POWER RANKINGS 2018/19: The Aftermath of FPL Gameweek 17
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 17 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.
GW17 POWER RANKINGS: Goalkeeper Picks
New entries: Martin Dubravka (NEW), Hugo Lloris (TOT)
Falling out: Kasper Schmeichel (LEI), Jordan Pickford (EVE)
There's a few movers in our Goalkeeper selections this week as long-standing Jordan Pickford's form finally fizzles out, whilst back-to-back clean sheets for Kasper Schmeichel ended in Leicester's recent 2-0 home loss to Spurs and 1-0 away loss at Crystal Palace.
1) Lukasz Fabianski (WHU): £4.5m - vs. Watford (H)
2) Alisson (LIV): £5.8m - vs. Wolves (A)
3) Kepa Arrizabalaga (CHE): £5.6m - vs. Leicester (H)
4) Hugo Lloris (TOT): £5.4m - vs. Everton (A)
5) Martin Dubravka (NEW): £5.0m - vs. Fulham (H)
Martin Dubravka continues to impress for Newcastle, though sometimes FPL returns don't correlate with reality. The Slovakian keeper kept his 5th clean sheet of the season and earned a tasty 9 points in a 1-0 away win at Huddersfield. Spurs's Hugo Lloris has gone one step further, keeping back-to-back clean sheets against both Leicester and Burnley and is deserving of his spot in the list.
Alisson falls from top spot due to the continued form of Lukasz Fabianski, with the Polish keeper earning a 3rd clean sheet of the season away at Fulham. Cut price with good fixtures is the perfect combination for a shot-stopper who already has a strong reputation amongst FPL players.
GW17 POWER RANKINGS: Defender Picks
New entries: None
Falling out: None
There's a sense of polarity this week in our defensive picks as there are no standout contenders to take the places of those already selected. Spurs have kept back-to-back clean sheets, though David Luiz has made more points in the last few fixtures than Toby Alderweireld, who was involved in both clean sheets.
Crystal Palace, Wolves, West Ham and Newcastle were all defensively compact this past weekend, though we can't cherry pick one player that can oust Robertson, Virgil, or the in-form Matt Doherty, who has now 4 returns in 4 games.
1) Andrew Robertson (LIV): £6.5m - vs. Wolves (A)
2) Matt Doherty (WOL): £5.1m - vs. Liverpool (H)
3) Marcos Alonso (CHE): £7.0m - vs. Leicester (H)
4) Virgil van Dijk (LIV): £6.2m - vs. Wolves (A)
5) David Luiz (CHE): £5.6m - vs. Leicester (H)
GW17 POWER RANKINGS: Midfielder Picks
New entries: Leroy Sane (MCI)
Falling out: Lucas Torreira (ARS)
There's a slight shift in momentum in midfield, with Leroy Sane's continued form for Man City seeing him climb straight onto the podium at the expense of Arsenal's Lucas Torreira, whose attacking returns from defensive midfield hit a huge speed bump in a 3-2 away loss to Southampton.
1) Eden Hazard (CHE): £10.9m - vs. Leicester (H)
2) Felipe Anderson (WHU): £7.3m - vs. Watford (H)
3) Leroy Sane (MCI): £9.6m - vs. Crystal Palace (H)
4) Mohamed Salah (LIV): £13.0m - vs. Wolves (A)
5) Richarlison (EVE): £7.1m - vs. Spurs (H)
Aside from Sane, who has 57 points from 7 league appearances, Eden Hazard rises to the summit after clinching his first goal since Gameweek 8 when he netted the winning strike against Brighton in a 2-1 away win at The Amex. This means Hazard has provided at least 1 assist in each of his last 4 Premier League matches.
The other steady rock in midfield comes from another London side, with Felipe Anderson providing a 5th game in 7 fixtures in which he has provided the minimum of an assist. The Brazilian is looking every part a top quality Premier League player.
Aside from that, Merseyside duo Salah and Richarlison have enough form in recent weeks to maintain their places, though another blank from Richarlison against Spurs next Sunday could see his fate changed after Gameweek 18.
GW17 POWER RANKINGS: Forward Picks
New entries: Salomon Rondon (NEW)
Falling out: Roberto Firmino (LIV)
For once, there's actually healthy competition amongst our Forward selections, with 4 of our 5 top all scoring or assisting this past week, with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, one of the top captaincy blanks the biggest letdown of the week.
1) Harry Kane (TOT): £12.6m - vs. Everton (A)
2) Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (ARS): £11.5m - vs. Burnley (H)
3) Raul Jimenez (WOL): £6.2m - vs. Liverpool (H)
4) Javier Hernandez (WHU): £6.4m - vs. Watford (H)
5) Salomon Rondon (NEW): £5.8m - vs. Fulham (H)
Auba sees himself reduced to second after Harry Kane spared his own Gameweek 17 blushes with a last-minute assist for Spurs against Burnley in the most narrow of 1-0 victories you'll see all season.
Kane is joined by Javier Hernandez in earning an assist this week, whilst the powerhouse that is Salomon Rondon has bulldozed his way into major contention after scoring the winning goal at Huddersfield for Newcastle - his 3rd consecutive Fantasy return. The crown jewel of the week however is Raul Jimenez, whose 9 points is the sweetest reward for the 19.7% of players that have lived with 5 returns in 7 matches.
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All aboard.
