The James injury latest as FPL exodus awaits Chelsea defenders

We round up the main Fantasy Premier League (FPL) talking points from Wednesday’s two Gameweek 20 fixtures, with the results of both matches further consolidating Manchester City’s position at the top of the Premier League table.

GOALS, ASSISTS AND BONUS

KEY FPL TALKING POINTS

JAMES INJURY

Reece James (£6.4m) didn’t even last half an hour of Chelsea’s 1-1 draw with Brighton, with FPL’s third-most-owned defender barely able to walk off the field when being withdrawn with a muscle problem and later sighted on crutches.

A still-seething Thomas Tuchel was taciturn in his post-match interview and offered very little on his wing-back but the fact that it’s a muscle injury suggests that his involvement against Liverpool is in serious doubt.

“No prognosis. Hamstring injury.” – Thomas Tuchel on Reece James

Andreas Christensen (£4.6m) was also withdrawn at the interval with a back injury, while Tuchel revealed in his post-match press conference that Timo Werner (£8.6m) wasn’t even back in training yet after his recent Covid diagnosis.

“It’s too early but it looks not good.” – Thomas Tuchel on Reece James and Andreas Christensen

Brighton boss Graham Potter meanwhile offered an update on Leandro Trossard (£6.2m), who missed out on Wednesday night.

“Hopefully he’s back at the weekend. We’ll hopefully get one or two players back.” – Graham Potter on Leandro Trossard

CHELSEA DEFENCE SIGNS OFF WITH A WHIMPER

For a lot of Fantasy managers, Gameweek 21 will be a jumping-off point for Chelsea defenders – and that’s before we even consider the injury to James.

A late, late Danny Welbeck (£5.9m) header ruined a clean sheet for the Blues but had they held on for a shut-out it would have been wholly undeserved, with Brighton the better team for large periods and registering 18 shots to their hosts’ 11. The fact that Edouard Mendy (£6.2m) was on course for maximum bonus points before Welbeck’s leveller said much about the course of the game and Chelsea’s patchy form at the back.

“Our players are injured. I told you what would happen weeks ago. Same thoughts, I told you. Sure we are tired, if you had been in bed for 10 days and played Premier League matches after that, you would be tired.” – Thomas Tuchel

It’s now just one clean sheet in eight league matches for Tuchel’s weary-looking side and the upcoming fixtures, plus a couple of medium-term blanks, will make the likes of Marcos Alonso (£5.7m) an easy sell in early 2022.

One thing to mention is that the Blues could well end up getting a Double Gameweek 22 but, with one of a potential two fixtures being away at the Etihad, there is limited appeal.

PREMIUM DIFFERENTIALS HIT FORM… BUT AT THE WRONG TIME?

Romelu Lukaku (£11.5m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£11.9m) have low ownerships among ‘active’ FPL managers: in the top 10,000, for instance, they are selected by 0.5% and 2.2% respectively.

The pair had unremarkable autumns, struggling to recapture former glories, but have caught the eye recently, with Lukaku looking sharp on his return from Covid-19 and De Bruyne now starting to purr.

“Surprised what he’s doing. Actually very surprised, but I don’t know how long he can do it. We will try it and then we will see because nobody knows. I’m surprised because he was six weeks, eight weeks out, then when was trying to come back caught Covid and after that one training and let’s go. This is what we do at the moment.” – Thomas Tuchel on Romelu Lukaku

Lukaku nodded in Chelsea’s only goal of the match at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday, while De Bruyne – described as “exceptional” by his manager after full-time – produced a superb assist for Phil Foden’s (£8.1m) match-winner across west London and would have had a second attacking return to his name had Aymeric Laporte (£5.6m) not strayed fractionally offside when nodding home the Belgian’s free-kick.

Such a return to form would ordinarily see them re-enter the premium radar but their purple patches perhaps come at an inopportune time, FPL wise.

Chelsea’s aforementioned run of tricky games and blanks count against Lukaku, while City are the only Premier League club who haven’t had a match postponed so far this season and so won’t ‘double’ in Gameweeks 21 or 22. The champions elect play Arsenal and Chelsea in those two Gameweeks.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE XG

Foden and Jack Grealish (£7.6m) were brought back out of detention for a start at Brentford and had contrasting evenings. Foden excelled out wide and then as a false nine, earning Guardiola’s praise after the match, but Grealish had another poor evening and did little to suggest he’ll keep his place on New Year’s Day.

Bernardo Silva (£7.6m), meanwhile, blanked for the fourth straight Gameweek. His expected goals (xG) ‘overachievement’ in the autumn was well discussed in FPL circles and, unsurprisingly, there has been some regression to the mean in the last fortnight. The Portugal international didn’t have a single shot for the second successive match and has had only two efforts in total during his recent four-game drought.

This midfield trio, and the rest of City’s starting XI, lasted 90 minutes at Brentford, so with little more than 60 hours separating their Gameweek 20 and 21 fixtures, Guardiola may well be calling on the benched and unused Raheem Sterling (£8.7m) and Riyad Mahrez (£10.7m) at the Emirates in the Saturday lunchtime kick-off.

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