Gameweek 7 of the 2020-21 Fantasy Premier League saw Diogo Jota (£6.4m) take the plaudits as his winning goal over West Ham helped steer Liverpool to the top of the Premier League table.
It proved to be a gameweek to remember for Southampton midfielder James Ward-Prowse (£5.9m), with the England international – who has again been called up to Gareth Southgate’s latest squad – scoring two incredible free-kicks while also delivering an assist for a 17-point haul.
So as we head into Gameweek 8 of the FPL, afriupdate is on hand to help with team selection advice, possible captain picks and more as you look to turn those arrows green and climb your league tables.
Team selection advice
Goalkeepers
Chelsea finally seem to have found a reliable goalkeeper, with their defensive fortunes having improved ever since Edouard Mendy (£5.1m) started featuring in the starting XI.
Indeed, the former Rennes star has three clean sheets from three league fixtures, and six in a row in all competitions, with struggling Sheffield United visiting Stamford Bridge next before games against Newcastle (A), Tottenham (H) and Leicester City (H).
Bernd Leno (£5m) also looks a decent bet, with Arsenal having improved markedly at the back since Mikel Arteta’s appointment as manager.
The German goalkeeper kept his second clean sheet of the Premier League season last time out against Manchester United and with the Gunners undoubtedly bouyed by that result at Old Trafford, they should be full of confidence going into games against face Aston Villa (H), Leeds United (A) and Wolves (H).
Defenders
Who would’ve thought that after just seven matches of the 2020-21 campaign a massive 1.7 million FPL bosses would have transferred out Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.4m).
The Liverpool full-back was the highest-scoring defender last season, amassing a hugely impressive 210 points, although he has a total of just four points from his last for matches in the competition and isn’t justifying his high price-tag.
With Manchester City to come next for Jurgen Klopp’s side at the Etihad Stadium, many will be ditching the England man as the Reds continue to struggle for clean sheets in the league – with just one recorded from seven matches so far.
Ben Chilwell (£5.9m) would be a good replacement for the Reds star, with the Chelsea left-back proving a mainstay in Frank Lampard’s starting XI and having recorded a total of 33 points from his last four matches, including a goal and two assists.
Wolves defender Max Kilman (£4.3m) remains excellent value despite consecutive price rises over the last two weeks, although be mindful of the fact, despite Nuno Espirito Santo’s side having looked impressive in recent weeks, they have Leicester (A), Arsenal (A) and Liverpool (A) all to play over the next month.
Another decent value option is West Ham’s Czech Republic international Vladimir Coufal (£4.5m).
The summer signing from Slavia Prague looks to have nailed down the right-back berth in David Moyes’s team, with the Hammers having performed well in their last three matches against Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool.
Indeed, West Ham have three favourable fixtures coming up in the remainder of November, with Fulham visiting the London Stadium on Saturday prior to an away clash with Sheffield United and then a home meeting with Aston Villa.
Midfielders
It’s unlikely to come as a surprise that the midfielder most transferred in by FPL managers this week is Chelsea winger Hakim Ziyech (£8m).
The 27-year-old looked hugely impressive on his full Premier League debut, scoring 14 points in the 3-0 win over Burnley, and he should keep his place in Lampard’s starting XI to face Sheffield United (H), with it unclear if Christian Pulisic (£8.3m) will be fit enough to feature.
Even if the USMNT winger does play, Kai Havertz (£8.4m) will definitely be absent, with the Germany international having tested positive for Covid-19 and having to enter a two-period of self-isolation.
Another midfielder that’s proving hugely popular is Diogo Jota (£6.4m).
The former Wolves winger’s hat-trick in the Champions League on Tuesday night will surely see Klopp include him from the start against Manchester City, potentially meaning Roberto Firmino (£9.3m) will have to drop to the bench.
Wilfried Zaha (£7.4m) and Jack Grealish (£7.4m) should also enter your thoughts with a view to the next few gameweeks, with both having favourable fixtures in which to build on impressive individual starts to the 2020-21 season.
As is the recommendation every week, Premier League top scorer Heung-min Son (£9.6m) should be in your team, with Tottenham facing a West Brom side who have already leaked 16 goals – the worst defensive record in the league up to now.
Forwards
Many FPL bosses were stung by the injury to Danny Ings (£8.4m), with the Southampton striker set to miss up to six weeks of action as he requires knee surgery.
There are, however, plenty of decent alternatives around that price, with Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£7.7m) still offering decent value having found the net eight times this season, including in the 2-1 defeat to Newcastle last time out.
An even cheaper option than the Everton forward is Callum Wilson (£6.6m) and he should offer a steady stream of points over the course of the campaign, with the 28-year-old the first-choice striker at St James’ Park, while he’s also the designated penalty taker these days.
Wilson already has six goals in the Premier League this season, just two shy of his total for the whole of the last campaign with Bournemouth, and if he can stay injury free he’s likely to bag a fair few more over the next eight months or so.
READ MORE: Man Utd approach Solskjaer replacement
As for the more lavish spenders of the FPL world, Harry Kane (£11m) already has 71 points this season, while Timo Werner (£9.4m) is starting to deliver on a regular basis – plus he’s also taken over penalty duties from Jorginho (£5.3m) to add to his point-making potential.
Who is the best captain pick for Gameweek 8?
After netting from the penalty spot in the win over Manchester United, we’re backing Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.7m) to come up with the goods again in Arsenal’s home clash with Aston Villa.
The Gabonese striker has had his doubters in the 2020-21 campaign – and perhaps fairly given a return of just two league goals so far – but his goalscoring prowess can’t be ignored and it surely won’t be long before he’s consistently scoring again.
In-form Jamie Vardy (£10m) is our alternative pick for Gameweek 8 – the Leicester City striker posted 14 points against Leeds United in the Foxes’ impressive 4-1 demolition of Marcelo Bielsa’s side and he’ll be looking to continue the same vein against Wolves at the King Power on Sunday.
Bookmark our fantasy tips page and check back every Friday and Monday(for midweek game weeks) for the latest FPL tips and selections.
Follow our socials Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Google News.
