Injury Concern: Alternative FPL Midfielders
The Premier League is back with a bang. Back with a knock, and back with several large bruises that threaten yet another low-scoring week in our world of Fantasy Football. Dimitri Payet fell before the international break, but his departure from the Hype Train and the BPL sees a sizable gap form. Payet was not the first to fall, and there are others such as Bellerin, Vardy, Bony, and Kompany, whose GW13 game time is seriously hanging in the balance. With seven rounds of BPL action between now and 2016, we're all in the trenches looking for that ray of light to help boost our numbers. Nearing that moment of transfer deadline, the Hype Train provides a graphical aid for the midfielders that could potentially be show stealers in the weeks ahead.
Football lovers worldwide won't be treated to an early lie in on Saturday. As you can see below Watford host Man United at Vicerage road in the BT Sport televised 12:45pm kick-off. The 4th time this season, already, that United have taken the opening spot of the weekend. The meat of the action in the Premier League for Matchweek 13 takes places at 3pm for a change, and a welcome one at that. Man City then take on Liverpool in the evening. It's a sombre Sunday as the only game (at 4pm) sees Spurs entertain a Dimitri Payet-less West Ham. Monday, by its own measure, doesn't host the most thrilling game on paper, with Palace taking on Sunderland, but with the FPL tide turning in favour of Yohan Cabaye, there is added flare to the fixture to round off the week.
The Hammer is Down
We've decided to pull rank on midfielders because they're now the go-to option. If a striker such as Vardy, or Bellerin at the back, fall to the wasteside, there has been a trend of reinforcing the midfield. Making sure the four or five in the middle are playing is a smart strategy. It means players can risk having Vardy not play against Newcastle, because there could and should be an able replacement on the bench. It means that the likelyhood of Bellerin or Kompany not playing at the weekend is ok, all because you've got your midfield in tight order.
Dimitri Payet controlled over 30% of the FPL, and was a certainty to perform in each game. As the second top scoring midfielder, behind Mahrez of course, but time is a fickle, always. Since we created the graphic of Payet, he's dropped down 0.2m and is set to drop again by the close of GW13's deadline on Saturday morning.
The Alternatives
The international break, and the gloom that fantasy players have strapped across their faces, has finally begun to fade. The worry of injury now means that a decision with a clear head could be made. Below, we've put together who we think could shine in the weeks ahead.
Want more FPL?
Be sure to check out our Weekly Hype page with all of our Gameweek aid, and the Express Hype where we look at the minefield of traps that await the upcoming weekend of football.
All Aboard.
