An injury to Kevin De Bruyne (£10.4m) looks set to lift the prospects of his Manchester City team-mates Phil Foden (£7.5m) and Julian Alvarez (£6.5m) in Fantasy Premier League.
Manager Pep Guardiola revealed on Tuesday that the playmaker may require surgery on the hamstring problem that forced him off against Burnley in Gameweek 1.
See: Guardiola: De Bruyne will be out for months with 'serious injury'
Guardiola conceded the worst-case scenario could be "three or four months" on the sidelines for the Belgian.
De Bruyne’s injury has already made a huge impact on 2023/24 Fantasy ahead of Friday’s 18:15 BST deadline.
Indeed, he is the most-sold player in the Gameweek, moved on by a massive 605,000+ managers.
Swoop for Foden?
Foden offers a straightforward swap as a midfielder in Fantasy.
Notably, he was involved in 37 per cent of Man City’s goals when selected last season, second only to the 54 per cent of Erling Haaland (£14.0m).
The England international’s average of 5.6 points per start ranked fourth for the champions in the last campaign.
His appeal is further boosted by a kind upcoming run of opponents for Guardiola’s side.
According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), four of their next six matches score only two.
Man City's next six matches
| GW | Opponent | FDR | GW | Opponent | FDR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | NEW (H) | 4 | 5 | WHU (A) | 3 |
| 3 | SHU (A) | 2 | 6 | NFO (H) | 2 |
| 4 | FUL (H) | 2 | 7 | WOL (A) | 2 |
That schedule can also bring Alvarez into contention in the forward bracket.
The Argentinian was Man City’s standout creator at Turf Moor, producing six key passes and earning an assist.
Alvarez's assist v Burnley
.@ErlingHaaland on the #PL opening day:
— Manchester City (@ManCity) August 11, 2023
22/23 ⚽️⚽️
23/24 ⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/JIFpK4Uxzh
He could prove a popular replacement for Joao Pedro (£5.5m) in Gameweek 4 when Brighton & Hove Albion’s schedule turns tougher.
Joao Pedro faces testing encounters with Newcastle United, Manchester United, AFC Bournemouth and Aston Villa in the subsequent four Gameweeks.
Alvarez, by contrast, faces Fulham, West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Wolverhampton Wanderers over the same period.
Also in this series
Part 1: Whose FPL prospects have improved after Gameweek 1?
Part 2: The Scout’s FPL Gameweek 2 Ones to watch
Part 4: The Scout’s Gameweek 2 Differentials
Part 5: FPL long view: Plan ahead for Chelsea and Spurs' dream fixtures
Part 6: FPL experts: Do you NEED a Liverpool player for Gameweek 2?
Part 7: FPL long view: Plan ahead for Chelsea and Spurs' dream fixtures
Part 8: Scout Selection: Best FPL team for Gameweek 2
Part 9: Why Salah can outscore Haaland as FPL captain in Gameweek 2
Part 10: Disasi and Colwill ideal James replacements in Fantasy
