Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 3: Six players you need to drop

Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 3: Six players you need to drop

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Gameweek 3 is now over and done with, and with an average of 44 points, this has been an absurdly terrible week for fantasy managers. Not all has been terrible, as the ever reliable Ashley Barnes, Teemu Pukki, Raheem Sterling and Sergio Aguero all found the net, but do who must you drop to survive?

The Must drops

Gylfi Sigurdsson

The Icelandic international may have finished last season as one of Everton’s top scorers alongside Richarlison but things are not going his way so far. He’s failed to have a single shot on target in his last two games, created just one chance from open play and five overall in his three appearances.

It’s a stark difference to his performances over the last few seasons, but then again this has always been a theme. The Gylfi-train doesn’t really start to move out of the station until we’re in the thick of things, with Sigurdsson often flourishing as the season becomes tougher and the fixture list becomes much more congested. That’s when you ease onto the bandwagon but for now, drop the man.

Erik Lamela

Few Tottenham players have enraged and entertained White Hart Lane at the same time as much as Erik Lamela and the rage against him has something solid to back it. The Argentine arrived as the marquee star within that bunch of players from the Gareth Bale money, but a few years down the line and he’s been a questionable buy.

However, this is the Fantasy Football we are talking about and if there was one player to drop/avoid it’s the Argentine. He proved that brilliantly last season contributing to just six goals in the Premier League, making just 19 appearances. His Premier League average has 4 goals a season, with a best of six, so even if he does have a career-best Premier League season, it will never be more than that.

If he does, however, re-discover the form that made him so good for AS Roma, then that will definitely change but the likelihood of that happening is close to zero.

The Maybes

Divock Origi

Super Divock Origi, but now with the holy Liverpool trinity reunited, Origi has found himself warming the bench. That is unlikely to change barring a major injury to someone in the trio, so expect the Belgian to walk off the bench and do what he does so well, make an impact. That’s something he did do well last season, but it did happen sparingly.

That’s exactly why he shouldn’t be a first-team choice for any Fantasy Manager worth their salt unless we’re talking about a scenario once the group stages start. It’s where Klopp might look towards resting at least one of Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino, and Sadio Mane allowing the Belgian away back into the first-team squad.

Then again, Mane played every minute in the Champions League and missed two games in the Premier League, both Salah and Firmino missed one game in the Champions League. But while the Egyptian played every single Premier League game, Firmino missed four appearances. It’s a small, small window, but that’s where you need Origi.

Enda Stevens

Enda Stevens has won England’s heart over the last 20 days or so, with not just his antics on the field but also off the field. It’s been downright impressive from the Sheffield United star and it does look likely that with time, Stevens will become even better. However, while the left-back has been impressive on the field that has not transformed into FPL points for managers.

Instead, Stevens has managed a respectable 10 points so far, with his highest total being a 7 point haul against Crystal Palace. Even that, however, was largely down to the clean sheet and Palace’s failure to threaten the Sheffield back-line. That will definitely change in the coming weeks, with Stevens and Sheffield facing not one but three tough sides.

It includes a visit to Stamford Bridge, Goodison Park, Liverpool and Southampton visiting Bramall Lane in no order. All tough fixtures, and one that does guarantee goals, especially if the Blades don’t perform well. Chelsea and the Saints will arguably be the only side that might not be able to break them down, but even that is questionable.

The Second Thoughts

Bernard

If there is one thing that Bernard has never been, it’s prolific. The 26-year-old is hard-working, technically talented but also very athletic with or without the ball, which has come in use. It’s why Everton did opt to sign him for free last season and he proceeded to make 34 appearances. A decent chunk of the season but Bernard only netted one goal.

He’s already equalled that total this season and does look like he might score a lot more than he managed last season, but Gylfi Sigurdsson’s struggles will affect Bernard. However, as Marco Silva did say in an interview recently, the 26-year-old is a playmaker at heart, which could see him become the club’s creative hub. Questions do again rise as to how many he might create, so keep an eye out on his form meter.

Oli McBurnie

His first Premier League goal was a brilliantly taken header and it did take McBurnie three games to get off the mark. But there’s another fact at play, for all three games McBurnie has walked off the bench, looking bright and lively which is always nice to watch. It hasn’t always translated into goals, but as his last season with Swansea City proved, the 23-year-old knows where the net is.

However, Sheffield United’s next few fixtures are terrible ones from an FPL point of view, even when you consider that in the Premier League, anything is possible. They play Chelsea, Southampton, Everton, Liverpool and then Watford, which are far from easy fixtures by any regards. Yet given that McBurnie is a forward, it does make sense to keep an eye out for him.

But it doesn’t mean that you start the 5.9m man, especially given the fact that his value has already dropped.

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