Each year there are always a few cheap gems that surface fairly early in August/September for FPL managers to exploit for the remainder of the season.
These players can help fill out your squad or be the perfect finishing touches with that last 4 or 5 million especially when planing your wildcard team. Here at 90MAAT, we highlight some of these players that could reap huge rewards when injuries and rotation hit your FPL squads hard.
DEFENDERS
Tyrone Mings
With an assist in his first game, at £4.5 Mings seems a bargain considering the hefty price Aston Villa paid for him in the summer. As one of their star performers last year, there is no doubt they rate him highly over at Villa Park so there is a borderline guarantee he’ll be starting every week under Dean Smith. Promising fixtures on the horizon after GW3 including Palace away and West Ham at home.
Diego Rico
If you cant afford Nathan Aké, then Diego Rico is easily the cheapest way into a Bournemouth defence. At £4.0 he was very gradually introduced into Premier League football last season by Eddie Howe, but this season could see full inundation. It’s a risk, however, if you’re looking to play your bench defender sparingly then Rico could be a great shout.
John Lundstram
At £4.0 the Englishman looks to be one of the cheapest nailed-on starters around in the Premier League this year. There were doubts over him starting so regularly but so far so good. He opened Sheffield United’s campaign with a start, playing 77 minutes and even picking up a bonus point.
In his second Gameweek it looked unlikely he would better that score, yet he scored the only goal in a 1-0 win against Bournemouth. Chris Wilder’s tactics are starting to become infamous with his overlapping defenders. Great food for thought going ahead for the rest of the season.
MIDFIELDERS
Andreas Pereira
For those looking for a very cheap way into United’s team, look no further than Pereira. After starting in United’s surprising 4-0 win over Chelsea, he assisted and received great applause from the United fans when coming off after 73 minutes. Last season was a season for him to settle into the club but this year could see him excel under Solskjaer. At £5.0 he is at least worth shortlisting.
Rodri
Plaudits have been commonplace for Rodri after his first game for City. The energetic midfielder looks custom-made for Pep Guardiola’s team and could be a cheap way into City’s team particularly if he picks up clean sheet and bonus points. If you have a City player spare, then this £5.5 option could be a smart move.
Ruben Neves
It is easy to forget how young Ruben Neves is. He showed such technical ability and skill in his debut Premier League season that some thought he was closer to Moutinho’s age rather than Gibbs-White’s age. If his debut season is anything to go by, then surely he will improve on his four goals, three assists and seven bonus points this coming season. Bearing in mind he is £5.5 he is an easy player to include in any team especially if you are overloading with expensive players elsewhere.
John McGinn
Having scored a fantastic solo goal in pre-season, many eyebrows were raised for FPL managers. For those that took the punt, it paid off with a goal against Tottenham on the opening day. To score such a fantastic goal in such a big game speaks volumes of his talent and he is integral to Aston Villa’s system. So for £5.5 you will be investing in a guaranteed starter who could chip in with a few goals and assists as he did last season with six goals and ten assists.
Davy Pröpper
The Dutchman has had to adapt his game so substantially since dominating the Eredevisie that he has had little opportunity to showcase his attacking talents in the Premier League. This could be about to change. Under Graham Potter, Brighton now look for more attacking fluidity which resulted in Pröpper finding himself on the wing, assisting Andone’s goal on the opening day. FPL managers can expect more of this in the coming season. Costing only £5.0 he is a safe bet for the season to start most games although it remains to be seen if he can come up with more attacking returns.
Leander Dendoncker
Dendonkcer was so unfortunate not to score on the opening day for Wolves and impressed greatly in his debut Premier League season last year amidst a team who rocked the league anyway. With more minutes this year, he could continue to get into goal-scoring positions this year and at £4.5 he is a shrewd budget Wolves option.
Pierre-Emile Højbjerg
After struggling to cement his position in the Saint’s team during his first two seasons, his third season saw the Danish midfielder compete for a place so successfully that he ended up appearing 31 times. After finally impressing on the South Coast he scored four and assisted four.
This time around he could do even better, particularly after Hassenhuttl immediately trusted him when he took charge of Southampton in the second half of last season. If he can improve on last season, at £5.0 he looks like a safe investment to play each week.
Sean Longstaff
After his breakout season for Newcastle last year, Longstaff is sure to continue his upward trajectory. His next mission will be to cement his position in the North East user new manager Steve Bruce. Despite only starting one of the opening to games so far, he proved to Bruce why he should have been starting this past gameweek against Norwich. The Magpies struggled against Norwich until Longstaff was introduced late and he ended up cleverly assisting Jonjo Shelvey for their only goal. The game finished 3-1 to the Canaries. Having scored one and assisted one last season, he is only getting started so don’t be surprised when the youngster pops up with a lot more under Steve Bruce this year.
Todd Cantwell
Including the young Norwich midfielder in this list at first seemed like a bit of a punt as he only assisted twice and scored once last season, however in the Newcastle game just mentioned he assisted Pukki for two of his three goals. Having played 24 games last season he looks set to get considerable playtime this year too. At only £4.5 he is simply too cheap to overlook so quickly.
FORWARDS
Teemu Pukki
Many were not confident that Pukki could replicate his flawless form into the Premier League this season. If his Premier League debut goal against Liverpool wasn’t good enough then his hat-trick against Newcastle has surely answered his critics. There is no doubt this impressive Finnish footballer will continue his scoring record for many game weeks to come and his price has already risen accordingly. At £6.7 it’s advisable to get on the Pukki bandwagon while one can.
Divock Origi
Until last season, Origi had struggled in the Premier League but has now emerged as a cult hero for Liverpool. Despite such important goals last season at Everton and of course in the Champions League, he still costs a measly £5.6. This is a bargain for any FPL manager looking to fill their squad with an additional Liverpool player if you haven’t found place for three already of course.
Ashley Barnes
The Burnley striker often avoids the selections of FPL managers due to being part of a low-scoring team. The clinical forward rarely needs multiple chances in a game to score and has proved it so far this season already. Having scored 3 in 2 with one against Arsenal at the Emirates, he is never shy of turning up for the big occasions. His price has currently already increased and is now £6.6. With some very favourable fixtures coming up, he could be an excellent differential to get you ahead in your FPL mini-leagues.
Florin Andone
After scoring only three goals in his first season, Andone has a point to prove particularly in the wake of Brighton signing Neal Maupay from Brentford. It will be between these two players to take up Glenn Murray’s mantle as the ageing striker will not be around forever. Andone could be one of the many attacking players that are unlocked under the new style of play Potter will implement this season and is at least worth keeping an eye on at £5.0. Especially because he scored with his first touch against Watford on the opening day this season.
Mason Greenwood
Another cheap way into United’s team is Greenwood who is up against tough competition with fan favourite Rashford and newly positioned Martial. With Martial now occupying the number 9 role, Greenwood will have to look for minutes coming off the bench but has already managed to feature against Chelsea on the opening day. With United looking for big goal returns against the smaller teams, he could be useful as a back-up although Solskjaer will need to show a lot more faith in him to see valuable returns for a £4.5 forward.
