With a large number of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers looking to use the Bench Boost in Double Gameweek 33, cheap players are going to be more important than ever this week.
Here, we pick out some of the best budget options available.
It doesn’t include injured Leeds United duo Anton Stach (£4.8m) and Joe Rodon (£3.9m), who’ve been ruled out until May by Daniel Farke.
This was an article we previously published ahead of Gameweek 32 but we’ve updated it after the weekend’s action.
GOALKEEPERS (UP TO £4.5m)
Karl Darlow (£3.9m) – WOL (h), BOU (a)
Excluding FA Cup matches, Darlow has been an ever-present for Leeds since Gameweek 22. The team have delivered consistently solid performances since then, losing only three of 11 matches, and looking the likelier of the relegation-threatened sides to stay up.
He has kept three clean sheets in that time, making him an attractive option at this price. Topping the Fixture Ticker for these closing seven Gameweeks, Leeds get to face Wolverhampton Wanderers and Bournemouth in this double, from which at least one clean sheet should emerge.
Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) – NFO (a), MCI (h)
Understandably, Burnley players aren’t really on wish lists, but Dubravka has proven to be a popular number two FPL goalkeeper.
He is the game’s second most-owned (31.6%) in this position, and with good reason. Dubravka has made more saves (114) and collected more save points (28) than any other.
Although a clean sheet is nowhere near guaranteed in Double Gameweek 33, more save points will surely come his way. He stopped seven and five efforts in the reverse meetings against Nottingham Forest and Manchester City.
Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m) – TOT (a), CHE (h)
Helping Brighton and Hove Albion keep three clean sheets in their run of five wins in six, Verbruggen has found form in recent weeks.
In the last six Gameweeks, no goalkeeper has delivered more FPL points than the Dutchman’s 31. He stands a good chance of adding to that from the two matches against out-of-sorts Tottenham Hotspur and inconsistent Chelsea.
DEFENDERS (UP TO £4.5m)
Leeds options – WOL (h), BOU (a)
Back to Leeds, their fixtures are so appealing for Double Gameweek 33 (and beyond) that there’s an appeal to owning multiple budget-friendly defensive assets.
Gabriel Gudmundsson‘s (£3.8m) numbers are skewed by his Gameweek 30 red card, which the Premier League’s Key Match Incidents Panel subsequently declared shouldn’t have happened. It cost him clean sheet points from both then and his suspension. Otherwise, he is a regular starter.
Jaka Bijol (£3.9m) and James Justin (£3.9m) are safe-ish during Rodon’s short-term absence, but there does exist the slight possibility of Rodon returning earlier than expected.
For slightly more money, and more security, there’s Pascal Struijk (£4.3m). Boasting a decent rate of defensive contribution (DefCon) points, he’s the league’s fourth-best defender for big chances (three) since Gameweek 21 began.
James Hill (£4.2m) – NEW (a), LEE (h)
Elsewhere, Bournemouth’s Hill has recently become everyone’s favourite budget defender. Since becoming a first-team regular in Gameweek 19, only three defenders have bettered his tally of 66.
This period contains three assists, four clean sheets and more DefCon points (20) than anyone else at the back. More will surely come from a double-header against unreliable Newcastle United, then a Leeds side that does not travel well or score many.
Brighton options – TOT (a), CHE (h)
The in-form Seagulls are looking far from ‘on the beach’ at present. Sitting just six points behind fifth-placed Liverpool, things are looking up for Fabian Hurzeler’s side in every sense.
Their defence has been a key component of this upturn, where Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.5m) continues to impress. He’s delivered DefCon points, a clean sheet and/or an attacking return in six of his last seven games.
Teammate Ferdi Kadioglu (£4.4m) is also flying under the radar. The Turkish international has 27 points across the last six Gameweeks, while he’s pretty nailed: he’s started 28 Gameweeks in a row now. Owned by a mere 0.4%, he’s an intriguing differential.
Facing a Spurs with the worst home record in the division offers plenty of promise, even though former head coach Roberto De Zerbi is now in charge of the relegation candidates. Hosting Chelsea won’t scare them either, given they’ve won their last three matches in all competitions, and three of four at home, against the Blues.
MIDFIELDERS (UP TO £5.5m)
Marcus Tavernier (£5.4m) – NEW (a), LEE (h)
Moving further forward, Marcus Tavernier (£5.4m) must rank as one of the season’s unluckiest players, having hit the woodwork four times.
In the last four Gameweeks, only one midfielder has attempted more shots than Tavernier (16) and only four have created more chances (10).
Tavernier might enjoy himself against a Newcastle side that loves conceding attempts, while the Cherries’ strong home form should stand Tavernier in good stead. Even though his penalty-taking status is now slightly more unclear.
Jack Hinshelwood (£5.1m) – TOT (a), CHE (h)
Managers looking to shoot up their mini-leagues might want to consider some more left-field options like Hinshelwood.
He’s enjoyed regular starts in Brighton’s number 10 role, with Fabian Hurzeler encouraging him to get inside the penalty area more often. The youngster is FPL’s leading midfielder for non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI) over the last six Gameweeks (3.22), while he’s also returned three assists in that time.
Puntier options
How about Alex Scott (£5.0m) and Ethan Ampadu (£4.9m)? They have returned 16 and 12 DefCon points since Gameweek 21, which suggests the pair could well return a minimum of six to eight points across Double Gameweek 33. Scott also found the net in Gameweek 32.
FORWARDS (UP TO £6.0m)
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.6m) – WOL (h), BOU (a)
Budget forwards are fewer and far between, but Calvert-Lewin could prove a rewarding gamble. The Leeds forward is eighth in the scorers’ standings because of 10 goals, with the admittedly rather glaring caveat that he’s scored only once since Gameweek 22.
Nonetheless, he is a shoo-in to start, still gets into good positions, and fires out many chances. From Gameweek 27 onwards, just one forward has shot more times, while only three have a higher expected goals (xG) tally over that time.
Surely one or two of these chances will eventually drop the right way for the former Everton man, who missed a penalty against Crystal Palace in Gameweek 30.
Zian Flemming (£5.3m) – NFO (a), MCI (h)
Like Dubravka, he’s likely to be overlooked because of being at relegation-doomed Burnley.
But check out his recent stats in the last six Gameweeks. It’s three goals in five starts, with 16 shots arriving over this period; only one forward can better that.
Eli Kroupi Junior (£4.7m) – NEW (a), LEE (h)
Finally, a teenager who is enjoying a fantastic breakout season at Bournemouth, thanks to 10 league goals. He scored last time out against Arsenal and converted a late penalty in Gameweek 31, to remind FPL managers of his ice-cool finishing ability.
Kroupi Jr represents excellent value. His minutes per goal of 131.1 is bettered only by Erling Haaland (£14.4m) and Igor Thiago (£7.3m) among forwards.
Considering the competition provided by Evanilson (£6.8m) and a clutch of attacking midfielders, committing to him is a risk. You might be looking at only one start across the Double Gameweek.
But, given his rate of goals, somewhere in the region of 120 minutes might be enough for him to do some serious damage over the Double Gameweek.
