POWER RANKINGS 2018/19: The Aftermath of FPL Gameweek 2
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 3 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.
GW2 POWER RANKINGS: Goalkeeper Picks
New entries: Neil Etheridge (CAR)
Falling out: Ben Foster (WAT)
Rising straight to the top of the Power Rankings is the lowly selected Cardiff shot-stopper, Neil Etheridge, who possessed just 0.9% ownership when he saved a second penalty of the season against Newcastle.
Fighting for contention behind Etheridge is the Brazilian duo of Alisson and Ederson. Liverpool's keeper is the only to keep consecutive clean sheets in the Premier League to open the campaign, whilst Ederson is the first to provide an assist, teeing up Sergio Aguero in Man City's 6-1 victory over Huddersfield with an inch-perfect goal-kick.
Consistent save points sees McCarthy and Hennessey retain their spots due to a lack of clean sheets during Gameweek 2. We didn't see the justification in selecting Dubravka (NEW) or Schmeichel (LEI) when their impact over the last fortnight hasn't stacked up despite decent GW2 showings.
GW2 POWER RANKINGS: Defender Picks
New entries: Marcos Alonso (CHE), Steve Cook (BOU), Virgil van Dijk (LIV)
Falling out: Aaron Wan-Bissaka (CRY), Luke Shaw (MUN), Jose Holebas (WAT)
There's a trifecta of changes in our defensive rankings this week, though the duo of Benjamin Mendy and Andrew Robertson have retained their positions after continuing their good start to the season.
Benjamin Mendy looks set to rival his Man City teammates for the Playmaker of the Year award come the end of the season after notching another brace of assists in the 6-1 mauling of Huddersfield, and unlike many of the City squad, looks nailed on to start.
In the chasing pack, Marcos Alonso has found himself in FPL prominence once more after adding a goal against Arsenal to his clean sheet and assist combo against Huddersfield, and looks primed for more against Newcastle - just be wary though as Newcastle have a stellar home record against Chelsea.
Liverpool's highly-selected duo of Roberton and van Dijk are staring a potentially great FPL season in the face after recording consecutive clean sheets, with van Dijk massively impressing in the 2-0 away win at Crystal Palace. The Red's are going to be a tough nut to crack at the back this season, and with Brighton visiting this weekend, and with Liverpool not conceding in the league at home since February, another clean sheet is on the cards.
Rounding off our selections is Steve Cook, whose Fantasy influence overcame a much hyped West Ham side at the London Stadium. Cook, who was fortunate to be awarded an assist for Callum Wilson's equalising goal at the weekend, went on to score the winner and lay claim to all three bonus points. Everton and an in-form Richarlison are the next hurdle to overcome for Bournemouth.
GW2 POWER RANKINGS: Midfielder Picks
New entries: Pedro (CHE), Ryan Fraser (BOU)
Falling out: Roberto Pereyra (WAT), Ruben Neves (WOL)
Liverpool midfielder's are the order of the day, with Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah in commanding positions in our Power Rankings. The duo is looking to be the ideal choice for FPL players this season, with Naby Keita's arrival offering more space for Mane to operate in down the left-flank of Liverpool's attack. Salah, meanwhile, is the constant threat he was last season and was unlucky not to add to his account against Crystal Palace, with Aaron Wan-Bissaka causing FPL hearthbreak when he brought down Salah who was through on goal.
After living up to the hype on his Everton debut, Richarlison proved that lightning can strike twice as the Brazilian scored the winning goal in Everton's 2-1 home victory against Southampton. Richarlison has seen a giant boost in his ownership and price, and that looks set to continue as Everton enjoy a fruitful start to the season.
Consistency is key for midfielder's earning a spot in our rankings, with Pedro and Ryan Fraser providing just that. We feel that the cheap wingers, who both picked up back-to-back attacking returns, offer more value than Paul Pogba (MUN), and provide more sustainable fixtures to sway Fantasy appeal. The only downside for Pedro could be eventual rotation with Eden Hazard and Willian. Fraser's only downside is that he plays for Bournemouth, with form likely to be erratic and sporadic throughout the season.
GW2 POWER RANKINGS: Forward Picks
New entries: Sergio Aguero (MCI), Troy Deeney (WAT), Harry Kane (TOT), Danny Ings (SOU)
Falling out: Cenk Tosun (EVE), Wilfried Zaha (CRY), Jamie Vardy (LEI), Roberto Firmino (LIV)
Rounding off our Power Rankings for the week, the deck has been shuffled up top, with a profitable weekend for Englishman in the Premier League.
August is usually the month that social media takes to bashing Harry Kane for failing to score in the calendar month, despite coming dreadfully close. The curse is over though after Kane netted against newly promoted Fulham at Wembley. Due to a lack of competition, Kane makes the list ahead of Alexsander Mitrovic, with the Serbian just missing out of contention this week with Marko Arnautovic, who has assumed penalty kick duty at West Ham ahead of Mark Noble.
Instead, our focus is pulled towards Callum Wilson, Troy Deeney and Danny Ings, with the trio pulling in excellent shifts this past weekend. Wilson, who we mocked for being the bane of many FPL players before the season began, is showing signs of life of the explosive and tricky player we knew he could be after scoring a hat-trick at West Ham in his first away match in the Premier League.
Our continued love affair with Troy Deeney has deepened this week, with Watford's main man stealing the show in an emphatic 3-1 away victory at Burnley, whilst Danny Ings looks a promising budget option that might finally aid Southampton's woes in front of goal. There's a lot of promise with Forward's, though week-on-week they're struggling to live up to the billing of the marauding left-back or flashy winger so far this season.
One man who is flying the flag high after a 20 point Gameweek, the perfect way to end is by sighting Sergio Aguero's treble in the 6-1 rout of Huddersfield. The Argentine forward lived up to the big stakes as the front-runner for the captain's armband, and there was sweet jubiliation for those who entrusted that the Forward would start amidst the rumours that Aguero was set to be benched.
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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.
