FPL: Top 5 Players To Watch For Gameweek 18 & 19

Nothing screams “FPL is back” more than Reece James’ injury and a solid 1-pointer despite him starting in a game in which he played well and Chelsea kept a clean sheet.

But in spite of the pain and heartbreak, we love FPL. So here’s us taking a look at the top 5 FPL players to watch out for in gameweek 18 & 19.

5. Marc Cucurella (£5.1m)

If you are targetting a Chelsea defender because of their fixtures and upcoming double gameweeks, Cucurella is your man. With Chilwell also currently injured, and Cucurella having the versatility to play LB, LWB and LCB, he could be a permanent feature for Chelsea for the foreseeable future.

While Cucurella may not have the assist potential of James, he does have high clean sheet potential. In the 7 games Kepa has played, Chelsea have kept 4 clean sheets. With Kepa now back fit again, Cucurella will be part of a backline that could keep a lot of clean sheets. His performance against Bournemouth was also largely encouraging, as he surged forward quite a few times.

4. Luke Shaw (£4.8m)

Shaw is the perfect replacement for Reece James, and offers FPL managers some money in hand as well. Priced £1m lesser than James, he is a stand out budget defender playing for a club in the top 6. With Dalot out and a lack of other reinforcements, he is the best pick with fixtures and form in mind.

He did play as a CB in the previous gameweek, but once Dalot is back, he will slot back in at LB and once again have the attacking potential. He is also a bonus points magnet, as he had the most touches (118), most passes completed (100), most ball recoveries (11), and the most amount of interceptions (3) against Forest.

3. Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.9m)

The big Serb is fit. He’s in form. He has the fixtures and a double gameweek in gameweek 19. Most importantly, you get all this for just under £7m. With Southampton at home up next, he could be in for another points haul. Mitrovic has 10 goals this season now, at an incredible xG of 8.5.

With Andreas, Willian, and Decordova-Reid in support providing him with service, he will only get more chances to increase his tally. He has 53 goals in his last 56 league games. Now that’s an incredible stat. He’d be our number 1 pick for this week, but being just 1 yellow away from a 1 game suspension is the reason why he’s 3rd.

📊| Aleksander Mitrovic Stats vs Palace

Minutes – 84
FPL points – 15
Goals – 1
xG – 0.84
Shots – 7
Shot on target – 4
FPL assists – 2
xA – 0.83
BPS – 57
Top 100k ownership – 15.3% pic.twitter.com/4tIHvXMpwJ

— Fantasy Football Fix (@FantasyFootyFix) December 26, 2022

2. Marcus Rashford (£6.8m)

In 21 appearances across all competitions, Rashford has 14 goals so far. That is incredibly impressive from the in-form Man United forward. In the absence of Ronaldo, the onus is now on Rashford and Martial to take on the mantle, and the two forwards combine really well together.

Rashford took 3 shots, had 5 touches, and completed 4 passes in the opposition box in United’s 3-0 win over Forest. As a result, he bagged a goal and an assist scoring 14 points and taking his overall FPL tally to 76 points. With Wolves and Bournemouth up next, these are 2 green fixtures there for the taking.

1. Miguel Almiron (£5.9m)

“Miggy Almiron” as the Newcastle fans sing, has created quite a storm. We thought the World Cup break would deter this Paraguayan monster from continuing his goal scoring run, but the man just won’t stop. He’s in the form of his life. He plays for a team that’s flying and is in 3rd place. And he’s priced at just £5.9m.

For those that missed the boat for picking him prior to the break, it’s still not too late to jump on the Almiron bandwagon. The diminutive forward is an xG monster, accumulating 9 goals this season at a mere xG of just 5.1. However, he has also been involved in a whopping 43 SCA. He plays a leaky Leeds next, and with a sea of green fixtures after gameweek 19, he’s in for the long haul.

Also read: Premier League: Mid-Season Predictions 2022/23 – TFTWC Writers’ Pick