Brighton FPL Gameweek 36: How to replace Dunk, Maupay and Veltman
The trip to Wolves in FPL gameweek 35 did not go the way that Brighton supporters or owners of three of the Albion’s most popular fantasy players would have wanted as Lewis Dunk and Neal Maupay both received red cards and Joel Veltman missed the defeat through injury.
Dunk (£4.9 million) was dismissed for a ill-judged professional foul early in the second half. Maupay (£5.9 million) used foul and abusive language towards referee Jonathan Moss, earning his sending off after the final whistle.
Both will now miss the next two games at least. As for Veltman (£4.4 million), his absence at Molineux came as a surprise through a previously undeclared injury which seems likely to rule him out for the gameweek 36 visit of West Ham United.
Brighton assets have proven to be great differentials for their FPL owners over the course of the season and with Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester City and Arsenal blanking in gameweek 36 as a result of the clash with the FA Cup final, many managers would have been reliant on their Albion players to field a full team.
The 8.8 percent and 2.6 percent of FPL managers who own Dunk and Maupay respectively will be potentially looking to move these players on given that they will not be available for Brighton until gameweek 38.
Dunk’s absence is a particular blow as he has ben in sparkling form in recent weeks, finishing second in the April 2021 WAB Power Rankings behind Yves Bissouma.
Meanwhile, the 2.3 percent of managers who own Veltman might be willing to stick in the hope that he quickly recovers from the calf injury that saw him miss Wolves 2-1 Brighton.
Even accounting for the injuries and suspensions, FPL managers should not overlook Brighton assets this weekend. West Ham will arrive at the Amex having lost three of their last four Premier League fixtures.
The Hammers have also conceded 14 goals in their last eight matches and are without a clean sheet since gameweek 27, which bodes well for the Albion’s attackers.
Pascal Gross (£5.8 million) has now registered back-to-back attacking returns with a goal in gameweek 34 followed by an assist in gameweek 35.
He is top among FPL midfielders for chances created since his current run in the starting XI started in gameweek 19, suggesting further assists could be in the offing in the final three games of the season – especially if Adam Lallana remains sidelined and Gross continues in a more central role rather than being used out-of-position on the right.
With Maupay suspended, Danny Welbeck (£5.5 million) could also be an excellent pick. Over the last six gameweeks, Welbeck is top for penalty area touches across the Brighton squad with 32.
Dat Guy is also first for goals (two), goal attempts (12), big chances (four), headed goal attempts (five) and shots on target (five). At just 0.8 percent owned, Welbeck could be a great differential option for gameweek 36.
Captain Fantastic
With some of the usual contenders like Bruno Fernandes (£11.5 million), Jamie Vardy (£10.3 million) and Kelechi Iheanacho (£6.3 million) missing out this weekend, there is an interesting discussion to be had when it comes to the gameweek 36 captaincy.
Ahead of Thursday night’s clash with Manchester United, Mohamed Salah (£12.7 million) has returned in four of his last five Premier League fixtures.
The Liverpool midfielder has also now amassed exactly 1,000 FPL points since joining the Reds, the most achieved by any player in this time period.
Salah and Liverpool face a newly relegated West Brom side in gameweek 36 and are free from the shackles of Anfield, where their attack has generally struggled in recent months.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.6 million) looks like a great alternative captain pick this coming gameweek having registered back-to-back returns for Everton ahead of his second double gameweek 35 fixture against Aston Villa.
Everton’s opponents for gameweek 36 are Championship-bound Sheffield United, who have conceded the highest number of ‘big chances’ in the division this season.
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