The Premier League continues to spring surprises every week and while most footballing fans love the uncertainty of the English top-flight, intrepid denizens of its virtual counterpart—Fantasy Premier League (FPL)—would love to see routine results every once in a while.

There might yet be a Gameweek where their prayers are answered, but until then The Statesman has your back with a detailed article to better prepare yourselves for the veritable rollcercoaster that is FPL.

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The indicators are:

Teams in BOLD are top 4 contenders.

Prices (in £ million) marked in Green indicates a rise in Base Price.
Prices (in £ million) marked in Red indicates fall in Base Price.

Goalkeepers

Ederson

Team: Manchester City
Fixtures: Brighton (H), Liverpool (A), Burnley (H), Spurs (A) and Southampton (H)
Price: 5.7
Score: 30
Ownership: 24.1%

Why yes: Forget defenders who pick up assists, here’s a goalkeeper who does that! City were given a wake-up call by Lyon and have responded by obliterating their opponents since then, so now’s the time to stock up on Sky Blues players. Brighton shouldn’t have a chance at the Eithad.

Why no: Fixtures against Liverpool and Spurs (GW 8 and 10) are hard to ignore. How many City players can you fit in your squad with Kyle Walker, Sergio Aguero, Bernardo Silva, Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane all going great guns at the moment?

Defenders

Matt Doherty

Team: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Fixtures: Southampton (H), Crystal Palace (A), Watford (H), Brighton (A) and Spurs (H)
Price: 4.4
Score: 17
Ownership: 10.7%

Why yes: Wolves continue to impress and their draws against the Manchester clubs reinforce the fact that they’re here to stay. Doherty plays as wing-back in their 3-4-3 system, has already picked up an assist and with kind fixtures ahead of Wolves, the Irishman could prove to be a great differential. Nuno Espirto Santo’s men have registered two shutouts in their last three games.

Why no: Ryan Bennett (£4.1m) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.3m) are arguably better value for money, especially for those desperate to cut corners wherever they can.

Kieran Trippier

Team: Tottenham Hotspur
Fixtures: Huddersfield (A), Cardiff (H), West Ham (A), Man City (H) and Wolves (A)
Price: 6.1
Score: 28
Ownership: 27.7%

Why yes: With a goal and two assists already, Trippier is in fine form and is benefitting from Mauricio Pochettino’s rotation policy. Serge Aurier is primarily utilised for cup competitions while Trippier gets the nod for the Premier League, which will delight all FPL managers to no end. The Lilywhites mostly have decent games ahead.

Why no: Till the time skipper and custodian Hugo Lloris remains out of action, Spurs’ chances of keeping a clean-sheet remain slim. Toby Alderweireld (£5.9 m) and Jan Vertonghen (£6.0 m) are solid picks, at marginally cheaper prices too.

Midfielders

Richarlison

Team: Everton
Fixtures: Fulham (H), Leicester (A), Crystal Palace (H), Man United (A), Brighton (H)
Price: 6.6
Score: 23
Ownership: 18.1%

Why yes: Richarlison couldn’t score on his return against Arsenal, but that was largely down to the brilliance of Petr Cech. Against a porous Fulham defence, the Brazilian could run riot. Favourable fixtures make him a must-have at this stage.

Why no: Ryan Fraser (£5.8 m), Pedro (£6.7 m) and James Maddison (£6.8 m) are all excellent picks in this price bracket.

Leroy Sane

Team: Manchester City
Fixtures: Brighton (H), Liverpool (A), Burnley (H), Spurs (A) and Southampton (H)
Price: 9.2
Score: 21
Ownership: 4.3%

Why yes: After a slow start, Sane’s got his season up and running and it’s advisable to buy him before his price surges up. Considerably cheaper than Raheem Sterling and arguably just as lethal in front of goal, the German’s got a point to prove and best if you have in in your FPL team while goes about his business.

Why no: City do have some tough games up ahead, which means Pep Guardiola’s affinity towards rotation could wreak havoc for FPL managers. With Sergio Aguero (£11.4 m) and Bernardo Silva (£7.5 m) also in great nick, how will you manage to fit in Sane as well?

Forwards

Alexandre Lacazette

Team: Arsenal
Fixtures: Watford (H), Fulham (A), Leicester (H), Crystal Palace (A) and Liverpool (H)
Price: 9.4
Score: 31
Ownership: 4.9%

Why yes: Lacazette’s won his starting place by scoring/assisting regularly and the France forward is truly in the midst of a purple patch at the moment. His burgeoning partnership with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang promises to reap further dividends for all potential FPL owners. The Gunners’ next four fixtures are certainly pretty routine, at least on paper. Unai Emery’s men seem to have found their mojo and are looking like top-four contenders again.

Why no: He’s not exactly cheap, is he? With Wilfried Zaha (£7.0 m) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (£7.0 m) in sensational form, it’ll be difficult to justify the extra moolah required for the Gunners frontman.

Raul Jimenez

Team: Wolverhampton Wanderers
Fixtures: Southampton (H), Crystal Palace (A), Watford (H), Brighton (A) and Spurs (H)
Price: 5.5
Score: 25
Ownership: 5.6%

Why yes: The wildcard pick of the Gameweek, Wolves’ centre-forward will appeal to those who have seemingly exhausted their funds on the remaining 14 players. As mentioned earlier, the newcomers are doing extremely well and have a reasonable run of fixtures ahead.

Why no: Wolves midfielders Joao Moutinho (£5.4 m), Ruben Neves (£5.2 m) and Diogo Jota (£6.1 m) all make for a case too. Still too early to tell whether Jimenez will be able to consistently find the back of the net.

PS: The Gameweek deadline is 11.30 am GMT/4 pm IST.

Previous articles in this series:

Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks: Gameweek 6

Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks: Gameweek 5

Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks: Gameweek 4

Fantasy Premier League Pundit Picks: Gameweek 3