Another weekend of Premier League action has given FPL managers plenty to think about, with several teams strengthening their claims as sides to target over the next few gameweeks.
Manchester City showed they are still a top attacking side, Newcastle United continued their encouraging start, Chelsea’s attack once again delivered, while Manchester United finally showed signs of life with a huge win over Ipswich Town.
As ever we will highlight the main FPL talking points from the games played so far.
Manchester City suddenly have options everywhere
Manchester City’s 4-1 victory over Crystal Palace was arguably the most important result of the weekend from an FPL perspective.
Rayan Cherki (£7.6m) and Erling Haaland (£15.5m) both scored twice as City’s attack completely overwhelmed Palace in the second half.
Haaland will obviously attract the most attention. The Norwegian braced after his Gameweek 1 blank, putting any doubts in regards to his form to rest.
Erling Haaland picked up where he left off last season (Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)
But the really interesting development is the number of other routes into this Manchester City attack.
Cherki looks particularly intriguing. His two goals showcased his individual quality, and his performance at Selhurst Park will undoubtedly mean he has played his way into Enzo Maresca’s best starting XI.
Then there’s Phil Foden (£7.0m), who continues to look dangerous in this system. He assisted twice playing a key role in Haaland’s second goal, producing the run that helped create the opportunity.
His minutes are also looking good under the new manager — playing over 80 minutes in both opening games.
Even Elliot Anderson (£6.4m) is worth consideration due to his price and the fact he will pick up plenty of DEFCON points.
At the back, Josko Gvardiol (£5.6m) and Nico O’Reilly (£6.5m) are also options worth monitoring. City conceded in both their opening games but Gvardiol has managed attacking returns in both and although O’Reilly hasn’t yet, his continued role in midfield surely means its only a matter of time.
That’s what makes City particularly interesting. Haaland is the obvious choice, but there are also multiple cheap routes into a team that has now scored six goals across their opening two league wins.
For FPL managers, the question is no longer whether to own a City player. It’s becoming a question of how many.
Newcastle look like a team to target
Newcastle were another major winner from the weekend, beating Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 away.
Anthony Elanga (£6.1m) and Yoane Wissa (£6.1m) scored the goals.
The upcoming fixtures make Newcastle even more appealing.
Matthias Jaissle’s side play Bournemouth (H), Hull City (H), Coventry City (A), Aston Villa (H) and Everton (H) during the next seven.
Wissa immediately stands out. He’s managed a goal and an assist in the opening two and looks the clear first choice No 9 under the new manager. The DR Congo international might even be the best budget forward in the game.
I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s the first-choice penalty taker too.
Anthony Elanga and Yoane Wissa both scored at Tottenham (Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
There are also some very interesting defensive picks.
Lewis Hall (£5.0m) was outstanding and not only did he secure the three bonus points, he hit his DEFCON threshold which he also did in the first match against Liverpool.
An attacking full-back with defensive contribution threat is gold dust in FPL.
Amar Dedic (£4.5m) is also worth watching. He is looking like fine value at this price and he also picked up an assist for Elanga’s opening goal. The right-back may face competition from Tino Livramento (£5.0m), but the latter is out injured at the moment with no return date.
Newcastle’s fixtures are attractive enough that investing in at least one of their defenders could offer a route into a team that looks increasingly well organised under the new manager.
They now have a run that should make managers seriously consider investing.
Wissa, Hall and Dedic all deserve to be on the FPL radar.
Chelsea’s attack continues to impress
Chelsea’s 4-3 victory over Brighton & Hove Albion was chaotic, but the conclusion was simple: invest in their attack and ignore the defence.
The Blues raced into a 3-0 lead before Brighton fought back.
The attacking numbers and performances are what will interest FPL managers.
Cole Palmer (£9.6m) remains the obvious standout. He has penalties and is clearly playing with more freedom, and more importantly looks fit. He has two goals and an assist already.
Joao Pedro (£7.6m) looks pretty essential, already registering two goals and two assists.
And Morgan Rogers (£7.5m) has also made a decent start with an assist and looks increasingly central to Chelsea’s attack.
It’s actually quite straightforward with Chelsea. Palmer, Rogers and Joao Pedro are the players to buy and clearly the best options for Xabi Alonso’s side.
They are all absolutely nailed to start and have goals and assists in their locker.
Manchester United finally explode into life
Manchester United’s performance was arguably the biggest statement of the weekend.
After losing their opening match against Hull City, they responded with a 5-2 win over Ipswich, with Bruno Fernandes (£12.0m) scoring a hat-trick and Bryan Mbeumo (£8.0m) also getting on the scoresheet.
Bruno Fernandes is proving his value again this season (Dan Mullan/Getty Images)
For FPL managers who invested in United assets, this was exactly the response they wanted.
With Man United’s fixtures toughening up a bit after this week, this result should stop mass sales for the likes of Bruno and Mbeumo.
They have proven that they can score goals and look good going forward.
For those with either Bruno or Mbeumo, keeping them for the next few games is totally fine and selling no longer remains a priority.
However, with Manchester City playing Coventry (H) next it does also makes sense to move one of them for the likes of Foden or Cherki.
Another route is to wait until United play Man City in Gameweek 4 and sell one of them for Palmer or Rogers.
Chelsea welcome Hull to Stamford Bridge on September 12 and the way Alonso’s side are attacking this could be another high-scoring win.
United defenders are a clear sell, but in attack they have bought themselves a bit of time.
