Goalkeepers come under the spotlight as All Things FPL examine the top shot-stoppers so far ahead of Gameweek 3.
Among goalkeepers, it was the 1%-owned Vicario (£5.0m) who stole the show in Gameweek 2 with an 11-point haul as Tottenham overcame Man Utd in a 2-0 victory. The Italian – a summer signing from Empoli – supplemented his clean sheet with six saves, enough to earn him maximum bonus points. Vicario’s ownership may be set to increase in the coming weeks, with Bournemouth, Burnley and Sheffield Utd the next three opponents for Tottenham.
The value of penalty saves was clear to see in Gameweek 2 with the joint-second top-scoring goalkeepers both returning ten points each despite not keeping a clean sheet in their respective fixtures. Bournemouth’s Neto (£4.5m), although he conceded the rebound, still received a +5 boost to his score for saving Mo Salah’s initial effort on Saturday, while West Ham’s Alphonse Areola (£4.0m) likewise saved from the spot against Chelsea on Sunday. Many of Areola’s considerable ownership did not benefit from his double-figure return though, with the budget stopper warming many FPL benches in Gameweek 2.
With reigning Premier League champions Man City the only team yet to concede a goal in the top flight this season, Ederson (£5.5m) is looking like a safe pair of hands for FPL managers and is justifying his premium price tag at the moment. With Sheffield Utd, Fulham, West Ham, Nottingham Forest and Wolves the next five league opponents for Pep Guardiola’s men, owners of the Brazilian will be banking on more clean sheets over that stretch.
Bernd Leno’s (£4.5m) FPL ownership may be set to take a bit of a dive in the coming weeks. The Fulham goalkeeper was a popular purchase after his 12-point showing in Gameweek 1, but the 0-3 defeat to Brentford over the weekend yielded just two points, and with away matches against Arsenal and Man City up next, owners could be looking for a replacement already. It should be noted, though, that Leno has made an impressive 14 saves in his two matches so far – more than any other goalkeeper.