It’s been a topsy-turvy start to the Premier League season, with Aston Villa misfiring, Hull City emerging as the surprise package, and Spurs sitting in the relegation zone.
Well, that last one might not come as so much of a shock, but the many twists and turns we have already had will probably have left even the most experienced FPL managers reaching for the panic button.
With the GW4 deadline on the horizon, the Star takes a look at some of the potential U-turns and panic buys you may be considering, as well as putting forward a few lesser-talked-about players who could be worth a punt.
Once again, don’t panic:
With a bumper, three-week-long international break on the horizon, likely to bring with it a host of injuries, and with several clubs making late moves in the transfer window, our main advice is don’t do anything drastic like hit the Wildcard button and, if you can, keep hold of any spare transfers you may have saved.
Information is king in FPL, and committing to players before you know they’re guaranteed minutes can hurt down the line, as can wasting transfers on injured or unfit assets.
While you shouldn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater, we’re not saying don’t bring anyone in at all, however.
Ezri Konsa
Bring in Ezri Konsa (£4.4m). That’s it.
The new Arsenal man is a bargain at £4.4m and looks absolutely nailed as part of the best defence in the league. The Gunners have only conceded one goal in all competitions this season and are yet to let any side have more than a half-chance or long-range effort against them.
Konsa also picked up DefCon against Chelsea and showed his combative side against Napoli on Wednesday night, so could be a real point-scorer at least until William Saliba (£5.9m) returns in 2027.
Riccardo Calafiori (£5.8m) also looks like a brilliant pick-up, although with his price rising £0.3m since the game started, he may be out of reach unless you cash in on another more premium player.
Mauled by the Tigers
Only one defence has conceded fewer goals than Mikel Arteta’s side, and it’s not a team many expected to be sitting at the top of that particular table.
Sergej Jakirović’s men are yet to concede a goal so far this season and thoroughly deserve to be sitting third in the table.
While Hull defenders are still remarkably cheap, with more than one sitting at less than £4.5m, we reckon they’re probably not worth bringing in quite yet, especially while Konsa remains so cheap.
Chelsea smiling
Chelsea are a pretty simple team when it comes to FPL. Get any of their front three, but ignore their defenders like your life depends on it.
The Blues have been free-scoring this season, bagging 16 in all competitions and shipping a further 10 in just five games. Cole Palmer (£9.7m), Morgan Rogers (£7.6m) and João Pedro (£7.7m) are all great pick-ups, and you need to get at least one, if not more, of them, while any other Chelsea player is, for now at least, an easy avoid.
Of the three, Pedro remains the best value for money and looks in the best form of his career, but Palmer and Rogers are also top picks if you can get them.
Keep the faith:
The biggest thing that causes FPL managers to suffer over the course of the season is losing interest, so even if you’ve had a bad start, make sure to keep the faith and you’ll find yourself climbing the ranks in no time.
Luckily for you, the Star’s FPL column is going nowhere, so there’s really no excuse not to turn things around.
And don’t forget, the winner of the Daily Star league is set to receive a host of awesome prizes, so that’s all the more reason to keep your head in the game.