Eric Dier
An injury to Reece James in Chelsea’s 2-0 win over Milan spoiled the best laid plans of many managers this week and has left us waiting on Graham Potter’s pre-Aston Villa press conference for an update. The early signs aren’t good for a return this weekend.
But if James is out or not, and whether you are selling or just benching him, Dier is a decent if unspectacular replacement at 5.2m. Tottenham’s 3-5-2 shape looked solid in the win over Brighton last week and should have enough to shut out a visiting Everton side.
Callum Wilson
There are two reasons to put off a move for Wilson: one, the looming threat of Alexander Isak’s return and the subsequent restructuring of Newcastle’s attack, and also his injury record, with the threat that he could leave your squad as soon as he joins it.
On the flip side, Newcastle’s attack is putting up seriously impressive underlying numbers, Wilson is the spearhead for the moment, and Manchester United’s defence is still conceding more chances than Erik ten Hag would like.
Lewis Dunk
Another James replacement from a defence that we have come to trust over the years. Brighton are away at Brentford and then host Nottingham Forest, then face goal-shy Wolves after tougher meetings with Manchester City and Chelsea.
It remains to be seen how open Roberto de Zerbi’s Brighton are compared to the Graham Potter days. A combined figure of 2.3 xG conceded against Liverpool at Anfield and Tottenham at home is not great but not terrible either, not at Dunk’s 4.6m price.
Wilfried Zaha
Retaining his place in our picks, Zaha only mustered up an assist in last weekend’s 2-1 win over Leeds, but that was certainly better than nothing and there is promise of more to come given Crystal Palace’s upcoming fixtures.
Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off against a Leicester side that contrived to concede not once but twice to Bournemouth last time out is a particularly enticing fixture. And what Zaha does not tend to score in bonus points, he makes up for with the potential for taking a penalty.a
Odsonne Edouard
Two goals in two games - or more importantly, two starts - for the Palace striker has thrusted him onto the radar as a potential alternative to Dominic Solanke. Priced at just 5.3m, Edouard allows us to take money out the frontline and restructure our squads.
Minutes are a slight concern. Last season, as soon as Edouard showed any form, Jean-Philippe Mateta emerged to steal his place. If you’re willing to gamble in the third striker slot though, it could pay off.
