POWER RANKINGS 2018/19: The Aftermath of FPL Gameweek 1
After the dust has settled in a round of Premier League fixtures, we here at The Hype Train provide a post-mortem in the shape of our Power Rankings. We highlight the five key performers for FPL players in each position (GK/DEF/MID/FOR), with our selections based off of our own opinion of in-game performance and the end result with Fantasy points on the board. All aboard.
Fantasy Premier League: Gameweek 2 Deadline
For the 2016/17 Premier League season, the FPL deadline will be one hour before the commencement of the week's first game. The Premier League website lists each FPL deadline, you can always ask on social media, and you can also view a real time countdown on our Weekly Hype page.
POWER RANKINGS: Goalkeeper Picks
We start by highlighting the value presented to FPL in the shape of its Goalkeepers. At the summit of our thoughts this week is Wayne Hennessey, who was absolutely outstanding in the 2-0 away win at Fulham. His 9 points was trumped by Alex McCarthy's 11 points, but his performance was golden, especially saving well from Mitrovic in the first-half at Craven Cottage.
Ben Foster sits in the middle of the pack, with many FPL players sitting pretty at the beach as Foster registered what will probably be the easiest clean sheet of his carrer in a 2-0 home win against Brighton.
To round off our picks, we like Brazil have opted for Alisson over Ederson. Liverpool's shot-stopper was commanding, with many fans in Anfield in shock that one of their Goalkeeper's can catch and kick a ball. Alisson also had more touches than Jack Wilshere, so that says something about his footballing ability. Ederson had some shaky moments at the Emirates, and nearly gifted Mesut Ozil a goal, but was a safe pair of hands.
POWER RANKINGS: Defender Picks
It was the week of the left-back, with four embracing our Power Rankings with open arms. Benjamin Mendy was a loose cannon against Arsenal, and even though was was caught out of position a few times, was nearly unplayable going forward in attack, which was rewarded by two assists.
Goals and assists flowed through defenders this week, with Andrew Robertson assisting Mohamed Salah with a cut-back that will have been a dream goal for many players. Luke Shaw, priced at £5.0 million, was the cheap route into Man United's defence, and paid his ownership back with a first goal for United, with the left-back impressing against Leicester.
Aaron Wan-Bissaka rounds off the list and sits just behind Mendy. The right-back brilliantly assisted Wilfried Zaha's goal against Fulham, and for FPL players is looking to be incredible value at just £4.0 million, though the full-back won't stay that price for long.
POWER RANKINGS: Midfielder Picks
Every single person banked on Salah, but we're left with Sadio Mane at the top of the table. The Senegal captain found himself in the right place at the right time against West Ham to outshine The Egyptian King, with both of Liverpool's wingers impressing against The Hammers.
A combination of Richarlison and Ruben Neves also makes up our midfield picks, and there's a good chance they make up the slots in your midfield too, with both cheap and highly owned. Richarlison in particular was on fire against Watford. The Brazilian fought for everything and was hungry to impress after Marco Silva put so much in to bringing the former Watford player to Merseyside.
Neves was instrumental in Wolves's 2-2 draw against Neves and looks like he might be here to stay in the FPL. Neves commands every set-piece responsibility, and genuinely looks like a future Liverpool-type player. Neves is a general in midfield and has pin-point delivery, all which Raul Jimenez knows too well after equalising against The Toffees.
In the middle of the pack was the surprise package of the week, Roberto Pereyra. The Watford midfield wasn't highly tipped against Brighton, no one from the encounter bar Ben Foster really was, but the playmaker showed immense quality from the first whistle, and scored two sensational goals to become the join-top FPL player with Sadio Mane.
POWER RANKINGS: Forward Picks
No Forward managed to get ten points this weekend, but we're not surprised. Defenders ate up bonus points, and the only realistic chance of double-digits for a Forward vanished with Callum Wilson's penalty miss against Cardiff. Wilson is at the top after outshining Josh King in Bournemouth's attack, whilst Cenk Tosun's presence is enough for the silver medal this week after assisting Richarlison's second goal against Wolves.
Wilfried Zaha, who looks like he might struggle for bonus points this season due to his position behind Christian Benteke, was a menace against Fulham, with the hosts unable to control Zaha's pace and power on the counter in the second-half of Palace's opening day victory.
Jamie Vardy continues to be a pest to 'Top 6' clubs as his substitute appearance is enough to become the FPL's second-highest scoring Forward, with the Englishman scoring a header past de Gea in extra-time at Old Trafford on Friday night.
Rounding off the top five is Roberto Firmino, who will count himself fortunate to have been awarded an assist, after Sadio Mane's second goal against West Ham was clearly offside. Nevertheless, the potential for Firmino is still there in spades and will be high on the radar during a visit to Crystal Palace.
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The Hype Train is an entertainment website founded in 2015, specialising in the Fantasy Premier League (#FPL), providing beautiful graphics and weekly insight for hopeful players attempting to climb ranking tables. We are also occasional media reviewers, with a keen interest to review movies, live sport, and professional wrestling.
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The Hype Train were nominated and shortlisted for the 'Best Football Blog 2016' by the Football Bloggers Association at their annual Football Blogging Awards (The FBA's), with the final presentation held at Old Trafford in Manchester.
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All aboard.
