EPLNews Tips for Gameweek 2
Last week began with a bang for many FPL managers thanks to the usual suspects delivering in front of the biggest football audience in the world.
Some managers chose to go against the tide of course, and are currently regretting that decision. The reason for the regret is the humongous transfer values of these must-haves in the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League season.
After the points haul from last season, it only made sense that the developers increased many player prices. This season will require a lot of planning, more than previous seasons, as well as study and research.
Here are our gameweek analysis and FPL top picks ahead of week 2 of the 2024/25 Fantasy Premier League season.
Gameweek Analysis
The transfer window is still ongoing, meaning there will be more options to select from as well as more changes to be made in the next couple of weeks.
AFC Bournemouth have signed their Dominic Solanke replacement, bringing in Evanilson from FC Porto for a club-record deal worth £40 million. Other transfers completed since gameweek 1 are:
● Sander Berge – Fulham
● Alex Moreno – Nottingham Forest (on loan from Aston Villa)
● João Felix – Chelsea
● Georginio Rutter – Brighton and Hove Albion
● Mateus Fernandes – Southampton
A few more could be added before gameweek 2 commences and on the flip side, a few players may be removed from the game as they get transferred out of the league. Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca has officially stated that Raheem Sterling and Ben Chilwell will be sold and the representatives of both players are already at work to find replacements for them.
This is why patience remains the best strategy for the first few game weeks of every new season, even with the realisation of many managers going way ahead of you constantly at the back of your mind.
With these new additions to the league, here are some games you can consider to pick players from as you perfect your strategy for game week two.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Everton: Many managers had some choice words for Heung-Min Son (£10.0m) and James Maddison (£7.5m) after their performances in gameweek 1 but that’s all in the past now. Dominic Solanke (£7.5m) is also a great pick because the striker will be looking to show his stuff in front of the home fans for the first time. Everton at home is a big opportunity for managers to rack up some points with these players.
Jordan Pickford, last season’s top-scoring goalkeeper (153 points) is priced at £5.0m and is also a great differential pick because of his high save rate, which could earn good points.
Crystal Palace vs West Ham United: Palace continue their London roulette in 2024/25, this time playing host to West Ham. In game week 1, Eberechi Eze (£7.0m) scored a wonderful free kick that was ruled out erroneously. It may not be a free kick this time, but the England international will surely contribute significantly to a result in Palace’s first home game of the season.
West Ham’s Lucas Paqueta (£6.0m), Jarrod Bowen (£7.5m) and Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) remain their most attractive players and present an opportunity for managers as well.
Best FPL Players for Week 2
Joško Gvardiol (£6.0m) – Manchester City
The Croatian defender was one of Manchester City’s best performers in their season opener against Chelsea. The 22-year-old has averaged 7.8 points per match across his last 11 appearances. He is quite pricey when you compare him to Daniel Muñoz (£5.0m), but Manchester City will be taking on Ipswich Town at the Etihad on gameweek 2. It will be an unwise decision to pass off having Joško Gvardiol in games like this, especially when the Croat has shown attacking prowess since signing to play under Pep Guardiola.
Mohamed Salah (£12.5m) – Liverpool
Mohamed Salah is one of the must-have players for managers of FPL squads. FPL’s greatest player started the season with a bang, scoring and assisting against Ipswich in their season opener and is currently on course to earn 50 total points in the first seven gameweeks of the season.
This knowledge seems to be common because many managers have already transferred him in ahead of the Reds hosting Brentford, taking point hits early in the season to make him the fourth most transferred-in player ahead of gameweek 2.
Erling Haaland (£15.0m) – Manchester City
Erling Haaland’s humongous price tag seems justified now after his third straight-opening gameweek goal. He will still have to play for a few more years to catch up to Salah’s current record of eight opening-day league goals, but he has already shown that he is the leader in that attacking metric. His goal against Chelsea was his 91st in 100 official games for City and with Ipswich on the horizon, he presents a huge opportunity for those willing to take the risk of using their triple-captain chip on him.