Fantasy Football tips and advice: FPL Gameweek 4 transfers, selections and captain choices
Well, Gameweek 3 was an odd one.
The averages of 57 points across Gameweek 1 and Gameweek 2 dropped down to 48, highlighting how some of the big hitters didn't deliver as expected.
It is very early days though so even with slow starts, there is plenty of time to recover. There's no need to abandon certain players who are yet to provide points.
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One of those who has been a topic of discussion is Son Heung-min. Only Cristiano Ronaldo has fewer points than the Spurs man of those commanding fees bigger than £10.0m - although that one can be expected given the uncertainty at Old Trafford.
Son remains in 16.1% of teams but that's much lower than the start of the campaign - more players are now looking to Kane when it comes to Tottenham assets.
On the flip side, Rodrigo - one of our alternative pre-season picks - now sits on 22.2% ownership. That's up from 9.4% at this stage last week, and much, much higher than the less than 1.0% before a ball was kicked.
All focus is now on Gameweek 4 and finding those players who can make the difference.
When is the FPL Gameweek 4 deadline?
The FPL Gameweek 4 deadline is Saturday August 27 at 11:00 BST, with the first game kicking off at 12:30 BST.
How do the FPL chips work?
- Bench Boost: This counts the points of those on your bench alongside your starting XI - this can only be used once a season
- Triple Captain: The captain earns 3x the amount of points for that gameweek - this can only be used once a season
- Free Hit: This allows unlimited changes for one gameweek only. A team reverts back to how it was before once this has been played - this can only be used once a season
Who has the best fixtures in Gameweek 4?
According to FPL's Fixture Difficulty Rating - the higher the number, the tougher the game - the teams are split as follows:
2: Arsenal (Fulham H), Brentford (Everton H), Brighton (Leeds H), Everton (Brentford A), Leeds (Brighton A), Liverpool (Bournemouth H), Manchester City (Crystal Palace A), Manchester United (Southampton A), Newcastle (Wolves A), Tottenham (Nottingham Forest A), West Ham (Aston Villa A).
3: Aston Villa (West Ham H), Chelsea (Leicester H), Nottingham Forest (Tottenham H), Southampton (Manchester United H), Wolves (Newcastle H).
4: Fulham (Arsenal A), Leicester (Chelsea A).
5: Bournemouth (Liverpool A), Crystal Palace (Manchester City A).
Both LIVERPOOL and MANCHESTER CITY have easy enough fixtures at home, meaning that the usual big hitters are fancied to get plenty of points.
The Reds host a Bournemouth side who - despite having three points on their tally - have generated 1.02 xG across their first three. That includes a tiny 0.17 away at City.
Expect Mohamed Salah or Erling Haaland to dominate the captaincy %s, but some may also look to Gabriel Jesus or another ARSENAL asset as they host Fulham.
Nottingham Forest have a win and a draw but their underlying numbers are a concern. Expect TOTTENHAM to be another popular team to target.
While beaten by Fulham, BRENTFORD did score twice and they may prove to be a solid differential team as they host a struggling Everton side.
What are the best transfers for Gameweek 4?
Expect to see further wildcards used as we approach the end of August, with some players opting to go with it ahead of Gameweek 4 now that teams are starting to look more settled.
When are the FPL wildcards?
- Wildcard 1 - Gameweek 1 (start of season) to Gameweek 16 (Saturday November 12)
- World Cup - Unofficial wildcard: Unlimited changes allowed after Gameweek 16 starts and before Gameweek 17
- Wildcard 2 - Gameweek 17 (Monday December 26) to Gameweek 38 (end of season)
When it comes to wildcard changes, it's important to always plan ahead rather than just looking at the next Gameweek. A player may have a nice easy home fixture in GW4 but that could so easily be followed by a run of difficult contests.
That significantly reduces the likelihood of points being returned, thus wasting a spot in the squad that could have been used elsewhere.
There's no issue with keeping a player in based on high ownership percentages elsewhere. Think Gabriel Jesus. At least you are matching the majority of players while hoping that differentials can deliver at a low %.
For those looking to make transfers with Gameweek 4 in focus, we pick out five players to consider.
Dejan Kulusevski
- Position: MID
- Club: Tottenham
- Fixture: Nottingham Forest (A)
- FPL Price: £8.2m
Dejan Kulusevski has already been the subject of price rises, such is the impact he has made in the opening weeks of the new season.
The majority of his points came in the opening day victory over Southampton - returning 13 with a goal and an assist on his tally.
He was slightly unlucky not to have something against Wolves last time out. His three key passes was only bettered by Joao Moutinho of any player who featured across the 90 minutes.
This week takes Spurs to Nottingham Forest on Super Sunday.
They've conceded a huge total of 6.19 xGA already - that coming from 61 shots. While it was a changed team, they also saw 23 shots against from Sky Bet League Two side Grimsby in the Carabao Cup.
Emerson Royal
- Position: DEF
- Club: Tottenham
- Fixture: Nottingham Forest (A)
- FPL Price: £5.0m
At the time of writing, over 520,000 players have transferred in Ivan Perisic - only Leeds' Rodrigo has been brought in by more this week. However, a solid differential option could be Emerson Royal.
He's started all three games at RWB so far. Two assists came in the win over Southampton on opening weekend - a return of nine points despite the fact that they conceded.
Across the first three games, only Arsenal and Manchester City have posted a lower xGA tally than Antonio Conte's Spurs, while opponents Forest are in the bottom-four for xGF created.
So many are focusing on Perisic, but it's the other flank that could provide points that other players won't have.
Raheem Sterling
- Position: MID
- Club: Chelsea
- Fixture: Leicester (H)
- FPL Price: £9.9m
Chelsea were well beaten by Leeds last week, but a home contest against Leicester should see them return to winning ways. The Foxes have been so poor across their opening three.
Leicester sit 19th for xGF created, while sitting 4th for xGA. The 4-2 defeat at Arsenal played a big part in this - outlining what we could expect when they go to Stamford Bridge.
While Raheem Sterling only has one assist on his tally, this weekend presents the perfect opportunity to secure attacking returns. His assist came in the 2-2 draw with Tottenham.
Across his first three, Sterling has posted six shots - averaging out at 0.26 xG/95 - alongside five key passes. His expected assists (xA) average is also a decent enough 0.19.
That means his expected goal involvement (xGI) per game is averaging out at 0.45 so far. He can capitalise against this struggling Leicester team.
Roberto Firmino
- Position: FWD
- Club: Liverpool
- Fixture: Bournemouth (H)
- FPL Price: £8.0m
Bournemouth's statistics are a concern and it's a horrible time to be facing a Liverpool side who haven't got the points we'd expect up until this point.
The Cherries have generated just 1.02 xGF, with 4.06 xGA. While Liverpool are yet to win, they could have so easily won against Crystal Palace and Fulham given their attacking showing.
All focus will be on Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz, but with availability issues in the centre forward position, Roberto Firmino could well be a strong differential pick given the huge possibility of attacking returns.
Despite limited minutes last season, Firmino averaged 0.44 goals and 0.35 assists per game - that coming from 0.41 xG and 0.16 xA.
Check to see what Jürgen Klopp says in his press conference regarding Diogo Jota. If he remains out, Firmino could provide the points at an ownership tally of just 1.3%.
Bryan Mbeumo
- Position: FWD
- Club: Brentford
- Fixture: Everton (H)
- FPL Price: £6.0m
Bryan Mbeumo was flagged up in our Gameweek 3 column. While he didn't deliver, I'm more than happy to look at him again as Brentford host Everton on Saturday.
Many are focusing on Ivan Toney - understandably so - and I wouldn't put anyone off looking at Toney if budget allows given his role as a penalty taker. However, Mbeumo represents a good differential.
Despite not scoring, the forward had three shots in the defeat at Fulham, that totalled 0.14 xG. It follows his goal from two shots and 0.56 xG against Manchester United.
Everton sit 6th for xGA allowed in their three opening games, while Brentford scored twice from 1.66 xG in the loss at Fulham.
Who are the most transferred in players for Gameweek 4?
As of 1600 BST on Wednesday, the most transferred in players - according to FPL - are:
- Rodrigo - 899,833
- Ivan Perisic - 520,280
- Kieran Trippier - 419,102
- Ivan Toney - 367,314
- William Saliba - 331,110
- Wilfried Zaha - 267,549
- Kevin De Bruyne - 250,586
- Oleksandr Zinchenko - 239,726
- Gabriel Martinelli - 238,347
- Martin Ødegaard - 206,442
Who should I captain in Gameweek 4?
As ever, fixtures for Liverpool and Manchester City means that attacking players for those two clubs will be popular captaincy choices.
Expect MOHAMED SALAH, ERLING HAALAND and KEVIN DE BRUYNE to dominate the list this week as the majority of players look for 'safer' points from their captain.
Alternatives surrounding those top teams include LUIS DIAZ, who scored in Liverpool's draw with Crystal Palace.
ILKAY GUNDOGAN has started the season in strong form too. The City midfielder has two goals on his tally, while also averaging three key passes per game.
Nottingham Forest's early defensive showings means that HARRY KANE will be one that many may overlook for captaincy, but he can deliver.
That's alongside DEJAN KULUSEVSKI, while we can never truly rule out SON HEUNG-MIN despite his slow start to the campaign.
Fulham have been strong but Arsenal have a strong chance of making it four wins from four. GABRIEL JESUS is likely to be a name that many trust with the C this weekend.
FPL: Gameweek 4 captain choices
Safer options:
- Mohamed Salah, Erling Haaland, Harry Kane
Alternative options:
- Luis Diaz, Kevin De Bruyne, Dejan Kulusevski
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