We end our analysis of the Gameweek 35 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) action in our Scout Notes series.
Here, we focus on three Monday matches – Fulham v Leicester City, Brighton and Hove Albion v Everton and Nottingham Forest v Southampton.
Any numbers you see in this article are taken from our Premium Members Area, where you can access Opta player and team data from every single Premier League fixture.
This bank holiday bonanza brought a whopping 21 goals in three matches, with big consequences for the battle to stay up.
Everton and Nottingham Forest secured important victories but Leicester’s position is even more worrying and the Southampton relegation is almost mathematically official.
MARCH BENCHED THEN INJURED
For the 60% of top 100k managers that own Brighton’s Solly March (£5.3m), his starting spot wasn’t supposed to be in jeopardy. All league matches had been started until Thursday night’s win over Manchester United and, surprisingly, he was again left on the bench for Everton.
Pre-match, Roberto De Zerbi simply said March was “not in his best moment” but there was an even worse moment later on. Already 3-0 down, March was one of four substitutions made by De Zerbi at half-time.
Before long, the winger was the epicentre of Brighton’s comeback attempt, creating two chances, totalling five penalty area touches and producing one shot on target. Yet he hurt his hamstring whilst chasing back for Everton’s fourth goal and had to be replaced immediately.
The timing of this is unlucky for owners, as the Seagulls are about to have successive double gameweeks. Perhaps March’s new rotation threat would’ve already seen sales take place but the bad-looking injury will escalate these.
MITOMA AND MAC ALLISTER COMBINE
Selling him for Alexis Mac Allister (£5.5m) may be dismissed as a sideways move but similarly-priced alternative replacements seem limited. Here, the Argentine hit the crossbar and soon combined with template choice Kaoru Mitoma (£5.6m) to score a consolation goal, just days after his stoppage-time penalty defeated Man United.
Since Gameweek 23, no Premier League player has taken more shots than Mac Allister (50) and, even though moving backwards into central midfield was expected to limit his threat, the World Cup winner is only bettered by Erling Haaland (£12.4m) since Gameweek 31.
Owning a penalty taker that takes so many shots is highly appealing, especially one with five fixtures during the final three gameweeks.
DOES STEELE KEEP HIS PLACE?
It’s a bad night for those with both March and cheap goalkeeper Jason Steele (£4.0m). Brighton’s defensive assets lost their clean sheet after just 34 seconds, with Steele later beaten twice at his near post as well as being the victim of an own goal.
As a team, Everton’s expected goals (xG) total was just 2.24 but Abdoulaye Doucoure (£5.3m) and Dwight McNeil (£5.1m) both netted twice to pull off a huge south coast shock. In fact, McNeil’s pair of assists means it’s a brilliant 21-point haul – the winger’s best-ever in FPL.
So does this embarrassment mean Steele goes back to Brighton’s bench for Double Gameweek 36? If so, Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) awaits.
MORE RETURNS FOR MADDISON
Meanwhile, the lunchtime match brought a 5-3 goal-fest between Fulham and Leicester. There was previous popularity for James Maddison (£7.9m) ahead of a generous-looking Double Gameweek 29 that preceded Bournemouth at home. He duly blanked in all three and missed the Wolverhampton Wanderers match due to illness.
Yet FPL managers may want to put faith in Leicester’s talisman when he faces the untrustworthy defences of Liverpool and Newcastle United.
Attacking returns have arrived for him in three consecutive matches, with both a goal and an assist at Craven Cottage. Furthermore, Maddison should be back on penalty duties – having missed from the spot last Monday, Jamie Vardy (£9.1m) failed this time before the 26-year-old had some redemption 15 minutes later.
Leicester’s furthest forward player on the average position map, he led the way for shots, chances created, penalty area touches and expected goal involvement (xGI) in this match. No bonus points though, just like two-goal team-mate Harvey Barnes (£6.6m), who remains without any throughout the whole campaign despite netting 12 times.
SCINTILLATING GIBBS-WHITE
Finally, on a day of double-digit totals for McNeil, Doucoure, Barnes, Willian (£5.5m), Tom Cairney (£4.7m) and James Ward-Prowse (£6.1m), three such individuals belong to Nottingham Forest.
A quickfire Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.6m) double put the hosts 2-0 up, with Danilo (£4.5m) setting up the second and then bagging one for himself after a delicious backheel from Morgan Gibbs-White (£5.5m).
Additionally, the former Wolves midfielder bagged a first-half spot-kick and could’ve added another assist late on had Felipe (£4.5m) not been ruled offside. A wasted acrobatic celebration from the Brazilian centre-back.
He is quietly having a brilliant FPL season and is now on 15 goal contributions. His last four matches have brought three goals and three assists, with Chelsea, Arsenal and Crystal Palace to come. He’s an extremely interesting differential option, especially for March sellers.
GAMEWEEK 35 LINE-UPS
Fulham XI: Leno; Tete, Adarabioyo, Diop (Duffy 77′), Robinson; Palhinha, Reed (Lukic 77′); Wilson (Kebano 82′), Cairney (De Cordova-Reid 82′), Willian (Solomon 82′); Vinicius
Leicester City XI: Iversen; Castagne, Faes, Soyuncu, Kristiansen (Thomas 76′); Tielemans (Ndidi 60′), Soumare (Dewsbury-Hall 76′), Praet (Tete 46′); Maddison, Vardy (Daka 76′), Barnes
Brighton and Hove Albion XI: Steele; Gross, Dunk, Webster (Colwill 46′), Estupinan; Caicedo, Mac Allister; Buonanotte (March 46′ (Gilmour 77′)), Undav (Enciso 46′), Mitoma; Welbeck (Ferguson 46′)
Everton XI: Pickford; Patterson, Tarkowski, Mina, Mykolenko; Iwobi, Doucoure, Gana (Onana 87′), Garner, McNeil; Calvert-Lewin (Maupay 87′)
Nottingham Forest XI: Navas; Aurier (Worrall 64′), Felipe, Niakhate, Lodi (Toffolo 82′); Danilo, Mangala, Yates (Kouyate 70′); Gibbs-White; Johnson (Boly 82′), Awoniyi (Surridge 82′)
Southampton XI: McCarthy; Maitland-Niles, Bella-Kotchap (Lyanco 38′), Bednarek, Walker-Peters; S Armstrong (Edozie 76′), Ward-Prowse, Lavia, Alcaraz (A Armstrong 76′); Walcott (Sulemana 61′), Adams (Onuachu 76′)