Hello, and welcome to the 8th edition of this season’s Predicting the Dream Team brought to you by me, FPL Texan. In this article, we preview FPL Gameweek 9 of the 2021/2022 season.
In this series, I go head-to-head each week with Fantasy Football Fix to see who can select the best team of the week, their algorithm or myself. It is a classic battle of man vs. machine!
Lets see who won the matchup in Gameweek 8
| Manager | Gameweek Points | Overall Points | H2H Score |
| FPL Texan | 58 | 513 | 4 |
| Fantasy Football Fix Algorithm | 71 | 515 | 3 |
As you can see, Fix won the Gameweek 8 matchup!
The key selection for them was Sadio Mane, who scored 8 FPL points last week.
Moving onto Gameweek 9, lets take a look at Fix’s Team
Fix’s Predicted Team of the Week
Please note that this team is accurate as of Thursday 21st October. However, the algorithm team updates right up until deadline with news from press conferences and potential injuries.
Therefore, to stay completely up to date with the algorithm team, you can check it yourself just before the deadline at FantasyFootballFix.com.
Next, we will look at my predicted team of the week, and reasonings behind each decision.
Texan’s Team of the Week
EDOUARD MENDY
- Price: £6.1m
- Ownership: 15.4%
- Projected Points: 5.2 Points
Mendy makes a debut in the article this week with a nice matchup against Norwich. Norwich have the second worst xG in the league, trailing only Watford, whilst Chelsea have again been a strong defence this season, ranking 9th best in xGA. A home game against Norwich is prime clean sheet appeal, so I’ve gone double Chelsea defence this week.
Mendy averages 3.13 saves per game, so there is save point potential too.
REECE JAMES
- Price: £5.5m
- Ownership: 5.1%
- Projected Points: 2.6 Points
James makes the team of the week this week. As stated above, this is a great matchup for Chelsea defence so I have doubled up. James has been coming back from injury, but with a sub appearance in the Champions League match midweek, I think he is primed to start this weekend. James offers such an attacking presence to the Chelsea side that they have been missing, as he leads the team in xA per 90 at 0.51 and is second for successful crosses per 90.
If Reece starts, I could easily see a double digit haul for him this week against Norwich.
JOAO CANCELO
- Price: £6.3m
- Ownership: 23.3%
- Projected Points: 4.1 Points
Cancelo makes the team of the week for a second consecutive week, with a matchup against Brighton. City have been the best defence in the league this season, with the lowest xGA to start the season. Brighton have struggled offensively, ranking third worst in xG. Cancelo offers great attacking potential, leading city defenders in xG per 90 and second in xA per 90.
Cancelo has been in great form, so he makes the team of the week.
RUBEN DIAS
- Price: £6.2m
- Ownership: 29.3%
- Projected Points: 4.8 Points
Dias rounds out the defence and City double up. As mentioned above, this is a very attractive matchup for City defenders, and since Dias got a rest last gameweek, I think he should definitely be in the line-up this week. Dias ranks first amongst City defenders in xA per 90 which is quite a pleasant surprise that he is quite involved in the attack. He is also a good shout for bonus should City keep a clean sheet.
Always steady Ruben Dias makes the team of the week this week.
MOHAMED SALAH (C)
- Price: £12.8m
- Ownership: 64.7%
- Projected Points: 5.9 Points
Salah is my captaincy selection this week. Liverpool have been on fire offensively to start the season, leading the league in xG by some margin. Salah has been on another level, with 7 goals and 5 assists through 8 games. He ranks 5th in xG per 90 in the league at 0.64 and 7th in xA per 90 at 0.33.
When Salah is in this kind of form he is a no brainer set and forget captain in FPL.
KAI HAVERTZ
- Price: £8.1m
- Ownership: 4.0%
- Projected Points: 2.4 Points
Havertz is my punt of the week, at the time of writing this it is unclear as to the extent of the injuries to Lukaku and Werner. But should they miss GW9, Havertz has a chance to play possibly up top against a Norwich side that ranks second worst in xGA this season. Havertz has done well when given extended minutes in the past, and ranks 3rd best in xG per 90 for Chelsea.
Should Havertz get the start, he could be in for a big game this weekend against Norwich.
BRYAN MBEUMO
- Price: £5.6m
- Ownership: 3.4%
- Projected Points: 3.6 Points
Mbeumo makes his debut on the article this week with a matchup agasint Leicester. The Foxes have not been great defensively this season, with just one clean sheet and the 7th worst xGA in the league. Brentford have looked good offensively this season ranking 9th best for xG. Mbeumo has been great for the bees this season, with two goals already, as well as hitting the woodwork a league-high six times. He also ranks 9th best amongst midfielders in xG per 90 at 0.40.
Mbeumo has been unlucky so far this season but I think this could be the week where his luck starts to turn.
RAPHINHA
- Price: £6.6m
- Ownership: 20.3%
- Projected Points: 2.7 Points
Raphinha rounds out the midfield this week. He was rested last week against Southampton, so he should be fresh and ready to go this week. Raphinha is a crucial part of Leeds’ attack, ranking second in xG per 90 at 0.25 and second for xA per 90 at 0.20. He also looked great for Brazil in the international break, with 2 goals and assists.
Raphinha is in great form, and I think he and Leeds could get back on track this week against Wolves.
JAMIE VARDY
- Price: £10.6m
- Ownership: 20.0%
- Projected Points: 5.4 Points
Vardy is back in the team of the week this week. Brentford have been a strong defensive team so far this season, with the second best xGA in the league, but Vardy has been in excellent form with a league tying 7 goals so far this season. He ranks 7th best in xG per 90 at 0.47. The addition of Iheanacho back into the line-up the last couple weeks has also provided a much needed boost to the attack for Leicester, giving him some assist appeal like we saw at the end of last season too.
Jamie is in fine goal scoring form, and it feels like he could haul against anyone at the moment. Therefore, he makes the team of the week.
ODSONNE EDOUARD
- Price: £6.5m
- Ownership: 2.6%
- Projected Points: 2.4 Points
Palace take on Newcastle who are bottom of the league for xGA. Edouard has looked good since joining Palace, with 3 goals since his debut in Gameweek 4. He ranks second on the team in xG per 90 at 0.41, and third in xA per 90 at 0.12 showing that he has already become a key part of their attack.
With a great matchup against Newcastle, I think Edouard could continue his hot start for Palace.
RAUL JIMENEZ
- Price: £7.6m
- Ownership: 7.1%
- Projected Points: 3.3 Points
Jimenez rounds out the team of the week this week. After getting a rest last week after the international break, he should be fresh and ready to go for a tasty Leeds matchup. Leeds rank third worst for xGA in the league with only Watford and Norwich worse. Wolves have been middle of the road for xG. Jimenez is a key factor in Wolves attack, ranking 4th in xG per 90 at 0.28 and first in xA per 90 at 0.28.
In what I think could be a high scoring affair, Jimenez makes the team of the week against Leeds.
Man vs. Machine, Who Will Win?
Now you have seen our teams, who do you think will win this week? Man or Machine?
Let us know in the comments who you think will win!
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More to Come
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