Fantasy Football Tips Week 2: Pingreen Backing Haaland Haul vs Premier League Newcomers Ipswich

Hello FPL fans, my name is Pingreen, and I’m back to provide my tips and favourite picks for gameweek 2 and beyond for SportsCasting.

I finished 700th in the world in 22/23 and 1330th last year, so it’s very important you take my advice seriously.

If you’ve had a worse start to the season than Everton, do not fear. There are still 37 more game weeks to go. Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither is your FPL team.

Pingreen’s FPL Gameweek 2 Tips

Captain Pick – Erling Haaland – £15.0m

• Fixture: Ipswich (Home)

If you’re part of the 52.8% of the game that owns Haaland, there’s absolutely no need to overthink it; put the armband on him. Even behind a fired up home crowd, the Tractor Boys conceded 2.65 xG last week to Liverpool, and things are only going to get tougher for their trip to The Etihad.

If you don’t own Haaland, captain Salah. If you own neither, what are you doing?

Defender – Antonee Robinson – £4.5m

• Fixture: Leicester (Home)

Looking for a Quansah replacement? Too bad, his price has already dropped, so you can no longer transfer him out for another 4.5m defender. However, if for any other reason you’re looking for a budget defender, Fulham’s Antonee Robinson is your man.

The American notched up 6 assists for the West London side last season, and with a home trip to Leicester followed by games against Ipswich, West Ham, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest, I believe he could have another strong start.

Fulham kept an impressive 10 clean sheets last season, thanks in large part to the heroics of goalkeeper Bernd Leno. With Joachim Andersen’s addition imminent, Robinson could also benefit from more clean sheet points.

Midfielder – Bryan Mbeumo – £7.0m

• Fixture: Liverpool (Away)

This is a long-term pick. A trip to Anfield obviously isn’t the ideal start. But with it looking more and more likely Ivan Toney will follow in the footsteps of footballing greats and take on a new challenge in Saudi Arabia, Bryan Mbeumo’s FPL stock is skyrocketing.

Not only does Toney’s absence give him more focus in the attack alongside Wissa, it also gives him penalty duty, which instantly elevates the appeal of any player.

Brentford did add Brazilian Igor Thiago over the summer, but he’s also set to spend a spell on the sidelines until late 2024 after picking up an injury in preseason, and you’ll likely wildcard long before that point.

Mbeumo has long been a favourite of the analytics community, averaging 0.55 npXG + xA per 90 last season and 0.5 the year prior. Just be prepared for the occasional clash with the crossbar.

Forward – Dominic Solanke – £7.5m

• Fixture: Everton (Home)

As one of the few managers who started the season with Solanke, I only had one concern: minutes. Would Postecoglou ease him into the side after signing him just a week before the opening game, without preseason action? Those concerns were laid to rest when Solanke played the full 90 minutes plus 9 minutes of added time.

Johnson, Maddison, and even Son were subbed off as Spurs pushed for a winner, but Solanke stayed on. Did he get attacking returns? No, but he impressed me nonetheless.

He ended the game with 3 shots on target (each worth 2 BPS this season) and narrowly missed connecting with some crosses. He could’ve done better with the chances he had, but I’m confident that once he nets his first goal for his new club, more will follow. Get on board before this train leaves the station.