Another weekend of Premier League football will soon be upon us and, three games in, there are plenty of options in and amongst the Cherries squad that could prove beneficial.
Our in-house Fantasy Premier League expert talks you through the key points ahead of our trip to the King Power Stadium, and which Bournemouth men could bump you up in the standings.
Left-back dilemma?
With Charlie Daniels suffering a season-ending injury during last weekend’s 3-1 defeat to Manchester City, it remains to be seen who Eddie Howe will play at left-back for tomorrow’s game against Leicester.
Diego Rico provides one option, with the Spaniard starting the opening match of the season against Sheffield United. Should he play, he’s an excellent pick, often taking free-kicks and corners, as well as fizzing in crosses from open play. At just £4m, he could be a steal and 6.2% of users have already selected him.
Alternatively, Adam Smith has been known to step in at left-back and fill in for the injured Daniels. That could lead to a Premier League debut for Jack Stacey, priced at £4.4m and selected by just 0.1% of players. A man-of-the-match performance from the defender against Forest Green Rovers on Wednesday night sets him in good stead for a start at the King Power.
Another option could well be Nathan Ake. Normally played at centre-back by Howe, the last time the Dutch international featured for the Cherries in that wide position was the 5-0 win against Brighton in April. A popular player on the game already, Ake is priced at just £5m.
Wilson to bag again?
It’s been a fine couple of weeks for Harry Wilson, who grabbed the headlines after his superb free-kick against Manchester City last week. The strike from 25-yards went in off the bar and had Ederson beaten from the moment it was struck.
On Wednesday night against Forest Green Rovers, the Wales international almost had another from a similar range, this time striking his set-piece inches over the bar. Additionally, he was tasked with taking a number of corners during the cup clash and could continue this role on the weekend, meaning assists could soon start accompanying the two goals he’s bagged this season.
Wilson is our second highest scoring player on the game so far this season, bagging 14 points over two appearances in red and black. Priced at £6m, he is owned by just 2.6% of users.
Mepham shines mid-week…
Chris Mepham caught the eye during Wednesday’s fixture at Vitality Stadium, commanding the back four and getting back to stop a crucial one-on-one in the dying stages. The Wales international started the opening game of the season against Sheffield United, and bagged his first Premier League goal, meaning his points tally rocketed after gameweek one.
Despite not featuring against Aston Villa, he played 90 minutes against Manchester City, and a further full game against Forest Green just a few days ago. Now, with the added absence of Charlie Daniels, manager Howe could opt to go to three at the back, which would suggest a back three of Mepham, Ake and Steve Cook.
Even if the Cherries choose to go with a back four, Ake, as mentioned above, has been utilised at left-back before, meaning that Mepham would be a likely partner for Cook at the heart of the defence. At just £4.5m, and selected by only 1.6% of Fantasy Premier League users, the 21-year-old already has 11 points to his name and is the Cherries’ third highest points scorer as it stands.
