This article is part of our Fantrax Waiver Wire series.
Gameweek 6 was all about Manchester City after they scored eight goals even though Liverpool picked up three key points at Chelsea. The problem was that City's most popular player at the official Fantasy Premier League game, Raheem Sterling, wasn't in the squad for the win, along with defender Oleksandr Zinchenko. While Sterling shouldn't be cut, there are questions about his playing time, especially given how expensive he is and upcoming non-league matches. The same goes for Zinchenko, who may not be a regular once Benjamin Mendy gets up to speed.
FPL DIFFERENTIALS
If you don't want to follow the sheep and waste money on Sterling, there is a range of strategies for the next few weeks. You could either exchange Sterling for one of the Liverpool guys in the same range or drop down and go with Kevin De Bruyne, who is probably the most important piece of City's attack. Of course, with those moves you're following in the steps of everyone else, and that leaves little room to gain an edge. The true differential would be Riyad Mahrez, who has been excellent whenever in the starting XI, averaging 2.63 shots and 4.38 chances created per 90 minutes in league play. It's a gamble because he has just three league starts this season, but given what he's done in recent matches, it may be worth it. I'm still on the Nicolas Pepe bandwagon even though his lone goal came from the penalty spot. It wouldn't
Gameweek 6 was all about Manchester City after they scored eight goals even though Liverpool picked up three key points at Chelsea. The problem was that City's most popular player at the official Fantasy Premier League game, Raheem Sterling, wasn't in the squad for the win, along with defender Oleksandr Zinchenko. While Sterling shouldn't be cut, there are questions about his playing time, especially given how expensive he is and upcoming non-league matches. The same goes for Zinchenko, who may not be a regular once Benjamin Mendy gets up to speed.
FPL DIFFERENTIALS
If you don't want to follow the sheep and waste money on Sterling, there is a range of strategies for the next few weeks. You could either exchange Sterling for one of the Liverpool guys in the same range or drop down and go with Kevin De Bruyne, who is probably the most important piece of City's attack. Of course, with those moves you're following in the steps of everyone else, and that leaves little room to gain an edge. The true differential would be Riyad Mahrez, who has been excellent whenever in the starting XI, averaging 2.63 shots and 4.38 chances created per 90 minutes in league play. It's a gamble because he has just three league starts this season, but given what he's done in recent matches, it may be worth it. I'm still on the Nicolas Pepe bandwagon even though his lone goal came from the penalty spot. It wouldn't be surprising if he made the scoresheet at Man United this weekend, but three of Arsenal's following four matches are home against Bournemouth, Crystal Palace and Wolverhampton. If you need a cheaper midfielder who hasn't completely caught on, John McGinn has 10 shots on goal and at least one chance created in every match. He's cheap, plays a full 90 and has a great upcoming schedule that includes Burnley, Norwich City and Brighton.
Harry Kane continues to be dropped and is now the fifth-most popular forward despite making the scoresheet in four of six matches. If you have Marcus Rashford, you'll likely need a new forward for the next few games. Tammy Abraham would be my favorite, but he's a bit too popular for this article. Instead, I'll look at another Villa player, Wesley, who is quietly getting at least one shot on target every match. With that upcoming schedule, I think he'd be a great pivot from Rashford in the attack because he's on just 1.7 percent of fantasy teams. I'm also not backing away from Sebastien Haller, who has lost relevance after a couple down matches. However, West Ham's most difficult match in their next five is a trip to Everton, who are in a downward spiral.
If you need to get rid of Zinchenko or Ainsley Maitland-Niles, I'd look at Aston Villa, Chelsea and Tottenham, all with favorable schedules. Chelsea are allowing goals, but Fikayo Tomori has started their last four matches and is cheaper than Maitland-Niles. I also feel comfortable with someone like Jan Vertonghen, who could see a price bump if Spurs can grab a couple clean sheets with upcoming matches against Southampton, Brighton and Watford.
FANTRAX FINDS
The two forwards who should be added, or at least monitored, in draft leagues are Adama Traore and Allan Saint-Maximin. Both are kind of in the same mold in that they like to attack defenders on the ball and create a nuisance from the wings. Traore has started the last three matches for Wolves, so he's a bit more popular, but Saint-Maximin returned from a hamstring injury last weekend (though he suffered a small knock too). It's unknown how many starts he'll get this season, but he injured his hamstring after receiving a start against Tottenham. Jonjo Shelvey is another Newcastle player I'd consider adding after getting back-to-back starts. With Matt Ritchie still out, he was the main set-piece taker against Brighton and created four chances. My favorite midfielder in Fantrax may be Marvelous Nakamba and only partly because of his name. He should be available in most leagues and to go with Villa's favorable upcoming slate, he has started the last two.
Diego Rico will get some looks at defender, but outside of a couple assists, he hasn't done much for fantasy purposes. I'd rather look at the more active Jetro Willems or more stable Mamadou Sakho, who should remain a starter. Aaron Cresswell is another guy available in the majority of leagues and was one of West Ham's better players in their win against Man United. Starts aren't guaranteed, but it'd be surprising if he doesn't get more time after that performance.
CAPTAIN DEEP DIVES
Picking a captain in Gameweek 7 isn't as obvious as the last one when Man City were a huge favorite, so there should be a bigger variety. Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham will get most of the attention, though Sergio Aguero and De Bruyne will be popular armband picks at Everton. It's not a great week for a differential captain pick, but if you want to get crazy, there are viable choices. Jamie Vardy is hit-or-miss, but he had two goals and one assist in the last home match against a team other than Tottenham. Elsewhere, Callum Wilson has four goals in the last three matches, and while West Ham have three straight clean sheets, I'm not sure I believe in them yet. Crystal Palace have scored four goals this season, but I think this is the spot for Wilfried Zaha to make the scoresheet, something that hasn't happened yet.
