The previous round was rather lacking in spectacular Fantasy Premier League highlights. Erling Haaland scored (14.0), Mohamed Salah scored (13.1), Heung-Min Son scored (9.6), Bukayo Saka scored (8.9).
On top of that, the offensive players outperformed the defensive players, as very few teams kept a clean sheet. However, this was nothing to surprise the seasoned FPL player.
Who to captain?
Once again, this question is extremely legitimate, although, let's be honest - in terms of the game itself, Haaland and Salah look remarkably similar.
The Liverpool player has accumulated the most points in the game but only one point more than the Manchester City man. Perhaps this coming round will be the crucial one and will result in a difference between the two of them.
Salah has a good opportunity to crank out some really crazy numbers as he will travel to Sheffield United, who were able to lose 8-0 at home to Newcastle. If Liverpool get their act together and Salah plays the whole match, even with a small effort he could make double-digits. He is, after all, the one who takes the penalty kicks in Jurgen Klopp's team, and a lot of The Reds' action goes through him. The risk of not scoring is extremely low with him.
On paper, Haaland is in a more difficult position as he faces an away trip to Villa Park. Unai Emery's team is one of the best in the Premier League this calendar year and it's hard to see Emiliano Martinez (4.9) conceding a few goals. But on the other hand, Haaland is extremely reliable - if not a goal from play, then an assist. If not an assist, then a penalty kick. It's hard to imagine him scoring a hat-trick but if anyone is predicting just two points from him, they have a lot of confidence.
What did we learn from last weekend?
The situation is dynamic - we've barely finished the last game of the previous Premier League round and we're already past the first pre-match conferences of the next round of games. It's time for some key observations.
Nick Pope's injury (5.5) - Newcastle's goalkeeper had to leave the field after an unlucky fall and, according to the latest reports, he will be missing for several months as he has to heal a shoulder injury. The trained eye of an experienced FPL player will immediately find their opportunity in the form of Martin Dubravka (4.0), who will suddenly be defending the Magpies' goal but I would nevertheless caution against buying him. He may be a good option for the short term, but Newcastle will legitimately move to buy and acquire a goalkeeper to take over Pope's role and put Dubravka on the bench. No rash moves!
The return of Jarrod Bowen (7.6) - David Moyes' words came true and the Englishman actually returned to action very quickly, starting the match against Crystal Palace. Unfortunately for his owners, though, he had no part in the Hammers' goals. However, if anyone has put up with him in the squad and not sold him yet, there is no need to do so now. Bowen is doing well and can be counted on to score in the next few rounds.
Unlucky Aston Villa - Ollie Watkins (8.4) played against Bournemouth and despite many players selling him, fearing his dip in form, he scored 11 points. Matty Cash (4.9) and Moussa Diaby (6.8) started the game on the bench despite a high possession rate and the Villans now enter a very difficult schedule as they face Manchester City and Liverpool in the next few days. There are indeed plenty of reasons to call Aston Villa 'unlucky' and you had better think carefully if you have a minimum of two of Emery's players in your squad.
Who to buy?
What about transfers? Who should you look at for the next round?
Martin Dubravka (4.0) - Of course, his name has to appear here even though I warned against him just above. However, if someone wants to take a risk, doesn't mind a transfer, still hasn't used the Wildcard and, above all, has a second playing goalkeeper - it's worth considering buying him. The Slovak can step into the goal of one of the better defences in the league and for 3.9 million you can rake in some clean sheets. The schedule for the coming rounds is encouraging, but we could find out at any moment that the Magpies have contracted David De Gea.
Matheus Cunha (5.6) - Wolves are one of the revelations of this year's competition, and the Brazilian is showing that he could prove himself as a third striker in FPL. He is very cheap, he has got some minutes on the pitch and is the leader of his team's attack. He has the most shots on goal in the team, the most shots on target and the highest xG (expected goals). On top of that, he doesn't just go for goals as he also has two assists to his name. In the last three games, he has had a hand in a goal. Of course, he cannot be considered as the first choice in a lineup but if you have a free transfer in this position - why not? His next two games are at home against Burnley and Nottingham.
Antonee Robinson (4.4) - Also a pretty unpopular option. What could convince you to buy a defender from one of the worst teams in the league? Fulham showed at Anfield on Sunday that they really can fight back. The Londoners have only scored 16 goals this campaign and three of them have been assisted by the American. Not only that, he has done it in the last three rounds. Costing just 4.4 million, which is no money at all, he can do something on the offensive and, if a clean sheet happens, there are good points to be gained. An ideal defender to rotate from the bench.
Radim Horák (one of the best Czech players in FPL):
Martin Dubravka (4.0) - The initial prediction is that Newcastle's first-choice goalkeeper Nick Pope will be out for four to five months. The Englishman came off the pitch in the match against Manchester United due to a shoulder problem and was replaced between the posts by Dubravka. The Slovak is showing in the national team that he is still a top-class keeper and I see no reason why the Magpies need to bring in a new player in this position. At a price tag of 4 million, he is like a Christmas present and his price will only continue to rise in the coming weeks.
Pedro Porro (5.3) - It's been rare lately for teams in the Premier League to keep a clean sheet. Therefore, among defensive players, look for their potential on the offensive side of things. Porro fulfils this requirement - in the last four games he has created four great chances on goal for his teammates, the best performance among defenders in this period. He is very active in the attacking half and moves into dangerous areas of the pitch. Tottenham now have a home game against West Ham, who are not renowned for their defending, and Spurs' schedule in the next few rounds does not look too bad. Porro is a choice for the long term.
Matheus Cunha (5.6) - We are getting to that stage of the season where it is particularly important to pick players who are crucial to their teams and spend a lot of minutes on the pitch. Wolves' Brazilian striker is one of those players. Cunha has made his presence known in the last two games against Fulham and Arsenal, and Wolves have two home games against Burnley and Nottingham Forest ahead of them. Over the last month, the Brazilian has been one of the most active strikers in the game but only 2% of players have him in their lineups.
