Maupay the underrated pick in Fantasy Premier League week three
Just a week after Brighton & Hove Albion put in a creditable performance against Chelsea at home came a perfect one as Neal Maupay was the star of the Fantasy Premier League show away at Newcastle United.
Perfect that is unless you are Yves Bissouma (£4.5 million), whose Jamal Lewis-based chin music has landed him with a three match ban.
Luckily for Bissouma, he only misses one Premier League game thanks to Brighton’s second string beating Preston North End on Wednesday night to progress to the fourth round of the Carabao Cup.
Everything else about the Albion’s 3-0 win at St James’ Park was an absolute joy – especially Tariq Lamptey (£4.5 million) who took all the plaudits despite being on the pitch for less than an hour.
Attention now turns to the visit of Manchester United to the Amex. Can Brighton continue where they left off against Newcastle and so a number on United in the Saturday lunchtime kick off?
Neal Before The Mighty Maupay
If Graham Potter’s merry band are going to kick on from the Newcastle result, then Neal Maupay (£6.5 million) could be the man to seal the deal.
He has started the 2020-21 season in fine form, sitting joint top of the strikers list for big chances with three and in the top 10 for shots on target (three again) and overall attempts (five). Maupay also has penalties in his arsenal as a further incentive.
Whether United will be as poor as they were against Crystal Palace is the key question. The Red Devils allowed Palace to create six chances from central areas, the worst record of any team in gameweek two.
Only five teams conceded more shots than United’s 14 – against the not-exactly-attack-minded Palace, remember. Both statistics will be music to the ears of Neal Maupay and should be attracting the attention of Fantasy Premier League managers.
Yet the Frenchman seems to be slipping under the radar somewhat. Rather than Neal Maupay, most Fantasy Premier League managers have been moving for Lamptey after his heroics at St James’ Park and keeper Maty Ryan (£4.5m) this week.
The pair are both in the top 30 for overall transfers in, with Maupay a distant third among the Seagulls contingent. With just two percent ownership in Fantasy Premier League, the striker has the potential to be a canny differential pick – if the form of both sides stays around gameweek two levels.
Elsewhere…
Fantasy managers can be an impatient lot. How else to explain the continued exodus of Timo Werner (£9.5 million) owners?
The Chelsea forward was in close to three million Fantasy Premier League squads for the season opener at the Amex. It was a match in which – lest we forget – he opened his fantasy account with an assist as the Blues ran out 3-1 winners.
That encouraging debut prompted nearly half a million managers…to get rid of Werner. A bit harsh, although it was Liverpool up next for Frank Lampard’s side.
A defeat for 10 man Chelsea followed against the champions and an understandable blank for Werner. This has sparked another rush to sell the German international, with a further quarter of a million managers transferring him out. That currently makes Werner the third most ditched player heading into the weekend.
All of that would be understandable if Chelsea weren’t playing West Bromwich Albion – worst for goals conceded (eight), shots on target conceded (14) and big chances conceded (eight).
At the same time, Werner is among the top five forwards for attempts (six) and penalty area touches (12) despite facing Jurgen Klopp’s Reds last week. Patience is a virtue and Werner looks well-placed to prove it.
Oh Captain, My Captain
It’s an awkward gameweek for trying to nail a captaincy choice, with some big-hitting match-ups (Liverpool v Arsenal) and tricky fixtures for in-form teams (Crystal Palace v Everton) reducing the appeal of some obvious candidates.
But while a visit from Leicester City (two wins, seven goals and a clean sheet) might suggest similar negative vibes for Manchester City assets this week, you can’t keep a good man down. And they don’t come much better than Kevin De Bruyne (£11.6 million).
He was the star of the show in Monday night’s 3-1 win at Wolverhampton Wanderers with a goal, an assist and maximum bonus bringing in 13 points for his 36.2 percent ownership.
The midfielder also played in an advanced role at Molineux, helping him to lead the way with four attempts – all of which were on target – two big chances and six chances created.
Leicester’s perfect start to the season looks impressive, but they’ve thus far seen off a struggling West Brom and a Burnley side that looked very rusty during their first appearance of the campaign.
The Foxes have also allowed 23 shots – the same figure as Fulham – which is the sort of generosity they can ill afford if De Bruyne is again allowed to roam high up the pitch in Sunday afternoon’s game.
You can pick up expert advice throughout the 2020-21 Fantasy Premier League season with Fantasy Football Scout
