Brighton FPL Gameweek 35: Don’t ignore Dunk like Gareth Southgate
Most FPL managers will be fully focused on the teams that play twice in double gameweek 35 and whilst the pull of a player having double the minutes to return points is attractive, managers should be wary of simply ignoring the star performers from clubs with only one fixture – like Lewis Dunk at Brighton.
In every double gameweek, there are single fixture players who outperform those who have two matches. With a trip to face a Wolverhampton Wanderers side who they have an outrageous record against, the Albion represent a good place to look.
Not only have Brighton never lost a top flight game against Wolves, but Nuno’s side have failed to win in the last two gameweeks, conceding five goals in the process whilst only scoring one themselves. Such a poor record going forward adds to the attractiveness of the Seagulls backline going to Molineux.
To maximise returns, finding a defender who also offers a threat going forward is key. With that in mind, both Dunk (£4.9 million) and Joel Veltman (£4.4 million) have the potential to add FPL attacking returns to a clean sheet should Brighton keep one.
Dunk finished ninth out of all players in gameweek 34 for BPS as he picked up two bonus FPL points to supplement his shutout. The Brighton captain has been in the form of his life since Christmas, topping the WAB Power Rankings in January and February.
Brighton as a team were fourth across the gameweek for clearances, blocks and interceptions, registering 34 in their 2-0 victory over 1996 Coca Cola Cup runners up The Leeds United. Dan Burn (£4.2 million) managed ten of these on his own and was the fifth best performing player in FPL in this category.
Despite their recent lack of goals, Wolves were top for shots in gameweek 34 when visiting local rivals West Bromwich Albion and they were fifth for chances created. However, they only managed to convert one of those chances and that came thanks to a huge deflection.
This ability to create chances could be a positive for Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez (£4.6 million) who might register highly for save points to put himself amongst the bonus points, providing he keeps Wolves at bay.
Danny Welbeck (£5.5 million) took maximum bonus points in Saturday’s victory against The World’s Biggest Club after another impressive performance, including an excellent strike which sealed the home side’s victory. Brighton’s 17 shots saw them rank fourth in that round of fixtures, and three of those attempts came from Welbeck.
Captain Fantastic
This gameweek will likely see a greater variety of captain selections in play as a result of the double gameweek and FPL managers looking to make the most of this opportunity.
The Leicester duo of Jamie Vardy (£10.3 million) and Kelechi Iheanacho (£6.3 million) should be popular choices as fixtures against Newcastle United and a Manchester United team struggling with fixture congestion could offer plenty of scope for goals. Iheanacho has now registered attacking returns in seven of his last eight Premier League matches and is in an exceptional vein of form.
Whilst Everton have a tricky set of fixtures on paper for this double gameweek, striker Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.5 million) could be a nice captain pick.
Both Aston Villa and West Ham United have conceded in each of their last seven fixtures, suggesting that both sides will give up promising opportunities to the England striker.
Mohamed Salah (£12.7 million) has two scheduled matches in gameweek 35 and one of them is against a Southampton side who have conceded 15 goals in their last six Premier League games – and so he could also be a fine captaincy selection.
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