The Scout offers advice on what managers should do with absent midfield duo and who to replace them with
With midfield duo Moises Caicedo (£5.9m) and Ismaila Sarr (£6.6m) ruled out for Gameweek 14 in Fantasy Premier League through suspension and injury respectively, The Scout looks at what managers should do with them and who their best replacements are.
Both Caicedo and Sarr are easy sells for Gameweek 14 as they will be unavailable for more than one match.
Caicedo will sit out the next THREE Gameweeks due to suspension, while Sarr will miss both matches this week and is on the verge of leaving for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) anyway.
See: Who’s suspended or close to a ban?
With Caicedo costing £5.9m and Sarr valued at £6.6m, here are some of the best replacements who are available for a similar price.
Declan Rice (Arsenal) £7.0m
The Arsenal star now sits just one point off the top of the midfielder standings due to his all-round style of play.
Rice’s 75 points consist of two goals, five assists, 10 defensive contribution points and 10 bonus points.
As a result, he has proven one of the most reliable players in Fantasy, blanking just three times in 12 starts.
Rice’s defensive qualities and set-piece duties arguably make him one of the least likely players from Arsenal to suffer from rotation in the coming period.
The Gunners have four home matches and visit Aston Villa and Everton before the second Wildcard becomes available after the Gameweek 19 deadline.
Bruno Guimaraes (Newcastle) £6.7m
Similarly to Rice, the Newcastle United star has been one of the most consistent picks in Fantasy.
Guimaraes has blanked just once over the last seven Gameweeks, producing two of his three goals this season and all four of his assists during that spell. He has also collected two points for his defensive contributions in two of the Magpies’ last three matches.
The Brazilian has proven far more productive when playing at St James’ Park recently. Indeed, Guimaraes has delivered a double-figure haul in each of his last three home outings, totalling 34 points in those encounters.
Crucially, Newcastle have two home matches in the next few days, hosting Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley.
Indeed, that match with Burnley on Saturday afternoon starts a run where Newcastle will face a promoted club in four of their seven fixtures over Gameweeks 15-21, giving Guimaraes every opportunity for more big hauls.
Elliot Anderson (Nott’m Forest) £5.4m
The recent arrival of Sean Dyche as Nottingham Forest head coach has transformed the midfielder’s fortunes.
Anderson’s total of 28 points in the last four Gameweeks ranks joint-second in his position in Fantasy alongside his team-mate Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.3m).
Impressively, Anderson has collected two points for his defensive contributions in all four of those fixtures, with a goal and an assist also to his name.
Thanks to his share of set-piece duties, the central midfielder has created 12 chances in that spell, placing him second in his position in Fantasy.
Nottingham Forest now face three of their fellow bottom-seven teams – Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Fulham – in the next four Gameweeks in what may prove a crucial spell for Dyche’s side.
Anderson’s many routes to returns may even be boosted by penalty duties if Gibbs-White is out for the upcoming period, marking him out as an outstanding budget asset for your starting XI.
Yankuba Minteh (Brighton) £6.2m
The Brighton & Hove Albion winger is the No 1 player for assists in Fantasy this season, with his total of seven being at least two more than any other player.
Notably, Minteh has supplied two assists in each of the Seagulls’ last two home matches, totalling 20 points in those contests.
That output suggests he could prove a big source of value for the Seagulls’ run of three home matches against Aston Villa, West Ham United and Sunderland in the next four Gameweeks.
The underlying numbers also show Minteh’s major influence on Brighton’s attack, with both his 19 shots in the box and 24 chances created ranking first among team-mates this season so far.