Gaming

FPL: The most popular Hammers revealed!

21st October 2022

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)!

Ahead of AFC Bournemouth’s trip to east London, let’s take a look at the West Ham United players who have proved most popular with FPL bosses so far this season.

1. Jarrod Bowen (£8.2m) - 5.4%

As expected, the Hammers’ highest FPL points scorer from last season sits at the top of the ownership charts for West Ham United players.

Jarrod Bowen celebrates scoring against Fulham

After a slow start by his standards, Bowen has returned numerous points in recent Gameweeks. The England forward struck against Fulham and Wolverhampton Wanderers at London Stadium, with his best individual Gameweek haul coming against the latter. Against Wolves, Bowen recorded 14 points thanks to a goal, an assist, three bonus points and a clean sheet.

The No20 has also been on spot-kicks in recent weeks, netting two of his three penalties this season. With Bowen also on corners and set pieces, there are plenty of points to come from the in-form Hammer. His ownership shows that FPL bosses think that too.

2. Declan Rice (£4.8m) - 4.1%

A multi-talented midfielder, the skipper has shown a tendency in recent matches to find himself further up the field. The Hammers’ draw against Southampton was the result of his all-round game.

At St Mary’s Stadium, Declan Rice combined with Saïd Benrahma and curled a delightful equaliser into the bottom corner from the edge of the area. A stunning strike saw the skipper register his best individual Gameweek haul of ten points, picking up five for his goal, three in bonuses, and two for minutes played.

Arguably, those returns should be expected from the skipper, who has challenged himself to find the net more frequently this campaign, although Rice has shown he has the ability to contribute at both ends of the pitch already this season. Six FPL points came against both Aston Villa and Chelsea, with Rice assisting Pablo Fornals and Michail Antonio respectively. No wonder many FPL bosses have the Club Captain on their radar.

3. Emerson (£4.0m) & Aaron Cresswell (£4.8m) - 2.4%

Sitting level in third for the Hammers with the highest FPL ownership are left-sided defenders Aaron Cresswell and Emerson Palmieri.

Known for a stunning free-kick or two, Cresswell has been a popular FPL asset over recent seasons. He recorded 115 points last season, while an FPL-best points haul came in the previous campaign.

The vice-captain has also previously struck against tonight’s opponents. Cresswell netted in West Ham United’s 2-2 draw with AFC Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium in 2019/20, while he also scored and assisted against the Cherries for Tranmere Rovers in an FA Cup First Round tie in 2010/11.

Meanwhile, Emerson has proved a popular figure with FPL bosses thanks to a low-price tag of £4.0m. The Italy wing-back has shown the ability to get forward in recent weeks. Emerson scored against FCSB in the UEFA Europa Conference League and also assisted Jarrod Bowen, who struck the second goal of the Hammers’ 2-1 win over RSC Anderlecht. He will now hope to transfer that form to the domestic stage.

Opposition One To Watch: Dominic Solanke (£5.8m)

With five goal contributions under Interim Head Coach Gary O’Neil, Dominic Solanke has started to make a mockery of his FPL price tag.

The Bournemouth No9, who finished one short of 30 EFL Championship goals last season, is priced at just £5.8m and has picked up 41 FPL points so far, despite missing two of the Cherries’ first three games.

Solanke has recorded 12-point hauls twice this season – against Nottingham Forest and Fulham, while eight points came in Bournemouth’s 2-1 win over Leicester City. The Hammers will have to be at their best to stop the former Chelsea and Liverpool striker today.