Fantasy Premier League 18/19: GW6 Squad Options

September 20, 2018

Show Bio

A lifelong Birmingham City fan, Tom relocated to Germany for five years after graduating from university, where his interest in the Bundesliga developed. He began writing about and betting on German football for FST in 2016. He's also an avid fantasy football player and closely follows the Premier League and European competitions.

What a week of football we’ve had the pleasure of following! Champions League… Europa League… and now another Premier League gameweek is just hours away!

Fulham and Watford start the action for us on Saturday at Craven Cottage for the early kick off, and with both sides in good scoring form, you’ve got to expect a few goals in that one. Later that day, Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City travel to Cardiff to make amends on their mid-week troubles at the Etihad. Super Sunday looks tasty as well, with a London derby between West Ham and Chelsea looking a hearty appetiser for the last match of the weekend, Arsenal against Everton. Not bad at all.

So… where do we go from here? Well, you’ve probably already got the likes of Sergio Aguero and Sadio Mane in your FPL teams by now (and if you don’t, what are you playing at?!), so it’s time to start looking at some alternate options. Kick back and take a read of our ten squad recommendations for Gameweek 6.

Be sure to bookmark and follow our weekly Fantasy Premier League blogs for FPL tips and strategy that will see you rise to the top of leagues and earn those bragging rights at the workplace.

FST Gameweek 6 Line-up

FST FPL GW6

GW5 Points: 81
Overall Points: 333
Overall Rank: 109,298
Total Players: 5,622,541

GW6 Squad Options

Romelu Lukaku (Manchester United, £11.0m)

Champions League Manchester United Romelu Lukaku

Manchester United’s big Belgian (no, not Fellaini) has to be one to keep an eye on over the coming weeks. Lukaku is in excellent early-season form and his goal against Watford last weekend was his fourth goal in four starts. He’s now the joint-top goalscorer among forwards and his stats over that period show exactly why he looks a huge FPL asset. Lukaku is in the top two for both shots inside the penalty area (14) and shots on target (8).

Lukaku is not only making more of his big chances, but the frequency in which he’s been provided them has improved by a notable amount too since last season – in fact, no other players has tallied more than his seven big chances in the 18/19 Premier League season. The Belgian is getting better quality scoring opportunities than ever before and yet he’s still only owned by around 11% of FPL managers. He should prove a tidy differential over the next few weeks with United facing just one top six side before mid-November.

Eden Hazard (Chelsea, £10.9m)

Premier League Chelsea Arsenal Hazard Holding

Chelsea’s Eden Hazard needs no introduction, but let us tell you why he’s now essential. Following a long World Cup campaign, Hazard’s integration into Maurizio Sarri’s fluid attack started off slow and steady, recording two assists from two appearances off the bench. However, once the Belgian was allowed a full 90 minutes, he’s exploded in terms of potential. He is the only FPL midfielder to have scored or assisted in all five Premier League matches so far and his output last weekend against Cardiff – three goals and three bonus points – might just be the beginning of what he has to offer.

His stats are the perfect indicator of how well Hazard is excelling under Sarri’s new system. Hazard is second only to Pedro (£6.8m) for shots among Chelsea players, firing 14 to the Spaniard’s 15, and no teammate has played more key passes – the creation of scoring chances – than his 11 either. Sarri says that if Hazard focuses more on the final third, he could score 40 goals this season, and given his form, the fact he’s on penalties, and that Chelsea are facing a weak West Ham defense this weekend, it’s easy to see him making progress towards that number on Sunday.

Alexandre Lacazette (Arsenal £9.4m)

Arsenal Xhaka Lacazette Aubameyang

Lacazette didn’t make his first start of the season until Arsenal’s thrilling 3-2 win away to Cardiff City just before the international break, but he looks to be in Unai Emery’s plans going forward. The Frenchman made a visible impact off the bench in all of Arsenal’s opening three fixtures, over which he was limited to just 91 minutes of football but recorded one assist, and when given the full 90 minutes against the Bluebirds and the Magpies, he’s managed to bag a goal and two assist for a tidy total of 17 points. His linkup play with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is sublime and the stats show just how crucial a piece he is in the Arsenal puzzle.

No Gunners teammate has bettered his totals for shots inside the penalty area or shots on target – very impressive for a player that missed most of the opening three matches – and Emery must see this himself. After not featuring in Thursday’s Europa League fixture against Vorskla, he should retain his role up front for Arsenal’s match at home to Everton on Sunday. Everton are a side in questionable defensive form – The Toffees are yet to keep a clean sheet this season, and they’ve conceded two goals or more in three of their five matches – so should he play (which is very likely) then you have to expect him to contribute. Owned by just 4.3% of FPL managers, he could make a huge impact in FPL league rankings.

James Maddison (Leicester City, £6.6m)

Bournemouth Rico Leicester City Maddison

James Maddison’s quick integration into the Leicester City system after his move from Norwich over the summer has been so smooth that his form has gone largely unnoticed, perhaps because of the popularity of similarly priced midfielders such as Ryan Fraser and Richarlison. Maddison has scored two and assisted one in his last four starts for The Foxes and he’s taken over the majority of set piece duties in the absence of Algerian Riyad Mahrez. With a player like Harry Maguire on the receiving end of these, you can only imagine the number of good opportunities he’ll have to assist from them too.

Notably, no player in the Premier League has bettered his three shots from direct free-kicks, and his 12 shots and 8 chances created better that of any teammate, although Jamie Vardy has missed three matches to suspension. Leicester host a Huddersfield Town side that have struggled defensively so far this season – only Fulham (12) have conceded more goals than The Terriers (11). David Wagner’s side have also failed to keep a clean sheet in 17 of their last 18 Premier League away days, so you have fancy Maddison for more this weekend.

Luke Shaw (Manchester United, £5.1m)

Manchester United Luke Shaw Leicester City Pereira

OK, so United’s defense isn’t the tightest it’s ever been, but an exception has to be made for Luke Shaw. First off, he is one of the best ways – if not THE best way – into any top six defense at just £5.0m of your budget, and going off his new relationship with boss Jose Mourinho, he looks to be there to stay. Shaw’s raiding runs down the left flank started to grab the attention of many before he got himself sidelined representing England over the international break, and if it weren’t for the concussion that kept him out for a week, we’ve no doubt more people would have him brought him in already.

Shaw has played just one match without returning more than the minimum two points – he scored a goal in GW1, assisted in GW2, and kept a clean sheet in GW4 – and given that he was back representing United during the week in the Champions League, you’d have to think he’ll start against Wolves on the weekend too. Saturday’s match marks the beginning of a run of six matches in which United play just one other top six side, and if there’s anyone that can iron out their defensive creases, it would be Jose Mourinho. Have faith and you could be rewarded with a tasty differential at just 9.4% ownership.

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