Last updated on March 31st, 2022
By Matthew Petersen @Matt_Petersen13
Gameweek 30 was one of the toughest gameweeks to navigate as only four fixtures took place, with none of the top 3 playing this week. Arsenal edged Aston Villa 1-0 to maintain their grip on fourth place. Spurs beat West Ham 3-1 to edge their London rivals in the battle for European spots. Wolves blew a 2-0 lead against Leeds at the Molineux, losing 3-2 as Leeds try to move away from the relegation spot. The final fixture saw Leicester edge Brentford 2-1. The FPL average for last week was only 28 points as some managers had to balance their chip usage in GW30 or save it for the end of season run-in.
Gameweek 30 top 3 performers
1. Heung-Min Son – 15 points (90 minutes, two goals, 3BPS)
2. Timothy Castagne – 14 points (63 minutes, clean sheet, one goal, 2BPS)
3. Harry Kane – 13 points (90 minutes, three assists, 2BPS)
Let’s take a look at the top picks for this week, reviewing their GW30 performance and previewing their GW31 points potential, looking at recent form and favourable fixtures
1. Mohamed Salah – £13.3m (MID); 60.6% ownership
GW30 review – 1 point (34 minutes)
GW31 preview – Watford (H)
The Egyptian is yet to hit the form he had prior to leaving for AFCON but has still managed four goals and an assist in the seven games since. He faces a Watford side that was on the receiving end of a 13-point haul earlier this season and with the home crowd behind them, they could score big in this one.
2. Heung-Min Son – £10.9m (MID); 24.3% ownership
GW30 review – performance noted under top 3 performers
GW31 preview – Newcastle (H)
Son’s coming off the back of a brilliant weekend in GW30 with a 15-point haul. Spurs face Newcastle who, despite an upturn in form in the last few months, will still be faced with a daunting task of stopping this Spurs side determined to stay in the hunt for a Champions League Spot. Son’s managed four goals in his last five outings and got nine points in the return fixture this season.
3. Kai Havertz – £7.9m (MID); 6.9% ownership
GW30 review – 7 points (90 minutes, one goal, clean sheet, yellow card)
GW31 preview – Brentford (H)
Havertz has been the go-to man of late and scored a quite brilliant goal last time out against Newcastle. Havertz has returned 33 points in his last three games, including four goals and an assist in that time. Chelsea face a Brentford side that has proved leaky in defence this season. They will be desperate to keep their grip on 3rd place and not get dragged into a battle with the rest of the top 4 chasers.
4. Michail Antonio – £7.5m (FOR); 29.5% ownership
GW30 review – 1 point (55 minutes)
GW31 preview – Everton (H)
Rather incredibly, Michail Antonio has struggled with goals of late but yet still seems to be a popular option due to his regular game time and West Ham needing him to maintain their top 4 challenge. A home game against an Everton side that has been poor all season will be a good chance for the Jamaican to get his form back and get West Ham back on track.
5. John Stones – £5.2m (DEF); 2.9% ownership
GW30 review – 7 points (90 minutes, clean sheet, 1BPS)
GW31 preview – Burnley (A)
Stones’ inclusion here is mainly down to Ruben Dias’ injury. John Stones has managed to keep two clean sheets in his last three games. He’s a more than capable deputy for Pep and will be up to the task of handling Burnley’s big men up top. A centre-back can never be ruled out as a threat from set-pieces either so Stones has a possible two-way route for points.
6. Fraser Forster – £4.4m (GK); 1.2% ownership
GW30 review – 2 points (90 minutes)
GW31 preview – Leeds (A)
Forster’s proven to be a capable replacement for regular number 1 Alex McCarthy, who’s out with an injury. While Leeds have improved in attack, they are still battling down at the bottom so Forster could have a busy day which may yield save points, a clean sheet and then possible bonus points.
*Prices and ownership statistics correct as of 31 March 2022*
