Diogo J. is expected to be ruled out for a couple of months and in this blog, his possible Fantasy Premier League (FPL) midfield replacement options are compared over the last six Gameweeks using the Fix Comparison Matrix.

Douglas Luiz (NFO)

Luiz has been a frequent 90 minute man for Villa this season, over the last six Gameweeks he missed only one half of the Sheff. United game in Gameweek 23 due to an injury issue. He has racked up 31 FPL points (second) over that period and found the back of the net twice (first) and notched one assist (fifth). His shot volume (nine) is the lowest amongst the players in the comparison, but he has landed a high percentage of his attempts on target (five). His creativity from set pieces has been a potent weapon for Villa this season with the Brazilian attempting 14 assists over the last six Gameweeks, three of which were ‘big chances’ (BC) (third). He has been afforded two BC, both of which he scored from. As the below image from our Opta Stats Sandbox feature shows, he has been a consistent performer in home matches for Villa with only Salah (94) and Gordon (88) scoring more FPL points in home matches than his 83.

Pascal Gross (EVE)

Gross has racked up more minutes (2,001) than any other Brighton player this season and is top of the comparison for FPL points (37), FPL assists (three), attempted assists (18), BC created (six) and BC (four) over the last six Gameweeks. However, he has only found the back of the net once (fourth) over this period with just three of his 14 attempts testing the opposition goalkeeper. Like Luiz, he does have penalty duties in his locker along with most set pieces and that increases his routes to points.

Pedro Neto (SHU)

Neto is back to full fitness after missing a large chunk of the campaign due to injury. The 23-year-old has notched 28 FPL points (fifth) over the last six Gameweeks with three assists (first) and one goal (fourth). Usually more of a creator than a scorer, his shot volume (14) (second) is encouraging and he is also joint-second for shots on target (SoT). He has also attempted only 11 assists (fifth) with just two of these classified as BC created (fourth). With Hee Chan possibly playing as centre-forward in Cunha’s absence, the South Korean international could be the better option.

Leon Bailey (NFO)

Bailey’s minutes have been managed by Emery over the course of the campaign with the Jamaican international playing the fewest minutes (395) in the comparison. Keeping that in mind, his numbers are still impressive with 29 FPL points (fourth), two goals (first) and two assists (third) over the last six Gameweeks. He has taken 12 shots (fourth) but none of these attempts were classified as BC. Meanwhile, only two of his 13 attempted assists were classified as BC which sees him bottom for BC involvement overall. With European commitments resuming over the next month, rotation could also be a concern.

Alejandro Garnacho (FUL)

Garnacho has become a regular for Man. United on the wing over the last six Gameweeks with the 19-year-old racking up 539 minutes (second). He has found the back of the net twice (first) and also notched two assists (third) while leading the comparison for both shots (19) and SoT (six). He is also second for attempted assists (16) and BC involvement (four BC created, two BC). The cheapest option in the comparison at just £5.0m, the price also enables further spending elsewhere.

Who has the best fixtures?

As the above image from our Fixture Planner shows, Wolves have the best fixutres leading up to the next international break with the Midlands side playing Sheff. United, Newcastle, Fulham and Bournemouth over the next four Gameweeks. Villa’s fixtures also look enticing with home games against Forest and Spurs either side of visits to Luton and West Ham. They are also one of the few sides with a Gameweek 29 fixture not contingent on FA Cup results.

Man. United have three home games in the next four Gameweeks against Fulham, Everton and Sheff. United while Garnacho’s price allows him to be rotated for the away trip to Man. City. Brighton’s fixtures are the worst of the bunch.

What do the projections say?

As the above image from our Predicted Points & Stats feature shows, Gross (19.0) and Luiz (18.0) feature in the top six projected scoring midfielders over the next four Gameweeks with Garnacho (17.0) and Neto (16.7) close behind. Bailey’s (16.3) inconsistent minutes see him ranked slightly lower.