Az from FPL Blackbox is back with his latest set of Fantasy Premier League tips ahead of Gameweek 11, with this week’s focus on why you should be considering Wolves’ Matheus Cunha for your team.
A frenzied start to the season sees many of us working which premium assets to own, with FPL managers left scrambling for the likes of Mohamed Salah (£12.8m), Cole Palmer (£11.0m), Bukayo Saka (£10.1m) and (up until recently!), Erling Haaland (£15.3m).
But let’s not forget other areas of our team and the lower priced “enablers” are often key figures in determining whether we are coming away from the Gameweek with a green or red arrow.
Of all the options around £6.5m, my favourite option is the 6.9% owned Wolves forward and below I’ll document why.
FPL Gameweek 11 Tips: Why You Should Consider Matheus Cunha
The History
Cunha made 29 starts last season, scoring 12 goals and registering 7 assists with an xGI of 12.46. He averaged 4.7 points per game – the same as Bruno Fernandes (£8.2m) who I know many people are looking at this week.
Perhaps his most memorable moment in the Premier League was the hat-trick he scored against Chelsea back in February, where Wolves stunned the Blues 4-2 at Stamford bridge to record a memorable double over them.
15 bonus points over the 23/24 season was poor given the number of returns, with a lack of clean sheets handing BPS in favour of opposition attackers.
This Season
You’ll be well aware that Wolves have had the hardest start any team has ever faced in their opening Premier League games. After 10 Gameweeks they’ve already played last year’s top 4 in Arsenal, Man City, Liverpool and Aston Villa, faced tough away games in Forest, Brighton and Brentford and been soundly beaten at home 6-2 by Chelsea.
Defensively Wolves have struggled, no question about it, but despite the fixtures, they’ve found ways to score goals. They’ve managed to score in every game this season bar GW1 vs. Arsenal (where I remember Sarabia missing a golden opportunity). Cunha has 4 goals and an assist over this period, with an xGI of 4.1 showing this is no fluke.
No striker has created more chances than Cunha this season (18) and this, plus the changes to the BPS system for strikers have massively boosted his chances of bonus points in a game. He already has 10, just 5 less than he got last year but in 15 fewer games.
His scoring potential is also evident, with 20 shots in the box beating the likes of Solanke, Palmer (both 19) and Chris Wood (18). He’s basically doing everything we could want a striker to do.
The Future
Cunha plays 5 teams in the next 7 who rank in the bottom 10 for xG conceded this season. Even better, he plays the two ‘worst’ defences (if we go by the statistics) at home in Gameweeks 11 and 16.
These games will likely decide if Wolves stay up this season, and whether O’Neil keeps his job – and the signs point to the fact that the players are still turning up for the manager, with the last-minute equaliser against Brighton a perfect example of this.
If you think Wolves are going to avoid the drop, they simply have to pick up some wins over the coming period – and if they are going to do that, Cunha will be at the heart of everything.
Strike partner Strand Larsen (£5.6m) is also a tempting option, but for the extra £1m, I think you’re getting far more routes into points with Cunha, who is also likely to be on penalties while Hwang Hee-Chan (£6.1m) remains out.
In short, if you’re sick of Haaland’s blanks or are looking to free up some money in your front line, prioritise Cunha. I’ve brought him in already this week and I’m expecting big things
