With the next Fantasy Premier League (FPL) deadline almost upon us, we’re getting articles and team reveals from our panel of Hall of Famers and guest writers. Here, five-time top 1k finisher Tom Freeman talks through his Gameweek 5 plans.
The foot injury to Newcastle United’s Alexander Isak (£8.4m) has presented a conundrum for owners.
The Swedish striker faces a late check to see if he can feature against Fulham this weekend, an okay-ish fixture for attackers in isolation.
That said, with Newcastle not great so far and Manchester City to play after, the injury gives a good excuse to exit if we do hear he is out pre-deadline.
Here are the three forwards I am considering to replace him, with the caveat that I can’t afford Ollie Watkins (£8.9m) and will probably Wildcard next week.
NICOLAS JACKSON – £7.6m
An interesting pick, with West Ham United away this week.
He’s been racking up the points thus far, with 17 in his last three. He also has some decent underlying stats over that period: eight shots in the box, three ‘big chances’, two key passes and 2.0 expected goal involvement (xGI).
West Ham feels like a decent fixture to target, too. The Hammers are 14th in the table but they have lacked structure and given up chances worth 7.9 expected goals (xG), the fourth-highest in the Premier League.
I actually haven’t worked Chelsea out yet, they certainly didn’t deserve three points at Bournemouth last week, but Jackson still might be worth a punt, given the opposition.
DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN – £5.9m
6 months, 15 days agoStart:
A) Rico Lewis (ARS)
B) Harwood-Bellis (IPS)