Every team needs a punt or two and Kluivert is one.
The Dutchman started his first game of the season last week and you’d expect him to be a first-choice player moving forward.
I’m backing his form from last season here, where he was FPL gold with 12 goals and six assists – as well as the juicy match-up
He should still be Bournemouth’s penalty taker too.
Bruno Fernandes, Manchester United, £8.9m – Brighton (h)
It’s interesting to see that Fernandes has dropped in price and it’s probably because FPL managers lost faith when he missed his second penalty of the season at Brentford.
But Fernandes doesn’t normally miss those and, had he scored both, he’d be the clear second-highest midfield points scorer this season behind Semenyo.
Ifs and buts, of course, but every weekend he has so many paths to points.
Fernandes has made 22 key passes – five more than any other player – has taken 18 shots, four big chances and missed out on defcon twice by just a point.
Cody Gakpo, Liverpool, £7.5m – Brentford (a)
With Mohamed Salah underperforming, Gakpo is much cheaper and just as effective as a route into the Liverpool attack.
He could have had a hat-trick on Sunday against Manchester United and, if you are a fan of underlying data like me, look at these stats.
Gakpo is top or joint-top among Liverpool players for:
Shots (21)
Shots in the box (15)
Goals (3)
xG (2.86)
Assists (2)
Key passes (17)
Expected assists (1.43)
At some point Liverpool will click, and Gakpo is likely to play a part when they do.
WE’VE identified five intriguing talking points ahead of Gameweek 7.
We encourage you to notice, observe and scrutinise these points of interest — full immersion in Dream Team is the best way to climb the leaderboard!
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First out the gateCredit: Getty
Cherry Picking
The first thing that demands your attention in Gameweek 7 is the deadline.
Bournemouth v Fulham is scheduled to kick-off at 8pm on Friday night, which means the deadline is 6:30pm — don’t wait until Saturday morning.
It’ll be all eyes on Antoine Semenyo (£4.8m) once the game gets underway as the Ghana international features in over a quarter of teams.
He ranks fourth among midfielders at the time of writing having amassed 52 points from seven outings.
The only downside to owning Semenyo is his limited schedule as the Cherries do not have European commitments and were eliminated from the Carabao Cup early doors.
However, that’s not relevant right now as Gameweek 7 simply consists of a full round of Premier League games.
Semenyo will always come to the fore when every club has the same number of fixtures to fulfil.
Stat Padding
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It’s a numbers gameCredit: Getty
The Saturday lunchtime fixture sees Tottenham visit Leeds, who haven’t lost at home in well over a year.
Thomas Frank will hope the early kick-off time will negate the Elland Road atmosphere, which seems to have drawn out below-par performances from Everton, Newcastle and Bournemouth this season.
Anton Stach (£2.9m) and Sean Longstaff (£2.7m) have produced unexpected mega hauls in recent weeks but Dream Team managers will be more focused on Mohammed Kudus (£4.9m), the fourth-most selected midfielder in the game.
The mercurial 25-year-old is leading the way for both successful dribbles (33) and accurate crosses (18) among all players, an indication of his influence and, more importantly, a consistent supply of bonus points.
Kudus has racked up 45 points but he’s not the best Spurs midfield right now, that honour belongs to Joao Palhinha (£3.7m) on 49 points.
Everyone expected the Portuguese loanee to rack up tackles – only Moises Caicedo (£4.7m) has made more challenges – but he’s been surprisingly effective in final third so far with three goals to his name.
Whether his attacking output is sustainable remains to be seen.
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Arsenal’s tricky run may be at an endCredit: Reuters
Arsenal assets should be at the forefront of your mind now their difficult run of fixtures is seemingly at an end.
The Gunners have already been to Old Trafford, Anfield and St James’ Park, not to mention a home game against Manchester City, but the schedule flips in their favour now with an appealing string of match-ups until the November international break.
Mikel Arteta’s side are due to face West Ham (h), Fulham (a), Atletico Madrid (h), Crystal Palace (h), Brighton (h), Burnley (a), Slavia Prague (a) and Sunderland (a) over the next five Gameweeks.
It’s notable that the hardest opponents of that bunch (Atletico and Palace) are both home games.
If you’ve resisted Arsenal players until now because of their tricky fixtures, consider this a turning point.
Backers of David Raya (£4.8m) and the first-choice defenders will be particularly hopeful of substantial points this autumn.
Cue Jarrod Bowen (£5.2m), boosted by Nuno Espirito Santo’s new manager bounce, playing the role of party pooper on Saturday.
The Hammers’ talisman ranks third among forwards at present, a mighty effort without European fixtures.
Mo Problems
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Write him off at your perilCredit: Getty
At the time writing, Mohamed Salah (£7.3m) is the third-most transferred-out player ahead of Gameweek 7.
It’s extremely rare that the Egyptian superstar suffers a significant dip in popularity when fully fit and available.
He mustered just four points in Gameweek 6, worlds away from the massive haul achieved by a certain Norwegian poacher, but he remains the second-best performer among players in his position.
Given Salah’s history, might everything be set up for a statement performance at Stamford Bridge this weekend?
The Blues haven’t won in the league since August and with absentees in defence, they may find it hard to resist Arne Slot’s troops.
Alisson (£4.1m) is unlikely to recover before the weekend and so Giorgi Mamardashvili (£3.5m) is expected to start between the sticks for Liverpool.
Salah has registered nine goal involvements in 15 league meetings with Chelsea.
Wouldn’t it be typical of him to take revenge on the swarm of gaffers who have ditched him this week?
Best for Last
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CenturionCredit: Getty
We’ve skirted around the issue but it’s time to address the elephant in the room that is Erling Haaland’s (£7.7m) otherworldly form.
After just six Gameweeks, the relentless striker has 105 points to his name and a lead of 41 over his closest rival.
A brace against Monaco in the week took his goal tally for the season to 11 — nobody else has scored more than five.
Haaland will take to the stage last in Gameweek 7 as Man City’s trip to Brentford is the late kick-off on Sunday.
And who would bet against another double-digit return?
The Bees are 13th in the table but their underlying numbers are a concern.
Only Burnley have conceded more shots than Brentford while Keith Andrews’ mob rank dead last for shots taken.
Igor Thiago (£3.3m) and company have the capacity to make life difficult for their opponents but Pep Guardiola will expect one-way traffic in his favour at the Gtech.
The captaincy conversation is a non-starter, it’s Haaland and anyone that sees it differently is playing with fire.
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DREAM TEAM managers have until 11am on Saturday morning to confirm their transfers for Gameweek 3.
We’ve assembled some tempting transfer targets separate from the too-obvious-to-list options for your consideration.
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Horses for coursesCredit: Dream Team
Harvey Barnes (£4m)
Anthony Gordon (£4.5m) would have been a viable option this week had he not seen red against Liverpool on Monday night.
But Dream Team managers can follow the same logic with Newcastle’s No11.
The Magpies are due to face Leeds this Saturday with the Whites having been hammered by Arsenal in Gameweek 2.
Daniel Farke’s side were also humiliated by Sheffield Wednesday’s youngsters in the Carabao Cup.
Newcastle may have had their hearts broken by Arne Slot’s troops last time out but they showed they pack a punch even when a man down to the champions.
Barnes is a true horses-for-courses selection as he boasts a formidable record against Leeds of five goals in six Premier League appearances.
The 27-year-old should be guaranteed playing time while Gordon serves his suspension with Newcastle’s next home game also a favourable match-up in the form of Wolves.
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Wood already has two goals to his name this seasonCredit: Reuters
Chris Wood (£4.3m)
Dream Team bosses could do a lot worse than targeting West Ham’s weaknesses at present.
The Hammers lost 3-0 to Sunderland on the opening weekend and got thrashed 5-1 by Chelsea in Gameweek 2, not to mention a Carabao Cup capitulation at Wolves.
Nottingham Forest will feel confident of a positive result against Graham Potter’s mob this Sunday and their big target man might be first in line to benefit.
Alternatively, four of their midfielders are already into double figures for points: Morgan Gibbs-White (£4.7m), Callum Hudson-Odoi (£3.7m), Dan Ndoye (£3.3m) and Elliot Anderson (£3.7m).
September brings a tricky trip to Arsenal for Nuno Espirito Santo’s men but that’s more than countered by favourable fixtures against Burnley and Sunderland.
Forest will also commence their Europa League campaign after the international break.
Dream Team bosses should ensure they have plenty of players active in Europe once the midweek fixtures start coming thick and fast.
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Set-piece specialistCredit: Getty
Pedro Porro (£5.1m)
Both Brennan Johnson (£4.7m) and Richarlison (£3.3m) are among the most popular recruits ahead of Gameweek 3 at this stage.
And that’s perfectly understandable.
But we’re choosing to shine a light on Tottenham’s defence after two clean sheets from as many outings.
Cristian Romero (£3.6m), Micky van de Ven (£3.8m) and Djed Spence (£3.8m) are all more affordable but it feels like Porro is on the brink of a mega haul.
The Spaniard continues to take up advanced positions and, in the absence of James Maddison (£4.5m), he’s on set-pieces.
It’s worth remembering that Porro racked up a whopping 51 bonus points last season.
Spurs host Bournemouth this weekend but it’s their trip to West Ham in Gameweek 4 that looks most inviting.
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Cunha came close against FulhamCredit: Getty
Matheus Cunha (£5m)
A pure one-week punt to finish.
Manchester United are at home to Burnley on Saturday and their new No10 will be licking his lips at the prospect.
Only two players have registered more shots than Cunha across the first two league games and the Brazilian forward is the outright leader for shots on target.
It feels as if his first goal in red is just around the corner and what better platform than Old Trafford against a newly-promoted team?
Many gaffers will feel they can’t accommodate a short-term move such as this (a Manchester derby awaits in Gameweek 4) especially with the European competitions looming large but it wouldn’t be a surprise if Cunha bagged a big double-digit haul against the Clarets.
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DREAM TEAM managers are putting their faith in Erling Haaland (£7.8m) ahead of Gameweek 36.
Not only is Manchester City’s No9 the second-most popular recruit this week, he’s currently the most selected captain.
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Mr PopularCredit: Dream Team
Mohamed Salah (£6.8m) has been the most popular skipper almost every week since he established a healthy lead at the top of the rankings but many gaffers are reverting to Haaland because Pep Guardiola’s side are one of just four teams with two fixtures to fulfil this Gameweek.
There’s the small matter of the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace this Saturday before a Premier League meeting with Bournemouth at the Etihad on Tuesday night.
The Norwegian poacher returned from injury against Southampton last weekend and mustered just two points but his overall record of 30 goals and 352 points remains highly impressive.
Rotation is the lingering spectre that haunts almost every Man City asset and Haaland may be particularly susceptible having just returned from a spell on the sidelines, with Omar Marmoush (£4.8m) a more than competent understudy.
But it goes without saying that Haaland is capable of earning enough points to justify the captain’s armband in just 15 minutes if everything clicks, such is his goalscoring pedigree.
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Will Fernandes come through for Man United again?Credit: Getty
There’s no shortage of options for Dream Team bosses who want to take on Haaland in Gameweek 36.
Bruno Fernandes (£7m) has been a near-permanent inclusion among the captaincy candidates in the second half of the campaign and with good reason.
Manchester United’s captain averages eight points-per-game having notched 19 goals and 19 assists in all competitions this term.
Ruben Amorim has said that his team selection to face Chelsea this evening will not be overly disrupted by preparations for Wednesday night’s Europa League final.
If we are to take the Red Devils’ boss on his word then Fernandes is surely in line to start against both the Blues and Spurs this coming Gameweek.
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Not to be overlookedCredit: Getty
Elsewhere, Eberechi Eze (£5.1m) is a tempting option as someone who would provide a key point of difference.
Crystal Palace’s No10 is the most-popular transfer target ahead of today’s 6pm deadline but not currently among the most selected captains.
Eze excelled in Gameweek 35 with an 18-point haul at Tottenham’s expense and is therefore well placed to provide healthy returns again with Man City and Wolves in his sights.
However, it’s hard to predict Palace’s starting line-up on Tuesday night as they don’t have much to play for in the league.
If the Eagles triumph at Wembley then Eze and friends may still be partying by the time they’re due to host Vitor Pereira’s side.
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WildcardsCredit: Getty
Lastly, we’ll include Ollie Watkins (£4.4m) and Morgan Rogers (£4.3m) in the captaincy candidates.
Aston Villa only have one fixture this coming Gameweek but it might be a profitable one.
The Villains are due to host Spurs this evening and there’s every chance Ange Postecoglou will name a weakened XI to prioritise the Europa League final.
The North Londoners haven’t got the tightest defence at the best of times – they’ve shipped 82 goals in all competitions this season! – and so Villa’s most prominent attackers could thrive against a second-string outfit with other things on their mind.
Make sure to select your captain (and vice captain) before 6pm today!
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