Owners of Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) in Fantasy Premier League should target Leandro Trossard (£7.0m) and Ollie Watkins (£8.0m) after Arsenal's Brazilian forward was ruled out of the start of 2023/24.
Jesus missed the Gunners’ 1-1 draw with Monaco on Wednesday, with manager Mikel Arteta revealing that he will be unavailable for a period of time.
"Unfortunately, he has had a little procedure this morning. He had some discomfort in his knee that has been causing some issues and they had to go in and resolve it," Arteta told the club's official website.
"It's not something major, but he's going to be out for a few weeks, I think."
Jesus had been the second most-popular forward in Fantasy prior to the match, owned by over 31 per cent.
But that figure has already dropped to below 24 per cent as managers rebuild their squads ahead of the Gameweek 1 deadline of 18:30 BST Friday 11 August.
Although Eddie Nketiah (£5.5m) started and scored against Monaco, his minutes are by no means certain and he seems an unnecessary risk.
Eddie swoops in 💥 pic.twitter.com/jduS0GWVVY
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) August 3, 2023
With unlimited free transfers until the season starts, managers should instead consider Trossard as their second Arsenal attacker alongside Bukayo Saka (£8.5m).
The Belgian is arguably the most versatile attacker in Arteta’s 4-1-2-3 formation. He can play as one of the two “No 8s”, or up front, or on either flank.
Trossard is currently owned by under five per cent of managers ahead of a very favourable early schedule.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), each of Arsenal's first three matches score only two.
Arsenal's first five matches
| GW | Opponent | FDR |
| 1 | NFO (H) | 2 |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | CRY (A) | 2 |
| 3 | FUL (H) | 2 |
| 4 | MUN (H) | 3 |
| 5 | EVE (A) | 2 |
Aston Villa’s Watkins is a secure replacement for Jesus for managers’ forward lines.
He was the third top-scoring player in his position after Unai Emery was appointed head coach last season, averaging 5.6 points per match thanks to 13 goals and six assists.
Watkins has already found his form in pre-season, scoring in three of Villa’s five matches so far, including a strike against his Gameweek 1 opponents Newcastle United in the Premier League Summer Series.
Most-owned forwards
| Player | Ownership (%)* | Player | Ownership (%)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haaland | 86.5 | Isak | 12.6 |
| Jesus | 23.3 | Kane | 11.9 |
| Nkunku | 21.1 | Ferguson | 9.9 |
| Watkins | 15.8 | Jackson | 9.7 |
| Nunez | 15.2 | Wilson | 9.5 |
*Figures subject to change
Watkins’ appeal is further strengthened by the uncertainty surrounding the Chelsea and Liverpool forwards ahead of the new campaign.
Christopher Nkunku (£7.5m) is set to be assessed after being forced off against Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday with a knee problem.
He is currently the third most-owned forward, selected by over 21 per cent.
See: Pochettino issues update on Nkunku injury
Meanwhile, Cody Gakpo's (£7.5m) display against Bayern Munich indicates he will offer strong competition to Darwin Nunez (£7.5m) for the lone striker role.
Nunez has climbed to over 15 per cent ownership after scoring four goals over the summer.
But with Gakpo starting and scoring in the 4-3 loss to Bayern on Wednesday, there is every likelihood the pair will continue to share minutes when the season starts.