Winners
Wolves – After a period of fixture congestion and indifferent results after defeating Manchester City, Wolves players looked both mentally and physically fatigued in recent games. So, when they were again shocking in the first half, a theme of this season and 2-0 down to a resurgent Southampton side the writing looked on the wall at half time. But not for the first time this season Nuno’s men rallied in the second half and must have had some Weetabix because the energy was back. Pedro Neto who has been unlucky this season with goals ruled out by VAR started the comeback and as usual the consistent and brilliant Raul Jimenez bagged twice to seal a win which should give us a huge shot in the arm. I have seen a lot of people talking about selling Raul and Adama Traore due to “tough” fixtures. I think this could be a huge mistake, our next four games are Liverpool (that is tough), Manchester United, Leicester and Norwich. United are now without Rashford which lessens their threat, Leicester looked to have lost their mojo and Norwich are poor away from home.
Wolves proved last season and again this time around that they love a big game. Only Liverpool have lost less than we have so far. Raul in all competitions this season has scored 19 goals this season with nine assists. You cannot get more consistent than that especially for a 7.5M striker who can do it against anyone. He is one of the best in the league and with the Rashford injury, Raul should be an easy transfer for managers to make, ignore the fixtures. To echo this with Traore he has double figure hauls against Man City twice and Spurs, just watch him play there is nobody who can stop him when he gets going. Furthermore, he is cheap as chips in FPL you will not get a player that explosive in his bracket again. We are getting a break soon too so the players who are tired will be getting rest and with a few new signings, the Wolves will be ready to attack the second half of the season.
Jack Grealish – The Villa talisman star is shining brighter and brighter as the games go by. He scored another fantastic goal to earn a draw against Brighton away. Without the midfielder it is hard to see how Villa would have any chance to survive, they are probably the team which relies on one individual the most. I regret selling him a bit too early after bringing him over December, he will find his way back in soon for sure. I am not sure fixtures matter too much for him he is an extremely good player who can score goals out of nowhere. If Villa score, he is extremely likely to be involved which instantly makes him a great FPL player. He must be a starter for England now too he is unique his ability to carry the ball, win fouls, and create chances is what the national side are screaming out for. He is also the English midfielder who has the most goal contributions this season with 15 and is the first to do so since Frank Lampard in 2009/10 which is some achievement especially with how poor Villa are. There is always a debate of Mount, Maddison v Grealish but to me anyway at the minute there is no competition and it will be interesting to see what he can do in a side that dominates games.
Nick Pope – Burnley have been struggling for a while now and was in desperate need of a result has, they hurtled close to the bottom three, so they needed some divine intervention and got it via the Pope. With the score already at 1-0 to Leicester, the Foxes were looking to double their lead after winning a penalty. The second most captained player of the gameweek Jamie Vardy steps up but sees his shot saved by Pope. Prior to the penalty Pope had already made some vital saves to keep his side in the game, Burnley eventually went on to win 2-1. Pope has been a popular pick all season but did some sales due to the horrible fixtures Burnley have currently so those who kept him have had their faith repaid (another Pope joke sorry). With his penalty save, seven saves and a plus three bonus got him his biggest haul so far with 12 points. I would not transfer him in but if you kept the faith, they you may as well stick now!
Losers
Bournemouth – Another week for Eddie Howe and another disaster of a result after losing to relegation rivals Norwich. The Cherries look bereft of any sort of confidence right now, they cannot score goals, cannot pass or defend so a true recipe for disaster. After Steve Cook pulled off a world class save to get himself sent off and concede a penalty for Teemu Pukki to score, it was a long road back. The return of Nathan Ake at the back does not seem to have had an affect at all which is quite surprising as I myself thought it would be a catalyst for better results. Bournemouth traditionally in the Premier League were known for quick attacking football but this season it is anything but. Callum Wilson finally had his first shot on target since October this weekend in the league…. If your main goal scorer is pulling out stats like that you have got some serious issues. It is looking to me like Howe has just run out of ideas and it has all gone a bit stale at Bournemouth. Their two games against Brighton and Villa this week could go a long way to trying to spark something of a revival. I doubt it will happen though, but football is a funny game.
Kepa – I am not a fan of Chelsea’s number one at all, and I am not on my own in this regard. He is the most expensive goalkeeper in football history costing 72M despite showing nothing really outstanding in his career so far, Athletic Bilbao must have laughed all the way to bank. In Chelsea’s defeat to Newcastle the Spaniard again displayed his inability to do his job as his wrists seemed of paper to let Isaac Hayden’s last-minute header find the back of the net. He lacks any sort of presence too I cannot ever think of a time where he has kept Chelsea in games, it is clear he does not command his box either as Chelsea have been shaky at the back all season from set pieces. Kepa also has the worst save percentage in the top flight 55.4%. So not only is he overpriced in real life he is in FPL. This is a league with Roberto in it from West Ham so for Kepa to have the worst save percentage is quite some achievement. So basically, never pick Kepa.