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Welcome to Gameweek 2 of the FPL season, RotoBallers! This is the third year covering FPL on the site, and we are bringing you more coverage than ever before. We will publish the Gameweek Preview consisting of a Staff Roundtable and our weekly rankings every week. Then, once a month, we will publish our newest article: The Watchlist, a review of the previous month and a look ahead to the upcoming fixtures.
One gameweek down, 37 more to go. The first weekend was a whirlwind, and we dive right back in with another 10 games from Friday until Monday. There were several surprises, highlights, and disappointments over the first gameweek, and we will break it all down in this week's FPL Gameweek 2 preview.
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 2 deadline is 1:15 PM EST on Friday, August 18, for the Nottingham Forest-Sheffield United game. Also, look out for the rest of our excellent soccer coverage as the squad gets you all set for every English Premier League, Major League Soccer, and UEFA Champions League slate from a DFS and betting perspective.
Fantasy Premier League Staff Roundtable - Gameweek 2 Preview
The Staff Roundtable is an attempt to get you inside the mind of our FPL staff. Our top soccer writers will answer questions each gameweek to give you an idea of how they view the games. So without further ado, let's kick off Gameweek 2!
Gameweek 1 Fantasy Premier League High Scorers
- Goalkeeper: Bernd Leno, Fulham - 12 points
- Defender: Raphael Varane, Manchester United - 14 points
- Midfielder: Rodrigo, Manchester City - 13 points
- Forward: Erling Haaland, Manchester City & Alexander Isak, Newcastle United - 13 points
One week is in the books. What is the biggest overreaction in the Fantasy Premier League world?
- Euan Leith: Manchester United looked awful, and it's time to jump off Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes. While I agree it wasn't the brightest start for the Red Devils, we must stick with our popular United midfielders. This weekend's game with Spurs will be far more open than the deep block Wolves side they met on Monday. There will be goals in London on Saturday.
- Jamie Steed: The movement among Manchester City players seems excessive and an overreaction. Kevin De Bruyne being dropped is understandable, given he’s set to miss a few months with his injury. ~500,000 teams have already dumped John Stones, while Rodri has been added by ~250,000 FPL managers, both of which appear extreme.
What do you feel is being underappreciated among the Gameweek 1 FPL takeaways?
- Euan: We will all want two Spurs midfielders in our lineups within the next month. James Maddison looked integral to everything Tottenham produced on Sunday against Brentford. Plus, Richarlison took on the Harry Kane role and was in some fantastic positions despite not returning. The new system is exceptionally FPL-friendly, and we will want a piece of the action soon enough.
- Jamie: Moussa Diaby’s performance will have gone under the radar after Aston Villa got thumped 5-1 by Newcastle. But there will be better days ahead for Villa, and he was arguably the most impressive new forward in the EPL this weekend.
James Maddison doing James Maddison things.#FPL #BRETOT
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 13, 2023
It was the first week with the new rules for stoppage time and yellow cards. Will this make a difference for our FPL squads moving forward?
- Euan: These are, in general, good things for football. Unfortunately, they may cost us fantasy points. The most significant difference will come along the backline with late clean sheet wipeouts. The dissent rule towards referees will be learned quickly among those players who like to talk back and won't have a massive influence after the first few gameweeks.
- Jamie: Not really. There will be more goals as more playing time will lead to that, but how do you predict who will benefit from it? I expect full-backs and goalkeepers to take the brunt of the clampdown on timewasting, given the number of throw-ins and goal-kicks they take, but I’m not changing my plans based on that.
Harry Kane officially left Spurs for Bayern Munich over the weekend. Who do you expect to pick up the torch for Tottenham?
- Euan: Richarlison and James Maddison are the favorites. Son Heung-min and Dejan Kulusevski played extremely wide against Brentford. Meanwhile, the Brazilian and Englishman were incredibly involved in the center of the park.
- Jamie: Richarlison isn’t getting 30 goals and 10 assists, so they must be shared. We saw on Sunday that James Maddison’s set-piece delivery could conjure chances and goals, so I expect him to be the primary producer for Tottenham, with everyone else chipping in a bit.
Only Manchester City and Manchester United kept clean sheets among the popular defenders. Should we prioritize the attacking wingbacks moving forward?
- Euan: I'm always a fan of defenders who can score points on both sides of the pitch. Ben Chilwell and Pervis Estupinan failed to keep a clean sheet, but they came away with an assist and some bonus points. Having players with multiple avenues to those previous fantasy points is the way to go.
- Jamie: Most of the better clean sheet options have the best attacking options, so rostering defenders based solely on clean sheets isn’t easy or ideal. I still like to target defenders who can help at both ends of the pitch and will continue to roster defenders who will be attacking threats.
Is Pervis Estupinan a #FPL cheat code? 📟@FPL_Sonaldo highlights the value of the Brighton defender on the first Off The Bench episode of the new season! 🎙
🎧 https://t.co/1Auu1OArgw pic.twitter.com/71jTMc9Pdc
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 15, 2023
Who's keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 2?
- Euan: Aston Villa welcome Everton this weekend, and I'll assume defensive stability will have been a significant focus for them this week. The Villans lost 5-1 to Newcastle United and looked utterly lost along the backline. Unai Emery's side will shore this up, and they'll keep the Toffees out of the net.
- Jamie: I like Nottingham Forest to blank Sheffield United on Friday. Forest gave a good account of themselves against Arsenal, who needed two moments of magic to beat them. They kept six clean sheets at home last season, and I backed Sheffield United to be the league’s lowest scorers this season, so I’m sticking with that mindset and predicting they blank again.
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan: Andy Robertson was very quiet in Gameweek 1 against Chelsea. Fortunately, the Scotsman has a great chance to bounce back in Gamweek 2. He's still on corners and will have several opportunities to find Virgil van Dijk or Ibrahima Konate against Bournemouth.
- Jamie: Trent Alexander-Arnold didn’t justify his £8.0m price tag on the opening weekend but was denied an assist by a tight offside call. He’s facing a Bournemouth side that lost 9-0 at Anfield last season. While I don’t foresee any similar scoreline, I expect the Liverpool right-back to tally a goal involvement or two.
Who's a midfielder or forward rostered on less than 10 percent of teams that will grab us those FPL points?
- Euan: With Kevin De Bruyne faced with a lengthy spell on the sidelines, Julian Alvarez (5.3 percent TSB%) and Phil Foden (8.7 percent TSB%) will need to step up for Manchester City. Both looked great on Friday night, with the Argentinian logging an assist and 0.76 expected Goal Involvement and the Englishman clocking in with 0.38 xGI. Newcastle is a tough test, but we should always back the Citizens on their home turf.
- Jamie: I mentioned him earlier, but Moussa Diaby looked a real handful, and I fancy him to score on his home debut. Everton still doesn’t look like they’ll be doing anything other than fighting off relegation this season, and I’m predicting a home win for Villa, who beat Everton twice last season.
⚠️ No Kevin De Bruyne for a few months, #FPL managers
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) August 15, 2023
Who is the player you want to, but can’t, have for the Gameweek 2 fixtures in Fantasy Premier League?
- Euan: I will do my best to roll my transfer in Gameweek 2 and give myself more flexibility for Gameweek 3. However, James Maddison will be in my squad over the next two weeks. He looked integral to the Spur's attack and like he had been on the team for years. The midfielder is involved in everything and is the tip of the Tottenham attack.
- Jamie: I like Mo Salah to have a bounceback week after having a mini hissy-fit following his substitution on Sunday. He contrived not to have any goal involvement in Liverpool’s 9-0 defeat of Bournemouth last season. I expect him to get on the scoresheet and establish a connection with Alexander-Arnold on Saturday.
Who's wearing the Captain's armband for Gameweek 2 of the Fantasy Premier League season?
- Euan: I went with Mohamed Salah to begin the year to give him this chance against Bournemouth. I'm not changing my mind, and the Egyptian King can go against Haaland this weekend.
- Jamie: It’s hard not to give it to Erling Haaland, but Newcastle United should be a more formidable task than Burnley. That leaves me toying with the idea of going with Alexander-Arnold as a contrarian pick, although Diaby and Gabriel Martinelli are also on my radar this weekend.
Finally, what’s your bold prediction for Gameweek 2?
- Euan: Crystal Palace puts an early dent in Arsenal's title hopes and holds their fellow London team to a draw. Elsewhere, Spurs and Manchester United combine for six goals in a 3-3 tie, forcing managers to scramble for those Tottenham assets ahead of Gameweek 3.
- Jamie: Brentford’s duo of Bryan Mbeumo and Yoane Wissa scored last weekend, and I fancy them doing the same this week. Fulham might have kept a clean sheet at Everton, but that was down to Everton’s profligacy in front of goal more than anything, and Brentford’s counter-attack could be too much for Fulham to contain.
Is there a question you would like to have answered every week? Hit us up on Twitter @RotoBaller. We would love to hear your feedback and ideas!
