Fantasy Premier League: Player Recommendations and Team of the Week Selections

The previous discussion comparing Mohamed Salah and Erling Haaland’s Fantasy Premier League (FPL) performance is revisited. Over his last nine matches, Manchester City’s Norwegian forward has accumulated 26 FPL points, while Salah has amassed 108 points. Salah once again leads the recommended team this week, which features three players from Liverpool and two attacking options from Aston Villa. This team of the week is assembled based on current FPL prices, adhering to a £100m budget, as if utilizing a Free Hit chip. Last gameweek’s speculative pick, Jamie Vardy, yielded four points despite scoring a goal and receiving a booking, due to a substitution in the 59th minute. Nevertheless, it was a successful week overall, with Salah (18 points), Alex Iwobi (15 points), captain Cole Palmer (14 points), Ollie Watkins (12 points), and a double Manchester City defensive inclusion contributing significantly. This resulted in a total score of 84 points. The latest Fantasy 606 podcast is available on BBC Sounds. A question is posed regarding Trent Alexander-Arnold’s potential to achieve double-digit assists for the fifth time in a single season. **David Raya, Arsenal, keeper, £5.5m – away at Fulham** Raya has recorded two clean sheets in his last three appearances, and the current team budget accommodates a premium goalkeeper. His performance against Manchester United was notable, as he frequently acted as a sweeper and made an excellent save from Matthijs de Ligt. The Spanish player also has a strong likelihood of earning bonus points if Arsenal secures a low-scoring victory. **Virgil van Dijk, Liverpool, £6.4m – away at Everton** The team of the week has successfully employed a double-up on a single defense for the past three weeks. This strategy is continued with Liverpool’s statistically strongest backline against an offense that has been struggling (excluding Everton’s 4-0 win against Wolves). Van Dijk has registered nine shots this season, with eight of them being headers inside the box, indicating a clear aerial threat from corners. The derby nature of the match is deemed irrelevant, as Liverpool is currently in excellent form. **Trent Alexander-Arnold, Liverpool, £6.9m – away at Everton** Despite being a source of frustration for FPL managers this season, Alexander-Arnold is now the second-highest scoring defender. His attacking prowess was evident with two assists in his 23 minutes as a substitute against Newcastle on Wednesday. He remains a valuable option for those with sufficient funds, possessing double-digit point potential in every game. **Noussair Mazraoui, Manchester United, £4.7m – home to Nottingham Forest** Nottingham Forest has failed to score in their last two away fixtures, against Manchester City and Arsenal, suggesting this selection relies on that trend persisting. Mazraoui has been one of United’s standout players this season. In FPL terms, his numerous blocks and interceptions, coupled with a high pass completion percentage, contribute to bonus points. Consequently, a potential six points for a clean sheet could increase to eight or nine. Bukayo Saka has accumulated an impressive 11 assists this season. **Mohamed Salah (captain), Liverpool £13.3m – away at Everton** Salah is considered an automatic selection for the team at present. He is on track for a historic FPL season, and his current form is highly favored. **Morgan Rogers, Aston Villa, £5.3m – home to Southampton** Rogers, who was a popular budget choice at the season’s outset, has experienced two unproductive periods without FPL returns this season, which explains his decreased ownership in recent weeks. However, he still boasts four goals and two assists, a respectable tally for his price bracket. The home fixture against Southampton is considered highly favorable, and Rogers is expected to have ample opportunities to increase his goal contributions from his position just behind Watkins. **Bukayo Saka, Arsenal, £10.5m – away at Fulham** While Salah’s exceptional point-scoring has garnered significant attention, Saka and Palmer are also on pace for 300-point seasons in midfield. With only one spot available in this week’s team, Saka is chosen, having recorded six attacking returns in his last three matches. **Jarrod Bowen, West Ham, £7.4m – home to Wolves** Wolves have conceded eight goals in their last two games. West Ham’s attacking performance has not been poor; they registered 31 shots in their defeat at Leicester, a match that could have easily ended 5-1 in their favor instead of a 3-1 loss. Manager Julen Lopetegui is under considerable pressure, and the team requires a positive result, with Bowen being their key player. All indicators suggest a West Ham victory. **Amad Diallo, Manchester United, £5m – home to Nottingham Forest** Diallo’s performances are visually impressive; he is an exciting player to watch and plays a significant role as a right wing-back in Ruben Amorim’s system. Since the Portuguese manager’s arrival at Old Trafford, Diallo has provided three assists in his two starts. During this period, only Bruno Fernandes (seven) has made more key passes than Diallo’s five, and the Ivory Coast winger has created the most big chances of any player (three). Yoane Wissa is currently five goals short of his 2023-24 tally of 12. **Yoane Wissa, Brentford, £6.2m – home to Newcastle** Wissa’s seven goals in just 10 starts this season represent a solid return, and Brentford averages over three goals per game at home. Bookmakers also anticipate at least three goals in this fixture, suggesting it should be an entertaining match, placing Wissa in a strong position to add to his goal count. **Ollie Watkins, Aston Villa, £9m – home to Southampton** Watkins is considered a straightforward selection this week. As the designated penalty taker, he earned 12 points last week against Brentford’s defense and now faces Southampton, the bottom-ranked club, whose defense is considered even weaker. **Bench Players:** **Neto, Arsenal, £4.2m – away at Fulham** Serves as Raya’s back-up. **Joao Pedro, Brighton, £5.8m – away at Leicester** The previous week highlighted the importance of a robust bench during the December period. There is a possibility of regretting not starting Joao Pedro. **Kyle Walker, Manchester City, £5.2m – away at Crystal Palace** Manchester City has a reasonable prospect of securing a clean sheet against a Crystal Palace team that scores infrequently. Walker is expected to play given the team’s injury situation. **Jan Paul van Hecke, Brighton, £4.5m – away at Leicester** If Leicester’s shot count and possession are as low as they were against West Ham, it is plausible that Brighton could prevent them from scoring. The total cost of the team is £99.9m. Bilal el Khannouss, at just 20 years old, already possesses 18 caps for Morocco. **Bilal el Khannouss, Leicester, midfielder, £4.8m** The Morocco midfielder is considered an exciting player to observe, displaying a determined attitude. New Leicester manager Ruud van Nistelrooy appears to appreciate this, as El Khannouss was given only his fourth start of the season against West Ham, where he secured bonus points with a goal and an assist. Leicester’s fixture list until the end of January is moderate, but it includes home games against Brighton, Wolves, Palace, and Fulham. For managers seeking a rotatable, budget-friendly eighth forward option, El Khannouss presents a potential choice. **Fulham – Arsenal (h), Liverpool (a), Southampton (h)** The immediate two fixtures are challenging. Managers are advised to consider Fulham from Week 17 onwards, when they face Southampton, Bournemouth, and Ipswich at home within a four-gameweek span. Their squad offers numerous affordable player options. Jarrod Bowen was a prominent topic on the podcast this week; both Statman Dave and the manager of the listeners’ team have included him in their midfields despite West Ham’s recent difficulties. The team generated numerous chances in their 3-1 loss to Leicester. They are scheduled to play at home in Gameweek 15 against Wolves, who have conceded eight goals in their last two matches. Bowen also offers a differential advantage, being owned by less than 7% of managers in the game. He is considered a viable replacement for Bryan Mbeumo, who has registered only one attacking return in the past five gameweeks for a Brentford team that performs well at home but struggles away. It is hoped that Nicolas Jackson will return to the Chelsea team for their match against Tottenham, after a four-point deduction was taken to bring him in for Gameweek 14, only for him to remain on the bench for the entire evening at Southampton. He is considered a strong long-term prospect. Noni Madueke is another differential option for midfield consideration following his fifth Premier League goal of the season at St Mary’s; his ownership stands at 6.6% at the time of writing. While Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer, and Bukayo Saka are strong contenders for the captaincy each week, Ollie Watkins is a worthy alternative for Aston Villa’s home fixture against Southampton for those seeking a different approach. The listeners’ manager has made the bold decision to captain Bowen. Individuals interested in participating in the podcast and managing the listeners’ team are invited to send an email to fantasy606@bbc.co.uk. The code to join the BBC Sport FPL league is ‘bbcfpl’.