How about this for a statistic:Erling Hallandis the best selling player inFantasy Premier Leaguebefore the Gameweek 28 deadline on Friday. yes the sameErling Haaland, who just scored five goals in a Champions League round of 16like kicking around with his buddies.
It seems inexplicable that the runaway Premier League Golden Boot contender and leading points scorer in the FPL would be removed from hundreds of thousands of squads when he is neither injured nor suspended considering he isrelentless consistency in a Manchester City shirt so far.
But as wrong as discarding the Norwegian points magnet feels, there is some logic to it. City are one of six clubs not playing in the league this week because they achieved thatFA Cup Quarterfinals, and are one of just eight clubs to play only once in matchweek 29, while the other dozen play twice.
Long story short, Haaland will play a maximum of one game over the next two game weeks (a potentially difficult one against Liverpool at home in 29, depending on which Liverpool show up), while other strikers will have three. Time will tell if the gamble to sell him pays off - a Haaland hat-trick against Jurgen Klopp's side suddenly seems inevitable - but it's easy to see why managers are contemplating the unthinkable.
Matchweek 27 top scorers
Goalkeeper:
- Net(Bournemouth) – 10
- Förster(Tracks) – 9
- Pickford(Everton) – 8,From Gea(ManU) – 8
Defender:
- Gabriel(Arsenal) – 14
- stones(Man City),Akanji(Man City),Bella-Kotchap(Southampton) – 9
- Moreno(Aston Villa),Chilwell(Chelsea),Tarkowski(Everton),Walker-Peters(Southampton) – 8
Midfield player:
- Trossard(Arsenal) – 15
- McNeil(Everton),Harrison(Leeds) – 11
- Invoice(Bournemouth) – 10
Forward:
- Kane(Tracks) – 13
- Richardson(Tracks),Havertz(Chelsea) – 9
- Watkins(Aston Villa),Bamford(Leeds) – 8
With just seven Premier League games to play this weekend, this is a prime opportunity to use your Free Hit Chip, which gives you unlimited transfers to your squad for a week with no points deducted. For example, if you want to move Haaland this week but have him back in place for game week 29, you can do that by pressing the shiny Free Hit button.
Another strategy to consider is using the wild card now to ensure you have a full team and plenty of players ready for 29 double match week this weekend. This plan is especially smart for those who have the Bench Boost chip, which adds the points scored by your substitutes to your overall score.
The eight clubs with three games over the next two matchweeks are:Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brentford, Chelsea, Leeds, Leicester, Newcastle und Nottingham Forest.
The closing date for entries is Friday at 6:30 p.m. this week.
Games of game week 28
Friday March 17th
- Nottingham Forest vs Newcastle
Saturday March 18th
- Aston Villa vs Bournemouth
- Brentford vs Leicester
- Southampton vs Spurs
- Wolves vs Leeds
- Chelsea vs Everton
Sunday March 19th
- Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Kepa Arrizabalaga (Chelsea)
Everton are in the relegation zone for goals scored away and with neither club below them in this table - Nottingham Forest and West Ham - playing away this weekend, the misfiring Toffees are the target of attack from a defensive perspective.
Chelsea have kept just one clean sheet in their last five games but Kepa Arrizabalaga's home form bodes well for a run of three straight games at Stamford Bridge. Of Kepa's eight clean sheets in the league this season, five have come at home, where he has averaged six points per game.
Preis:£4.7 millionPoints:87Game week 28 game:Everton (h)Game week 29 double?And.
Kieran Trippier (Newcastle)
After a run of four games without conceding or an offensive return, Kieran Trippier was back in the points this week.Providing an assist to Alexander Isakin Newcastle's 2-1 win over Wolves to gain five on aggregate. It could have been more if Trippier hadn't accidentally set up Wolves' equalizer by slipping at the crucial moment.
Trippier offers scoring potential at both ends of the pitch for Newcastle's game against Nottingham Forest on Friday night. Only Kevin De Bruyne has created more chances than he has in the Premier League this season, while Forest have averaged under a goal per game all season.
Preis:£6 millionPoints:152Game week 28 game:Nottingham-Wald (a)Game week 29 double?And.
Ben Chilwell (Chelsea)
Given that Chelsea have conceded just eight goals in their 12 home games in the league, doubling down on defense seems like a viable strategy for the next few weeks. Ben Chilwell has replaced Reece James as the Blues' defender of choice, as evidenced by his status as the best-selling player ahead of Friday's deadline.
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Injuries have plagued the England left-back for the past few seasons but encouragingly he has started in each of Chelsea's last four games. And he has shown his attacking potential in the last two, providing an assist against Leeds before scoring a lovely goal against Leicester, from a 0.01 expected total.
Preis:5,9 Mio. £Points:55Game week 28 game:Everton (h)Game week 29 double?And.
Oleksandr Zinchenko (Arsenal)
If you don't have an Arsenal defender in your squad, now could be a good time to get one, considering nearest opponents Crystal Palace haven't scored a single goal in their last three games. According to Opta, the Eagles are the first to pull off this miraculous feat since they began collecting data in the 2003-04 season.
Much like their forwards, picking a standout Arsenal defender is difficult as they all have similar price tags and scores. However, Oleksandr Zinchenko is the best choice according to statistics as he averages more shots (1.10) and chances (0.90) per game than anyone else.
Preis:£5.2millionPoints:86Game week 28 game:Kristallpalast (h)Game week 29 double?No, single device.
James Maddison (Leicester)
At first glance, James Maddison looks like an easy avoidance this week. Leicester have been beaten in their last four Premier League games and lost eight of their 11 games since the division resumed after the World Cup. Maddison, on the other hand, has gone through three games without recording a goal or assist.
However, he unfortunately missed points. According to the FPL, Maddison had an expected goal contribution of 1.67 in that run, which measures the likelihood of a player scoring or assisting a goal.
The Foxes have promising upcoming games with Brentford (a), Crystal Palace (a), Aston Villa (h) and Bournemouth (h) in their next four.
Preis:8,1 Mio. £Points:101Game week 28 game:Brentford (a)Game week 29 double?And.
Martin Ödegaard (Arsenal)
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There is a lot of interest in FPLLeandro Trossard after his hat trick in assistsagainst Fulham, however, his playing time could soon be limited after Gabriel Jesus returned to action after a three-month hiatus. Impressive as the Belgian has been since joining from Brighton in January, he is a rotation risk and could share minutes with Gabriel Martinelli in the coming weeks.
Martin Odegaard is arguably less likely than Trossard and Martinelli to hit double figures in a single matchweek, but he is irreplaceable and arguably the first name on Mikel Arteta's squad. The Norwegian's underlying stats are great too, having ranked at the top of the Arsenal squad for both shots (20) and chances created (17) in the last five weeks of games.
Preis:£6.9 millionPoints:150Game week 28 game:Kristallpalast (h)Game week 29 double?No, single device.
Emi Buendia (Aston Villa)
If you're looking for midfielders who have one game in 28 and two in 29, there aren't many obvious candidates to choose from. A difference that might be worth investing in in the short-term is Emi Buendia, to which this criterion applies; Villa meets Bournemouth (h) in 28, followed by Chelsea (a), Leicester (a) in 29.
Buendia owns less than 1 per cent of managers but has become a more important part of the Villa side since Unai Emery replaced Steven Gerrard. The Argentine has started all but one of Emery's 13 league games in charge, scoring three goals, third-most shots attempted and creating the second-highest number of chances of any Villan during that time.
Preis:£5.7 millionPoints:77Game week 28 game:Bournemouth (h)Game week 29 double?And.
Gabriel Martinelli (Arsenal)
Bukayo Saka is likely a safer choice than Martinelli for those using their wildcard as he has less competition for his starting right wing spot. However, if you use the free kick, Martinelli has the edge due to his recent form.
Since matchweek 24, Martinelli has scored five goals for Sakas two and accumulated 16 more FPL points. It's a small sample size, but in the last two games, Martinelli has had twice as many shots on goal as Saka (8-4). A man in red hot form.
Preis:£6.6 millionPoints:150Game week 28 game:Kristallpalast (h)Game week 29 double?No, single device.
Harry Kane (Tracks)
In last week's picks, following a disastrous string of results, we wrote: "Harry Kane may be the only one capable of undoing the darkness and doom at Spurs". Lo and behold, Kane was the savior, scoring the opening two goals of a 3-1 win over Nottingham Forest for his 19th and 20th Premier League goals of the season.
Kane's consistency has been admirable considering his team has been anything but, and while the Golden Boot will likely be out of reach, he closes the gap to Haaland at the top of the FPL leaderboard. Spurs meet teams in the middle of a relegation battle over the next two weeks with trips to Southampton and Everton.
Preis:11,7 Mio. £Points:176Game week 28 game:Southampton (a)Game week 29 double?No, single device.
Ollie Watkins (Aston Villa)
A forward on form with three games in the next two weeks: Ollie Watkins is a hot property in the FPL and is the second-biggest-bought forward behind Kane ahead of Friday's deadline as managers plan for life after Erling.
Villa have been resurrected since Emery's appointment, but no player has enjoyed such a huge rebound in form as Watkins. The 27-year-old has netted just one goal in 11 games under Gerrard but has since netted eight in his last 14 games and since Matchweek 21 has been tied with Haaland as the top scorer with six goals.
Preis:£7.3millionPoints:110Matchweek 28: Bournemouth(H)Game week 29 double?And.
Kai Havertz (Chelsea)
After seven games without scoring, Kai Havertz has since scored in back-to-back games against Borussia Dortmund and Leicester. If the first of those goals came somewhat haphazardly from a repeated penalty, the second was anything but Havertz, who gracefully lobbed the ball over Danny Ward after an inventive scoop pass from Enzo Fernandez.
It's been a tough season for Havertz but he's starting to find some confidence in front of goal and is starting to work well with Joao Felix and Raheem Sterling up front.Felix(£7.6m) is another interesting option for the Blues attack to consider, but Havertz is only shadowing them after being confirmed as the club's new first-choice penalty taker.
Preis:£7.5 millionPoints:80Game week 28 game:Everton (h)Game week 29 double?And.