Fantasy Premier League managers face the dilemma of fitting premium assets Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) and Erling Haaland (£15.2m) into their squads without compromising the overall team balance.
In this article, we'll explore some budget-friendly options that could help you accommodate both these star players while maintaining a competitive team. Let's dive into the details of these potential bargains across all positions.
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Brighton's defensive stalwart Lewis Dunk offers excellent value at just £4.5m. With a favourable fixture against Ipswich Town coming up, Dunk has a good chance of adding to his 10 points and 1 clean sheet tally this season. While he hasn't scored yet, his 0.31 expected assists (xA) suggest he could contribute offensively soon. Dunk's ability to create big chances (1 so far) makes him an attractive budget option.
In the 2023/24 season, only Virgil (41 shots) and Gabriel (28 shots) had more shots in the box among defenders than Dunk, who had 27 shots, according to the Opta Stats Sandbox tool.
Manchester United's Mazraoui has been a pleasant surprise for FPL managers. With 13 points already, including an assist, he's proving to be a bargain at £4.5m. His attacking potential is evident with 2 total shots and 3 attempted assists. The upcoming fixtures look promising for clean sheet potential, making Mazraoui an excellent budget enabler.
According to the Opta Player Heatmaps tool, Mazraoui has had 6 touches in the opposition's box and is advancing into attacking positions. For Manchester United, only B Fernandes (44) and Amad (27) have made more successful final third passes than Mazraoui, who has made 25.
Ipswich Town's Leif Davis presents an intriguing budget defender option at £4.5m. Despite being new to the Premier League, Davis has already made an impact with 8 points, including an FPL assist. His attacking potential is evident with 1 big chance created and 3 attempted assists. While Ipswich face some challenging fixtures, Davis's offensive contributions make him an interesting differential pick, selected by only 1.7% of managers.
The Ipswich defender has been selected in hopes that he will replicate his impressive Championship performance from the 2023/24 season, as shown in the Opta Player Heatmaps tool. Notably, he recorded 16 assists, averaging 0.38 per 90 minutes.
Bournemouth's Semenyo has been on fire, accumulating 19 points with 2 goals and 1 assist. His underlying stats are impressive, with 1.88 expected goals (xG) and 1.67 expected assists (xA). Semenyo's 17 total shots, including 4 on target, demonstrate his attacking threat. Despite tough upcoming fixtures, his form makes him a tempting budget option.
Semenyo's recommendation comes with a slight caveat. The Opta Heatmaps tool shows Semenyo's stats with and without Evanilson on the pitch. Although the sample size is small, when the Brazilian forward plays, Semenyo often positions himself wider, which could affect his potential attacking output.
Aston Villa's Morgan Rogers presents an interesting budget midfield option at £5.1m. While he's only amassed 6 points so far, his underlying stats show promise. With 5 total shots, 1 on target, and 2 big chances created, Rogers is showing attacking intent. His 1.02 xA suggests he could be on the verge of providing assists soon.
Aston Villa has the best fixtures for the next three gameweeks based on offensive difficulty, as shown in the Fixture Planner tool above. Rogers, priced at £5.1m, seems to be the most affordable option to capitalise on Villa's favourable run of games.
Rogers is included in the current Wildcard draft of Andrew Neave, a five-time top 5k FPL manager. In fact, the Villa defender is so popular that he appears in 85.7% of the teams managed by the Elite XI: Team Reveal managers.
Brentford's Wissa has been a revelation, scoring 21 points with 2 goals and 1 assist. His 2.23 xG and 8 total shots (3 on target) indicate his goal threat is sustainable. Despite tough upcoming fixtures, Wissa's form and £6.1m price tag make him an attractive option for managers looking to free up funds for premium assets.
Only Haaland (29.0), Havertz (21.9), and Watkins (20.6) are projected to score more #FPL points than Wissa (16.7) among forwards over the next four Gameweeks. 📊
— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) September 7, 2024
Would you pick him on a Wildcard ready for Brentford's favourable fixtures from Gameweek 6? 🃏 pic.twitter.com/beDhtw5CR6
If you want to add projected player points to the official Fantasy Premier League website, as shown above, you can use our Chrome extension, FPL Plus.
Nottingham Forest's Chris Wood has been in fine form, accumulating 19 points with 2 goals. His underlying stats are impressive, with 1.63 xG and 9 total shots (6 on target). Wood's ability to get into scoring positions is evident, and at £6.1m, he could be a shrewd pick to enable premium options elsewhere.
Wood has scored the most goals (4), has the highest expected goals (3.9), and has taken the most shots on target (11) among Nottingham Forest players in their last 5 games, according to the Match Centre.
In conclusion, these budget-friendly options across all positions could help you accommodate both Salah and Haaland in your FPL team without sacrificing overall quality. While some face challenging fixtures, their form and underlying statistics suggest they could continue to provide excellent value for money. As always, consider your overall team structure and upcoming fixtures when making transfer decisions.
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