POWER RANKINGS 2018/19: The Aftermath of FPL Gameweek 8
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 9 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.
GW8 POWER RANKINGS: Goalkeeper Picks
New entries: Kepa Arrizabalaga (CHE)
Falling out: Wayne Hennessey (CRY)
Gameweek 8 was kind to the Brazilian's in our Power Rankings this week, with Liverpool and Man City's 0-0 draw at Anfield mainly benefiting Ederson and Alisson. Despite both shot-stoppers making 2 saves each, Ederson's unopposed passing saw him claim a bonus point against City's title rivals, with the clean sheet enough to have Alisson rise to 3rd ahead of a visit to Huddersfield in a fortnight.
Wolves kept their 4th clean sheet in 5 matches during a 1-0 away win at Crystal Palace, with goalkeeper Rui Patricio the bane of FPL owners that overlooked the Portuguese international. Patricio collected 2 bonus points in back-to-back Gameweek's, with the keeper earning 35 points in his last 5 matches.
A highlight of Chelsea's 3-0 victory at Southampton was some of the top-draw saves by Kepa Arrizabalaga, with the Spaniard making 6 saves in total, including 2 wonderful saves from long range efforts. A 4th clean sheet in 8 is enough to see Kepa earn his first starting birth of the season.
Joe Hart rounds off our selections, with the Englishman surprisingly conceding against a goal-shy Huddersfield at Turf Moor this past weekend. Burnley and Huddersfield scored near-identical headers, with Hart hanging on due to a lack of a clear cut 5th choice, though with Man City and Chelsea in his next 2 games, Hart's days appear numbered.
GW8 POWER RANKINGS: Defender Picks
New entries: Matt Doherty (WOL)
Falling out: Aymeric Laporte (MCI)
Of all the positions we are massively spoilt for choice for defenders, so much so that we have had to remove Aymeric Laporte this week, despite the City defender brilliant in the 0-0 draw at Anfield, and despite earning 4 consecutive 6 pointers in the FPL.
Laporte is dropped for the only new inclusion who jumps straight to 3rd, and that of course is Matt Doherty. The full-back was once again brilliant for Wolves and scored his first ever Premier League goal in the 1-0 win at Crystal Palace. Doherty has picked up 10+ points in 3 of the last 4 Gameweek's and we felt that there was no other option than to relegate a player in Laporte who kept a clean sheet this week.
Overall though, it was a full house of clean sheets this weekend, with usual suspects in Robertson, Alonso and Trippier, all amongst the points this weekend, whilst Kyle Walker's 4 bonus points have just edged Laporte.
GW8 POWER RANKINGS: Midfielder Picks
New entries: Gylfi Sigurdsson (EVE)
Falling out: Mohamed Salah (LIV)
The major change this week was removing Mohamed Salah from our Power Rankings, with the Liverpool midfielder only managing to score 1 goal in his last 5 fixtures (with no assists and just 17 points in that time). In his stead is a city rival, with Gylfi Sigurdsson earning his praises after securing 24 FPL points in Gameweek's 7 and 8, which included a wonder strike to win the game against Leicester last season.Gylfi beats out Richarlison despite the Brazilian providing his first attacking return since returning from suspension.
The rest of the deck is left the same, with Eden Hazard scoring and assisting against Southampton in a 3-0 victory to cement his golden spot on the podium, whilst Raheem Sterling's off day at Anfield (which is pretty much a given at this point) hasn't deterred a price rise and a strong command of potential heading into a home fixture against Burnley in a fortnight.
Like Sterling, Maddison failed to live up to the heights last weekend, though continued influence means it would be wrong to remove him from the hype prematurely, especially given that a good run of games is just on the horizon after a tricky trip to Arsenal.
Burnley's Gudmundsson is in the thick of it at Burnley and retains his 5th spot after supplying Sam Vokes in Burnley's 1-1 home draw against Huddersfield. Like Joe Hart above, you'll have to be a mentally strong FPL player to entrust Burnley with Man City and Chelsea on the immediate horizon.
GW8 POWER RANKINGS: Forward Picks
New entries: Callum Wilson (BOU), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ARS)
Falling out: Harry Kane (TOT), Marko Arnautovic (WHU)
Chop and change is the nature of Forward's in the FPL, which is why our selections have proven to be ruthless in the early part of the season. After securing a brace against Huddersfield, Harry Kane finds himself omitted after a redundant 1 point performance against Cardiff, whilst Sergio Aguero falls down to 4th after failing to find the net at Anfield (though the story could have been much different given the late penalty drama with Leroy Sane and Virgil van Dijk). The difference with Aguero is that he has been a consistent performer whilst Kane is suffering from big hot and cold patches, all which is leading to FPL players waining on the England internationals week-to-week potential.
Raul Jimenez mind find himself with the least points in our Forward rankings, though there is nothing better than consistency for FPL players. Jimenez has provided returns in his last 4 matches, a goal in Gameweek 5 against Burnley, followed up with assists in a trifecta of matches. Combined with his bargain price, and you have the ideal 3rd Forward for any Fantasy team.
Callum Wilson finds himself immediately returning to our rankings after a goal and 2 assists against Watford, with the Englishman leading the assists this season with 7 to his name so far. There would have been room for Josh King had it not been for Aubameyang's 15 points off the bench for Arsenal at Fulham.
Auba's apparent demise is all just fiction with the Gabon international providing goals or assists in 4 of his last 5 matches, which is more than enough justification to round off our selections heading into the international break.
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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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All aboard.
