The Scout evaluates the performance of two popular forwards who have underperformed in the past four Gameweeks.
The Scout offers guidance for managers on what to do with struggling players Joao Pedro (£7.5m) and Viktor Gyokeres (£9.0m) in Fantasy Premier League as the Friday 18:30 BST deadline approaches.
New signings Joao Pedro and Gyokeres rank among the top three most-owned forwards in Fantasy, appearing in 58% and 23% of teams respectively. However, neither has lived up to that hype lately, failing to score in all of their last four Gameweeks.
This has led both players to be among the three most-sold for Gameweek 9. Joao Pedro of Chelsea has seen 291,000 transfers out this week, while 220,000 have sold Arsenal‘s Gyokeres.
Newcastle United‘s Nick Woltemade (£7.4m) and Crystal Palace’s Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m) are the most sought-after players, with over 442,000 and 282,300 managers bringing them in respectively.
Woltemade has scored in four of his five league appearances for the Magpies and is set for a favorable home match against Fulham. Meanwhile, Mateta’s impressive hat-trick against AFC Bournemouth last weekend netted him a season-high of 17 points, but he faces a difficult away fixture against Arsenal’s strong defense.
Considering Selling Joao Pedro and Gyokeres
To evaluate a player’s scoring potential, examining the “big chances” is critical. For instance, Erling Haaland (£14.7m) currently leads Fantasy scoring due to an impressive league-high of 17 big chances, averaging over two per match in the initial eight Gameweeks.
This high number, combined with his exceptional finishing skills, has resulted in him scoring 11 goals and providing an assist, totaling 83 points—over double that of any other forward in Fantasy. Notably, Haaland has capitalized on 63% of Manchester City’s big chances this season.
Comparative Data for Joao Pedro and Gyokeres
In contrast, after eight Gameweeks with their teams, data shows that Joao Pedro and Gyokeres do not play central roles in their teams’ attacks. Gyokeres has been involved in six of Arsenal’s 22 big chances (27.3%), whereas Joao Pedro has only two out of Chelsea’s 23 (8.7%), the lowest among the top-scoring forwards this season.
Ahead lies a favorable schedule for both players, keeping them in the spotlight. Chelsea faces all three promoted teams in the next six Gameweeks, with a home match against Sunderland on the horizon. Arsenal, meanwhile, has a home fixture against Crystal Palace before meeting two promoted teams.
Observing the performances over the last four Gameweeks, Gyokeres clearly outshines Joao Pedro with 11 shots in the box compared to just one. Such statistics indicate that unless there’s a turnaround, the wise choice would be to let go of Joao Pedro.
