See the players Fantasy managers need to be considering ahead of a favourable fixture swing
The Scout explains why Fantasy Premier League managers should look beyond this weekend’s matches and consider banking a free transfer so they can potentially make more impactful moves in Gameweek 24.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), two of Man Utd’s subsequent three matches from Gameweek 24 onwards score only two – they entertain Fulham in Gameweek 24 and visit West Ham United in Gameweek 26.
As you can see from the table below, only two of the Red Devils’ next eight matches score more than three in the FDR – at Newcastle United and AFC Bournemouth in Gameweeks 29 and 31 respectively.
Crucially, though, that match against Bournemouth is currently only one of six Gameweek 31 fixtures which are not at risk of postponement due to the EFL Cup final.
Man Utd’s eight matches from GW24
GW
Opp.
FDR*
24
Fulham (H)
2
25
Spurs (H)
3
26
West Ham (A)
2
27
Everton (A)
3
28
Crystal Palace (H)
3
29
Newcastle (A)
4
30
Aston Villa (H)
3
31
Bournemouth (A)
4
*1=easiest possible fixture, 5=hardest possible fixture
Who have been Man Utd’s top performers in Fantasy?
Bruno Fernandes (£9.2m) has been far and away the Red Devils’ top performer across the opening 22 Gameweeks.
The Portuguese has scored five goals and assisted a further nine, which means he has 14 attacking returns to his name.
That’s twice as many as any other Man Utd player apart from Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m), who has scored seven goals and supplied an assist.
Notably, both were afforded new roles in Michael Carrick’s first match in charge, a 2-0 win over Manchester City last weekend. Fernandes played as a No 10 in a new 4-2-3-1 formation, while Mbeumo – who is listed as a midfielder in Fantasy – was the lone forward.
Certainly, Fernandes’ all-round style of play is also very much in evidence here. The Portuguese has bettered Mbeumo by 10 points to zero for defensive contributions (DC) and also has the same margin over his team-mate for bonus points, by 21 to 11.
Casemiro‘s cost of just £5.5m suggests he’s an overlooked bargain, with a mere 1.3 per cent of managers currently owning the Brazilian. He’s combined four goals and three assists with 11 bonus points and 18 defensive contribution points.
At the back, Diogo Dalot (£4.5m) has already produced a career-high six attacking returns this season, scoring once and supplying five assists.
Patrick Dorgu (£4.3m), meanwhile, has produced scores of 17 and 15 points over the last five Gameweeks due to an advanced role.
Notably, the Dane was employed as a left winger against Man City, although it remains to be seen if that was a tactical decision to combat Man City’s pace down the flanks.
Top-scoring Man Utd players
Player
G + A
CS
DC + Bonus pts
Pts
Fernandes
14
2
31
116
Casemiro
7
5
29
90
Mbeumo
8
3
11
83
Dalot
6
4
9
70
Cunha
6
3
8
70
Dorgu
5
3
10
66
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile. CS = clean sheet
Who’s had the greatest attacking threat?
A delve into the underlying data helps to focus on those that have been the most involved in big chances, which are situations where a player is expected to score.
Once again, Fernandes leads the way. He’s had 10 big chances (BC) and created 15 more of them for his team-mate, which means he’s been involved in 25 big chances – nine more than any team-mate.
The numbers also show Mbeumo‘s goal threat, with the Cameroonian’s 13 big chances ranked first ahead of the 12 of Benjamin Sesko (£7.2m).
Although he also places joint-top with Fernandes on 34 shots in the box, Sesko has scored only four goals. That poor output, allied with his lack of mobility, may well be good news for Mbeumo’s chances of retaining the role up front.
Having previously featured as a wing-back for Ruben Amorim, Amad (£6.2m) started on the right of the attacking midfield trio in Carrick’s 4-2-3-1 set-up.
Again, it’s impossible to read too much into a single match, with Matheus Cunha (£8.0m) surely pushing for a return in more favourable fixtures after being used as a substitute in the 2-0 win.
Man Utd players’ goal threat
Player
Shots in box
BC
BC created
BC inv.
Fernandes
34
10
15
25
Mbeumo
28
13
3
16
Sesko
34
12
0
12
Cunha
32
6
3
9
Amad
22
5
4
9
Dorgu
14
3
5
8
Scroll across to see the full table on mobile. BC = big chance; BCC = big chance created; BC inv. = big-chance involvement
So, who are the best Man Utd picks?
Fernandes‘ underlying numbers show why he is the one must-have Man Utd player to own from Gameweek 24 onwards.
Carrick’s tactics and player selection will ultimately determine whether we should invest more and there’s no question that Mbeumo could be worth the double-up if he continues up front.
At present, there’s too many question marks over Dorgu’s role in the side and Dalot looks a safer option if you’re looking at one of the full-backs. However, it could be Harry Maguire (£4.3m) who emerges as the budget defender to target after he was handed a recall by Carrick.
The centre-back boasts a decent threat at set-pieces and has averaged 4.3 points per match this season, more than any of his defensive team-mates.
Time to sell Newcastle and Leeds stars?
While Man Utd’s schedule gets a lot better in Gameweek 24, the same cannot be said for Newcastle or Leeds United.
After their home encounter with Aston Villa this weekend, Newcastle visit Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Man City in their subsequent four matches, suggesting it’s time to seek out replacements for Bruno Guimaraes (£7.3m) and Nick Woltemade (£7.2m)
Guimaraes is also an injury doubt for Gameweek 23, having been forced off with an ankle injury during Wednesday night’s 3-0 win over PSV in the UEFA Champions League.
Meanwhile, Leeds’ Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) also has a tough task ahead. In a five-match run over Gameweeks 24-28, he faces four of the current top six clubs in the league.
