With some Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers looking to use the Bench Boost in Gameweek 2, here we pick out some of the best cheap options available.
Many of those ‘boosting’ will already have their budget players in place, of course.
But for those managers needing to top up their squad or replace an early problem player, here are a few suggestions…
For this piece, we’re looking at:
- Goalkeepers + defenders priced at £4.6m or under
- Midfielders + forwards priced at £5.6m and under
COVENTRY CITY/HULL CITY OPTIONS
Coventry City’s home meeting with Hull City is the obvious place to start for Gameweek 2 Bench Boosters.
Plenty of managers will already own one or more Sky Blues assets with this fixture in mind. Coventry finished 22 points above Hull in last season’s Championship, winning the title with 95 points, while the Tigers eventually secured promotion through the play-offs.
Yet Gameweek 1 provided a sharp reminder that we can’t simply rely on last season’s numbers. Coventry’s 3-0 loss at Arsenal wasn’t unexpected but Hull produced one of the shocks of the opening weekend by beating Manchester United 2-0. They defended really well in a 3-4-3, too, reducing United to just two Opta-defined big chances.
So, which cheap options still appeal?
£4.0M COVENTRY DEFENDERS
Coventry’s defence remains the most obvious starting point.
Carl Rushworth (£4.5m) started in goal behind a back four of Jay Dasilva, Aurèle Amenda, Bobby Thomas and Milan van Ewijk (all £4.0m) in Gameweek 1.
We can’t and won’t judge them on a loss to the reigning champions, and this fixture should provide a much fairer test.
Coventry conceded only 45 goals in 46 Championship matches last season, the best record in the division, while they kept 17 clean sheets.
Of the £4.0m options, Thomas arguably offers the best combination of security and defensive contribution (DefCon) potential.
He was the only player from either Arsenal or Coventry to collect DefCon points in Gameweek 1, while his Championship numbers were encouraging too. Thomas scored three goals, supplied four assists and averaged 8.56 DefCons per 90 – the latter number will, of course, almost certainly climb in a tougher division.
Above: Coventry players sorted by DefCons v Arsenal
Van Ewijk offers more attacking upside than Dasilva, if you’re considering a full-back. The right-back supplied eight assists last season, created 10 big chances and benefits from his long throws.
Rushworth is the more expensive route at £4.5m, but an absence of £4.0m starting goalkeepers means anyone who is ‘boosting’ has to consider a pricier pick. He played every Championship match last season, made 121 saves and kept 17 clean sheets, so there is at least potential for save points if Hull build on their impressive start.
PROBABLY AVOID THE COVENTRY FORWARDS
Attack is where things become more complicated. Ellis Simms (£5.0m) started against Arsenal after leading Coventry for pre-season minutes and goals. His Championship numbers were excellent on a per-minute basis, too. Simms averaged a league-best 4.20 shots and 1.88 shots on target per 90.
But the summer arrivals of Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.5m) and Sidiki Cherif (£5.0m) have muddied the waters.
Awoniyi came off the bench at Arsenal and arguably caused more problems than Simms. The Nigerian then bagged a goal and an assist against Plymouth Argyle in the cup on Tuesday.
“We really like him and we hope he’s going to be great for us… I like a player that’s coming in wanting to be the man and wanting to play more minutes.” – Frank Lampard on Taiwo Awoniyi
Simms could still start against Hull, but the threat of an early substitution now looks significant. For a Bench Boost, that uncertainty matters.
GRIMES + YIRENKYI SAFER MIDFIELD ROUTES?
Matt Grimes (£5.0m) started at Arsenal and remains a key part of Lampard’s side. He created 80 Championship chances last season, the fourth-highest total in the division, and also takes plenty of corners.
Caleb Yirenkyi (£5.0m) offers a different route. He also started at the Emirates and arrived with excellent DefCon numbers, having averaged 13.05 defensive contributions per 90 in Denmark last season. He added nine DefCons in his 65-minute pre-season debut and has shown some attacking threat, too.
For managers simply looking for a reliable Bench Boost starter, Grimes and Yirenkyi may now be safer than Simms.
£4.0M HULL DEFENDERS
There is an argument for looking at the other side in this fixture, too.
Hull’s £4.0m defenders delivered huge scores against Manchester United. Semi Ajayi and Nobel Mendy both scored, while Mendy and John Egan reached the DefCon threshold:
Above: Hull defenders sorted by DefCons v Man Utd
There was a big boost for Hull earlier this week as the four £4.0m defenders who came off injured on Saturday look to be okay. Mendy and Ryan Giles even made the bench in Tuesday’s EFL Cup tie at Stoke City.
We’d still prefer Coventry defenders, however, given the respective clean sheet odds:
£4.5M MIDFIELDER SLATER + £5.5M FORWARD MCBURNIE STAND OUT
Regan Slater (£4.5m) is perhaps Hull’s most interesting budget attacker. He started against Manchester United and supplied an assist from a free-kick.
More importantly, Jakirovic described him as a first-choice player afterwards:
“He’s my first choice, always, and I like him a lot because every training session and every game, he’s 100 per cent.” – Sergej Jakirovic
Matt Crooks (£4.5m) also started and offers decent DefCon potential, but there are perhaps more medium-term minutes concerns with him.
Oli McBurnie (£5.5m) impressed up front and claimed an assist. He should be on penalties, too.
OTHER GAMEWEEK 2 BENCH BOOST OPTIONS
Coventry and Hull assets will dominate much of the Gameweek 2 Bench Boost discussion. Indeed, outside of these two clubs (and Ipswich Town, who are off-puttingly away at Manchester United), there’s a good chance that we won’t have any more starting £4.0m defenders and £4.5m midfielders in Gameweek 2.
But if you’ve got a bit more cash to splash, several other budget options elsewhere also caught the eye on the opening weekend.
DE CUYPER’S OOP ROLE
Maxim De Cuyper (£4.6m) immediately became one of the most intriguing cheap options in FPL.
Listed as a defender, he started on Brighton’s left wing against Aston Villa and delivered a goal, an assist and a clean sheet.
The underlying numbers were just as impressive. De Cuyper registered a match-high four shots, created three chances and had 35 touches in the final third. He’s on a share of set plays, too.
Chelsea are obviously a tougher opponent, but they conceded twice to Fulham and allowed 14 attempts in Gameweek 1. De Cuyper’s advanced role gives him routes to points even if Brighton fail to keep a clean sheet.
SANGARE OFFERS MULTIPLE ROUTES TO POINTS
Mamadou Sangare (£5.6m) could be even more interesting.
The Brentford midfielder supplied two assists, reached the DefCon threshold despite being substituted early (ish) and collected maximum bonus in the 3-0 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
His defensive contribution numbers were already one of the main reasons for his pre-season appeal, having averaged around 14 DefCons per 90 in France.
Above: Brentford players sorted by DefCons v Tottenham
The attacking returns won’t arrive every week, but combining DefCon potential with a role in a Brentford side that looked extremely dangerous makes Sangare one of the standout budget midfielders.
Leeds United away is a tougher assignment than Spurs were in Gameweek 1, but his points floor could still make him well-suited to a Bench Boost.
HUME STILL ‘OOP’
Trai Hume (£4.5m) blanked against Ipswich Town but arguably deserved more.
Hume started on the right wing despite being classified as a defender in FPL. It’s something we saw at the back-end of last season and indeed throughout pre-season.
He created two Opta-defined big chances. Brian Brobbey (£6.0m) wasted one after racing onto Hume’s pass, while Noah Sadiki (£5.0m) forced a strong save from his cross.
Sunderland host Fulham in Gameweek 2 and Hume’s advanced positioning gives him greater attacking upside than most £4.5m defenders.
FULHAM ASSETS FOR GAMEWEEK 2 – AND THE MEDIUM TERM
Fulham picks are interesting propositions, with not just a reasonable Gameweek 2 fixture but also a ticker-topping run thereafter:
They could be decent medium-term pick-ups, then.
Josh King (£5.5m) scored against Chelsea on Monday and completed the full 90 minutes. He had more than twice as many penalty box touches (nine) as any other Fulham player, in fact. His manager could hardly have been more complimentary afterwards:
“What a player we have here, amazing! What a player, unbelievable.” – Alvaro Arbeloa on Josh King
Alex Iwobi (£5.5m), whose set-piece involvement adds another route to points, is an alternative.
At the back, Timothy Castagne (£4.5m) supplied two assists against the Blues, which continued his attack-minded displays in pre-season. Fulham’s full-backs delivered six attacking returns in the summer’s friendlies, indeed!
RODON + AMPADU
For FPL managers boosting this week and Wildcarding in Gameweek 6 (that’s looking like a popular window), Leeds also provide steady options at home to Brentford. They’ve got three home fixtures in the next four Gameweeks, too:
Joe Rodon (£4.5m) offers a cheap route into a defence that started the season with a clean sheet.
Further forward, Ethan Ampadu (£5.5m) reached the DefCon threshold in Gameweek 1 and was one of the division’s strongest midfielders for defensive contribution points last season.
Both could appeal to managers who simply want secure minutes and a decent floor from their Bench Boost slots.
THE BEST OF THE REST
Here’s a round-up of some other cheap picks ahead of Gameweek 2:
| Player | Price | Fixture | Why consider? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Djordje Petrovic | £4.5m | Everton (h) | Budget goalkeeper with a home fixture |
| Kristoffer Ajer | £4.5m | Leeds (a) | Hit the DefCon threshold in Gameweek 1 and carries some set-piece threat |
| Granit Xhaka | £5.5m | Fulham (h) | Combined an assist with DefCon points in Gameweek 1 |
| Diego Gomez | £5.0m | Chelsea (a) | Registered an assist in Brighton’s 4-0 Gameweek 1 win |
| Pascal Gross | £5.5m | Chelsea (a) | Penalty duties provide upside despite his opening-week blank |
| Georginio Rutter | £5.5m | Chelsea (a) | £5.5m forward who assisted in Gameweek 1, although his fitness needs monitoring |
| Antonin Kinsky | £4.5m | Newcastle (h) | Cheap goalkeeper option, although Spurs’ Gameweek 1 display is a concern |
| Amar Dedic | £4.5m | Spurs (a) | Budget Newcastle defender facing a Spurs side that struggled in Gameweek 1 |
