An enthralling victory over Chelsea on Sunday means plenty of Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers will cast an eye over West Ham United players ahead of Gameweek Three.
Seeking to maintain an unbeaten start to 2023/24, David Moyes’ squad head to Brighton & Hove Albion – a place they are yet to win a Premier League fixture. However, there is reason to be optimistic of the Hammers’ chances ahead of Saturday’s 5.30pm kick-off.
On whufc.com and our Official Programme, we’ll be giving you tips and tricks and Hammers to watch across the season!
Also, don't forget to join the Official West Ham United FPL League by clicking here and entering the code 5ycfoa.
Ward-Prowse delivers immediately!
It took just seven minutes for set-piece specialist and FPL stalwart James Ward-Prowse (£6m) to make his mark in east London.
Occupying the same price bracket as teammates Lucas Paquetá and Saïd Benrahma, the new No7 whipped an inch-perfect corner onto the head of Nayef Aguerd, who gratefully nodded home the opening goal. It was a move that set the tone for a 3-1 London derby win over the Blues and also made a few FPL managers take note of JWP.
Contributing an assist for Michail Antonio’s goal in the second half too, Ward-Prowse's skillset is of course an FPL manager’s dream – he has recorded over 140 points in each of his last three Premier League seasons.
As such, the former Saint is known for pocketing a point or two courtesy of his dead-ball ability, assists, and goalscoring nous. And a debut for West Ham proved to be no different. Here, the 28-year-old recorded nine points thanks to two assists, minutes played, and a bonus.
As it stands, he ranks third for points-per-match for midfielders in the game and will no doubt be key to the Hammers finding ways to strike against the Seagulls.
JWP is owned by just 1.7 per cent of managers, at the time of writing.
Dinos the Great?
Earlier this week, West Ham announced the signing of Greece international Konstantinos Mavropanos (£4.5m).
The centre-back – known to his family, friends and teammates as 'Dinos' – arrives at London Stadium from German Bundesliga club VfB Stuttgart with a reputation for strong defending and scoring truly spectacular goals, as you can see here!
Capped 19 times by his country, Athens-born Mavropanos is a dominant presence at 6’4 and could prove to be a big bargain buy for FPL managers!
He is priced at £4.5m but, with Nayef Aguerd suspended for one match, could be make his debut against Brighton on Saturday.
Opposition Watch: Brighton & Hove Albion
Following their form under Roberto De Zerbi last season, plenty of FPL managers are looking at Brighton & Hove Albion players, and for good reason too.
Comprehensive 4-1 wins over Luton Town and Wolverhampton Wanderers mean the Seagulls sit top of the table ahead of this weekend’s fixtures.
Players to watch must start with Pervis Estupiñán (£5.2m). The full-back has already seen a price rise of £0.2m following an electric start. He is also ranked first in the in-form rankings for defenders following 18 points in his first two outings of 2023/24.
Elsewhere in Sussex, Solly March (£6.6m) and Karou Mitoma (£6.6m) have also impressed with hauls of 15 points and 12 points last time out and have cemented their position as two of the most in-demand midfielders in the game.
Evan Ferguson (£6m), meanwhile, will be a striker to watch across the season, despite a limited number of minutes in the opening two fixtures of 2023/24. He scored six goals in 19 appearances last campaign.
Official West Ham United League update
More than 2,600 of you have signed up to join the Official West Ham United FPL League by clicking here and entering the code 5ycfoa.
While you might be a couple of Gameweeks behind in the seasonal standings, with monthly prizes up for grabs, there are still plenty of reasons remaining to join and pit your wits against your fellow Hammers-supporting managers!
After two Gameweeks, Mitch Hoegee leads the way with 173 points, with Jake Hrachovec's afc fornals second on 170 and Rob Day sitting third on 168. With one more game to be played in August, who will be crowned the first FPL Manager of the Month of the 2023/24 season?
