AZ from FPL Blackbox is back with some strong Fantasy Premier League tips, as they select their best replacements for Matheus Cunha.
A wild end to Wolves vs Ipswich has seen Matheus Cunha (£7.1m) charged by the FA for misconduct and a lengthy ban on the cards.
I have him in my own team and I’m looking at the exit door, here are the players I’m considering, all of which will cost less than Cunha’s current FPL price.
Az’s FPL Tips: Top Replacements For Matheus Cunha
Chris Wood (£6.6m)
Second only to Haaland for forward FPL points, Chris Wood is having an unbelievable season. 10 goals in 16 games means he will surely eclipse his best season return (14) and with Nottingham Forest fighting to be back in Europe, it’s hard to back against the target man.
The fixtures look good on paper, but it’s worth noting that 3 of the next 4 games are away from home.
Still, Brentford, Spurs and Wolves shouldn’t pose too much difficulty, with each defence looking extremely vulnerable at times this season.
The stats are a bit unspectacular for Wood, but he finds a way. His expected goal involvement / 90 is 0.35, meaning that you’re looking at an expected return every three games.
To put this into context, he’s below the likes of Calvert-Lewin (0.38), Liam Delap (0.41) and even *drumroll* Antony (0.37).
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with going for Wood, he’s the “steady” choice, a player who will tick along but might not offer explosive potential that thrill seekers may crave.
Raul Jimenez (£5.5m)
It took four games for Jimenez to oust Rodrigo Muniz from the starting XI at Fulham, but he hasn’t looked back since.
He’s started every game since GW4, bar a midweek rest vs. Brighton in GW 14. The Mexican got off to a flying start after scoring four goals in his first five starts of the season but this has made way to just one goal in his last six – however he has become an integral part of a well functioning Fulham side.
I mentioned Wood’s stats and Jimenez’s are stronger than the Nottingham Forest stars’, as his expected goal involvement / 90 is 0.50, so expect a return every other game.
This has dropped notably over the last six games (0.41). The key thing with Jimenez is the fixtures. He has three home games in their next four, with Southampton and Ipswich notably in the bottom 3 for xG conceded.
The only worry is that he is likely to miss at least one of these games, given the tight turnaround of fixtures.
However, he’ll still get minutes and at £5.5m he’s the cheapest option on this list which may free up funds to upgrade elsewhere.
Joao Pedro (£5.9m)
It’s fair to say it’s been a pretty uninspiring couple of Gameweeks for new investors of Joao Pedro.
He has just one attacking return in his last four games and Brighton have no wins either during that period. Danny Welbeck has been a big miss, with the striker leading the line expertly with Joao Pedro able to pull the strings and make direct runs from a slightly deeper position.
With Welbeck out, Pedro has been given the chance to play as a number nine, but often finds himself man marked and/or having to drift out wide to make things happen.
Over the season, Pedro has the best underlying numbers of the three strikers on this list, with an expected goal involvement / 90 of 0.52, slightly higher than Jimenez.
This has dropped notably over the last four weeks (0.33) which is concerning given that Brighton have played Southampton and Leicester, two of the leagues’ poorest defences, over this period.
The next two fixtures look good for Brighton, with West Ham and Brentford leaking goals, however after that it’s top 4 hopefuls in Aston Villa and Arsenal.
While that might put a few people off, it’s worth noting that Brighton seem to step it up against better opposition, with wins against Spurs, Man City, Man United and a credible draw against Arsenal already this season.
Pedro has also shown that he can start consecutive games, although his minutes might be managed over the festive period.
He’s my pick of the three forwards listed, but I will admit it isn’t the most inspiring list and if you can find funds to move up to either Alexander Isak (£8.6m) or Nicolas Jackson (£8.2m) then this may be a more logical route to points.
