Top Picks for Gameweek 18
Filling in for David Munday’s regular look at the Gameweek’s top picks is Marc Jobling. Here, Marc selects who he thinks will be three of the top players for Gameweek 18.
Premier League football is back! Before Gameweek 17 has a chance to settle down, tonight quickly brings another deadline for FPL managers.
So I’ve picked out three top picks that could have a solid impact on your team this week.
DARWIN NUNEZ
Yes, Boxing Day’s social media was full of on-running jokes and general astonishment at the Liverpool forward still finding ways to not score a goal.
To put it kindly, Darwin Nunez was wasteful against Aston Villa. He put a header wide when unmarked, shinned a volley when clean through on goal, missed a close-range sitter and dragged another one-on-one wide.
No Gameweek 17 player had more big chances, with only Erling Haaland exceeding his 1.16 expected goals. Owning him will certainly be a chaotic experience for FPL managers – the Uruguayan can produce such recklessness, whilst also being capable of becoming the first player to ever score six goals in a Premier League match. On a given day, he could be absolutely anything.
With that in mind, he could be explosive at home to Leicester, just like his brace against Southampton in Gameweek 16. The Foxes’ ended the first part of this season with a great defence but were quickly torn apart by Newcastle.
CALLUM WILSON
The Magpies follow this dominant win with a home clash against Leeds – one of the league’s worst for conceding goals and big chances.
With eight wins from nine matches, Newcastle are in amazing form at both ends of the pitch. Their mean defence and free-flowing attack are scared of no opponent, maintaining an increasingly-possible Champions League push.
Monday’s 3-0 win at Leicester took part without star forward Callum Wilson but Eddie Howe is confident he’ll return for Leeds.
ALEKSANDAR MITROVIC
Finally, a third forward. Fulham manager Marco Silva fooled us all with his pre-match press conference, adding doubt to Aleksandar Mitrovic’s availability against Crystal Palace.
It instantly turned him from a template pick to virtually untouched, only for the Serbian to then start, score and set two up at Selhurst Park.
They are his first assists of the season, sitting alongside ten goals and an enticing Double Gameweek 19 on the horizon. Bottom-of-the-league Southampton are up next, a side with only one clean sheet so far.
If Mitrovic avoids picking up his fifth booking of the campaign, he’ll be one of the highly-bought top picks for the double.
