Brighton FPL Gameweek 5: Get Pervis Estupinan before other managers do
With a midweek FPL deadline looming of 6:00pm on Tuesday night for Gameweek 5, managers should be looking at one of the newest players in the game as a huge differential opportunity – say hello to Pervis Estupinan.
The reasons to invest in Brighton defensive assets are well known. The 1-0 Gameweek 4 victory over The Leeds United made Robert Sanchez (£4.6 million) FPL’s highest scoring goalkeeper, registering back-to-back returns of eight points thanks to consecutive shutouts.
Sanchez has made 11 saves so far this season, kept three clean sheets and returned four bonus points. Averaging 6.5 points per match, he looks to be a great option for FPL managers ahead of an encouraging set of fixtures.
The Albion would be expected to maintain their impressive defensive record against Fulham, struggling Leicester City, Plucky Little Bournemouth and Crystal Palace over the next four matches.
Both Lewis Dunk (£4.5 million) and Joel Veltman (£4.5 million) are offering exceptional value for money, returning 24 and 22 points respectively for their FPL managers.
Their consistent clean sheets, as well as bonus points, make them attractive options for upcoming weeks. They also offer a real threat from set pieces at the other end of the pitch.
Dunk is only owned by 3.4 percent of FPL managers, which is more than the rest of the Brighton defence but still makes him a huge differential. Meanwhile, Veltman has 2.6 percent ownership and Adam Webster (£4.5 million) has just 0.3 percent.
A word of warning on Veltman ahead of the Gameweek 5 trip to Craven Cottage, however. He was substituted with injury midway through the second half against The Leeds United and is a doubt for Fulham as a result.
It is new signing Pervis Estupinan (£4.5 million) who offers the biggest FPL differential when investing in Brighton’s defence.
His arrival seems to have gone completely under the radar of most fantasy managers, and he is owned by just 0.1 percent of the game.
Estupinan’s 27 minutes of Gameweek 3 and 78 minutes on Saturday already place him 13th in the ICT index for creativity amongst defenders. This bodes well for his future assist potential.
In attack, Pascal Gross (£5.8 million) continues to be a hugely popular Brighton asset. Only two players in FPL have enjoyed a better start to the season than Der Kaiser – Erling Haaland (£11.8 million) and Rodrigo (£6.4 million).
Gameweek 4 brought Gross his second double-digit haul and fourth attacking return so far, a team-leading total. He ranks top amongst the Albion for expected assists (xA), expected goals (xG) and expected goal involvement (xGI).
Gross’ last league start away at Fulham came in the 2018-19 season, where he registered an assist in that 4-2 defeat played out in a first half blizzard.
At his current price tag and in form that Graham Potter has described as the best of his career, Gross could be an excellent transfer for FPL managers ahead of Tuesday’s deadline.
Captain Fantastic
Mohamed Salah (£13.0 million) was top for xG underachievers in Gameweek 4, meaning he was highly unlucky not to have scored in the 9-0 win over Bournemouth.
Next up, Salah faces Newcastle at home – a side he has never failed to score against at Anfield. From five such matches, he averages 9.20 points and always returns at least eight points.
Harry Kane (£11.4 million) returned 12 points in his last league meeting with Gameweek 5 opponent West Ham. The forward averages 6.13 points per meeting with the Hammers.
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