Hey!
No early kickoff tomorrow... again. What am I supposed to do instead? Hang out with the family? This madness has to stop! 😄

Reminder: The deadline is in 3 hours—don’t miss it!

EDIT Sorry missed the Gomes suspension! Don't think trying to get another wolves players is the move.

Follow me on X: u/peter_lof for Draft updates.

Last week was tough. When the first lineups dropped and we saw the Villa and City rotations, it wasn’t a surprise given the packed schedule. It’s understandable, but it’s all about staying ahead or landing on the right side of the rotation roulette.
With a full European round midweek, nearly every team went full strength, except for a few tweaks from Spurs.

General rule of thumb: The better the opposition, the less likely teams are to rotate.
Some teams—like Villa, Man United, and Arsenal—don’t have deep enough squads to rotate much. Changes typically occur in their attacking trios, while their defenses and midfield stay relatively intact, barring injuries.

Now, let’s dive into this game week (GW). In my view, there are several clear favorites.

Goalkeepers

Stefan Ortega (MCI) – Man United
It was an oversight not to include him last GW. In hindsight, it was lucky!
I know City are in a rough patch, but I’d still prefer their keeper over someone like Wolves’. Of course, Pep could decide to go with Ederson again, but after his shaky performance in the Champions League against Juventus, Ortega might get the nod again.
I’m swapping from Kelleher since Alisson was back in goal against Girona.

Defenders

Pervis Estupiñán (BRI) – Crystal Palace
I’m including him again in case anyone missed out. He’s incredibly attacking for a defender, so I don’t mind starting him even with a low clean sheet probability. Brighton desperately need a win after their late collapse against Leicester. This is a good game to bounce back.

Milos Kerkez (BOU) – West Ham
Bournemouth have been fantastic, dominating their last couple of matches.
Now, they face a struggling West Ham side that barely scraped a win against Wolves. Kerkez offers both goal and assist potential, plus a good chance for a clean sheet. A fantastic pickup.

Jakub Kiwior (ARS) – Everton
I don’t think Arsenal will rush Gabriel back for this game, meaning Kiwior could start again. Even with Gab back he might play on the left, with Timber covering White’s injury on the right.
This is a one-game pick. Yes, Everton scored four goals (somehow) against Wolves, but Arsenal is a different beast. This is my top team pick for a clean sheet this GW.

Midfielders

Enzo Fernández (CHE) – Brentford
He’s been a completely different player lately, pushed higher up the pitch. With 3 goals and 2 assists in his last 4 games, he’s in great form. Brentford have only picked up one point away from home this season and are conceding goals regularly, a great pickup.

Noni Madueke (CHE) – Brentford
The next big Chelsea player. With Neto suspended, I expect them to go with Sancho and Madueke on the wings. While Madueke has been hit or miss for points, this game has the potential to be a goal fest and hit being a high probability option.

João Gomes (WOL) – Ipswich SUSPSENDED
Wolves should’ve gotten something out of the West Ham game, they created chances and had a couple of penalty shouts. This is a must-win for them. Cunha and Strand Larsen are the best picks, but after them, João Gomes is worth considering.

Bernardo Silva (MCI) – Man United
Check his availability. Bernardo is one of the few City players (besides Haaland and KDB) who can actually score. Given Onana’s recent performances, they might even get some for free.

Strikers

With Callum Wilson out for a couple of months, there goes that gamble and a decent forward option.
Strikers are slim pickings in most leagues. If you’re desperate, consider Adam Armstrong (SOU) against a Spurs defense that’s been shattered by injuries to Romero, van de Ven, and Davies.

Good luck!