POWER RANKINGS 2018/19: The Aftermath of FPL Gameweek 5
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 6 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.
GW5 POWER RANKINGS: Goalkeeper Picks
New entries: Rui Patricio (WOL), Ederson (MCI)
Falling out: Neil Etheridge (CAR), Joe Hart (BUR)
After writing was on the wall for another Crystal Palace clean sheet at Huddersfield, Wayne Hennessey's consistency over the last few weeks has seen him rise to the top of our rankings ahead of Gameweek 6 this weekend. The Welsh international will once again be a favourite to claim another clean sheet when goal-shy Newcastle visit Selhurst Park.
Rui Patricio's a new entry and he comes straight in at second after back-to-back clean sheets against West Ham and Burnley. The Portuguese shot stopper proved a shrewd goalkeeping acquisition for many players who played their Widlcard over the international break.
The Brazilian one-two combo of Alisson and Ederson once again feature in our list, with Ederson picking up his 3rd return of the season in Man City's comfortable 3-0 home win against Fulham, whilst Alisson drops a place after a second week with just 2 points on the board.
Last week's top pick, Alex McCarthy, had an evening to forget and slips down to 4th after conceding a brace of late Brighton goals on Monday night, with the recent England call-up also seeing yellow for time wasting.
GW5 POWER RANKINGS: Defender Picks
New entries: Willy Boly (WOL)
Falling out: Ryan Bertrand (SOU)
There was very little to shout about defensively this past week, with a full round up of 'template' defensive assets failing to play, or failing to return. Alonso and Robertson both managed just 2 points, whilst Holebas scored nothing in Watford's 2-1 home loss to Man United. Benjamin Mendy didn't even take to the field in Man City's 3-0 victory over Fulham due to injury.
The top 4's appeal though has proven unwaivering this week as competition for places is fierce for our final spot. Willy Boly's latest clean sheet took him up to 3 returns for the season, with his goal against Man City enough to earn him a spot in our list, despite really impressive showing from Matt Doherty at full-back. Chris Smalling's goal against Watford also means back-to-back clean sheets, though the United defender just misses out.
GW5 POWER RANKINGS: Midfielder Picks
New entries: Fraser (BOU), Sterling (MCI)
Falling out: Lucas Moura (TOT), Pedro (CHE)
A massive 20-point haul from Eden Hazard places him as the top FPL player with 47 points. The Belgian's hat-trick against Cardiff proved to be a massive gain or loss for players this week, with Hazard quickly becoming an essential option, with his ownership base over the moon at his omission from Chelsea's recent Europa League win in Greece.
The Liverpool duo of Mane and Salah are still elite options despite neither picking up a return in their recent victory at Wembley against Spurs, though we have perhaps been kind on a Mohamed Salah who has yet to pick up a bonus point this season.
Ryan Fraser jumps straight back in to a podium position after an 18-point performance against Leicester in Bournemouth's 4-2 victory, with Fraser scoring a brace and assisting.
The last spot of the week has us weighing up Raheeming Sterling of Leicester's James Maddison, but with a slightly higher glass ceiling from his opening five games, Sterling's 3 returns from 4 games edges the much cheaper and dependable James Maddison, who we found out is spot-kick taker at The Foxes when Jamie Vardy isn't on the pitch.
GW5 POWER RANKINGS: Forward Picks
New entries: None
Falling out: None
The only bracket of our picks this week that doesn't feature a new addition is our Forward selections, though a 2 point performance from Mitrovic had us heavily tempted to replace last week's gold medalist with Marko Arnautovic who was excellent in West Ham's 3-1 victory at Everton.
Manchester duo Sergio Aguero and Romelu Lukaku both continued strong starts to the season, with Lukaku scoring his 4th goal of the season at Watford, which is one more than Aguero who picked up a brace of assists before being substituted before the 60-minute mark against Fulham with an ankle complaint.
Callum Wilson remains rooted to second on the podium, with the in-form Forward picking up an assists, as well as a yellow card, in a dominant victory over Leicester.
Rising to the top is Roberto Firmino, who has has a week to remember. Firmino scored the winning goal at Wembley for Liverpool in their 2-1 victory over Spurs, nearly lost an eye, before coming on as a substitute and scoring another winning goal, this time against PSG in the Champions League. In the FPL, Firmino has returns in 4 out of his 5 appearances this season and will be the first name on the wishlist for the weekend against Southampton at Anfield.
Want to know more about The Hype Train?
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.
As well as providing FPL articles on our website, we are a founding Contributor to the new Fantasy Football Hub, where you can find more unique articles, including weekly Power Rankings, from The Hype Team. You can support us and read exclusive members only content for just £2 per-month by clicking here.
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.
You can follow us on Twitter, Like us on Facebook, subscribe to our YouTube channel for exclusive content, or visit our website here at www.thehypetrain.co.uk
All aboard.
