Chelsea’s upcoming fixture swing has put many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers in a quandary in terms of how to budget for Romelu Lukaku (£11.7m), especially if they want to keep hold of both Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.7m) and Mohamed Salah (£12.6m).
We asked the Scout Network for their best budget enablers to allow FPL managers the funds to own more than two premium players.
If I was Wildcarding right now and moving to 3-4-3, or going with all four of Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.6m), Mohamed Salah (£12.6m), Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.7m) and Romelu Lukaku (£11.7m), Douglas Luiz (£4.5m) would be my cheap enabler. He’s just £4.5m currently, and has bagged two assists in the last two Gameweeks. He also seems fairly nailed in the Aston Villa side, only missing out in Gameweek 1 thanks to his involvement at the Olympic Games. At his price, you’d be happy to see him pick up a return or two in his next seven fixtures, something that looks possible given his recent underlying numbers. There’s even a sneaky potential of a clean sheet point, with three in the bag already, and a Martinez full of confidence in goal.
FPL Nymfria
No-one is essential in FPL, except maybe that £4.5m midfielder spot you will probably always have to select in your squad. During Gameweek 6, Douglas Luiz (£4.5m) took left-sided corner duties at Old Trafford and was also on direct free-kicks. We also know from last year that he can score from outside of the box every now and then and the whole package makes him the best £4.5m midfield pick, in our opinion.
FPL Froggies
Arsenal have turned their fortunes around with three straight wins and look to have the momentum to carry on their form. Their next five fixtures (bha, CRY, AVL, lei, WAT) seem okay and they can possibly keep three or even four clean sheets in those games, so Ben White (£4.4m) could be a great option. White is now nailed-on in the Arsenal backline and is an absolute enabler at his price.
FF Titan
Three premiums is a big temptation these days and as many managers are about to activate the Wildcard, we need to look into potential cheap assets to compensate in our teams. The first budget enabler comes from the defence and surprise packages Brighton, who would have been top of the table had they beaten Crystal Palace on Monday. Shane Duffy (£4.3m) is their best FPL defender because of the opportunities he is getting in attack: so far this season he has managed 11 shots. He has adapted his game to fit his role and is the best sub-£4.5m defender you can buy.
Bendito Fantasy
If you are going for three premiums, you must think about your targeted preferred system. Personally, I am always betting for the big hauls so I am very reluctant to give up the 3-4-3. So, taking the assumption that you have Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.7m) and Romelu Lukaku (£11.7m) in the first two spots, you need a low-price forward alongside them. The cheapest viable option is Emmanuel Dennis (£5.3m). The negatives are that he is not on penalties, Watford rarely score 3-4 goals in a game and he is a possible rotation risk. However, he is a very explosive player, extremely fit, and has a potential to be a real ‘banger’. The uncertainty over his performances is what makes him exciting.
FPL Froggies
Trawling through the budget options this season is like rummaging through the pick ‘n’ mix aisle at Woolworths (ask your parents, kids)! There are loads of good options to be had but to try and tempt you with something a little different, then have a gander at Teemu Pukki (£5.9m). Now I know the Norfolk surroundings might put you off as, let’s face it, Norwich look like a team doomed for the drop but Pukki has already has two goals to his name in the midst of a pretty difficult set of fixtures. He has also had 11 shots in the box so far this season and is set for a lovely run of matches that the Canaries will need to do well in if they have any hope of survival. Prepare yourself for the Pukki Power gif!
Greyhead
If you are looking for bargain strikers, you could do a lot worse than Adam Armstrong (£6.0m) at Southampton. The striker scored 28 goals in 40 appearances for Blackburn in the Championship last season and even if the step up to the big stage should dampen his output considerably, his 28 penalty area touches and 19 shots so far indicate he is at the very least a threat. With fixtures looking considerably rosier starting in Gameweek 8 and stretching all the way up to Christmas, Armstrong could be a great enabler as long as expectations are managed.
Meltens
Admittedly, Southampton don’t exactly look like a creative powerhouse
Greyhead
but Adam Armstrong (£6.0m) has had 19 shots in the first six games, with 12 of those inside the box. After Chelsea, they also have a field of green for the former Blackburn man to plunder with home games against Leeds, Burnley and also nice fixtures against Watford and Norwich, who have hardly look secure at the back. A is for Armstrong, B is for Budget enabler and C is my Confidence he will do well!
Bryan Mbeumo (£5.5m) from Brentford has managed 19 points so far this season and has created four big chances. He is playing out of position and his creation rate and good understanding with Toney makes him a great option at a cheap price.
Bendito Fantasy
Goal conversion rate is a tricky stat: a low number could indicate low quality chances/shots, or it could indicate a player being a bit unlucky and about to deliver more goals going forward. Bryan Mbeumo (£5.5m) has a goal conversion rate of just 7.7% from his 13 goal attempts, with accuracy being the big issue so far. With an xG of 2.41 (having scored just one goal), Mbeumo’s prospects as an ‘out of position’ midfielder playing as a striker for Brentford looks great going forward.
Meltens
There is a lot of hype around Romelu Lukaku (£11.7m) and Chelsea defenders but Mateo Kovacic (£5.2m) could be an excellent enabler, especially with N’Golo Kante (£4.9m) out with Covid. He has also improved trememdously on his attacking stats, scoring once and providing three assists to date. That has already equalled his best attacking return in his Chelsea career. The Blues’ next five games are very winnable and Kovacic makes a great enabler if you have not already tripled up on Chelsea players.
FF Titan
2 years, 6 months agoChelsea have a great fixture run (obviously as if you wont have noticed), but there appear to be a number of issues re any tripple up:-
a) Tuchel err's towards a negative approach and their creativity appears to be lacking. 3 holding midfielders at home to Man C was a joke.
b) Lukaku's stats are relatively poor for his price and the likes of Vardy seems far better value. I will think twice about hopping off of Ronaldo.
c) Apart from Rudiger and maybe Azpi, there is no certainty in terms of starts. In terms of defence I maybe will look at getting Reece James back in by GW8 or 9.
d) There is nothing obvious in terms of form in midfield.
I have Rudiger, but will wait for Lukaku to show better value, but maybe gw9 until he comes in.
I maybe on here crying by GW10 !