Last week Manchester City forward Sergio Aguero received a three match ban, taking him out of Premier League action for two matches and the League Cup for one. With a 13m price tag he is arguably too expensive to bench so here I will outline the potential replacements, with a particular eye on the fixture schedule over the next two Gameweeks.Â
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic (11.8)
Ibrahimovic has matched Aguero this season, registering three goals and 24 Fantasy Premier League points. If you do not own the Manchester United man he looks the obvious replacement. But be warned, the big Swede does have a tricky Gameweek 4 tie, at home to Manchester City, nevertheless his fortunes should pick up in Gameweek 5, when he travels to Watford.
He is also among the most clinical of strikers so far, scoring from three of his four shots on target. He has also registered 12 shots so far and created four chances for his team mates.
Diego Costa (9.7)
The Chelsea striker has found the net on two occasions this season and boasts a strong accuracy rate of five shots on target from a total of nine attempts. His fixtures also look good, in particular against a struggling Swansea side that Costa has scored five times against over the last two campaigns. Chelsea then welcome a Liverpool side that has already conceded seven goals this season. Form and fixtures make him a great choice.
A caveat though is a failure to impress FPL’s bonus point system. Despite his strong form this season he has not earned a single bonus point. In addition, with his teammate Eden Hazard in just under a third of FPL teams, many may be reticent to invest more cash in the Chelsea attack.
Romeu Lukaku (9.0)
The Belgian striker has no attacking returns and no longer takes penalties. Form is clearly not the reason he is in this list. His inclusion is mainly down to fixtures, which are superb. Following Gameweek 4’s visit to Sunderland, a side that has conceded five times this season, Everton then host Middlesbrough.
So far this term Lukaku has had six shots, two on target and two were big chances missed. But with just one and a half games under his belt this is not as bad a set of underlying stats as it first looks. He also has a strong pedigree, breaching the 150 point mark in three of his four FPL seasons. But given his form, Ross Barkley in midfield may represent a better, cheaper, route into Everton’s strong fixtures.
Harry Kane (10.9)
Kane is another yet to score this season, although he has got over 20 goals in the last two seasons. A trip to Stoke and a home game with Sunderland look very appealing considering they have conceded five and six goals respectively. His poor recent form though is a concern. He has yet to score this campaign and his underlying statistics are also weak, with just six shots so far and just one on target. Another caveat is his deeper role, when Vincent Jenssen is on the pitch. At 10.9 he surprisingly represents an expensive risk.
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Christian Benteke (7.4)
Having just joined Palace it is hard to judge his form. He has the fixtures though, with a trip to the Riverside and a home encounter with Stoke. Also he has the pedigree, having impressed when he was the main striker at Aston Villa.
Another appeal is his price tag, which frees up considerable funs to afford an expensive midfielder, such as Eden Hazard or Alexis Sanchez. This, for me, makes Benteke an excellent candidate to replace Aguero.
Wilfried Bony (7.3)
Having joined Stoke on loan from Manchester City many are hoping he can recapture his form from his time at Swansea. He faces a tough home fixture at home to Spurs and a trip to Palace, so the fixtures aren’t ideal. He also has just joined so we are unsure if he will be thrown straight into the starting line up. Giving the tough fixtures and uncertainty surrounding if he will start I would avoid for now but I do believe in the long run he could be a strong option.
Salomon Rondon (6.5)
He scored on the opening weekend but has disappointed owners since. He does have the second most shot attempts in the league with 12, but just three of these have been on target. He has strong fixtures with a home game against West Ham and a trip to Bournemouth and his price also allows FPL managers to use the spare change to swap out a 4.5m midfielder to Sanchez. At the same price Abel Hernandez of Hull  and Bournemouth’s Callum Wilson are also viable options for those looking at freeing up considerable funds, but I believe Rondon has the better fixtures and underlying statistics.
