Brentford Duo and Chris Wood Attractive, Salah over Haaland

In a game with over 500 players, the term ‘must-have’ is dangerous to use in Fantasy Premier League. There’s more than one way to skin a cat after all and very few players at any given time should come with this tag. In the first few weeks of the season, many would argue Erling Haaland was essential. Is he right now? Absolutely not.

However, one Premier League player is, in the opinion of many, given his form, affordable price and points to date. Introducing the FPL points monster that is Bryan Mbeumo, ladies and gentlemen. Only the high-priced Haaland, Mohamed Salah and Cole Palmer have more points than Mbeumo who is the most transferred in player of the gameweek. Brentford are a team functioning well, and Mbeumo is their talisman.

Mbeumo and Wissa Both Attractive for FPL Managers

The duo have been in great form this season

It’s the goal threat which makes Brentford so dangerous in FPL. They compete with the best attacks in the league, rank fifth for expected goals this season and joint third for actual goals. Given the low price point of their players, you can put forward a compelling argument to own two of their attackers.

Brentford coaches will tell you Yoane Wissa is the best finisher at the club and since Ivan Toney’s ban and departure and Igor Thiago’s injury, Wissa has stepped up to be the leading striker at the club. He started the season with three goals and one assist in his first four league matches before picking up an injury. He earned 10 FPL points on his first start back last weekend and faces Fulham, Bournemouth, Everton and Leicester up next, an attractive fixture run for the 4% owned budget forward.

It’s worth noting the Bees have a contrasting record at home versus away having lost all four of their trips on the road this season. It should be flagged that these games were against both Manchester teams, Spurs and Liverpool and they only failed to score in one of them.

Wood and Cunha Cheap Forwards to be Considered

Only Salah has more bonus points than Wood in 2024-25

Whilst Wissa is the less fashionable choice, Chris Wood and Matheus Cunha are the slightly more expensive and more popular options in the budget forward market. Wood has seven goals in nine games and has been one of the outstanding FPL players of the season so far. Only Salah has more bonus points this season than the Nottingham Forest striker.

Cunha meanwhile has scored in two of his last three games and can look forward to an excellent fixture run through November and December where Wolves play mostly teams in the bottom half of the table.

This includes home games versus Crystal Palace, Southampton and Bournemouth in the next four. Cunha is 1 million more than his strike partner Strand Larsen but if funds are tight the Norwegian is worth a look at 5.5 million. He doesn’t offer the same routes to points as the penalty-taking Brazilian but has scored against Manchester City, Chelsea and Brentford so far this season.

Salah, Palmer and Saka Three Reliable Premium Midfielders

Managers face a decision on who to pick if they have Haaland

Mohamed Salah, Cole Palmer and Bukayo Saka continue to earn big scores and balancing which one or two make the cut in any given FPL team feels like the biggest challenge this season. A team with no Haaland allows you to have all three, but going against the big man feels naive.

Saka was sold by the masses ahead of Arsenal’s top of the table clash against Liverpool and punished the doubters with another return. He’s only failed to register an attacking return in one of the eight games he’s played in the league so far. He’s less explosive than Palmer but perhaps more consistent than the Chelsea man who has blanked on three occasions.

Josko Gvardiol is Reinvented for Man City

The Croatian is attacking regularly from defence

Attacking defenders are always top of the shopping list in FPL. Additional points to the +4 for a clean sheet are always attractive and identifying which defenders are occupying good attacking positions is key. Of course, centre backs carry higher goal threat from attacking set pieces but it’s the full backs who adopt attacking open play positions which often increases their chance of an attacking return.

The Manchester City full backs have very different styles of play but both drift into good attacking positions. Whilst Gvardiol is often high and wide in possession and part of a three-man backline off the ball, Rico Lewis inverts to effectively play as a box-to-box central midfielder in possession. Gvardiol is considerably more expensive than Lewis but comes with the higher goal threat with seven shots inside the box this season. Only Kenny Tete has more amongst defenders.

Gvardiol has two goals already this season and contributed four goals in the final seven weeks of last season which helped City win the league. Naturally a centre back, the Croatian has adapted to become a marauding left back with an eye for goal and a composed finish off either foot. As many look to offload the flagged Gabriel, Gvardiol is the second most transferred in defender this week behind Rayan Ait-Nouri who has three goals in his last four games.

Salah is Best Captaincy Option

Haaland also to be considered against Bournemouth

If you own Salah then he’s the best captaincy option this week with a home fixture to Brighton who will likely come to play at Anfield. Their recent visit to Stamford Bridge saw them concede four goals to Chelsea, who capitalised on their error-prone playing out from the back on the day. Palmer and Haaland, as always, also offer upside with the armband.

Palmer is a boyhood Manchester United fan and will back himself to score again, but will the United team give an extra 10% now the unpopular Erik ten Hag is out the door?

Haaland meanwhile isn’t quite the same beast away from home but will fancy his chances against a Bournemouth team who, like Brighton, will back themselves and go toe-to-toe with the big boys, perhaps leaving them vulnerable in defence.

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