Fantasy Premier League: Liverpool, Villa and West Ham players promise points
Liverpool
The block of games following the international break offer a big opportunity for Jurgen Klopp's side. The Reds will play on home soil on three occasions, facing rivals Everton on Saturday, Nottingham Forest a week later and Thomas Frank's Brentford following a trip to Luton.
For managers who don't have Mohamed Salah in their squad yet, that means it's high time to start thinking about how to get him into your team, which is no easy feat given he cost 13 million, especially if you want to keep other star players like Erling Haaland or Heung-Min Son.
The Egyptian has added more creative ability to his goalscoring this season and has made more major chances than any other player in the league, nine. Add to that 26 shots (4th), eleven of which were on target, and we have a strong candidate for the captain's armband in the coming rounds.
Unfortunately, for the other two spots in Liverpool's front three there are four players (Cody Gakpo, Diogo Jota, Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz) whose minutes are still unstable, so signing any of them is a risk.
In defence, Trent Alexander-Arnold is available and only 8% of the managers have him in the team, which is a very low percentage for such a player, but it must be said that the England international has so far fallen short of expectations this season and with one assist and a price of 7.9 million, big compromises would have to be made to sign him.
On the left side of the defence, it will be interesting to see the situation around Andy Robertson, who was injured during the international break. Should the shoulder injury require prolonged treatment, Kostas Tsimikas, who is available for just 4.4 million, will come in.
Aston Villa
Aston Villa are another team that will play three home games before the November international break. The eyes of the managers will be on the attack, where Ollie Watkins - together with Salah the highest-scoring player of the current FPL season - is on fire.
The England international has scored in every game so far this season except for at Anfield and has four assists. He also scored for the national team in the game against Australia and trails only Erling Haaland with 25 shot attempts thus far this campaign.
Frenchman Moussa Diaby complements Watkins in the Villa attack and has managed to score 42 points with two goals and three assists. Costing 6.7 million, less than 13% of managers have him in the squad and with the schedule that also includes games against Nottingham Forest and Fulham, he's a strong addition to the midfield lineup.
Polish international Matty Cash has benefited this season from the position Unai Emery has played him in on the right side of the pitch. As he often plays on the right of midfield rather than as a right-back, he dominates the statistics for touches in the box (26), shooting attempts (16) and shots on target (eight). Not for nothing has his price climbed from the original 4.5 million to the 5.0 million mark.
West Ham
Especially after the away game at Aston Villa, a favourable schedule all the way up to Christmas awaits West Ham. They have done exceedingly well against the many tough opponents they've faced at the start of the season and should now be in the sights of many managers.
There is no missing Alphonse Areola who, as one of the two regular first-team goalkeepers costing 4 million, is solidifying his position as the team's number one with excellent performances. He leads the statistics of expected goals among goalkeepers having conceded 12 times, 3.5 less than the xG suggests.
Further forward is star forward Jarrod Bowen, and a cheaper alternative in the Hammers squad is James Ward-Prowse, who scores a huge amount of points from his set-pieces.
Other teams worth mentioning in the context of an easy schedule include Arsenal, who at the Emirates Stadium will welcome opponents from the bottom half of the table - Sheffield United, Burnley and Wolves. In addition to Bukayo Saka, it is worth highlighting Gabriel Martinelli, who is returning to the starting XI after injury and managed to score the winner against Manchester City.
After a tough trip to the Etihad, Brighton will welcome Fulham; as the Seagulls then face Everton and Sheffield United, it will be important to keep an eye on the rotation of Roberto De Zerbi's team, with the manager often making changes in light of the demanding schedule. Defender Pervis Estupinan is expected to return from injury in the coming weeks, with Japanese winger Kaoru Mitoma still standing out in the midfield.
