Can you trust the budget strikers to play an important role in your starting 11 every week and if yes, who should you choose? Many FPL managers are currently looking to restructure their team to react to the fixture swings starting from this gameweek. If you are planning to spend considerable money in defense or midfield then a cheap and reliable striker might be one of the ways to make the most out of this strategy. Let’s go through some of the low-priced forwards who you should consider bringing in ahead of the FPL Gameweeek 8 deadline.
Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.
FPL Gameweek 8 Budget Forwards Analysis
Ivan Toney (6.4m)
Name | xG per 90 | xA per 90 | Shots in the box per 90 | (Team) xG per game | (Team) shots in the box per game | (Team) Big chances created per game |
Ivan Toney | 0.27 | 0.38 | 1.57 | 1.3 | 7.71 | 2.14 |
Ivan Toney has registered 2 goals and 2 assist for the first 7 matches of this season. He has taken a new playing role in the Premier League in comparison with his last campaign in the Championship where he was mostly occupying the penalty box and utilizing his goalscoring abilities. In PL however, he has been asking for the ball further away from the penalty box and creating chances for his teammates. His creativity is shown in his 0.38 xA per 90 which is fairly decent for a striker.
Despite not living up to the high expectations of the FPL managers from the start of the season in terms of his finishing abilities he has still been able to convert the few clear-cut changes he has had so far. In addition, Toney is on penalties which is an important detail that is being overlooked since Brentford are yet to receive a penalty. He sometimes takes direct free-kicks but that is almost an anomaly as Mbeumo and Jensen get the majority of those chances. Brentford are currently playing their best football and look very dangerous in the final third. They are 7th in the league for big chances created per game and will surely continue to demonstrate their explosiveness in the upcoming gameweeks.
Brentford’s fixtures look really promising after Gameweek 9 as they will face some of the worst defences in the league – Burnley, Norwich and Newcastle in three consecutive gameweeks. This is one of the most appealing fixture runs you can hope to get and there are definitely some points for Toney in these games. Given the form the Bees are in right now and the great chemistry between Mbeumo and Toney upfront it might be worth it to get the English striker early and avoid bringing him in with the crowd.
If you take this route it might be better to bench him against Chelsea who are the second-best defence in the league and it is unlikely that Toney will end up with anything from this game. However, he is a great buy if you are on a wildcard or don’t have urgent transfers to make and can afford a luxury move to attack the long-term green fixtures.
Further Read: Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW8 ~ Son vs Vardy, Mbuemo vs Toney and Foden vs Grealish
Hee-Chan Hwang (5.6m)
Name | xG per 90 | xA per 90 | Shots in the box per 90 | (Team) xG per game | (Team) shots in the box per game | (Team) Big Chances created per game |
Hee-Chan Hwang | 0.54 | 0.25 | 1.81 | 1.5 | 8.29 | 2.43 |
The Leipzig loanee has enjoyed a brilliant start to his time in Wolverhampton by scoring 3 goals despite starting only 2 games and coming on as a sub in another 2 occasions. His numbers look terrific and even if he does not keep up with his impressive stat line he still has the potential to be one of the best points per million players this season. There are some concerned about him being 100% nailed because of the likes of Trincao and Traore always applying pressure for the spot on the left.
Hwang has expressed that he is already developing a great relationship with Raul Jimenez and this has transitioned in the football field already. They look very dangerous together and can cause problems with their unpredictable runs.
The South Korean forward has also shared some important information regarding the tactics of his coach Bruno Lage: “He tells me to move between the sides and the centre with Raul so he can make creative passes. This is all in the tactics.” With such intention of the coach and a flying high xG of 0.54 Hwang might turn out to be the most efficient FPL option from Wolves. There is a point to be made that you can safe 1.9m by going for him instead of Jimenez to cover the Wolves attack.
Touches Shots/key passes
The next 7 fixtures for Wolves look decent and with 8.29 shots in the box per game and 2.43 big chances created per game the team is backed by the stats to perform better than they have been in the first few gameweeks if they convert the opportunities they have been creating. Hwang can boost their chances for achieving success this season and this looks like the perfect time to bring him in – the South Korean is in great form and has relatively easy fixtures where he can deliver. Even if he misses the odd game for such a price you can afford to bench him and still make the most out of his good upcoming run.
Further Read: Teams and Players to Target for the next 5 Gameweeks in FPL
Adam Armstrong (6.0m)
Name | xG per 90 | xA per 90 | Shots in the box per 90 | (Team) xG per 90 | (Team) shots in the box per 90 | (Team) Big Chances created per 90 |
Adam Armstrong | 0.23 | 0.12 | 1.55 | 1.2 | 6.83 | 1.17 |
Fixtures are looking great in the short term and this might be the right moment to bring the Englishman in if you are willing to take a punt as he is only 2.7% owned. Leeds, Burnley, and Watford have been exposed at the back on multiple occasions this season and Armstrong can benefit from the weak opposition he is going to face in the next few matchups. You can still wait for a few more gameweeks to see whether or not he will actually justify his appeal but there is a risk of missing out on his best run of fixtures.
Further Read: FPL GW8 Transfer Trends Analysis | Popular Transfer Combinations
Neal Maupay (6.5m)
Name | xG per 90 | xA per 90 | Shots in the box per 90 | (Team) xG per game | (Team) shots in the box per game | (Team) Big Chances created per game |
Neal Maupay | 0.37 | 0.09 | 1.69 | 1.2 | 7.71 | 1.29 |
Another rather unpopular pick this season has been Neal Maupay who has perhaps surprised some people by scoring 4 goals in 7 games so far. A solid xG of 0.37 showcases his goalscoring threat as he looks to continue his good start to the PL campaign. Not a very creative player but rather a finisher, the Frenchman has had 1.69 shots in the box per 90 which means that he has been able to convert well the limited amount of chances he has been getting. He suits the systemic approach of Brighton to play as a unit and not rely much on individualistic performances. Most of the shots he has taken have been inside the box which is always a good sign that strikers are not forced to shoot from distance but can rely on getting short-range chances. Only 1.29 big chances per game for Brighton as a team is quite low so the really good opportunities to score have not been that many. Nevertheless, the team has an acceptable amount of shots in the box per game and does not hesitate to bombard the opposition goalkeeper especially when being in the penalty box.
Touches Shots?key passes
The Norwich game looks really tempting and Maupay has a great chance to get some returns there but the following 2 fixtures are a major red flag especially because they come right after another. He looks like a good one gameweek punt and another option is to bring him in from GW 11 when his easy fixtures commence. It is unlikely for him to get any returns from the games against Man City and Liverpool so it might be worth to wait for a little while before considering Maupay but there is also a possibility to take a risk and hope that the Norwich game can justify bringing him in ahead of GW8.
Conclusion
There are many picks in this price bracket from which you can choose but the ones included in this article will likely be the most efficient ones for short/mid-term periods. It is highly advisable to get at least one value-forward in your side as the goal threat that the 4 options mentioned above pose is significantly high while taking into account their affordability.
Do vote in this week’s FPL GW8 allaboutfpl captaincy poll. The same will be available in the captaincy analysis and metrics blog written by@AK_FPL1. The metrics has been delivering consistently with a 6/7 return record this year. Stay tuned for the GW7 Captaincy metric to see who tops it. Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.
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The results and the captaincy metric blog will be published soon based on the votes.
Further Reads from ALLABOUTFPL Ahead of FPL Gameweek 8:
Fixture Analysis for GW8 Wildcard
Teams and Players to Target for the next 5 Gameweeks in FPL
FPL GW8 Transfer Trends Analysis | Popular Transfer Combinations
Popular Player Comparisons Ahead of FPL GW8 ~ Son vs Vardy, Mbuemo vs Toney and Foden vs Grealish
FPL GW8 Double-Digit Returns Metrics-Wildcard Special
Best FPL Defenders To Target Ahead Of FPL GW8
Players In Focus Based On Eye Test Ahead Of FPL Gameweek 8
FPL GW8 Wildcard Structure and Best Possible Drafts and Combinations
Link to all our FPL Gameweek 8 blogs.
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