Ah, the old “would you rather” question. One of the best questions ever asked when you’re a teenage boy or me every day at my day job. “Would you rather be a flashlight or a microwave?” That question doesn’t make too much sense at the core, but it certainly gets you thinking. Same goes for several FPL draft players. Would you rather KDB or Diogo Jota? That one should not be difficult to understand, even with KDB missing the first 3 months (god, please let it be less!). But, there are a few difficult ones that really are hard to decide.
That’s what this new piece will try to address and hopefully give you some insight into why a certain player is the one to own and how to come to that conclusion yourself. In the great words of Mark Dacasos of Iron Chef, “ALLEZ CUISINE!”
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FPL Draft Player Comparisons
Callum Wilson vs Danny Ings
This is one that I’ve had to think about a lot myself as a Wilson owner. Both players are pretty similar, but one thing stands out: team quality. Ings has started out quite well and has surprised many. Ings currently has 18 shots, 7 on target, with 3 goals, 1 which was a penalty, giving him a conversion rate of almost 19%. Callum Wilson has 16 shots, 6 on target, with 2 goals and a conversion rate of 12.5%. Now you might be saying, “hmm, Ings seems to be getting more chances and has a better conversion rate. He’s the one to own.” However, Ings has 50% of Southampton’s goals, which worries me. That says that he will really only contribute points through shots on target and goals. I just do not trust his team providing him enough service to provide his goal-heavy dependency.
Wilson, on the other hand, provides more to Bournemouth in the attack than just goals. There are more guys who are capable of scoring and has tallied up 4 assists already. If Ings and Wilson move towards the middle of each other’s conversion rates, Wilson clearly takes the lead here. While the numbers are pretty even, I chalk this one up to Bournemouth being a better team that will score more goals by season’s end. While you can’t go wrong with either RIGHT NOW, Ings owners would be wise to try and reach for Wilson rest of season. He has the history, the additional attacking help, and Ryan Fraser on his side.
Glenn Murray vs Gabriel Jesus
Before you go and say, “are you serious?! You’re an idiot! How are you even a writer?!” Let me answer by saying: I’m not, I’m a financial advisor who loves FPL. This one is interesting simply because Glenn Murray keeps killing it, playing almost 90 minutes per game, and sports a beautiful bald spot. He currently has an unsustainable 44% conversion rate. Last year he finished with a 22.6% rate and a career percentage of 20. Clearly, regression is in store. However, he continues to play and continues to produce, something not all Jesus owners can say. He is an extremely talented footballer, but one who is unfortunately stuck behind one of the most prolific finishers the EPL has ever seen.
Jesus currently is averaging about 45 minutes a game and only has 1 game where he scored double digits, the game against Huddersfield. I don’t trust Pep to give him the necessary run to make him someone you start even if he doesn’t. He’s not Willian, Pedro, or even Adama Traore. If I own Murray and Aguero, I try to turn Murray into Jesus. Sell Murray high before that regression hits and any potential playing time loss due to Alireza breaking into the side. Rest of season, I’m going to go Jesus simply cause he’s a City player and he’ll get his chances. But Murray is the safer bet, the less frustrating bet, and one I’d try to sell a high on. All it takes is one Aguero turned ankle to make Jesus a top-15 player.
Will Hughes vs Felipe Anderson
This one intrigues me a lot. Hughes has played well for a surprising Watford side. Anderson has been the only bright light out of West Ham not named Marko the Sharko. Here’s a question you need to ask yourself to help decide who to pick: do you see Watford’s success continuing and do you see West Ham’s overall bad play continuing? “Why don’t you just meet me in the middle?” That’s a popular song, right?
I think Watford is legit this season. They’ve been playing well and have talent all over the field that has contributed to the successful attack. Fat Drake and Andre Gray are converting and everything seems to be going well. Hughes has been big. He’s Steady Eddy. High floor with a moderately high ceiling. Hughes is playing a lot more than last year, getting more shots and more opportunities to create. The best part is that he also contributes with defensive stats. He’s averaging about 2 tackles won per game, with an interception to go along with it. Hughes has been everywhere and been a big reason for Watford’s success.
Anderson has been huge for West Ham as well. The man is creating a lot of chances, averaging about 2 key passes a game, but only has 1 assist. That is due West Ham only scoring in half there games, and 3 of their 5 goals in one game. The switch will flip for West Ham, he will get more chances to assist Marko and Yarmolenko, and I’m hoping he’ll start firing off more shots than he has so far (5). My pick is Felipe because West Ham can’t get much worse, I fantasize about what that top 3 can do when in form, and I can’t see Watford continuing the pace they’ve set. Hughes owners, try now before it’s too late to get Anderson, if it isn’t already.
Sol Bamba vs Steve Cook
Both have a goal apiece, with Cook adding an assist to his attacking numbers. Bamba has 41 clearances, putting him on the level of Tarkowski, who has provided good value so far this year for Burnley. He also has 25 aerials won, which gives great value for under the radar defenders. However, Steve cook has more clearances, the same amount of aerials won, and more tackles won. The reason Bamba has more points? Goals against. Cook has a -22 to his name, while Bamba has -14.
I just don’t believe in Cardiff. It’s been 6 games and they’ve surprised thus far. I just think Cook is on a better team, has the stats to back it up, gets more defending statistics, and can provide more offensively going forward than Bamba can. Cook has reached 225 points 2 of the last 3 years, and feasts on lower sided clubs. Cook will get more clean sheet points than Bamba in my opinion. If I’m a Bamba owner, I’d shoot for trading him for someone like Tarkowski or Joe Gomez, but if you end up with Cook, I believe you’ll have won that trade at the end of the season. Ditch Cardiff while there is still value, and be happy to rid yourself of the worry that they bring.
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