Gameweek 1 of the 2020/21 FPL season only ended on Monday night, but you should already be turning your attention towards the next round in order to take early control of your mini-leagues.
The transfer deadline for Gameweek 2 is 11:00 (BST) on Saturday, September 19, an hour before Everton and West Brom clash at Goodison Park. So, make sure your team is finalised before then.
Let’s start by looking at the upcoming round of fixtures.
Manchester City, Manchester United, Burnley and Aston Villa all open their accounts this weekend after sitting out of the opening round. This is definitely worth considering when picking your team.
Along with relegated Norwich and Watford, Sheffield United and Brighton were the joint-fourth lowest scorers in the division last term, so it could be a good idea to look at goalkeepers and defenders from Newcastle and Aston Villa this weekend.
Here are a few players to consider for your team for Gameweek 2.
Remarkably, six goalkeepers kept clean sheets on the opening weekend, with Bernd Leno (Arsenal), Vicente Guaita (Crystal Palace), Karl Darlow (Newcastle), Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester), Jordan Pickford (Everton) and Rui Patricio (Wolves) all preventing their respective opponents from scoring.
It remains to be seen whether David De Gea or Dean Henderson will start in goal for Man Utd this season, but either could be a could pick with low-scoring Crystal Palace visiting Old Trafford on Saturday.
Also, if Emiliano Martinez’s proposed transfer from Arsenal to Aston Villa goes through in time for him to play against Sheff Utd on Monday, the Argentine is likely to be Dean Smith’s number one.
Romain Saiss (Wolves) and Gabriel (Arsenal) were the joint-highest scoring defenders on Gameweek 1, notching up 15 points after netting and keeping a clean sheet. Reece James (Chelsea) and Timothy Castagne (Leicester) weren’t far behind with 14 points.
As the only two guaranteed starters in Man Utd’s backline, Harry Maguire and Aaron Wan-Bissaka could be worth looking at, with Crystal Palace – last season’s second-lowest scorers – heading north this weekend.
Lucas Digne (Everton) and James Justin (Leicester) were both among the highest scoring defenders in the previous round, and it could be argued that both the Toffees and the Foxes have favorable ties on the horizon.
Mohamed Salah’s hat-trick against Leeds made him the top scoring midfielder in Gameweek 1 by some distance. The Liverpool star already has 20 points to his name, and he will no doubt be eager to get the better of his former side Chelsea on Sunday.
Let’s not forget that Leeds pushed the defending champions all the way. Mateusz Klich (2.4%) and Jack Harrison (2.3%) are owned by less than 2.5% of FPL managers, and both players will fancy their chances of maintaining their promising start to the season against Fulham this weekend.
You’d be foolish not to consider Kevin De Bruyne as Man City kick off their campaign against Wolves on Monday. After all, the maestro was the highest scoring Fantasy Football player last term.
Jamie Vardy (Leicester) began the defence of his Golden Boot in style by netting a brace against West Brom, and the veteran striker will be confident of adding to his tally against a Burnely side who are yet to play a game this season.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Arsenal) is also an excellent pick. The Gabon international netted a stunning goal against Fulham last time out, and having just signed a new deal with the Gunners, he will surely be licking his lips at the prospect of facing West Ham’s leaky defence.
If you’re looking for some decent budget picks, Callum Wilson (Newcastle), Patrick Bamford (Leeds), Neal Maupay (Brighton) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (Fulham) are all smart selections.