Fantasy Premier League: Time to bring in Maddison for the double gameweek?
Who are the best transfers for the upcoming FPL Double Gameweek? 4-time top 1k and 5-time top 5k finisher Abdul Rehman uses stats, fixtures and the eye test to find the best Fantasy Premier League players with the potential to pick up big points and help shoot you up the rankings.
Emerson Royal (£4.9m) – Tottenham
Fixture: Arsenal (H) and Leicester City (A)
Emerson Royal looks to be one of the most nailed defenders for Tottenham at present. He has started every game, when fit, under Antonio Conte and has clearly been a lot more attacking down that right side. He has created the most chances (17) of Spurs defenders since Conte took over with an xA of 0.91, which is second among defenders at the club.
Tottenham come up against Arsenal (H) and Leicester City (A) in the double gameweek. Although this may seem a tough set of fixtures defensively, Spurs have been very good at the back. Over the season, they have only conceded 20 goals (5th) with boast xGC of 21.2 (3rd). Since the arrival of Conte, they have conceded the fewest goals (4) and have the best xGC at 5.7.
Royal can be seen as a great option this week as firstly he has been very attacking and is playing much further up the field. Secondly, he is more nailed than fellow wing-back Sergio Reguilon, who although does boast better attacking stats, also has Ryan Sessegnon as competition following his return from injury. Matt Doherty can play in Emerson’s position, but he is unlikely to start.
Antonio Conte is well known for shoring up his defences and getting his full-backs bombing forward and he seems to have done the same with, Spurs who are getting better with every game. The North London club are at 29% to keep a clean sheet in each of their games for the double gameweek according to the bookmakers. This gives them a 49% chance of keeping at least one clean sheet.
James Maddison (£6.9m) – Leicester City
Fixture: Burnley (A) and Tottenham (H)
James Maddison has been really impressive of late. At the time of writing, he has five goals and five assists with four double-digit hauls in his last six games. He has has 16 shots in the box with an xG of 3.99 and has also created 19 chances with an xA of 3.31. He has clearly been playing a lot more advanced recently and his average position map shows him as part of the front three, sometimes even playing as the most advanced.
Leicester City play Burnley (A) and Tottenham (H) in the double gameweek. Although both teams don’t concede a whole lot of goals, the Foxes are really strong going forward. They have scored 31 goals (6th) with an xG of 27.0 (9th) and have already scored against the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Maddison also appeals as he is on set-piece duties, so will always have chances of attacking returns even against the tougher opponents. Also with injuries to Jamie Vardy, and Kelechi Iheanacho away at AFCON, he will very likely be playing advanced again.
Patson Daka looks set to return to the line-up and with Harvey Barnes and Ademola Lookman fit also, they still have more than enough firepower to fill the void left by their top goal scorer.
Cristiano Ronaldo (£12.5m) – Manchester United
Fixture: Aston Villa (A) and Brentford (A)
Cristiano Ronaldo has eight goals and three assists from 47 shots in the box with an xG of 9.07, both of which are first among forwards. He has also created 12 chances with an xA of 2.84. Manchester United have been inconsistent this season and even new manager Ralf Rangnick hasn’t managed to get them clicking yet.
United have one of the best fixtures in the double gameweek though, and this makes Ronaldo one of the best FPL forward options no doubt as the Red Devils play Aston Villa and Brentford.
Villa have conceded 30 goals (15th) with an xGC of 29.2 (13th) and the Bees have shipped 30 goals (15th) with an xGC of 26.8 (8th). United are also at 31% (2nd) to score 2.5+ goals according to the bookmakers. You would expect United to score in both of these fixtures and Ronaldo has been their talisman this season. He has a Goal Involvement of 48% and is also now the first-choice penalty taker.
United have scored 30 goals (7th) with an xG of 30.5 (6th) and Ronaldo is also at 43% to score at anytime for the Villa game. In addition, United also have a favourable run of fixtures going forward.
