This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.
Christian Pulisic took the Premier League by storm last weekend, but it came at the expense of Tammy Abraham, who didn't have a shot on target, and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was dropped to the bench. After that performance, there's a chance Chelsea's midfield turns into a situation similar to Manchester City, where playing time is unreliable every week (see Riyad Mahrez).
FPL DIFFERENTIALS
It's time to start thinking about when to drop your Chelsea players. Abraham is the most popular player in the Premier League's official fantasy game, and Mason Mount is the third-most popular midfielder. Outside of the trip to Man City, their schedule is desirable, but it's not like these guys are producing every match. In addition to Mount having to fight for time with Pulisic, Hudson-Odoi and Willian, his numbers have dropped to one goal, one assist and one penalty drawn in his last seven starts in all competitions. It's the same for Abraham, who has two goals in his last eight starts following his barrage earlier in the season. These guys were added by most after great starts, but it's time to reevaluate their situations. For starters, Willian has two goals and two assists in his last four starts, is almost the same price as Mount, yet he is on two percent of teams. Abraham is still fairly cheap for a top forward, but similar to Teemu Pukki a month ago, you can't gain an edge on the competition when everyone else
Christian Pulisic took the Premier League by storm last weekend, but it came at the expense of Tammy Abraham, who didn't have a shot on target, and Callum Hudson-Odoi, who was dropped to the bench. After that performance, there's a chance Chelsea's midfield turns into a situation similar to Manchester City, where playing time is unreliable every week (see Riyad Mahrez).
FPL DIFFERENTIALS
It's time to start thinking about when to drop your Chelsea players. Abraham is the most popular player in the Premier League's official fantasy game, and Mason Mount is the third-most popular midfielder. Outside of the trip to Man City, their schedule is desirable, but it's not like these guys are producing every match. In addition to Mount having to fight for time with Pulisic, Hudson-Odoi and Willian, his numbers have dropped to one goal, one assist and one penalty drawn in his last seven starts in all competitions. It's the same for Abraham, who has two goals in his last eight starts following his barrage earlier in the season. These guys were added by most after great starts, but it's time to reevaluate their situations. For starters, Willian has two goals and two assists in his last four starts, is almost the same price as Mount, yet he is on two percent of teams. Abraham is still fairly cheap for a top forward, but similar to Teemu Pukki a month ago, you can't gain an edge on the competition when everyone else has him and that guy also isn't producing. Alexandre Lacazette is back in the fold and an intriguing option if you want a true differential. He's not guaranteed to start every match or go the full 90, but he's made the scoresheet in all three league starts, a drawn penalty included. He has 13 shots (seven on target) and three chances created in those starts. He comes with risk, but the Gunners have one of the more favorable schedules in the next month, featuring Southampton and Norwich City.
There are more possibilities in the midfield, and because of a nagging ankle injury, some are dropping Mohamed Salah, as his ownership percentage is now below 30 percent. A lot of people have turned to teammate Sadio Mane or Mount, but there are less popular options to consider. Fantasy bosses have oddly dropped Son Heung-Min the last two gameweeks even with upcoming matches against Everton, Sheffield United, West Ham and Bournemouth. Now is not the time to get rid of Tottenham players, and while Son has struggled to score in the league, his Champions League play will carry over at some point. Unfortunately, the upcoming schedules for Andriy Yarmolenko and Jack Grealish aren't great, so you'll have to find differentials elsewhere. Nicolas Pepe and Willian have been differentials all season, but stretching for new target Adama Traore may not be a bad idea. While he hasn't scored since the Man City upset, he's playing 90 minutes every match and Wolves have a similar schedule to Spurs. They go to Arsenal this weekend, but that's not a reason to avoid him, especially with more popular players like Todd Cantwell, Leander Dendoncker and Dani Ceballos failing to do much.
A lot of fantasy managers will be worried about the yellow notification next to the most popular defender, Virgil van Dijk, but his case of dead leg isn't a major worry. The worry is that he's expensive, popular and barely cracks the top 10 for defenders. Marcos Alonso is the perfect differential because he comes at about the same price and should continue to start because Chelsea have looked better when he's in the XI. It's a similar risk with Serge Aurier, and it'd be surprising if his price continues to fall given the schedule. Maybe Tottenham aren't getting clean sheets, but they should secure at least one over their next four matches. John Stones is healthy again and should see his ownership jump in the coming weeks, even with Liverpool and Chelsea on the fixture list.
FANTRAX FINDS
When Neal Maupay is on almost 50 percent of teams in Fantrax leagues, that's a good sign that there aren't many forwards available. Sheffield United are home against Burnley, so their starting forward could work, but Bournemouth's Arnaut Danjuma Groeneveld may be the better option. He got his first start last week and is at least worth a bet in hope that he continues playing on the wing in place of Harry Wilson.
Robert Snodgrass has been one of the most added players in the past week, but I'm not sure he's worth it. He'll get a couple starts, but he's stayed on the bench the majority of this season for a reason. At 32 years old, he's not going to become a regular for West Ham. It makes more sense to bid on John Fleck, who took every Sheffield United set piece last match. If you want a center-back who is listed as a midfielder, Romain Saiss is available in almost every league, though a trip to Arsenal won't result in many fantasy points.
If you need a defender for a week, Brighton and Sheffield United players should be widely available at home against Norwich City and Burnley, respectively. That points to Adam Webster, Chris Basham and George Baldock. For deeper leagues, DeAndre Yedlin is a regular starter and Ciaran Clark has gotten the call the last few matches for Newcastle. The biggest stretch is Sam Byram, who could get another start in the back for Norwich at Brighton.
CAPTAIN DEEP DIVES
Similar to last gameweek, there are no reasons not to captain a Man City player at home against Southampton. They should be set for another three goals, while you have to guess production for everyone else. I'm not sure how much I trust the other big teams outside of Liverpool, and even then, the Reds haven't been the most consistent away from home. I think the struggling back lines of Everton and Tottenham will lead to a high-scoring match, yet Harry Kane and Son may be the only worthy captains. Without Gylfi Sigurdsson, there's no telling where Everton's production will come considering Richarlison's numbers. If you want to step out on a limb, Maupay has a goal in his last three home starts and faces Norwich City. He's not on anyone's team, but the Free Hit is always in play.
