After a Gameweek Seven that appeared to resemble some normality, Gameweek Eight is headlined with the biggest fixture of the season so far between Manchester City and Liverpool.
In Gameweek Seven, five of the “big six” teams, plus Leicester and Wolves, recorded victories. It remains to be seen how Gameweek Eight unfolds but if fewer surprise results are on the horizon, FPL managers will need to adapt accordingly.
Here, we will take a look at five players to consider ahead of Gameweek Eight in FPL.
Jannik Vestergaard – Southampton – Defender – £4.6m
Jannik Vestergaard is proving one of the stars of the season in defence. The 6’5 defender has returned FPL points in each of Southampton’s past five games.
Two goals this season underline his exceptional threat from set-pieces, especially with the excellent James Ward-Prowse in Southampton’s ranks. Defensively, Southampton have been a mixed bag but three clean sheets in seven games is a reliable return for a £4.6m defender.
Vestergaard is £0.1m more expensive than team-mate Kyle Walker-Peters, discussed as an option previously. With his extra threat from set-pieces, alongside a lower ownership, Vestergaard could be the better option going forward.
Kurt Zouma – Chelsea – Defender – £5.2m
Kurt Zouma is a player to consider now Chelsea appear to have sorted their defence. Cheaper than Thiago Silva and Ben Chilwell, Zouma has started all-but-one of Chelsea’s matches so far and appears a regular in Frank Lampard’s plans.
Zouma has already scored three league goals and, like Vestergaard, provides a huge threat from set-pieces with his aerial power. He is averaging one shot-per-game in his six appearances so far, highlighting his ability in the opposition’s box.
With Edouard Mendy a clear consideration, a double-up in Chelsea’s defence is a viable strategy, especially with likely rotation in attack. Zouma is a cheap yet reliable option to start every week and return points in clean sheets and goals.
Diogo Jota – Liverpool – Midfielder – £6.4m
Diego Jota would be a gamble for any FPL side such is the reliability of Liverpool’s front three in the past. However, the £40m Portuguese signing from Wolves has been outstanding for Liverpool thus far.
Jota started ahead of Roberto Firmino in the Champions League against Atalanta and netted a sublime hat-trick. He is doing all he can to force his way into Jurgen Klopp’s first XI and this is the attraction with the former Wolves man.
At £6.4m, Jota would represent incredible value for money if he became a permanent starter for Liverpool, especially if preferred in the central position.
There’s no doubt Jota is a risk but with seven Liverpool goals already, he could be a risk worth taking if he forces his way into a regular starting berth.
Leandro Trossard – Brighton – Midfielder – 6.0m.
While Diogo Jota is a potential gamble, a more reliable pick in this price bracket in terms of regular minutes could be Brighton’s Leandro Trossard.
In the absence of Neal Maupay, Trossard started in a striking role against Tottenham. One goal and one assist in seven games so far isn’t a great return for the Belgian however, he has averaged 2.3 shots and 1.6 key passes per game.
Trossard’s underlying numbers indicate potential for an increase in return in the near future, making him a likeable choice at £6.0m. Trossard has started every game for Graham Potter’s side this season having cemented a place as first choice. His underlying numbers are positive and could represent a differential at 1.9% ownership.
Jamie Vardy – Leicester – Forward – 10.0m
Jamie Vardy is just a constant source of goals. He has seven league goals already, including strikes in his last two matches.
The 33-year-old is showing no signs of slowing down and has looked to develop a nice relationship with loan signing Cengiz Under, having been supplied by the Turkish international in the past two games.
With the injury to 8.5m FPL star Danny Ings, it could be worth paying the extra 1.5m to facilitate one of the league’s most reliable goalscorers. Even with Leicester facing three “big six” sides in the next five, Vardy’s record against such opposition is so good that it should not be a deterrent to including him in FPL sides.
Gameweek Eight is another chance for FPL managers to enhance their squads. Manchester City v Liverpool could create unpredictability but with top sides looking more comfortable, the league’s normality resuming could mean more certainty going forward for managers looking to maximise their points hauls.
