FPL GW9: Player Performance Analysis by Position & Price Point

After an abysmal gameweek for many, to kickstart things post-international break, it is crucial to look at things from a broader perspective.

In this series, we are going to look at Player Performances across all three positions by breaking them down based on their prices. We will be comparing the actual FPL points/90 minutes, players have scored against their Expected Points/90 (xPts/90). The comparison will essentially help us assess if a player has been overperforming or underperforming against their consolidated underlying numbers, i.e xPts/90.

Further, we try to combine these past performance, with upcoming fixtures for those teams. This aspect is captured by the size of each player’s bubble, which represents the average Fixture Difficulty Rating (FDR) for the selected period. Therefore, the larger the size of the bubble indicates a better fixture run for that particular player.

More about data selection: The data has been taken from GW1 till GW8 for this season and has been adjusted for per 90 minutes. The average FDR rating is used for the selected Gameweek period. All data has been taken from Fantasy Football Hub (FFHub).

Link to all our FPL GW9 blogs including Scout picks, players to target, buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

FPL Defenders Performance Analysis Ahead of FPL GW9

Premium Defenders: Key Highlights

The first category looks at the Premium defenders (above £5.5).

• The first player catching our eye is Pedro Porro (£5.5). He has the best fixture run out of the bunch and has good underlying numbers. He should catch up with some attacking returns soon.

• The Arsenal defenders are more spread out across the graph, with some slightly overperforming, while some underperforming their numbers. Calafiori (£5.8) is one to keep an eye on. He has xGI/90 of 0.22 and has also been a consistent starter in that Arsenal defence.

• Gvardiol (£6.1) got his second goal of the season last week. His attacking potential is unmatched so far. However, clean sheets do seem a tad difficult for the City team as of now.

Budget Defenders: Key Highlights

Now, we take a look at a more crowded category, Budget Defenders:

• In this category, Davis (£4.5) and De Ligt (£5.0) had the highest xGI/90 so far. They both are underperforming their underlying numbers. With favourable fixtures over the next three, they are certainly one to keep an eye on.

• Konate (£5.3) has been the highest points scorer, owing to the incredible defensive performance by Liverpool. He could allow for a cheap route into that defence.

• Lewis (£4.8) also has incredible underlying numbers, with good fixtures ahead. With Walker yet to make a return, his spot seems cemented for a couple more games.

• Forest Defence could provide immense value with Alex Moreno (£4.4), Milenkovic (£4.5) and Aina (£4.5). They managed to keep a clean sheet against Palace in GW8 with Sels (£4.5) getting 3 BPS out of the game.

• Wolves defenders, especially Ait-Nouri (£4.4), has been posting good attacking numbers. With Wolves having comfortable fixtures till the Christmas Period, he could provide good depth to the team.

• Mykolenko (£4.3) and the goal scorer, Keane (£4.1) (not in the graph), are also options to consider as we see a resurgence of the Everton team.

FPL Midfielders Performance Analysis Ahead of FPL GW9

Premium Midfielders: Key Highlights

The majority of the Premium Mids are in the above half of the graph as they usually have high conversion rates.

• Son (£9.9) has the best fixture among the Premium mids, and could provide a good alternative to Haaland for captaincy.

• Foden (£9.2) has one really good fixture ahead. His output seems to be contingent on whether he gets the start or not.

• Salah (£12.6) is one to keep an eye on, as he faces a weak Brighton defence in GW10 (one of the best captaincy options in that week).

• Saka (£10.1) and Palmer (£10.8) have relatively weaker fixtures over the next three. However, Palmer against Newcastle is not the worst time to get him in.

Mid-Priced Midfielders [£6.5 – £8.0]: Key Highlights

• The Spurs guys – Johnson (£6.7) and Maddison (£7.6) have the best fixtures till GW11. They have been performing almost at par with their underlying numbers. Johnson also had a couple of big chances against West Ham last week.

• Mbeumo (£7.6) is another reliable pick from the bunch. Although he is slightly over-performing, his fixtures and form might be able to keep him up and running for a few more weeks.

• Bowen (£7.4) and Rashford (£6.9) could be options to consider if you are in the market for differentials.

• Although Eze (£6.7) seems attractive in terms of fixtures as well as numbers, Palace as a team are lacking something at the moment. It would make sense to avoid him, and keep him in our watchlists for now.

Budget Midfielders [Below £6.5]: Key Highlights

The budget price point in Midfield has been extremely crucial this season. It has helped build a team around the famous Premiums.

• Garnacho (£6.2) catches our eye with 0.43 xGI against Brentford and securing a goal as well. He is in the upper half of the price category in terms of xPts/90 as well as Actual Points this season.

• McNeil (£5.7) face Fulham, Southampton, and West Ham in the next three. He is high in confidence and could be worth a punt.

• Fulham boys are one to keep an eye on. They have good numbers and decent fixtures for the next three.

• Although Rogers (£5.4) is ranked at a lower side in fixtures, he could easily be benched against the likes of Liverpool and Spurs (a good attacking fixture nevertheless).

• Buonanotte (£5.0) is a good rotating option from Leicester. He has scored 3 goals so far, and could also provide depth to our FPL teams.

FPL Forwards Performance Analysis Ahead of FPL GW9

Premium Forwards: Key Highlights

For the Premium forwards, we have taken above £7.5m. This is a pretty straight-forward list with Haaland as an outlier, and remaining competing against each other.

• Solanke (£7.7) had two disappointing performances with lower involvement than expected, he could be worth holding on to for a couple more fixtures. They face a poor Palace defence next week, and Ipswich in GW11. After this run, he can be downgraded to any of the options presented in the section below.

• Haaland (£15.4) is on a different pedestal in this group, and is arguably the best captaincy option this week, despite three back-to-back blanks.

• Watkins (£9.1) is one to consider, as he has been consistent with the points. After this slightly difficult run, he faces Palace, Brentford, and Southampton GW12 onwards.

Budget Forwards [Below £7.5]: Key Highlights

For the last section, we take a look at a highly competitive group of Budget Forwards.

• Wissa (£5.9) is back from injury and was subbed in against United. Before getting injured in GW4, he had one of the best stats for a forward and was popular among many FPL managers.

• Raul Jimenez (£5.7) has been outstanding post-GW4 this season. He has not blanked since and scored a goal in each game, taking his total to 4 goals and 1 assist so far.

• The Wolves striker duo of Strand Larsen (£5.5) and Cunha (£6.5) have the best fixture in this category. The face the three worst defences – Brighton, Palace, and Southampton.

• Wood (£6.3) has been slightly over-performing his numbers so far. However, he gets multiple chances to score and is able to convert some of them into goals. He is in good form with Leicester and West Ham in the next two.

• DCL (£6.0) was unfortunate to not get away with a return against Ipswich in GW8. He had racked up a total of 1.31 xGI in that game. He still has decent fixtures and managers could be patient with him.

• Welbeck (£5.9) is one to keep a note of, for when Brighton’s fixtures take a turn for the good in GW12 onwards.

With that, we have to come to the end of the article. We hope you enjoyed reading this and that it helps you towards making the optimal transfer for your FPL team. Best of luck for GW9!

Further reads from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL GW9

FPL GW9: Player Performance Analysis by Position & Price Point
FPL GW9 Scout Picks Based on Stats, Analysis, and Matchups
FPL Gameweek 9 Transfer Tips: Two Players to Buy, Hold & Sell
Top FPL Gameweek 9 Captain Picks Based on Analysis & Metrics
FPL GW9 Wildcard Team & Drafts to Consider | Wildcard Guide
Top FPL GW9 Differential Picks to Consider Ahead of Deadline
FPL GW9 Transfer Targets & Watchlist Based on Eye Test & Stats
FPL GW9 Tips- Haaland Dilemma, Solanke Situation and More
FPL GW9 Ultimate Guide: Tips, Differentials, Captaincy & More

Link to all our FPL GW9 blogs including buy, hold, sell analysis, differentials, captaincy metrics, transfer targets, and more. Completely free to access as well!

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What’s next from ALLABOUTFPL ahead of FPL Gameweek 9 of the 2024/25 FPL Season?

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