The Scout names the first of five players to watch in Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 2.
David Silva (MID)
Silva (£8.0m) recorded an assist and two bonus points in Manchester City’s 2-0 win at Brighton & Hove Albion.
He is still part of only 6.4% of squads, despite acquiring 66,000+ new owners since Friday’s deadline.
Silva has largely been ignored compared with the other Man City attacking options.
An impressive pre-season that included four assists convinced more than 1.2 million managers to invest in Kevin De Bruyne (£10.0m).
The Belgian went into Gameweek 1 as the second most-popular midfielder, behind Tottenham Hotspur's Dele Alli (£9.5m).
Meanwhile, forwards Gabriel Jesus (£10.5m) and Sergio Aguero (£11.5m) are found in 11.9% and 11.7% of squads respectively.
But Silva was the star at the Amex Stadium.
He recorded five key passes to rank third among FPL midfielders for ICT Creativity for Gameweek 1, with a score of 77.1.
Up next is a home meeting with Everton. After that three of Man City’s next four matches score two in the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR).
Opting for Silva as a cheaper route into Pep Guardiola's attack looks a viable strategy.
He has produced double-figure assist returns in five of his last six seasons and seems to have greater freedom to exert his influence in the new 3-4-2-1 system.
Silva received 95 passes in Sunday’s victory – only AFC Bournemouth’s Harry Arter (£5.5m) saw more of the ball.
He also completed 39 passes in the attacking third, joint top for Gameweek 1 with Arsenal's Mesut Ozil (£9.5m).
Silva v De Bruyne Gameweek 1
| De Bruyne | Silva | |
|---|---|---|
| Passes received | 77 | 95 |
| Chances created | 0 | 5 |
| ICT Creativity | 16.9 | 77.1 |
Guardiola’s line-up could remain settled until their UEFA Champions League campaign begins in September.
So Silva should escape from the threat of rotation until Gameweek 5, making him a potentially effective differential.
The £2.0m saving from De Bruyne could also be crucial over that period.
If Silva remains central to Man City’s title bid, this could be the season that he challenges the big-hitting FPL midfielders while delivering exceptional value.
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