In each issue of the Official Programme and on whufc.com, we will analyse players' performances and provide tips on how to (hopefully) succeed in Fantasy Premier League (FPL)!
And following an impressive week in which he struck three goals in eight days across all competitions, there is nobody else we could highlight this week ahead of West Ham United’s trip to St Mary’s Stadium - it is all about Gianluca Scamacca…
Scamacca shines
The last two FPL Gameweeks have gone pretty well for managers with Gianluca Scamacca in their ranks.
The former Sassuolo man had previously shown his class with goals in the UEFA Europa Conference League against Viborg FF, Silkeborg IF and RSC Anderlecht, and he has brought that form to the Premier League in recent weeks.
Against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Scamacca hit the opener in a 2-0 win. A touch and a volley broke the deadlock at London Stadium, while, a week later, it was a similar story. The Italy striker ran onto a pass from Lucas Paquetá and dinked over the onrushing Bernd Leno effortlessly to help the Irons to a 3-1 victory over Fulham.
The result: Scamacca became just the ninth Hammer to score in both of his first two home Premier League starts and returned 17 points across his last two Gameweeks.
As expected then, FPL bosses have started to take note of both the form and the cost of the talented striker. Scamacca’s FPL price had dropped from £7.0m at the start of the season to £6.7m after the No7 missed a few matches due to illness, but that price is quickly bouncing back.
Over the last week, his ownership has more than doubled, rising from 0.7% to 2.0%. And there is no doubt then that picking up Scamacca could give you an advantage on slower-moving FPL managers and might also reward you with a price rise should you make the move for the Italy striker this week.
He has moved to £6.8m recently and his price is looking like heading only in one way thanks to his form.
Opposition One to Watch: James Ward-Prowse
Southampton’s skipper has a bit of a record when it comes to set-pieces, and in doing so has become a valuable asset in FPL.
The stats tell the story of his FPL record. James Ward-Prowse has created the most chances from set-pieces in the last two FPL seasons. But, by his standards, it has been a relatively quiet start to the season for the Saints midfielder, who recorded a career-high FPL total in 2021/22 (159 points) thanks to 15 goal contributions.
A total haul of 28 points so far has seen Ward-Prowse register more than two points in an individual Gameweek just twice this season. And, as it stands, his best Gameweek performance came on opening day, where he picked up five points for a goal against Tottenham Hotspur, as well as two bonus points and two for playing 90 minutes.
Still, 6.6% of managers have him in their team – but sitting at £6.4m, a slight fall from a starting price of £6.5m, there is plenty of competition from the likes of Gabriel Martinelli, Marcus Rashford and our own Brazil star Lucas Paquetá, who all occupy a similar price bracket.
And yet the record of the Saints’ skipper means that West Ham’s defenders will be wary of giving away any free-kicks in and around the edge of the area on Sunday. Let's hope his FPL points come in future Gameweeks and not this one!
Join the West Ham United Programme League!
While the 2022/23 FPL season is well underway, there is still time to join the West Ham United Programme League and earn monthly prizes!
Overall, Sietse van Dam's Crtl Alt de Ligt is leading the way with 681 points.
To join the West Ham United Programme League, simply enter the code jiymp8.
