Fantasy Premier League: Jota and Doku good options ahead of second round
In fact, my line-up wasn't one of the best, but safety is the most important thing at the start of the season, and I have that in the squad, so I'm far from panicking. I hope you guys did better, though.
Who do I recommend for the second round? For now, I'll be tempted to make a few suggestions myself, and in a couple of weeks I'll be joined by another expert so you'll have a varied perspective on the Fantasy Premier League here.
Who to buy?
Diogo Jota (7.6) - As I write these words, the Portuguese international has managed to go up in price to 7.6 million, but that doesn't change the fact that he is a hot commodity in FPL after his first game. Jota started the match against Ipswich in the middle of the attack, scored a goal and wasted one clear-cut opportunity, and his xG was as high as 0.95.
Liverpool play at home against Brentford this weekend, so it is likely that he will score some goals. Apart from Salah, it is the Portuguese who remains the main candidate to hit the net, and I think even those who also have the Egyptian in the line-up can own him.
Jeremy Doku (6.5) - Pep Guardiola's rotation has been a common problem since the Spaniard arrived in the Premier League, but in this case it shouldn't hurt us. Manchester City aren't playing in any cups yet, after all, and their schedule for the coming weeks includes matches against Ipswich, West Ham and Brentford.
Doku may not have had an outstanding start to the season, but with Savinho injured, he is a strong candidate to play on the wing, and with his style of play, he should be right in the midst of any high-scoring wins for the English champions. At a price tag of 6.5m, he's a decent option for the coming rounds.
Dominic Solanke (7.5) - Admittedly he has yet to score his debut goal for Tottenham, but the fact that he started in the first-choice line-up a few days after his transfer should give FPL players optimism. He had three shots on target against Leicester, wasted one great opportunity and created one good chance for his teammates, and should be regularly delivering points over the course of the season.
Remember, he is priced as a Bournemouth player in the game, and following his transfer to a stronger team his value has increased and is currently undervalued. It's worth taking advantage of that. Especially as he has a home game against Everton this weekend.
A Newcastle defender - The Magpies' defence showed in the first round that they are back to their 2022/23 season best. Newcastle played most of the game with 10 men after a red card, yet they withstood Southampton's onslaught, kept a clean sheet, and won the game on top of that.
In addition, Kieran Trippier is likely to leave the club and this means that very cheap defenders - Dan Burn (4.5), Lewis Hall (4.5) and Tino Livramento (4.5) - have a better chance of playing. Nick Pope (5.0) is also a lowly-owned option to consider. Of course, transferring a goalkeeper after the first round is not a common occurrence, but it looks like the Englishman will score solidly this season.
Chris Wood (6.0) - Your striker disappointed in the first round? Give Chris Wood a call! The New Zealander reminded Premier League fans yet again of his quality and scored on the opening weekend of the season.
If you have an uncertain third striker, bringing in Wood seems sensible. He's got relatively easy games against Southampton and Wolves coming up, so he can definitely hit the net again. Don't base your attack on him, though, as you certainly won't get far that way.
