The Scout is tipping five players to back for Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 8.
Pascal Gross (BHA) £5.7m
The playmaker looks vital to Brighton & Hove Albion’s first Premier League season.
In FPL terms, two goals and two assists have helped Gross total 36 points.
It also means he has scored or assisted 80% of Brighton's goals. No player with more than two starts can better that level of goal involvement.
There are other statistics that highlight his importance to Chris Hughton’s side.
Gross has produced more crosses (43) and created more chances (15) than any team-mate.
Set-piece threat
Set-piece duties are a big factor behind those numbers.
The midfielder has taken 20 of Brighton’s 29 corners, with centre-backs Shane Duffy (£4.5m) and Lewis Dunk (£4.4m) providing threatening targets for his supply.
They have recorded 12 shots from set-plays, more than any other central-defensive pairing.
Now Gross must bid to maintain his influence over a promising run of fixtures, beginning with the visit of Everton in Gameweek 8.
Ronald Koeman’s side have conceded seven goals in three away matches, and 12 in total.
Only four teams have allowed more shots on target than the Toffees (33).
After the Everton match, five of Brighton’s next six opponents score two or less in the Fixture Difficulty Rankings (FDR).
Brighton's next seven Gameweeks
| GW | Opponent | FDR |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | EVE (H) | 3 |
| 9 | WHU (A) | 2 |
| 10 | SOU (H) | 2 |
| 11 | SWA (A) | 2 |
| 12 | STK (H) | 2 |
| 13 | MUN (A) | 4 |
| 14 | CRY (H) | 1 |
Gross is part of 13.7% of FPL squads, with early investment fuelled by an 18-point haul in Gameweek 4.
While the flow of points has slowed over recent matches, he still ranks third for points-per million-value (6.3) among midfielders.
And with Brighton's schedule improving, Gross has the platform to repeat that early impact.
Also in this series
Part 1: Harry Maguire
Part 2: Virgil van Dijk
Part 3: Raheem Sterling
Part 5: Alexis Sanchez