Yahoo Sports Join the Isak goal train - FPL tips & team of the week
With so many games at the moment, Fantasy Premier League can be tricky to navigate.
Injuries and rotation are in play and, just when you think a team is predictably reliable, their form plummets off a cliff.
Case in point are Chelsea who have one goal and one point in their past two games!
It's a time to keep a clear head and try your best not to make knee-jerk transfers. This week's team is picked with that ethos in mind.
The team of the week is selected based on current FPL prices to fit within a £100m budget, as if you were playing a Free Hit.
How did last week's team do?
Well, backing a Manchester City revival completely backfired, with only three points from three players.
Even a West Ham clean sheet evaporated when Lukasz Fabianski was carried off with a worrying head injury in only the 36th minute.
The total - 40 points and one of the worst weeks of the season.
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Keeper and defence
Dean Henderson, Crystal Palace, £4.4m, keeper - home to Southampton
One of the easiest things to predict in FPL at the moment - aside from Mohamed Salah returning points - is a clean sheet against Southampton.
The league's bottom club have failed to score in their past four games so doubling up against them in defence is a wise move.
Henderson is sixth in the goalkeeper scoring charts, yet has dropped in price since the start of the season. Strange.
Daniel Munoz, Crystal Palace, £4.7m - home to Southampton
A lot was expected of Munoz at the start of the season, given his underlying stats from 2023-24, but he has taken a while to get going.
Two goals and two clean sheets in his past five games is just a glimpse of the Colombian full-back's potential, though, and this is a plum fixture for him.
Munoz (9) has more shots on target this season than any other defender. He is second only to Josko Gvardiol (23) for shots in the box with 17 and no defender has had more big chances.
Not bad at £4.7m.
Antonee Robinson, Fulham, £4.9m - home to Bournemouth
It's a week for budget defenders and Robinson, with four returns (one clean sheet and three assists) in his past five games, is one of the best options.
Over the past five weeks, he has more key passes than any other defender. He faces a Bournemouth side on a good run of form, but the attacking potential is enough to merit a spot in this week's team.
Nikola Milenkovic, Nottingham Forest, £4.7m - away at Everton
Forest's centre-back pairing of Milenkovic and Brazilian Murillo has been superb this season, helping their side keep seven clean sheets.
There isn't much to choose between them, but Serbia defender Milenkovic has the better goal threat with 2.5 expected goals (xG) compared to 1xG from Murillo.
Despite scoring at Manchester City, Everton have struggled in front of goal and Forest have a decent chance of keeping a clean sheet.
Midfield
Mohamed Salah, Liverpool, £13.5m - away at West Ham
Even in a "quietish" game on Boxing Day, Salah still got nine points.
It's hard to see a week in the near future where you wouldn't captain him too.
Luis Diaz, Liverpool, £7.5m - away at West Ham
Diaz is a risky, mega-high upside pick. He rarely starts back-to-back games but, with four double-digit returns (13,14,15 and 16 points) in 11 starts, the potential is huge.
He was rested against Leicester, so should play at the Hammers and Liverpool have scored two or more goals in each of their past 10 games. Salah can't hog all the points!
Ismaila Sarr, Crystal Palace, £5.8m - home to Southampton
No midfielder has more big chances than the Senegal international in the past four gameweeks.
He has become a consistent statistical performer - three shots per game in that period, 10 in the box, seven on target...
With those kind of numbers - and playing against the worst team in the league - there's a great chance of some sort of return.
James Maddison, Tottenham, £7.7m - home to Wolves
Despite their two recent wins, Wolves at home is still a plum FPL match-up - especially for a high-scoring team like Spurs.
It can feel like pot luck choosing a Tottenham midfield asset - they all have their merits - but Maddison is the top points scorer and always highly involved [when he plays].
The England man has been involved in 33% of Tottenham's goals when he is on the pitch and they could score three or more against Wolves.
Cole Palmer (vice captain), Chelsea, £11.3m - away at Ipswich
With Arsenal's Bukayo Saka out for a while, it feels like most teams will have Salah and Palmer.
The Chelsea talisman is on course to finish with around 300 points this season and he'd be the most important player in the game if Salah wasn't about.
Could you captain him this week? If you're the gambling type then why not. He outscored Salah last gameweek - by a point!
Forwards
Alexander Isak, Newcastle, £9.1m - away at Manchester United
Seven goals and two assists in five games - Isak's run of form is sensational and a trip to Old Trafford is no longer a daunting prospect as it once was.
He's now owned by more then 40% of FPL managers and is an easy choice up front this week.
Matheus Cunha, Wolves, £7.1m - away at Spurs
Cunha's form has been incredible. He's now the top scoring FPL striker with 110 points and has 10 goals from just four xG.
He may be getting a Football Association ban soon, but for now you'll want to start him against a Spurs side who might not have any fit centre-backs.
Subs bench
Bernd Leno, Fulham, keeper, £5m - home to Bournemouth
Ashley Young, Everton, defender, £4.7m - home to Nottingham Forest
If Everton can keep Arsenal and Chelsea scoreless, there's a chance they can do the same at home to Forest.
Lucas Digne, Aston Villa, defender, £4.7m - home to Brighton
Always in with a chance of an assist given the amount of crosses he puts in - 97 in 17 starts.
Patson Daka, Leicester, forward, £4.8m - home to Manchester City
Jamie Vardy might be out, but City can't keep a clean sheet at the moment.
Team total cost = £100m
Player to watch
Timothy Castagne, Fulham, defender £4.2m
Looking for a super-budget defender with guaranteed minutes and a goal threat?
Belgian Castagne is an even cheaper alternative to the popular Antonee Robinson with lovely fixtures until the end of January.
Unlike Robinson, who has never scored in the Premier League, Castagne has an eye for a goal and his spot is secure while Kenny Tete is out injured.
Team to target
Newcastle - Man Utd (a), Tottenham (a), Wolves (h)
Newcastle triple-up anyone? Eddie Howe's side have a great run of games coming up, including a trip to Southampton.
Isak is an easy choice but how about adding a second attacking asset - Jacob Murphy (£5m) is a cut-price gem or perhaps splash out on Antony Gordon (£7.3m).
And Lewis Hall (£4.7m) leads the way as the best defensive option.
