Which FPL players are on penalties and set pieces?

After a frenetic period in which three Gameweeks were contested over Christmas and New Year, we finally have a little bit of respite ahead of the next deadline.

That means there’s time to take our semi-regular look at which Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players are on penalties, corner-kicks and free-kicks for their respective clubs.

Our Set-Piece Takers tab rounds up our estimated pecking order (this will be updated on Thursday evening) but these shorter-term recaps look at what’s happened in the Gameweeks just gone.

We’ll refresh this article again after Chelsea and Fulham’s final Double Gameweek 19 fixture have been contested.

READ MORE: Which FPL players are suspended or nearing a ban?

GAMEWEEK 17-19 SET-PIECE TAKERS

Based on the data collection in our Premium Members Area, here is a breakdown from the last three rounds of matches.

KEY OBSERVATIONS AND NOTEWORTHY CHANGES

• The benefits of being second (or even third!) in line for penalties have been underscored both before and after the World Cup. We saw deputies Andreas Pereira (£4.6m), Bryan Mbeumo (£5.8m) and Rodrigo (£6.3m) step up for their respective clubs before the pause for Qatar 2022, and since the restart we’ve seen Demarai Gray (£5.3m), Chris Wood (£5.6m), Said Benrahma (£5.6m) and Lucas Paqueta (£5.9m) score from the spot. Manuel Lanzini (£5.1m) has typically been first in line for West Ham in the post-Noble era but has rarely been on the field in the league, so Benrahma and then (when the Algerian was off the field in Gameweek 19) Paqueta have been tasked with the responsibility recently. Jarrod Bowen‘s (£8.0m) miss from 12 yards in October appears to have shunted him down the pecking order.
• Liverpool are one of two clubs – the other being Bournemouth – who haven’t been awarded a single penalty this season. Mohamed Salah (£12.9m) hasn’t so far been able to top his FPL points tally up with his usual handful of spot-kicks, as he has been able to do on five and six occasions in 2021/22 and 2020/21 respectively.
• Budget FPL defender Hugo Bueno (£3.9m) has taken seven corners for Wolves this season, two of which have arrived in the Julen Lopetegui era. Another cheap buy at the back, Nottingham Forest’s Renan Lodi (£4.3m), has taken five corners since the restart, although all of them came in Gameweek 17 when Morgan Gibbs-White (£5.5m) was absent.
• Some budget midfielders and forwards remain at the heart of their sides’ set plays, too, with Andreas, Gray and Sam Greenwood (£4.2m) at the front of the queue for corners and both types of free-kick whenever they’re on the field.
• After taking a back seat at set plays under Steven Gerrard from Gameweek 2 onwards, Lucas Digne (£4.6m) has taken five corners or indirect free-kicks under new boss Unai Emery since Christmas.
• Fulham, Liverpool and Brentford have scored the most goals from free-kicks and corners this season (10). Brighton, West Ham, Wolves and Everton (two) have netted the fewest.
• Fulham and West Ham have been awarded the most spot-kicks (six) in 2022/23, although have missed two apiece.
• A whopping 38.6% of the shots that Newcastle have had this season have come from set plays, the highest rate in the division.

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