Welcome to this week's Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 24 headlines article. Once again the
@fplbet team go over the main talking points within the fantasy football community and provide their insight and opinion. In this week's article we look at dropping Romelu Lukaku and Riyad Mahrez, the January signings that arrived with a bang, Roberto Firmino's recent form, Swansea's rejuvenated attack under new manager Francesco Guidolin and the clean sheet potential of Fraser Forster.
SAYING BYE TO OLD FRIENDS
During the first half of the season they were must-haves, but is it now time to transfer out the likes of Romelu Lukaku and Riyad Mahrez?
First off let's place Romelu Lukaku in the spotlight. After smashing home 13 goals during the first 17 Gameweeks, Lukaku has since failed to find the net in five of his last six fixtures. FPL managers around the globe are beginning to react; with upwards of 52,000 transferring him out in preparation for GW24.
Despite this, Everton have some favourable fixtures on the horizon and Lukaku boasts a fantastic record against the clubs in question; vs. Newcastle (Apps: 7, Goals: 5, Assists: 4), vs. Stoke (Apps: 7, Goals: 3) and vs. West Brom (Apps: 4, Goals: 3, Assists: 2). In our opinion, Lukaku has earned the right to be given one last chance and if he fails to deliver at home to Newcastle, then show him the door without a second thought.
Next up is Riyad Mahrez. Sporting a 64% ownership the Algerian has left millions frustrated after contributing with just one assist since Gameweek 17 and to make things worse he's been stripped of penalty taking duty having missed two on the bounce.
We feel the negativity surrounding the midfielder has led to some hasty decisions; people are forgetting that his club are top of the table and that Mahrez still remains the highest points scorer (163) in FPL this season. Ask yourself, why do you need to sell him and who is going to perform better at this price, before you come to any conclusions?
NEW SIGNINGS, NEW DIFFERENTIALS
Steven Naismith, Benik Afobe and Charlie Austin all impress at their new clubs, but which one is the best differential for your FPL team?
There is always an air of excitement that surrounds the January transfer window and when new players pop-up in the FPL database. However, it is rare to see a trio of strikers have such an instant impact.
Benik Afobe (6.1m, 0.4% Ownership) was first on the scene, racking up two goals in his first three appearances for Bournemouth. The Englishman already looks comfortable in his surroundings and is full of confidence, especially having broken down the initial goal barrier that often restrains new signings. The only downside is his tough upcoming fixtures where he faces Crystal Palace (a) and Arsenal (H) before hosting Stoke at Dean Court.
Next up was the £9 million transfer of Steven Naismith (5.0m, 1.6% Ownership) to Norwich and he promptly delivered, notching a goal and assist on his debut. The ex-Everton man scored a hat trick vs. Chelsea earlier in the season and possesses valuable Premier League experience. The fact that Naismith is playing in a more withdrawn role behind a striker is obviously a negative, nevertheless the Scotland International has the most favourable fixtures of the three with; Tottenham (H), Aston Villa (a) and West Ham (H).
Finally Charlie Austin (7.0m, 0.6% Ownership) completes our lineup for a differential forward. He is more expensive than the other two but is, without doubt, the most proven at this level. Austin scored 18 goals and assisted eight during the 2014/15 campaign with QPR. At Southampton he could theoretically be presented with even more opportunities and will be desperate to reach even greater heights. With a tough run of fixtures on the horizon Arsenal (A), West Ham (H), Swansea (A) his goalscoring ability will be tested, however, Austin has shown that he's fixture proof in the past.
FIRMINO ON FIRE
Roberto Firmino has been firing on all cylinders for Liverpool in recent weeks, what is his point potential in the upcoming gameweeks and is he worth bringing into your side?
Liverpool's £29 million summer signing has started to show signs of his worth with four goals and an assist in his last three matches. Jurgen Klopp has fielded the Brazilian as a false nine in recent matches, increasing his goalscoring potential and making him an excellent out-of-position choice.
Firmino looks to have settled into English football now and could be motivated by the rumours of Liverpool trying to obtain another attacking midfielder in Alex Teixeira. With Coutinho & Sturridge still sidelined through injury and Benteke out of favour, Firmino looks set to continue spearheading the Liverpool attack.
So far this season Liverpool have created the second highest amount of chances in the Premier League (299) but have the second lowest conversion rate at a measly 11.9%. It seemed only a matter of time until one Liverpool player started firing and if recent weeks are anything to go by then we've found our man.
Having picked up 33pts over the last three Gameweeks, it'll be hard for him to maintain such high level of returns but could still be in for a good haul considering Liverpool's favourable fixture list (lei, SUN, ast). With the likes of Ozil, De Bruyne & Barkley struggling to average higher than two points per game, he looks worthy of a transfer in.
ATTACK OF THE SWANS
The arrival of Francesco Guidolin has rejuvenated the Swansea attack. Does this now make Gylfi Sigurdsson and Andre Ayew appealing FPL options once again?
The Italian manager took charge of his first game in the 2-1 win over Everton with both Sigurdsson and Ayew registering their names on the scoresheet. At the start of the season Ayew was a very common FPL pick. The Ghanaian scored four goals in his opening three games and looked a real threat for the Welsh side tallying a total of 31 points in that period, before his impact on the Swansea side fizzled out. However, with two goals and assists in his last three games and priced at just 6.7m, he's come back into the limelight. In Guidolin's first game in charge the manager changed up the formation and played a 4-3-1-2 system, fielding Ayew as a striker - if this is to continue he makes for a solid OOP player.
Onto one of last seasons fixture proof players in the shape of Icelandic midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson, who so far has failed to live up to his 2014-2015 reputation. In his last four games he's scored three goals, with two of those coming from dead ball situations. As we've seen in the past Sigurdsson is a set-piece specialist and is always a threat when he steps over either a free kick or a corner. Added to that is the fact he is Swansea's main penalty taker, which gives him an even better chance to register points.
Swansea now face West Brom (A), Crystal Palace (H), Southampton (H) before a trip to White Heart Lane; Sigurdsson's old stomping ground. These four fixtures give the duo a great chance to pick up some solid points for your sides.
FLAWLESS FRASER FORSTER
Fraser Forster returned has returned from injury and kept three consecutive clean sheets versus WAT (H), WBA (H), MUN (A). Could he replace the likes of Jack Butland, Petr Cech and David de Gea?
Last season Southampton were a solid defensive outfit with many a FPL manager owning a part of their defence. Their clean sheets this season have been sporadic and inconsistent - that was until the return of Englishman Fraser Forster. It's no surprise though as he is one of the best keepers in the league, controls his box and is a solid shot stopper.
There has also been a change of formation by Ronald Koeman. He looks to have abandoned the 4-2-3-1 to play a 3-5-2 with Jose Fonte, Virgil van Dijk & Ryan Bertrand making up the back three and Matthew Targett & Cedric Soares filling the wingback roles. It offers more defensive security and allows Southampton to keep three bodies back at all times.
With fixtures against Arsenal (A), West Ham (H), Swansea (A), Chelsea (H) his next four fixtures do look slightly tricky with all four teams capable of scoring. However, once that quadrant of fixtures are over Southampton face Bournemouth (A), Sunderland (H) and Stoke (A) three games where they should be looking to shut up shop. So whilst Forster has recorded three clean sheets in a row, we'd suggest holding off him just for now.
Thanks for reading our Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 24 Headlines article. Please share your opinions on Gameweek 24's key topics in the comments below.
