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Welcome to Gameweek 9 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.
Eight gameweeks down, 30 more to go. Gameweek 9 kicks off with another rendition of the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. Then we are treated to five games in the afternoon before a Saturday night doubleheader with Chelsea and Arsenal battling in a London Derby and then a late-night contest between Sheffield United and Manchester United. Ast0n Villa and West Ham play the lone game on Sunday before Spurs welcome Fulham on Monday night.
The Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 9 deadline is 6:00 AM EST on Saturday, October 21, for the Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton. 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 9 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 9!
We are one-fifth of the way through the 2023/24 FPL season. Which team or player has been your biggest surprise?
- Euan Leith: Jarrod Bowen's return to FPL relevancy has added another option to our midfield selection headache. After a sizzling 2020/21 campaign with 206 points and 29 attacking returns, the West Ham talisman fell back to Earth with 145 points and 15 returns last year. He's already bagged five goals and an assist this season and looks well on his way to a 180-point year. At £7.3m and a fantastic run of fixtures coming up, Bowen is dominating my transfer thoughts.
- Jamie Steed: Julián Álvarez. There’s never been any doubt of the talent, just the opportunity. When Kevin De Bruyne got hurt early on, it opened a door for regular playing time, and Álvarez has not disappointed. Joachim Andersen being the highest points-scoring defender is surprising but feels more of a fluke.
Which West Ham players have you got your eye on for the coming Gameweeks? 👀
Our #FPL experts discuss the Hammers that have piqued their interest... 👇🧵 pic.twitter.com/mLe67Mo0bi
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) October 16, 2023
And who or what team is your biggest disappointment?
- Euan: While Jamie's biggest surprise is Julián Alvarez, it has come at the cost of Phil Foden thriving for Man City. With KDB on the sidelines, many predicted the English midfielder would break through the Pep Roulette and finally become an FPL superstar. Alas, it has not happened. Foden has started seven of City's eight games this season, but his 38 points are only good enough for 14th among midfielders.
- Jamie: Marcus Rashford is the clear pick. At £8.8M, he’s still the fourth most expensive midfielder in the game. His 3.5 points/game (28 total points) ranks him 43rd at the position. Given the price range Rashford was in, Bukayo Saka (53), James Maddison (47), and Martin Ødegaard (46) all comfortably outscored him furthers the disappointment.
Erling Haaland is £14m but isn’t performing like his debut season. Are you having doubts about the Norwegian moving forward?
- Euan: Eight goals and one assist in nine games is still a desirable return. It hasn't been as high-flying as the previous campaign for Erling Haaland, but City is still adjusting to life without KDB, Riyad Mahrez, and İlkay Gündoğan. Back-to-back defeats in the league and an international break will give Pep Guardiola plenty of time (and motivation) to get the Citizens back on track.
- Jamie: I wouldn’t say I have doubts, and I didn’t think he was repeating last season’s numbers. It’s easy to forget Haaland is still the third-highest scorer in FPL this season, with 55 points. Back-to-back blanks aren’t anything to get concerned about, especially given it’s the first time since December 2018 that Manchester City have lost consecutive EPL games. He’ll still be the leading scorer by season’s end.
Half the price, and running Haaland close in the points column 👀
Which City forward is making you side for Gameweek 9? 🇳🇴🇦🇷#FPL pic.twitter.com/26qqI9oqJO
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) October 17, 2023
Liverpool has yet another early kickoff after an international break. Would you captain Mohamed Salah, or do you believe in the early-kickoff curse?
- Euan: To quote Michael Scott from The (American) Office, "I'm not superstitious, but I'm a little stitious." It shouldn't matter what time your captain plays, but it doesn't feel great if it's the early kickoff. Regardless, Mohamed Salah is coming off a two-goal game against Brighton and has nine attacking returns in eight games this year. His 7.4 pts/match is third best among midfielders, and the Egyptian loves a derby game. Salah is a great captaincy option.
- Jamie: I don’t believe in curses, so even if Salah broke a mirror while walking under a ladder, I’d still be fine captaining him. My one concern comes from the game being a derby and how contested their games with Everton generally are. On the plus side, Salah’s last six league games against Everton have seen him score four goals and get one assist.
Did anyone or anything catch your eye over the international break?
- Euan: Andy Robertson left Scotland's clash with Spain in the first half after a tangle with the goalkeeper. If the Scottish captain is out for an extended absence, Kostas Tsimikas (£4.4m) is the man in waiting. The Greek defender often plays in the cup games when Robertson needs a rest, so a promotion to the full-time role in the Premier League could offer FPL managers a cheap route into the Liverpool defense.
- Jamie: Dominik Szoboszlai has quietly been an integral part of Liverpool’s resurgence this season, and he scored an absolute screamer for Hungary. Despite his modest 29-point tally, his 40 shot-creating actions this season rank as the third most in the league. Maybe he should focus more on taking some shots himself rather than trying to set up his teammates.
🇭🇺 Dominik Szoboszlai 🔥#EURO2024 pic.twitter.com/MAMciIt6rm
— UEFA EURO 2024 (@EURO2024) September 7, 2023
Who is keeping a clean sheet in Gameweek 9?
- Euan: Without Ebrechi Eze, I don't see Crystal Palace putting one past Newcastle at St. James' Park. The Magpies' defense looks solid, even without Sven Botman. They produced four clean sheets in a row before their 2-2 draw on the road against West Ham and won't be troubled by the Eagles on Saturday afternoon.
- Jamie: Liverpool has kept three consecutive clean sheets against their neighbors, which will be four following this weekend. Everton’s scored nine goals this season, all coming in four games. Their opponents in those four games are all in the bottom six in the standings. Their four blanks came against sides currently in 14th place or better. Liverpool’s conceded just two goals in three home games, and their 3.0 xGA (expected goals against) at home is third-best in the league.
It was a slow start to the season for Kieran Trippier 🔻
But his owners have been feasting in recent Gameweeks 😋#FPL pic.twitter.com/3SKgDqKkJx
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) October 14, 2023
Which defensive player is providing an attacking return?
- Euan: Pedro Porro missed a massive chance in Tottenham's 1-0 win over Luton before the international break. With two weeks to get rid of that memory, I expect the Spurs wingback to return with a vengeance. The Spanish defender's 1.57 xGI is ninth-best among all defenders, but he will shoot up the ranks after his Monday night London derby against Fulham.
- Jamie: Alfie Doughty wasn’t a name most FPL managers were familiar with to start the season. Given he’s only on 0.2% of teams, that’s not really changed at this stage of the season. The Luton left-back has 32 shot-creating actions this season, the 12th most in the entire league. The 6.06 shot-creating actions/90 minutes rank third-most in the league. He’s only got one assist so far but has started Luton’s last four league games, and it looks like he’ll be a permanent fixture in the starting XI moving forward.
Who's a midfielder or forward rostered on less than 10 percent of teams that will grab us those FPL points?
- Euan: Rasmus Hojlund has three goals in the Champions League for Manchester United but has yet to open his Premier League account with the Red Devils. Fortunately, there's probably no better team to play than Sheffield United. The young Dane is in 6.5 percent of FPL squads, but that number will rise with United's kind run of fixtures on the horizon from Gameweeks 11-13.
- Jamie: Pedro Neto is on 8.7% of FPL rosters but is arguably the most in-form midfielder in the game. He’s had a goal involvement in each of his last six games (one goal and six assists) and now faces a Bournemouth side that conceded ten goals in their three EPL games before the international break.
Who is the player you want to, but can’t, have for the Gameweek 9 fixtures in Fantasy Premier League?
- Euan: It's the previously mentioned Jarrod Bowen. The West Ham man looks revitalized with James Ward-Prowse, Lucas Pacqueta, and others providing him with goal-scoring chances. I'm rolling my Gameweek 9 transfer to have a mini-Wildcard available for Gameweek 10, and that's when I plan to bring in the Hammers leading man.
- Jamie: You could go with everyone I’ve mentioned, as I currently don’t have any of them on my team. An injury crisis has led me to replace a long-term absentee every week for the last four weeks, so I haven’t been able to build the team I want. If I had to narrow it down to one, I like Álvarez’s chances of tallying a big-points haul against a Brighton side yet to keep a clean sheet, and that was thumped 6-1 at Aston Villa in their last away league game.
Who's getting the Captain's armband?
- Euan: Son Heung-min was unlucky to only score three FPL points against Luton a couple of weeks ago, but the matchup with Fulham should suit his skillset better. If the South Korean made it through the international break unscathed and gets the all-clear from his manager, he will get the armband in Gameweek 9.
- Jamie: Aston Villa has been a force to be reckoned with at home, scoring three, four, and six goals in their three home games. West Ham won’t be pushovers, but I will roll with the hot hand and hope Ollie Watkins continues his incredible streak that continued into the international break.
Son Heung-min and @SpursOfficial have some more favourable fixtures coming their way ⚪️ pic.twitter.com/FYhKiwnVkm
— Fantasy Premier League (@OfficialFPL) October 11, 2023
Finally, what’s your bold prediction for Gameweek 9?
- Euan: Mohamed Salah breaks the early-kickoff curse with two returns in the Merseyside derby. A Man City forward bags a hat-trick of returns against Brighton. And finally, Burnley beats Brentford.
- Jamie: Arsenal’s feel-good factor following their victory over Manchester City will be long forgotten as they fail to beat Chelsea. Luton and Burnley both take something from their away games. And Rasmus Højlund gets his first Premier League goal to keep Manchester United’s season alive.
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!
