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, 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 2
Here we outline our Fantasy EPL Takeaways from the previous gameweek and how to interpret them for draft fantasy.
Injuries and Suspensions
James Maddison (TOT, MID)
Prospects: Maddison left the stadium on crutches and a protective boot. The extent of the injury is as of yet unknown. He was set for a scan on Monday, on what appears to be a flair-up of an old foot injury. Maddison did assure reporters it was nothing and he was just being cautious. According to Dinnery, there were multiple occasions of players leaving in boots and playing the next game, so fingers crossed Maddison is in the XI on Saturday. I wouldn't panic as this doesn't appear to be a long-term injury and would be trying to trade in Maddison for as cheap as possible from anyone scared he is out for a while.
Replacement: His likely replacement is Gio Lo Celso, but he hasn't registered a single EPL minute this year. The likes of Hojberg, Skipp, Perisic, and Solomon can all potentially take his spot in the XI, leading to a bit of a reshuffle of formation.
Verdict: I wouldn't panic sell Maddison unless news breaks of a multiple-month injury, which doesn't seem likely. Look to have a replacement for him for this weekend just in case, but don't go breaking the bank on these backup Spurs assets.
Carney Chukwuemeka (CHE, MID)
Prospects: After his first-ever Chelsea and senior EPL goal, the young midfielder Carney was subbed off at halftime in what could be a season-ending injury. Chelsea are awaiting more tests to determine the full extent of the injury, but it is safe to say he probably won't play until after the international break at best, but I doubt that will be the case with a knee injury. Chelsea now have Carney joining Nkunku on the list of long-term injuries.
Replacement: Mudryk came on for Chukwuemeka at halftime, but it remains to be seen if Mudryk gets into the XI at Luton. The Caicedo and Lavia signings could result in a formation shift, leaving Mudryk still on the outside looking in with Lavia, Enzo, and Caicedo making up a midfield 3 with Chilwell assuming the LW role. The lineup vs. Luton will be a good indicator of the preferred XI for the next few weeks.
Verdict: Carney is an easy drop despite his goal. He doesn't seem like he would have been a reliable scorer and may have lost his spot in the XI soon enough regardless. If you can bring in Caicedo or Mudryk on a cheaper trade I would look to make that move especially ahead of the game against EPL new boys Luton.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (EVE, FWD)
Prospects: DCL suffered another injury in the loss to Villa. This time it seemed to be a combination of a concussion and a broken cheekbone. It remains to be seen how long he will be out, but there is a chance he can be back ready to go for the weekend. You have to feel for DCL, who was being abused by fans for his "injury" substitution, and he will be looking to get back quicker than ever. I would await more details on the injury before making any rash decisions on him. Everton do look horrible and are strong relegation contenders, but once Harrison and McNeil are fit DCL can offer solid value.
Replacement: Danjuma or Maupay will get into the XI, but do you really want either? Danjuma might be worth a punt, but even then I wouldn't spend my FAB picking up any Everton assets.
Verdict: Hold DCL until more news breaks, or trade out to a believer for high-end FWD3 value.
Alexis Mac Allister (LIV, MID)
Prospects: Mac Allister was shown a red card in the win vs. Bournemouth. Liverpool look to be appealing this, and there is a good chance it is overturned. I would just monitor the news, and simply sub out Macca if suspended. If he isn't he will most likely be in the XI vs. Newcastle.
Replacement: New signing Endo would probably be thrown into his first start if Macca is suspended.
Verdict: Hold Macca, and Endo may be worth a small punt of 1-2 FAB, but Liverpool midfielders just don't score well enough to vouch for any more.
Other injuries/Suspensions:
Matheus Nunes: Two yellows and only a one game suspension - HOLD.
Leon Bailey: Came off in the 61st minute with an injury, the extent unknown. After a great performance, he will start when fit again - HOLD.
Alex Iwobi: Injury that Dyche confirmed as a setback. If it is anything longer than 6 weeks then I would drop Iwobi.
Nayef Aguerd: Suspended for one game, not worth having on your roster. DROP.
Trent Alexander-Arnold: Came off with a "painful kick". He should be okay for Newcastle but monitor the press conference and be ready to grab a backup in Joe Gomez if Trent is a doubt.
Tactical Changes
James Ward-Prowse on sets
Observation: As expected, JWP took all sets (was not on the field for the penalty), and got an assist from one of his first ones. If he was on the field I don't think he would have taken the penalty, but who knows what the future holds. JWP should get a near set piece monopoly and with the likes of Antonio, Soucek, Aguerd, and Zouma to aim for he could really feast. JWP is a lower-end MID2-MID3 in my opinion; he will be dependent on set pieces and returns unless he's playing some bottom-table teams, but should get enough KPs from these sets to make him an every-week starter. West Ham are better off with JWP on sets, and he may even increase the value of attackers over the coming weeks. The likes of Bowen, Antonio, Benrahma, and Paqueta will see an improvement in service from midfield and the hope is to improve their return output.
Verdict: JWP's expected value is confirmed. Bowen's value diminishes somewhat, but he only had 12% reliance on set pieces last season for his Fantasy points so the loss is not too significant. Bowen only scored 4.5 points vs. Chelsea but other than Soucek no West Ham player really ghosted that game. Bowen could be considered a buy-low target if managers are scared that the JWP impact has already taken effect.
Brighton rotation is real
Observation: As expected, Brighton look like they'll be rotating a lot this season. Penalty scorer Joao Pedro was left out for Enciso, new signing Dahoud was benched for Gilmour, and JPVH was replaced by Webster. Once Europe kicks in I really expect all Brighton midfielders and forwards to face serious rotation. The likes of Mitoma and March are the two of the top three Fantrax scorers so far, the other being defender Estupinan, and now could be the perfect time to trade them out at an all-time high. The likes of Saka, Bruno, and Maddison (barring injury) are all great targets by offering Mitoma/March + some FAB as a sweetener. Estupinan being used in a deal to get Trent is really the perfect definition of sell high, buy low. If a manager really believes in this Brighton title charge, then look to give up these assets before the fatigue and rotation really kicks in. Brighton are in for a great season, but will struggle to keep up this level of performance and intensity when the schedule congestion kicks in. None of their players are really familiar with playing multiple times a week and could suffer as they get used to this.
Verdict: Brighton assets seem like a sure thing right now, but their decline will start when Europe starts. There is no need to sell their assets unless you feel you are getting a serious upgrade in a rest-of-the-season asset. Mitoma will be special this year and seemingly has continued from his fine form of last season.
End of Pep Roulette?
Observation: Pep is seriously lacking attacking depth for the first time, but with Doku nearly confirmed don't be fooled. The City XI literally picked itself vs. Newcastle with all the injuries and illnesses, but this won't be the norm. Bernardo will be back in the fold and with Doku on his way in, City assets are far from safe. Other than Haaland and Rodri I can't see any City asset getting more than 30 starts. Despite Foden filling in brilliantly for KDB, and Alvarez off to a hot start, I expect both of these players to rotate more than you may think. Grealish seems like the first player who will lose his spot especially when Bernardo is back in the fold, but again with Pep who knows?
Verdict: The takeaway here, is not to get into a false sense of security with Pep. The transfer window isn't over and new signings will pose a serious threat to those who are seemingly safe. Alvarez has fitness concerns and is my top City choice to "trade out high" this week after two good performances.
How will Fulham cope without Mitrovic?
Observation: Losing Mitrovic will seriously hurt Fulham, but Willian seemingly back to his Arsenal days' form is just as much of a loss. Fulham already signed Adama to bring an impact and Silva will need to get more out of Jimenez if Fulham want to stay up this year; they are sneaky candidates to get relegated after two very poor performances despite their win vs. Everton. I do expect 1-2 more attacking signings to come in, potentially Hudson-Odoi and Balogun, but these two have very little EPL experience and cannot be expected to save the team. A lot of the pressure will fall on veterans Wilson and Andreas to carry the creative load. I think Silva will eventually get Fulham ticking, but managers with their assets may need to be very patient to see the results. The likes of Andreas, Willian, Wilson, Adama, and even Jimenez are all worth holding and starting when in the XI for the next few weeks.
Verdict: Fulham will struggle the next little while, but don't drop the assets you invested heavy draft capital into (Willian excluded).
Will Liverpool DEF improve with Endo?
Observation: Liverpool have picked up right where they left off: struggling to keep clean sheets. Bournemouth will feel the scoreline was unfair given their attacking display and probably deserved another goal. Chelsea had a goal barely chalked off and missed another easy chance or two. This Liverpool defence needs to improve and fast. Is Endo the answer? Probably not. I have no doubt he will improve the team and give Mac Allister a free role to shine, but he will take time to find his feet in the EPL. Going up against Newcastle won't be easy and Klopp will be looking for his first clean sheet of the season. Over the course of the season, I expect Liverpool to improve their defence mainly due to the quality of their manager and backline as opposed to just Endo. I expect there to be one more late signing in the CDM/midfield-type role for Liverpool, but we will need to wait to see who that is before re-evaluating their defence.
Verdict: The likes of Trent, Van Dijk, and Robertson could be considered buy lows but their ghost points should keep them similar to draft value. I'm not rushing to drop Konate, but if you can find a better goalie on your waiver wire Alisson is an easy swap-out.
What is wrong with United?
Don't be fooled by Manchester United's 1-1 record - things are going seriously wrong there. The Wolves victory might be one of the luckiest victories that the PL will see this year; United were dominated for 80+ minutes but sneaked out a win with two defenders combining for the winning goal. The attackers have forgotten where the back of the next is, midfielders can't string together two passes, Casemiro has lost a step and a half, and the defence looks like Bambi on ice. Onana is the only saving grace in this dreadful side right now. Ten Hag will likely look to shake things up to get United back on track. Rashford playing in the middle is taking away his best features, and until Hojlund is ready to go Ten Hag needs to try Sancho or Martial rotating in at the 9. Antony might need a few games on the bench to get his head right. Rumours are swirling about ANOTHER domestic abuse situation with a United RW, and it is clearly distracting Antony on the field. As much as I hate on Mount for fantasy, he has been very poor in reality. The only benefit he has offered is his willingness to run his hardest for every second he is on the pitch. Unfortunately, this isn't track and field. Eriksen is a player Ten Hag knows he can rely on and another poor display could have Mount replaced for a few games with Ten Hag going with the midfield three that was pretty good last year. The battle of AWB vs. Dalot will continue to go on, but Dalot's attacking presence will give him the edge. United haven't been linked with any more significant players in the transfer market but I expect them to be looking at another CDM, and potentially another winger. For some reason, ETH doesn't trust Sancho, and Garnacho has looked like your classic Sunday League player these first two games. United should consider Forest a must-win game.
In terms of fantasy, the likes of Bruno, Rashford, and Shaw will be fine in the long run and this is the perfect time to try and buy low on them, especially ahead of Forest. Even with Casemiro's poor displays, he is still a steady MID3/4 and as reliable as ever. Hojlund will surely be rushed back and is one to buy from a manager struggling to hold him. Antony, Mount, and AWB should be near the top of your trade-out lists for various reasons. For now, I wouldn't recommend streaming any United CBs until we see them string together 2-3 good performances.
Can we trust Aston Villa assets to be consistently elite?
Observation: Villa have had a mixed start to the season. They got thrashed by Newcastle, then handed out a thrashing of their own against Everton. The likes of Watkins and Diaby have had a great start to the season, and honestly are the only two Villa assets I would consider to be week-to-week reliable players. The likes of Luiz, Cash, and eventually Moreno should provide some good matchup-dependent value but I wouldn't necessarily go out and acquire them in any trades. Luiz will be the best of the three given he won't lose points for goals conceded and offers sneaky value on penalties, but he lacks a reliable floor. Bailey is the definition of boom or bust, but gets injured every 12 minutes so he really can't be trusted as a fantasy asset. Villa are showing once again they have the potential to contend for the top 6 spots, but also the potential to finish in the bottom 6-7 of the table. For more in-depth analysis of their potential fantasy value, check out our team preview where Ryan warned readers to be cautious of expecting consistent value from anyone but the top performers. In the short term, they go up against Burnley, Liverpool, and Crystal Palace and I am okay with starting most of their assets in the two non-Liverpool fixtures. The loss of Mings wasn't felt against Everton, but I expect Aston Villa to really feel it against teams who can actually score goals. The Palace game is the best test in my opinion as they are another mid-table side that can both score and defend.
Verdict: No Villa assets outside of maybe Luiz, Cash, and Bailey are "sell highs". Watkins and Diaby are season keepers and I would hold unless someone offers you an upgrade in your forward positions for either of them.
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