some of the newly promoted sides. We were particularly impressed by Ismaila Sarr, Sergi Canos (£5.5m) and Bryan Mbeumo. We watch a lot of the Championship and it looks like all three have brought their excellent form with them into the Premier League. As we try to cram Mohamed Salah (£12.5m), Bruno Fernandes (£12.1m) and Son Heung-min (£10.0m) into our midfields, those players look like great enbalers. Ricardo Pereira (£5.5m) is also worth keeping an eye on for Leicester.
FPL Froggies
Uncertainty around Harry Kane‘s (£12.5m) future as a Tottenham player and a good pre-season lead us to think Dele Alli (£6.5m) could capitalise on Spurs’ great start to the season. Although he was restricted to defensive duties against Manchester City, his pre-season form suggests he could turn out to be shockingly underpriced if he manages to cement a starting berth as a no. 10. This is a very high risk, high reward move but the £6.5m price bracket at least offers several exit routes if the Alli train derails. Also, keep in mind Dele is free from any international duty which could be very handy come Gameweek 4 when a lot of players will have to face short turnarounds, jet lag and even quarantine after having travelled for the World Cup qualifiers.
FPL Haul
Part of me really wanted to suggest a 2.5% owned Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m), but if I suggested taking out Salah or Fernandes for the Belgian I’m going to get too much fan mail and too many lovely comments. Instead, I’ll be a little more conservative and will look at Lucas Moura (£6.5m). He had the second most amount of take-ons and successful take-ons in Gameweek 1, and also created three chances and attempted three shots, with two arriving inside the box. However, it was the eye test where Moura shined. I thought he had a fantastic game against Man City and with Wolves, Watford and Palace in the next three fixtures, I think there’s a chance a £6.5m Moura, with or without Kane, gets some returns.
FPL Updates_Tips
Sarr took the most shots at Watford last season and finished as their top- scorer with 13 goals. In Gameweek 1, he had the joint-second most shots on goal with two, which was only beaten by Fernandes. He also created the second most chances with four – only Paul Pogba (£7.5m) created more with five. With Deeney off the pitch, Sarr is also likely to be on penalties, too.
Greyhead
You may think I have been drinking too much of the hobbit juice in my selection of Andros Townsend (£5.5m), who is only 0.8% owned at the time of writing, but take a moment to consider Everton’s new signing. It was clear from the opening game that Rafa’s tactics are very much focused on swinging in as many crosses as possible to feed Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£8.0m) and Townsend’s supply will be critical to the success of this approach. In fact, it already paid off against Southampton with an assist and three chances created. Speaking after the game, it was clear on his instruction from Benitez “The vision for me is to get crosses into the box for Dominic.”
The games ahead look favourable, plus at £5.5m he is a useful enabler when looking to stretch the budget for the heavy hitters. So before you snigger, give him a go as it might just be the best decision you have ever made.
FPL Gents
Spending transfers on switching between premiums back and forth is a strategy many are not that keen on. But it’s worth considering the “hokey cokey” if the match-up is great. Even though Bruno Fernandes’s fixture is good, De Bruyne is only selected by 2.6% of managers and has arguably the fixture of the season at home to Norwich. But I would only recommend going for it if the rest of your team is in a great place.
