Every new Gameweek brings to light new information about teams and players that can influence our Fantasy decisions. Injuries, new signings, tactical shifts, new roles, and young players emerging are all essential parts of the decision-making process when a fantasy manager evaluates trades, waiver wire pickups or drops. In this new article, we aim to list everything that happened during the weekend and our takeaways through fantasy-tinted glasses.
Fantrax Takeaways Gameweek 10
Here we outline our Fantasy EPL Takeaways from the previous gameweek and how to interpret them for draft fantasy.
Key Injuries and Suspensions
Lucas Paqueta and Edson Alvarez (WHU, MID)
Prospects: Paqueta and Alvarez will be suspended against Brentford for their accumulation of yellow cards.
Replacement: Benrahma and Soucek have the best chances to come into the XI. This is good new for managers with Kudus, who will likely get another chance to prove he is ready to be more than an impact sub.
Verdict: Alvarez isn't worth rostering in general, but Benrahma is worth a pickup in all leagues as an upside streamer.
Pedro Neto (WOL, FWD)
Prospects: Neto pulled up with a hamstring injury in the draw vs. Newcastle. Neto has been in incredible form this year, and this injury will come as a major blow to Wolves. Neto himself has said he should be back in a few weeks, but that would at least mean after the international break. The Wolves attack surely takes a hit without their star winger.
Replacement: It remains to be seen how O'Neill will shuffle the pack but the likes of Doyle, Bellegrade and Kalajdzic are all shouts to come into the XI.
Verdict: Now could be a good time to try and buy low on Neto from those who can't hold more injured assets. Whoever replaces Neto in the XI is worth a stream this weekend vs. lowly Sheffield United.
Gabriel Jesus (ARS, FWD)
Prospects: Jesus is set for another spell on the sidelines, with Arteta recently saying that he won't put a timeframe on his return. Who knows how long that means but he will most likely at least be out for the weekend matchup. Arsenal are still ticking fine, but the loss of Jesus doesn't help as they are in multiple competitions.
Replacement: Expect Nketiah to lead the line again especially after his MOTM performance vs. Sheffield United. Nketiah is proving to be more than just a serviceable backup and is making himself a season keeper.
Verdict: Jesus only has 4 starts through the first 10 weeks, and his constant injuries is a worry for both Arteta and fantasy managers. Now is not the time to panic sell, but don't be surprised if he is eased in upon his return, especially if Nketiah continues his good form.
Luis Diaz (LIV, FWD)
Prospects: Diaz missed the win vs. Forest due to family issues. It is heartbreaking to hear about his parents being kidnapped. Thankfully his mother has been found but they are still searching for his father. It remains to be seen how many more games Diaz will miss, but even if he is with the squad for Luton, it is likely Jota will get the start.
Replacement: After a goal vs. Forest I would expect Jota to start on the LW again.
Verdict: If Diaz is on the bench vs. Luton I am perfectly okay starting him from the bench. It is one of the best matchups of the season and he will be subbing on to face the tired legs of Luton. Have a backup ready in case he is completely out of the squad again.
Tactical Discussions
In Hwang Wolves Trust
Observation: Hwang is in incredible form this year with 6 goals total and 3 in his last 4 games. With Neto out Hwang will be expected to shoulder a larger load to help Wolves score. It is looking likely that Hwang will be a season keeper with O'Neill truly getting the best out of the striker. In the next 6 games Wolves will play Sheffield United, Luton, and Burnley. This is a dream schedule for Hwang in this kind of form. I expect Wolves to still score goals with or without Neto, but Hwang and others will have less elite service. This will force him to try and create more chances for himself, but I wouldn't worry too much about him especially with these fixtures coming up. If for some reason he is still on your waiver wire, he is a MUST pickup.
Verdict: There is no need to sell high on Hwang, this is one to ride until the wheels fall off.
Brighton Defence
Observation: Brighton have still not kept a clean sheet this season. Their defence just leaks goals, but their offence just simply scores more. It seems Brighton are happy to continue this strategy as long as the results still keep coming. Brighton currently sit 7th in the table, but have Everton, Sheffield United, and Forest in their next 3. Very winnable games where they will look to continue this winning strategy. All of these teams can score goals, but also have very leaky defences. I would expect Brighton to take advantage of this and go for a 4-2 win instead of a 1-0 win. Honestly all of their defenders are droppable except Estupinan who was recently seen in individual training. The Brighton attack is one you want a piece of if you can get any for reasonable value given the number of goals they could score the next few weeks.
Verdict: Their defenders and keepers are not worth rostering, maybe as a streamer vs. Sheffield United, but that's it.
Liverpool Fullbacks still Useless
Observation: What is going on at Liverpool? Outside of that blip vs. Bournemouth, Trent has been borderline droppable. Despite back to back clean sheets he has only mustered scores of 8.25 and 10.5. That is putting him at less than 5 ghost points in his last two games. Despite whipping in crosses, his numbers just aren't there and I really believe now is the time to sell. Ahead of Luton a lot of people may believe this is the perfect buy low for Trent, but I think it's now or never for getting as much value as possible. On the flip side, Tsimikas has been just as woeful and is worth trading out to the manager with Robertson if you can get some value for him. Liverpool seem to be using Szobo as their focal point, and Van Dijk is just racking up all the defensive stats available making the full backs nearly useless for fantasy purposes.
Verdict: Look to offer Trent out for some other top assets including: Szobo, Foden, and Alvarez. You may need to add some FAB or a sweetener to get this over the line given recent form.
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