Every week a big talking point emerges from the Gameweek’s events that shape decisions moving into the next one.
At some point in the action, there will be a player who performs over another one you could’ve picked causing a decision to be made, or an injury that crops up meaning you’re scrambling around for a replacement.
Each week, I’ll take a look at the key talking point in FPL (which may overlap one of the other articles I’ll write, but I’ll give another angle where I can if that happens) and give my thoughts on the situation.
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Many teams this week had performers all across the pitch, but one slot in particular has come under scrutiny for many managers: the cheap enabler spot in midfield, commonly occupied by Wolves’ Pedro Neto (£5.5m, ~15% owned) or Aston Villa’s Leon Bailey (£5.0m, ~14% owned).
Neither has produced in the opening weeks of the season, and some managers – especially those with a couple of free transfers stored up from banking one last week – are restless when it comes to these players.
It’s an unfamiliar situation to be in to be focusing on these “enablers”, a situation which has developed because a lot of the “likely lads” in many of our teams have performed well to begin with.
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The question many are asking is: what do I do with this kind of player? Is it worth moving them on?
Because many of us have Fulham’s Andreas Pereira (£4.5m) in our squads who could come on and be fielded this week against Brentford at home, there’s a way to kick the can down the road for those with other matters to attend to in their team - if you don’t have any other issues but don’t have 2 frees banked, for example, I’d roll this week.
But if you are looking to move on Bailey or Neto and are confused about what to do, here’s what I think: it’s perfectly OK to be totally confused, I am too!
That’s because there’s no clear escape route from them at the moment other than Josh Dasilva at Brentford who has risen to £4.6m after two goals from two shots.
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At the price point we’re talking about, expectations should be low – you’ll not be expecting any more than around 87 points on average for the whole season for individuals in this price slot.
That means we’ve got the opportunity to have a proper punt on our hands.
In the £5.5m price bracket, admittedly no-one has put their hand up yet. I’m currently between a few options, namely Eberechi Eze (Crystal Palace), Pablo Fornals (West Ham), Alexis Mac Allister (Brighton) and Brenden Aaronson (Leeds). Of those names, Eze feels the more exciting pick, so I might end up going with that.
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Overall, what’s important to remember here is that there’s no guarantees; if you take a player here, as we did early doors with Neto/Bailey, do it with your eyes wide open to the low expectations and enjoy any small return that comes your way.
Plus, if a bigger curveball is seen, deprioritise this and focus elsewhere: this should only be a side point, a transfer you make when you’ve got the luxury of nothing more pressing to do.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Fantasy Football, Crystal Palace, Wolverhampton Wanderers, Premier League
