Although there were some notable performances from Fantasy Premier League favourites, a chaotic opening round of the season should not have you second guessing your original plans. If you are eager to make changes however, we are on hand with a few of our best FPL gameweek 2 picks to provide a little inspiration.
FPL Gameweek 2 Picks
Moussa Diaby – Aston Villa (£6.5m)
It simply could not have gone any worse for Aston Villa, whose pre-season plans that gleamed with optimism were quickly scuppered in a 5-1 dismantling at the hands of Newcastle.
The one shining light in an otherwise gloomy afternoon at St James’ Park was summer singing Moussa Diaby, who looked the liveliest among a blunted attack.
He was rewarded for his busyness in the opening stages, peeling away from the Magpies defence to side-foot a smartly taken equaliser, which would of course prove inconsequential.
There is absolutely no way Unai Emery will allow them be that pedestrian this weekend, and they return to the Midlands for their first fixture on home soil.
Diaby is certainly one to keep an eye out against an Everton defence that conceded the majority of their goals last season away from home. He demonstrated a real goalscoring pedigree when tucking away his debut goal, and at £6.5m he comes in at a favourable price point.
James Maddison – Tottenham (£7.5m)
As Tottenham and James Maddison prepare to face Manchester United on Saturday, many Red Devils fans may be wondering why they didn’t pursue the former Leicester man.
He was in a particularly creative mood in Spurs’ opener, although we really should have come to expect this from Maddison who has long been one of the league’s most effective players, both as a creator and a goalscorer.
He chipped in with two assists and created six chances in total to ensure Tottenham picked up a point away at Brentford, and his impact on the way Spurs play was notable.
He is exactly the type of playmaker-in-chief Ange Postecoglou will need going forward, and he has immediately shown fans in North London what has long been a missing piece in their starting XI.
Following United’s rather uninspiring opener against Wolves, Gary Neville described their midfield as “non-existent.” Maddison has the positional know-how to find pockets in what was an alarmingly open United side, and is worth taking a chance on in gameweek 2.
Matt Turner – Nottingham Forest (£4m)
Although slightly out of left-field, we think Matt Turner could be a shoe-in for a clean sheet this weekend.
He registered an impressive debut for Nottingham Forest against Arsenal – the club he exited just a few weeks prior – limiting the Gunners to an xG of just 0.67.
The American will line-up at the City Ground for the first time against newly-promoted Sheffield United, who look to be one of the likeliest to struggle after little investment over the summer and a rather flat opener.
They ranked just ahead of Arsenal as the second-lowest xG in the opening round. Coupled with the fact Forest’s survival last season can be attributed to their strong home form, we aren’t expecting the Blades to trouble Turner too much.
Ben Chilwell – Chelsea (£5.6m)
Much of Chelsea’s chances this season rest on whether their full-backs – Reece James and Ben Chilwell – can remain fit.
Chilwell in particular was mightily impressive in their opener against Liverpool, often playing the furthest forward on the left-hand side and demonstrating real attacking intent.
He was pivotal as the assist-maker for Axel Disasi’s equaliser, and he was very unfortunate to have a goal ruled out for offside after rounding Alisson with the poise and presence of an established striker.
Mauricio Pochettino deployed James and Chilwell very high in their opener, which lends itself to a significant goal threat.
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