Brighton FPL Gameweek 3: Another assist for Gross?
Brighton & Hove Albion’s first match at the Amex of 2021-22 was exactly what Seagulls fans and FPL managers alike were hoping to see – especially those who have done the sensible thing and picked Pascal Gross for their Fantasy Premier League team.
Gross claimed his second assist of the season as the Albion saw off Watford 2-0 to make it six points from six. Following on from the hard fought away victory over Burnley in gameweek one, this is proving to be a good time to own not just Gross, but also the Brighton’s defensive assets and frontman Neal Maupay.
Case for the Defence
Shane Duffy (£4.1 million) took FPL managers back in time on Saturday afternoon with his goal, clean sheet and 14-point haul, reminding us all of how treasured a fantasy asset he was in seasons gone by.
In the opening two gameweeks, Duffy has managed seven penalty area touches and as many efforts on goal. He is not only top for shots among FPL defenders but also first for goal attempts across the whole Brighton team.
Hopefully, some of you listened to our advice of Duffy being a dream pick ahead of the Watford win and selected him before this week’s price rise came into place.
Looking forward, FPL managers may worry about Duffy’s long-term minutes but with the continued absence of Tariq Lamptey (£4.5 million), Joel Veltman (£4.4 million) and Dan Burn (£4.5 million), he looks like he will continue to hold his place in the Brighton starting line-up for a few more weeks at the very least.
With Liverpool’s Andrew Robertson (£7.0 million) back on the Reds bench in gameweek 2, it may be the end of Kostas Tsimikas’s (£4.2 million) run in Jurgen Klopp’s team and therefore an FPL move to Duffy from the Greek defender makes a lot of sense. Indeed, the Albion man is the most transferred-in defender ahead of gameweek 3.
Alongside Duffy, Robert Sanchez (£4.5 million) continues to be popular amongst FPL managers; only Aston Villa’s Emi Martinez (£5.5 million) and Watford’s second-choice keeper Ben Foster (£4.0 million) are more heavily owned than the Brighton shot-stopper.
Sanchez was one of only six goalkeepers to keep a clean sheet in gameweek 2 and he is one of just seven goalkeepers with a positive ‘expected goals prevented’ (xGP) tally over the opening two weeks.
Brighton v Everton finished 0-0 at the Amex last season which, if repeated, bodes well for the defensive options.
Case for the Attack
Maupay (£6.5 million) has returned a goal in each of the two opening fixtures for Brighton and was fourth amongst forwards in the Bonus Points System (BPS) in gameweek 2.
Having registered five goal attempts and two big chances so far, Brighton fans and FPL managers alike were no doubt listening keenly to Graham Potter’s pre-match press conference ahead of gameweek 3 to see whether Maupay has recovered in time from his shoulder injury. Potter being Potter, he gave nothing.
Managers looking to invest in the Brighton attack ahead of the match against Everton should also have a look at the midfield. Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5 million) has registered two big chances so far this campaign, level with Maupay.
Then we come to Gross (£6.0 million) who has back-to-back assists and is top amongst Brighton players for both touches in the final third and chances created, which on its own makes him look an attractive FPL option.
Even more appealing is that Gross is owned by just 0.7 percent of FPL managers, meaning that he can be an excellent differential over the coming weeks as Brighton continue to enjoy a relatively gentle run of games.
Captain Fantastic
With Mohamed Salah (£12.6 million) playing Chelsea and Bruno Fernandes (£12.1 million) having what seems to be a more difficult fixture than on paper against Wolves, the captaincy debate for gameweek 3 is more open than it has been so far this season.
Tottenham’s Son Heung-Min (£10.1 million) will likely be a popular option ahead of a home fixture against Watford but managers looking for a real differential should consider his teammate Dele Alli (£6.5 million) on the back of his match-winning goal against Wolves in gameweek 2.
West Ham’s Michail Antonio (£7.7 million) is currently owned by just under 40 peecent of FPL managers and has one of the nicest fixtures of the gameweek against a Crystal Palace side who are yet to score a goal under Patrick Viera, allied with his red-hot form that has seen him rack up 29 points in the opening two rounds.
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