Little by little, we can see all the leaders in the EPL climbing to the top of the table while weaker teams like Watford or Bournemouth are getting pushed out of the top 5. The only team which is yet looking for their face is Manchester United. I believe we might have to wait for Mourinho to get sacked for things to change. Other than that, it is clear that City, Liverpool, and Chelsea will finish in the top 3, while Arsenal and Tottenham will fight for that last spot in the Champions League.

From the Fantasy perspective, things are changing a lot compared to the first rounds. For example, most of the fullbacks in the league are losing their value; the Liverpool attacking trio looks out of ideas, Kane is becoming a force to reckon with. I still think that owning someone from Everton, Leicester, and Wolves is almost a must (I'll have to think how to squeeze Maddison or Neves back into my team). Apart from that, there are very few surprises left and FPL is becoming a tactical game rather than a game of finding real gems.

My team

Substitutes

I had a huge dilemma between Hart and Kepa this week, but I lean toward Kepa. The odds are better for Kepa to keep the clean sheet, and also, Chelsea's clean sheet would guarantee me 8 extra points (Luiz + Kepa), so I want to take the risk as I have to start scoring big points.

King will play away against Watford, which is not a perfect match-up for Bournemouth. They might score, but I have a few better options in attack. Wan-Bissaka and Alexander-Arnold will play against some of the best attacking teams in the Premier League, so it would be dumb for me to keep them in my starting XI and expect to score points. Easy as that. Let's get to the starting XI now.

Defenders

I will only play with 3 defenders this week, but I am pretty confident that all of them will keep the clean sheet. At least 2 out of 3 should.

Luke Shaw is one of the best Manchester United players this year, and he fully deserves a spot in the starting XI. To be honest, trusting Luke Shaw is one of few things that Jose Mourinho did right this year. Shaw only cost 5.1 million still, and even though MU sucks, they will still be able to beat Newcastle. I mean, if they won't, Mourinho is out for sure. I expect something similar to 2-0 or 3-0. Luke Shaw is capable of collecting some assists under the right circumstances, but 6 points would be enough from him.

Same goes for Arderweireld. He is not your typical attacking defender. In contrary, Arderwereld is that guy who keeps looking after the spaces that fullbacks leave when they go to attack. That said, the Belgium international scores a few goals from set-pieces every year. Also, he is one of the cheaper Tottenham defenders who have a guaranteed spot in the starting XI. Would I have Trippier instead? For sure. I have no money, though.

I cannot say anything different about David Luiz - he is the cheapest playing Chelsea's defender. Even though David Luiz is not valuable while attacking, he will collect enough clean sheets throughout the season to justify his price (5.5 million). Of course, I wouldn't mind him scoring from set-pieces, but I am not counting on that.

Midfielders

Img Source (Pogna might still dab, but he gets no opportunity because MU are playing terrible)

Pogba is probably the only potent Manchester United player when it comes to attacking. Of course, Lukaku is great as well, but when the team is struggling, Lukaku becomes useless. Pogba, on the other hand, can create chances for himself. Also, he is responsible for taking penalty shots and free kicks. That adds some value. I am not sure if he will stay with my team for long (I might get Maddison instead and save some extra money), but he is worth the risk. After all, if MU start playing football any time soon, Pogba will score tons of points.

Everton are a very strange team. You can never know what to expect from those players - one day they might beat Liverpool, and another day, they lose to Cardiff. That said, by the end of the season, they are always finishing in their designated spot among the top 7-10. Having at least one player from Everton is always wise, and I think that Richarlison is that player this year. He started the season strong, but that stupid red card played against him. Now, however, I believe that Richarlison will start scoring again as he is on a mission of becoming the Brazilian international. To achieve that, Richarlison will have to be better than just some player - he will have to be the leader of Everton. I like the odds of that happening.

Milner is the only player with value in Liverpool midfield at the moment. With all due respect to Mane and Salah, they look a little out of ideas and paying 11-13 million for them is the straightest way to disaster. I might change my ideas after Liverpool is back to their normal form, but for now, I stick with Milner, who regularly dish an assist and score a penalty. 5.7 million for such a player is a steal, don't you think?

Hazard is the best player in the Premier League, hands down. He is responsible for everything good that happens in Stamford Bridge, so not having him might become the reason why you lose the FPL. I don't see myself getting rid of Hazard anytime soon - a player who managed to score twice against Liverpool in one week must be respected.

Schurrle remains my x-factor. Fulham is not a bad team, and Schurrle plays more like a forward than midfielder. I agree that Mitrovic is a better guy to have, but Schurrle is cheaper and is listed as a midfielder. I like that. If I burn, I'll burn with Schurrle on my team because at the moment; I don't see anyone for 5.9 million who is carrying more value than the German veteran.

Forwards

Lacazette deserves a chance. Even though I agree that he might not be the most valuable player on my team, the reason why I have him is simple - very few FPL players own Lacazette, so one good game from him would allow me to climb up the ladder. Remember that you must have at least a few players who are forgotten by the masses if you want to achieve more than mediocre results. Also, Lacazette became a regular starter now, and he even plays as the center forward, which guarantees some action. At this point, he carries more value than Lukaku, Firmino or Vardy.

Sergio Aguero is one of my biggest strength and weakness at the same time. I don't like Manchester City's schedule and form, but Aguero still finds his way through opponents' defense. That said, I believe that Hary Kane is the player I should own in the long run, so Aguero might have to say goodbye in upcoming rounds just to free up space for Hary Kane. That said, I still believe that Aguero will score against Liverpool, the team which is tired after a marathon of epic games against some of the best teams in the world.