A pair of broken glasses costs £7m in FPL, ask Matheus Cunha!
FPL managers have been dealt with a severe blow of late, as popular pick Matheus Cunha has been handed a two-match ban by the FA. Cunha, flying high with 10 goals and 4 assists in his kitty, was involved in a nasty scuffle with an Ipswich Town staff member on December 14.
The Brazilian talisman, who was on a spree to break records, ended up breaking the spectacles of a security guard from the visiting Ipswich team after the 1-2 home defeat. Certainly, it’s not something ‘spectacular’, right?
Cunha, now priced at £7m, enjoys staggering ownership among FPL teams, as 1 in every 4 FPL managers have him on their team sheet. With the Wolves forward out of the fray for the next two gameweeks (he is already the most transferred out player heading into GW20), here are the best budget replacements to put out the fire in your FPL team:
Chris Wood (£6.7m)
After blanking for three gameweeks on the trot, Chris found his goal-scoring boots again; touchwood! The New Zealander scored one (11 goals so far) and set up another while collecting three bonus points to take the tally to a whopping 12 pts.
Nottingham Forest sits third on the PL table as we start the new year and they have a plum fixture at Cunha’s home ground next. They will also face the Saints, who are languishing at the bottom, within the next three.
Joao Pedro (£5.7m)
The Brighton striker’s goal drought continues. However, after four consecutive blank gameweeks, Joao Pedro managed to rake in 9pts against Villa, in the form of double assists in the tricky away fixture.
Though he is pitted against Arteta’s men in the next game, it would be followed by a relatively easy encounter with the 18th-placed Ipswich Town.
With Danny Welbeck racing against time to become match-fit, the Brazilian is likely to lead the line when the weekend football fever takes over.
Raul (£5.5m)
After a series of blanks over the last three gameweeks, Raul Jimenez finally got rid of his bad patch with a 9-point haul against Bournemouth, courtesy of a goal and three bonus points.
He has a dream calendar to start the new year – Ipswich (H), West Ham (A), Leicester (A).
Evanilson (£5.9m)
Evanilson can be a great differential as he is owned by only 3.3% of the FPL managers. He has had a decent campaign so far, registering five goals in the English top-flight.
Bournemouth, who are currently placed at seventh, have an exciting match against Everton next. However, they will have their nerves tested in the following two GWs against fourth-placed Chelsea and in-form Newcastle.
Liam Delap (£5.6m)
Former Manchester United assistant coach, Kieran McKena’s boys put up an inspired performance to hand Chelsea a shock defeat in a 2-0 drubbing and gave themselves some breathing space in the relegation zone.
Liam Delap stole the show with a goal and an assist, bagging home 11pts. With seven goals and two assists to his name, the England Under-21 international is a one to watch now, as he gears up for clashes against Fulham and Brighton over the next two gameweeks.
Strand Larsen (£5.5m)
Fellow Wolves player, Strand Larsen is another smart option. After a long stretch of as many as five blank gameweeks, Larsen fetched 6pts in the last outing against Spurs away.
In Cunha’s absence, he will lead the pack of Wolves in the two upcoming fixtures – Forest (H) and Newcastle (A).
Strand Larsen could be a huge differential as he finds himself in only 3% of the FPL teams, despite scoring seven goals and registering two assists so far.
Meanwhile, Matheus Cunha has featured in all 19 games so far and you would be surprised to know that he outshines none other than Haaland (110pts) with 111pts, after GW19.
Hence, in case you have solid backups and another hole to fix in the midfield or defense, you may just bench the Brazilian, who is in red-hot form, for the time being.
