And then there was one. Chelsea’s toppling of Manchester City meant that Liverpool is this week’s big risers as they shoot straight to the league’s summit as the country’s only remaining unbeaten team. Mo Salah’s hat trick was the cause of much fist pumping from Jurgen Klopp along with a fair few FPL draft managers. If you faced King Mo in your matchup last week; unlucky. At least you don’t have to face him again for a little while. To the joy and demise of every FPL draft manager, the fixtures are coming thick and fast. Now is the time to shift the dead wood and stack your squad with those you think will light up this Christmas period. Here are the risers and fallers ahead of the 17th match.
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FPL Draft Risers
Mohamed Salah – Liverpool (Forward)
There’s only one place to start really. One season wonder? Yeah, right.
Mohamed Salah’s goalscoring record for Liverpool speaks for itself. At least it should do. His early season performances led to many football fans crowning Eden Hazard as the Premier League player of the season in October.
Well, King Mo is back. A devastating hat trick against Bournemouth meant many Fantrax matchups were as good as settled by 2.30pm on Saturday thanks to his 42-point haul. On his day, Salah is the best player in the whole FPL draft game.
Those hoping to capitalise on Salah’s early season form by offering a cheeky trade to his FPL draft owner have definitely missed the boat. Only an offer of two elite players in return for Mo will do. And possibly your right arm. And a sizeable cash donation…
Andy Carroll – West Ham (Forward)
Yes, you did read that correctly. Andy Carroll is more of a differential pick rather than a riser but…just bear with me on this one.
Apart from possessing a name appropriate to the season, Carroll could be a great asset to own over the Christmas period. With Marko Arnautovic ruled out for the next month or so, the big Geordie’s return to fitness is timely.
Lucas Perez got the nod from the start at the weekend but after replacing the Spaniard at half time, Carroll improved a dominant West Ham side, meaning there’s a good chance his name will be the one on the teamsheet at Fulham this weekend.
Any Premier League defender will tell you how much they detest facing Carroll. His physical nature sees him win a lot of aerial battles (he’s won 8 aerials in the 71 minutes he has played this season), accumulating easy Fantrax points. With Robert Snodgrass whipping in devilish crosses, it’s only a matter of time until we see Andy Carroll on the scoresheet once again very soon.
FPL draft is all about staying one step ahead of the game. There you go…
Matt Doherty – Wolves (defender)
Once again, to everyone’s amazement, Matt Doherty is the top scoring defender in Fantrax. Goals in back-to-back away games are proving that “the doc” means business this season. He’s here to stay.
The likelihood is that he wasn’t even picked in your FPL draft at the beginning of the season. If you’ve picked him up in regular season play, well done.
Should he be traded? It’s always a temptation. However, in his last 10 matches, Doherty has nine double figure hauls, three of which have been over 20 points. You’ll do well to find a good reason to get rid but his price is now sky high.
Leading Marcos Alonso by 43 points, Doherty has already cemented his status as a FPL draft legend.
FPL Draft Fallers
Paul Pogba – Manchester United (midfielder)
To put it bluntly: Manchester United have played better in the last fortnight when Paul Pogba hasn’t been in the team.
If you used your first round pick on the enigmatic Frenchman, you should be worried. Jose Mourinho dropped Pogba against Arsenal in favour of a more industrious, gritty midfield. It worked.
The following Saturday, Fulham came to town, allowing Jose to pick a more expansive middle three. In comes Juan Mata, reserving a spot on the bench (once again) for the former vice captain.
From World Cup winner to bench warmer in a matter of months, this isn’t how Paul Pogba envisaged his season going. If reports are true, Pogba may be looking for a route out of Old Trafford as soon as next month.
Now may be the time to cash in.
David Brooks – Bournemouth (midfield)
Remember him? David Brooks has featured in every differential, waiver wire and risers column on almost every Fantasy Football website this season. However, the last month hasn’t been kind to the young Welshman.
No attacking returns and only three points in his last three outings in Fantrax has seen his ownership fall to 56%.
With his influence on Bournemouth’s attack falling and the fixture coming thick and fast, poor form could see old FPL draft Junior Stanislas being recalled to the starting eleven.
This differential favourite is now droppable in most leagues.
Alvaro Morata – Chelsea (forward)
Him again. It almost feels harsh to write about Alvaro Morata. Again. However, the Chelsea forward is having a horrible season. Again.
At the start of the campaign, many expected new boss Mauricio Sarri to implement a false 9 formation with Pedro, Willian and Hazard operating in a fluid front three. It was, therefore, a surprise to see Morata given the chance to cement a place as the main striker in a 4-3-3 formation.
On Saturday, we saw the expected attacking trio given a chance to work their magic against Pep Guardiola’s mean defence. Their magic was worked and Chelsea took a surprise victory. Morata was nowhere to be seen.
The signs aren’t good for the Spaniard. A move back to Italy next month would hardly be a surprise.
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