Many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers have issues with their forwards ahead of Gameweek 5.
Yoane Wissa (£6.1m) will be out for a “couple of months” with the ankle injury he picked up on Saturday.
Joao Pedro (£5.7m) has a “small issue”, while Rodrigo Muniz (£6.1m) and Adam Armstrong (£5.4m) were both benched in Gameweek 4.
With that in mind, we identify the best budget-forward replacements in this article.
DOMINIC CALVERT-LEWIN
- Club: Everton
- Cost: £5.9m
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.9m) was the Premier League’s highest expected goals (xG) underperformer last season.
He scored seven goals from 12.93 xG, with his -5.93 underperformance slightly worse than Darwin Nunez (£7.2m).
That said, he scored four goals in his final seven appearances in 2023/24. This season, he has two goals and one assist in his first four games. He was the width of a crossbar from finding the net for a third time on Saturday.
So, as the focal point of Everton’s attack, he feels like a respectable option.
Above: Dominic Calvert-Lewin’s shot map in 2024/25, via StatsBomb
The fixtures are very good, too, with trips to all three newly-promoted clubs in the next six Gameweeks.
Yes, Everton have lost all four matches they’ve played this season. Yes, Calvert-Lewin sometimes lacks a killer instinct in front of goal.
But with penalties in his locker, he could potentially do a job as a budget-forward, given the schedule.
JAMIE VARDY
