Fantasy Premier League Bandwagons - Gameweek 4

As we roll into Gameweek 4, many Fantasy players will be hoping for a change in fortune after a freakish start to the FPL season. Big hitters like Hazard, Rooney and Ivanovic have disappointed, whilst mid-priced players have excelled – Mahrez, Gomis, Ayew and Kouyate. Liverpool, Man City and Man United have kept three clean sheets and are yet to concede. As a result, thousands of emergency cords have already been pulled via wildcard, something which I have also reluctantly had to do.

To those who had the foresight to start with such measured punts, congratulations. For the rest of us, it’s about hopping on bandwagons to stop any further damage being caused to our ranking. Getting the balance right between highly-owned players and differentials is tough, so here is my verdict on which bandwagons are worth joining.

Riyad Mahrez (Leicester City, £6.0m)

Let’s start with the season’s biggest success so far. Leicester’s Algerian playmaker has already risen 0.5m in price after scoring four goals in three games, getting the maximum three bonus points each time. A truly phenomenal start has upped his ownership to 35% - only bettered by Eden Hazard, Christian Benteke and Nathaniel Clyne.

The Foxes face Bournemouth (a), Aston Villa (h) and Stoke (a) in their next three games, showing that Mahrez has both the form and the fixtures to extend this run. With two strikers often playing ahead of him, as well as having free-kick duty, there’s also plenty of potential for assists. Make no mistake about it, Mahrez is THE player to have right now.

Get on or stay off? There’s a temptation to say that the purple patch is over and you’ve missed out, let’s just move on. But at such a low price, missing out is not worth the risk. Definitely get on this bandwagon.

Bafetimbi Gomis (Swansea City, £7.3m)

Another player who has scored in each game so far, Gomis has emerged as a great forward option when so few have delivered so far. Despite this, the Frenchman has failed to pick up any bonus points. It hasn’t put off buyers though, with his price going up 0.3m since Gameweek 1.

Swansea’s upcoming fixtures are a mixed bag, starting with Man United’s trip to the Liberty Stadium on Sunday and a trip to Watford. But the Swans were unfazed by an opening day trip to champions Chelsea and came away with a point, with Gomis supplied by some incredibly talented midfielders in Andre Ayew, Jefferson Montero, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jonjo Shelvey.

Get on or stay off? Everyone who has scored more than once is under £8.2m, so there aren’t many other options right now. If you have Gomis, stick with him, but other options may be more fruitful. Stay off.

Callum Wilson (AFC Bournemouth, £5.5m)

A week ago, Wilson had only acquired appearance points and had been deserted by 60,000 owners. One hat-trick at West Ham later, he’s the top scoring striker in FPL and has already risen back up to £5.5m. There was a reason why so many initially put faith in the 23-year-old. His 20 league goals fired Bournemouth to an unlikely promotion, based on attacking football that yielded a whopping 98 goals.

One of the first names on Eddie Howe’s team sheet, Wilson’s confidence will be sky-high ahead of Saturday’s home match with Leicester. Following that, the kind fixtures keep piling up, facing Norwich (a), Sunderland (h), Stoke (a) and Watford (h) consecutively.

Get on or stay off? Compared to Gomis, Wilson seems a marginally better option. With a cheaper price and kinder fixtures, he’s an easy way to replace Troy Deeney or Diafra Sakho. He also has the second most penalty area touches of any player so far (behind Sanchez). Get on.

Aleksandar Kolarov (Manchester City, £5.7m)

Now owned by 15.2%, Kolarov will be expected to add to last week’s goal against Everton when Watford come to the Etihad Stadium. On paper, this fixture is an FPL goldmine and the Serbian provides a clean sheet candidate and set-piece potential.

I missed out on the left-back due to Pablo Zabaleta’s injury – Bacary Sagna costs only £5.0m and should start for the next month. Not only did that backfire, but it was announced during Friday’s press conference that Gael Clichy will be out for seven weeks with an ankle problem. With seven bonus points and an outstanding run of games for the Citizens – Watford (h), Crystal Palace (a), West Ham (h), Tottenham (a), Newcastle (h), Bournemouth (h) – Kolarov is almost essential.

Get on or stay off? Definitely get on if you can. Kolarov’s price has already risen twice but his starting spot is secure and is one of the few defenders with attacking threat.

Nathan Redmond (Norwich City, £5.6m)

Alex Neil benched the England Under-21 winger for Norwich’s opening clash with Crystal Palace, but Redmond came off the bench to bag their only goal in a 3-1 defeat. Now back in the starting line-up, the 21-year-old has produced in all games, with a goal against Sunderland and an assist against Stoke.

With so many attractive options right now, Redmond is still under radar with just 6.9% ownership, so he’s both a form player and differential option. Having said that, three of the newly-promoted side’s next four games are away from home and include trips to Liverpool and Southampton. A good spell of fixtures emerges in Gameweek 8 but, for now, it might be worth staying away.

Get on or stay off? Stay off but keep an eye on Redmond, as well as Wes Hoolahan.

GEGENPRESS GW4 PICKS:

GK:         Jack Butland (STOKE v West Brom)

DEF:       Aleksandar Kolarov (MAN CITY v Watford)

DEF:       Gabriel Paulista (Newcastle v ARSENAL)

DEF:       Joe Gomez (LIVERPOOL v West Ham)

MID:      Alexis Sanchez (Newcastle v ARSENAL)
MID:      David Silva (MAN CITY v Watford)
MID:      Riyad Mahrez (Bournemouth v LEICESTER)
MID:      Xherdan Shaqiri (STOKE v West Brom)

FOR:      Sergio Aguero (MAN CITY v Watford, captain)
FOR:      Callum Wilson (BOURNEMOUTH v Leicester)
FOR:      Olivier Giroud (Newcastle v ARSENAL)