Best Picks for FPL Gameweek 10: Midfielders and Forwards

There were some shock results last weekend, which had interesting ramifications for Fantasy Premier League. One of the most frustrating of these was West Ham’s capitulation at home to Brighton, especially if you listened to my advice and played Jose Fonte, so this week we’re going all out in favour of Crystal Palace attackers in the hopes that they hammer the Hammers. Part two of this ‘Best Picks’ article will focus on midfielders and forwards to help you win your fantasy leagues. (Spoilers: start Manchester City players.)

Midfielders

Budget Option: Richarlison (6.3m)

Every season there are players at the lower end of the FPL price ranges who emerge as high-scoring bargain buys, and this campaign’s best candidate so far is Watford’s Brazilian maestro Richarlison. The winger has registered three goals and four assists in nine Premier League games and has brought a fantasy return in his last four appearances. Watford face a juicy matchup at home against a Stoke side that has conceded a league-high 20 goals this season, and Richarlison will undoubtedly be involved if the Hornets manage to find the back of the net, a feat they have managed in all but two of their games so far.

Budget Option: Aaron Ramsey (7.0m)

£7.0m is at the upper end of budget midfielders but Ramsey is worth the price tag, especially as he is a regular starter in one of the league’s biggest teams. Arsenal are scoring just under two goals per game on average and Rambo has bagged himself two for the season, as well as three assists. The Welshman is coming off a 12-point fantasy game last week against Everton and faces a struggling Swansea side at the Emirates on Saturday. Ramsey is Arsenal’s highest-scoring fantasy midfielder and is a weekly threat for both goals and assists.

Budget Option: Wilfried Zaha (6.7m)

I wasn’t lying in the introduction – West Ham are prone to conceding any number of goals against any opponent, and Crystal Palace can really start to turn their season around now Roy Hodgson has had a few weeks with the players. The important factor in Zaha’s selection is the fact that Christian Benteke is still sidelined due to injury, meaning the Ivorian will likely play as a central striker. He bagged a goal in the Eagles’ shock win over Chelsea two weeks ago and against a Hammers side that is conceding almost two goals a game Zaha could feast.

Premium Option: Mohamed Salah (9.1m)

Despite all the hype around Manchester City and Kevin De Bruyne, Salah has actually outscored the Belgian in terms of fantasy points this season and a home game against Huddersfield provides the perfect opportunity for Liverpool to remind the league of just how fearsome their forward line can be. Jurgen Klopp’s attackers have been blunted in recent games by both Manchester United and Tottenham, though Salah did manage to bag a goal against the latter, and they will be desperate to produce a big performance this weekend. The Egyptian winger provides the Reds’ most consistent threat and is well worth a start this week.

Premium Option to AVOID: Henrikh Mkhitaryan (8.3m)

Mkhitaryan recorded a fourth straight fantasy dud in Manchester United’s shock defeat against Huddersfield last weekend, and a tough match against Tottenham isn’t filling me with confidence regarding a resurgence for the Armenian. With Jose Mourinho’s defensive habits starting to dilute what looked like a dazzling attacking side, at the beginning of the season at least, it is a worrying time for owners of the talented midfielder.

Forwards 

Budget Option: Wayne Rooney (7.3m)

It seems weird to consider Rooney as a budget striker but at £7.3m he is exactly that. Despite Everton’s appalling form the veteran goal scorer has actually had a relatively productive fantasy season, with four goals in this campaign. New caretaker manager David Unsworth hasn’t had enough time with the players to instil his ideas and turn the Toffies’ season around just yet, but a game against Leicester away from the pressures of Goodison Park does provide some hope. The Foxes have conceded 14 times this season and when Everton do score it is more than likely that Rooney is involved. The Cherries have conceded 13 on the season and have only managed a single clean sheet, while Chelsea have scored in all but two of their league games thus far.

Premium Option: Alvaro Morata (10.3m) 

The Spanish striker is in a similar boat to Mkhitaryan in that he has failed to provide a fantasy return in his last three games, but unlike the midfielder Morata is a good bounce back candidate this week. Chelsea’s new signing scored in four of his first six Premier League games for the club, including a hat-trick against Stoke, and he could well get back to that sort of form against Bournemouth in the late kick-off on Saturday.

Premium Option to AVOID: Romelu Lukaku (11.7m)

Lukaku has garnered a reputation for being a flat-track bully, meaning he scores all his goals against the lesser teams, but if he can’t score against the likes of Huddersfield then what is he? Overrated. Too harsh? Perhaps, but this week the Belgian faces a Tottenham side that has neutralised both Real Madrid and Liverpool, two of the better attacking sides in Europe, in the last few weeks. Lukaku will return to form soon enough but this week could be a good time to chuck in an extra Man City forward.

Bonus Tips

Harry Kane has a hamstring injury and won’t feature against Manchester United, so don’t be the fool that captains him.

If you have Manchester City players they are all must-starts every week. Pep Guardiola’s rotation system can be scary but the reward outweighs the risk in almost every instance. There is no point in me wasting a premium option slot on Kevin De Bruyne, Sergio Aguero or Gabriel Jesus because you should already have them firmly locked in your line-up.