An international break gives us a good chance to take stock, and whilst we can look at all the underlying statistics to decipher which FPL players are due to go on a hot streak, I recognise I do that in most my weekly articles.
So, this week we’re going to look at the team of the season so far, purely from a points perspective.
Last season, defenders performed so well that ‘big at the back’ became the early season template but, so far this season, it's been the attackers who have been going great guns, which gives us a 3-4-3 formation.
Best FPL Goalkeepers
Newcastle's Nick Pope is currently the best-value FPL goalkeeper
Nick Pope (38 points) not only has more FPL points than any other goalkeeper but he’s top of the charts for bonus points (6) and saves (30) this season.
Only Ederson has more clean sheets and, unlike his Manchester City counterpart, Pope has the opportunity to make lots of saves, most of them from low XG chances as Newcastle encourage shots from distance, which is the perfect recipe for an FPL goalkeeper and the reason I transferred Pope in on my wildcard last week.
Best FPL Defenders
William Saliba is the surprise package in FPL this season with 44 points already
Quite simply, when your defenders are notching goals and keeping clean sheets you're quids in.
Despite starting the season at a modest 4.5m, William Saliba (44 points) has blown the rest out the water so far. Surprisingly, he didn’t score in his 36 games for Marseille last season, but he already has a two goals and an assist in eight Premier League matches for Arsenal this term, and looks to be a real menace in the opposition box. He’s top of the charts for bonus points, too.
We’re starting to see a bit of a pattern here, aren’t we!?
While some of the other premium FPL defenders like Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andrew Robertson and Reece James have underwhelmed at times, Joao Cancelo (42 points) has been consistently good.
He’s had two double-digit returns already and with a couple of goal involvements so far, you always back him to get you an attacking return - he’s worth every penny.
Kieran Tripper (35 points) completes the back line. He hasn’t missed a minute all season, only costs 5.4m and with the set piece threat he carries, it’s no wonder he is the second highest-owned defender in the game after Cancelo.
Best FPL Midfielders
Brighton's Pascal Gross has flown under the radar for so many FPL managers this season
Kevin De Bruyne (45 points) has formed potentially the most dynamic partnership in world football with Erling Haaland and this combination looks like it will be an FPL win for some time to come.
The Belgian has six assists already this season and he’s been so good that many, liken me, have recently transferred him to replace FPL king Mohamed Salah.
My next couple of picks have perhaps flown slightly under the radar this season. Pascal Groß (42 points) and Marcus Rashford (40) points have proved to be exceptional value for money, starting the season at 5.5m and 6.5m respectively.
However, despite their impressive performances, I’m not 100% sold on either moving forward. Nearly half of FPL managers own Gabriel Martinelli (39 points), who started the season with a bang. He’s blanked in the last couple of gameweeks but he feels like a long-term hold knowing this Arsenal attack is having lots of fun, so he’s arguably the best value asset in there.
Best FPL Forwards
Aside from Erling Haaland, FPL managers should be considering Ivan Toney is another big points scorer
I don’t like to tell people how to play FPL but if you haven’t owned Erling Haaland (73 points) this season, then you’ve been playing the game wrong - I have run out of superlatives for him and we’re only seven games in.
This game will become more interesting if at some point in the season we consider selling him but for now, he’s a must-own.
The Spurs attack didn’t look like it had clicked until that second-half performance against Leicester last weekend. But regardless of this team being fully functional, Harry Kane (50 points) has been ticking along nicely. With six goals and two assists, I feel like Kane isn’t getting the love he deserves with a modest 19% ownership.
Many might have expected to see Gabriel Jesus (39 points) or Aleksandar Mitrović (41 points) as the third forward but it’s actually Ivan Toney (47 points) who completes this list.
Brentford have changed their system this season and appear to be committing more numbers forward. As they look to increase their goal tally, Toney is very much the focal point. His upcoming fixtures look great and it’s a trip to Bournemouth up next.
Best FPL Team and Formation
(3-4-3) Pope; Saliba, Cancelo, Trippier; De Bruyne, Groß, Rashford, Martinelli; Haaland, Kane, Toney