Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 14 | Surviving FPL without Tammy Abraham and Sergio Aguero

Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 14 | Surviving FPL without Tammy Abraham and Sergio Aguero

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With most of Europe behind us, its the time to avoid rash decisions as an FPL manager but with Tammy Abraham and Sergio Aguero injured, it complicates things. Nothing is confirmed but they've scored a stunning 155 FPL points, so how do you replace two of the three most lethal strikers this season?

Option 1: Bring in Raul Jimenez and Roberto Firmino

Arguably the best possible option to have, that’s despite Firmino’s overloaded fixture list, thanks to their price and they're locked on factor. Barring serious injuries, neither man will leave their team hanging and to make things even better, both men are in superb form. Jimenez has averaged just under a goal every other game but, and this is a biggie, he has four goals in his last five games.

That’s a brilliant record for any striker but for someone travelling the world thanks to the Europa League, where he’s netted eight in 10 games, it’s even better. Now Firmino is the dicey choice in this combination but the stats and the eye test does see him getting in much better positions. That is promising given his start to the season so far and his goal against Palace was the result of that.

It saw Firmino find himself in acres of space thanks to his clever movement and his shot count has naturally increased. Ever since his blank against Sheffield United, the Brazilian has averaged three shots a game with an average xG of 0.7. That’s higher than ever before and Liverpool’s impressive run of fixtures makes him a genuine option.

Option 2: Take advantage of Marcus Rashford and Harry Kane

The England striker duo fears into the hearts of any opposition that faces them, alongside Raheem Sterling, during the international break but in the off-season, they struggle. It’s for the clubs that both men have really failed to show up but that is until now. Marcus Rashford is possibly in the form of his life with 10 goals in his last 11 games, including strikes against Liverpool, Sheffield United and Brighton.

Add that to the fact that he’s underperforming, according to his xG, and the fact that his form has shot up since the return of Anthony Martial, it makes him a brilliant choice. A little expensive at 8.6 but thanks to Kane’s price, 10.8, it makes Rashford affordable. Speaking of the devil, Kane has always been brilliant but Jose Mourinho tends to bring out the best in his number nines.

Tottenham have a decent run of fixtures but Kane has really done well so far. Seven goals in 12 appearances despite an injury, a struggling Tottenham and a midfield that has failed to create too much for him. It’s caused massive problems but under Mourinho, that should change.

Option 3: Jamie Vardy and Danny Ings to save the day

Two eerily similar strikers, if their heat maps and their xG are compared, with Ings a tad lower thanks to the number of minutes he’s played. But while the world knows about Jamie Vardy, his form and Leicester City’s resurgence under Brendan Rodgers, it’s Danny Ings who just might be your saviour. The former Liverpool man has been in impressive form scoring five in his last seven games this season and the only two games he missed in happened to be against Leicester City and Manchester City.

It’s an impressive tally and while Danny tends to be very streaky, as he proved last season, his current run of form makes him an interesting differential pick at the very least. And with Vardy, you know what you’re getting. His form has been impeccable, he’s the first to a 100 points in this FPL season and Leicester’s fixture list is mouthwatering.

They’ve been beyond impressive and with a run that includes just two big six teams in their next 11 games, it makes not having a Fox in your team absurd. And with Vardy priced at 9.7 and Ings priced at 6.0, it gives you a little extra spending money.

Option 4: Skimp out on Jordan Ayew and Ashley Barnes

When you go budget choice, there always comes a certain amount of risk with it. But what’s FPL if not hair pulling risk-taking at it’s very best?? However, when you watch Jordan Ayew skew a clear cut one-v-one scoring chance, it makes you imagine ways of killing him. Yet given, Crystal Palace’s fixtures and Ayew’s surprisingly impressive xG, it makes the forward a choice.

At 5.1, the youngest of Abedi Pele’s sons is a cheap alternative to Tammy Abraham and bench fodder if you ever need such a thing. However, it’s his proposed FPL strike partner in Ashley Barnes that should, hopefully, deliver the points. The Barnes train is true and running at full steam because at his best, Barnes is the Bath Benzema.

He has six goals in 12 appearances and an xG of 6.33 in just 990 minutes. That’s an average of a goal every 165 minutes and it’s downright impressive for a man worth only 6.3. And yet the advantage of picking these this combination is the fact that you get to splurge everywhere else. Wanna accept the year of the defender hype? Go ahead. Wanna pick KDB, Sadio Mane and another 8 million man? Go right ahead. But remember, this is the riskiest option.

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