With many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers planning to Bench Boost in Double Gameweek 36, we’ve picked out some of the best budget options on offer in each category.
50% of the site readers in our sidebar vote said they will activate their Bench Boost this week, comfortably making it the most popular chip option.
You can read a rundown of the stand-out goalkeepers and defenders here.
Now, we turn our attention to sub-£6.5m midfielders and forwards, where the pool of talent is on the smaller side.
All stats from this article are from our Premium Members Area.
ANTHONY GORDON
Anthony Gordon (£4.6m) has undoubtedly been one of Everton’s best performers in 2022.
Since Frank Lampard’s first match in charge in Gameweek 24, the youngster ranks in the top two amongst team-mates for goal attempts, shots in the box, penalty box touches, crosses, chances created and expected goal involvement (xGI), highlighting his all-round points potential.
And in terms of match-ups, his trip to Watford could be a rewarding one, given that no team has conceded more chances from their left-flank than the Hornets since the turn of the year, the side Gordon will in all likelihood be attacking:
His crossing ability could also be important, too, given that Leicester have had issues defending set-pieces all season.
At this stage, we should point out that Everton have been much better on home turf under Lampard, and one win on the road for the Toffees in 2021/22 is a concern. Still, a distracted Leicester and a Championship-bound Watford are very decent opponents in the upcoming Gameweek.
Summer signing Demarai Gray (£5.4m) is another name to consider for those with a little more budget, having registered his ninth goal contribution of the season against Chelsea on Sunday.
KIERNAN DEWSBURY-HALL
With numerous premium options vying for our attention, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£4.4m) is a decent ‘fifth’ midfielder who could step up on a Bench Boost.
The 23-year-old was absent from the Leicester City XI that faced Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, but Brendan Rodgers did suggest that his absence was precautionary.
And prior to Gameweek 35, he had started each of the Foxes’ last 18 Premier League matches and was seemingly immune to rotation.
It’s been an extremely quick rise for Dewsbury-Hall since he made his first Premier League start five months ago, but he is already one of Leicester’s star men playing on the left of a three-man midfield.
On the stats front, an average of one shot in the box every 243.6 minutes suggests he’s not about to go on a run of big scores, but it’s worth noting that his influence has increased in the last six matches. In that time, he is now averaging a shot in the box every 176 minutes, while his 1.12 expected assists (xA) tally ranks joint-12th among all midfielders.
A King Power double-header in Gameweek 36 against two sides in the bottom three certainly catches the eye, too.
EDDIE NKETIAH
Eddie Nketiah (£5.5m) has started ahead of Alexandre Lacazette (£8.2m) in Arsenal’s last four matches, which has included wins over Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham United.
Having joined from Chelsea’s youth system in 2015, the 22-year-old has primarily featured in the cups for the Gunners and impressed this season scoring five goals in five matches in the Carabao Cup.
After encouraging cameos off the bench against Crystal Palace and Brighton and Hove Albion, Nketiah has since been installed in Mikel Arteta’s Premier League starting XI and certainly seized his chance, scoring twice at Stamford Bridge, whilst he was only a tight offside call away from adding another in Gameweek 34.
His underlying numbers have caught the eye, too: Nketiah has recorded top two totals amongst team-mates for goal attempts (13), shots in the box (eight) and big chances (two) in the last three Gameweeks.
As a result, Nketiah seems to have moved ahead of Lacazette in the pecking order, at least for now, but even if he does relinquish his spot or has to share game-time, he should still guarantee minutes: he’s featured in every single one of Arsenal’s last 14 Premier League fixtures.
Martin Odegaard (£5.6m) and Gabriel Martinelli (£5.3m) are reasonably appealing alternatives in midfield, although with the penalty-taking Bukayo Saka available for just £6.7m, it’s hard to make too stronger case for either.
DEJAN KULUSEVSKI
Dejan Kulusevski (£6.3m) has hit the ground running at Tottenham Hotspur following his January arrival.
Playing on the right of the front three, the Swede has scored three and also supplied nine assists in 14 appearances, averaging 5.6 points per match.
In fact, since his Gameweek 26 full debut, Kulusevski has actually got more attacking returns (12) than every other Fantasy asset bar the two Spurs premium picks. Even then, the loanee is only two behind Son Heung-min (£11.0m):
Kulusevski was replaced in the starting XI by Lucas Moura (£5.9m) on Sunday, but his introduction just 10 minutes into the second-half sparked Spurs into life, suggesting he will return to the Lilywhites’ line-up at Anfield in Double Gameweek 36.
Admittedly, it is a tricky double-header for Antonio Conte’s side, but there is a top-four spot to play for, and it’s hard to argue against the value Kulusevski offers right now.
TEEMU PUKKI
Teemu Pukki (£6.1m) can’t be beaten by any Premier League forward for non-penalty xGI over the last six matches.
The Finn has quietly delivered four attacking returns in that time – racking up 29 points in the process – and is also on penalties, too, should a spot-kick be awarded to Norwich City.
The Canaries’ defeat at Aston Villa on Saturday condemned them to the drop, but a double-header in Gameweek 36 against two sides fresh off the back of European semi-finals is appealing.
It’s worth considering that Dean Smith might start to have one eye on next season with his team selections now that the Canaries are down. However, Pukki could be relatively safe from rotation, at least, with Josh Sargent (£5.4m) reinjuring himself and Adam Idah (£4.9m) out for the season.
OTHER CANDIDATES
Under Steven Gerrard, Jacob Ramsey (£4.7m) has established himself in Aston Villa’s starting XI, and although the goals have dried up of late, he has still produced five attacking returns in 15 appearances since the turn of the year.
Admittedly, there are a few too many efforts from range, as the graphic below shows, but for FPL managers, he is at least confident enough to take them on.
Watford’s double-header against Crystal Palace and Everton feels Bench Boost worthy for owners of their assets, like Ismaila Sarr (£5.7m), Emmanuel Dennis (£5.9m) and Joao Pedro (£5.4m).
However, they are part of a Watford side that has scored just nine goals in Roy Hodgson’s 14 matches in charge, suggesting there are better options available this week for those dipping into the transfer market.
Raphinha (£6.4m) hasn’t been at his best for a while now, but he does still rank in the top 10 midfielders for non-penalty xGI since Jesse Marsch took charge, and should be on penalties in Patrick Bamford’s (£7.7m) absence.
He could also get some joy against the defensively suspect Nuno Tavares (£4.3m), before encountering what may be a much-changed Chelsea side ahead of their FA Cup final appearance.
Elsewhere, single Gameweek options like Jean-Philippe Mateta (£5.3m) and Christian Eriksen (£5.6m), plus Burnley assets Wout Weghorst (£6.4m), Jay Rodriguez (£5.2m) – providing he is fit – and Josh Brownhill (£4.3m) carry some appeal, although it’s those who play twice who clearly have the edge for those on a Bench Boost.
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 36 POINTS PREDICTIONS: WHAT RMT THINKS
Rate my Team (RMT) is a tool designed to give you an approximation of how many FPL points your team will score over a series of Gameweeks.
Our points projections show algorithm-generated predictions for every FPL player both this Gameweek and in future ones.
1 year, 11 months agoIts rained so much Michael Owen has shrunk