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The Premier League returned with a bang last weekend, with Newcastle United the early table toppers after a romping 5-1 win over Aston Villa at St James' Park.
In the world of FPL, that translated into a huge points scoring returning for Alexander Isak, who bagged 13, but he wasn't the only player to scoop up a handful on matchday one. Raphael Varane was the player of the week, grabbing 14 for Manchester United, while there were strong returns elsewhere for Erling Haaland, Rodri and Bernd Leno.
But who should FPL players be keeping their eye on for matchday two? Here's the top picks for the week in conjunction with Fantasy Football Hub’s powerful AI Points Predictions tool.
Erling Haaland vs Newcastle (H) - 8.3 Predicted Points
It's almost impossble to ignore Erling Haaland in the world of FPL, despite his premium £14.0m price tag. The Norwegian is now owned by 90% of players, a fantasy record, and was captained by a whopping 71% of players for the first day of the season against Burnley - a game the Norwegian scored a brace in.
Newcastle are tricky-looking side on paper, especially as they won so handsomely against Villa, but Haaland loves playing at the Etihad Stadium and grabbed an assist in the corresponding fixture last season. In fact, 22 of his 36 goals last season came at home, equating to 60% of his total fantasy points.
Throw into the mix that Newcastle conceded 16 shots on goal last weekend including two big chances and it's even harder to ignore Haaland.
Mohamed Salah vs Bournemouth (H) - 7.1 Predicted Points
Chances are that if you don't back Haaland, you're probably thinking about backing Mohamed Salah instead. The Egyptian has easier fixtures on paper, and looked lively in the first half of Liverpool's 1-1 draw with Chelsea - hitting the woodwork, grabbing an assist while having a goal disallowed.
The concern for FPL managers is the number of options at Jurgen Klopp's disposal. Salah was hauled off after 70 minutes at Stamford Bridge, much to his disgust, and isn't a certainty to be play the full 90 each and every week. He infamously blanked in the 9-0 win over Bournemouth last season too, though his record of eight goals and one assist in eight appearances against the Cherries suggests he may right that wrong.
Ollie Watkins vs Everton (H) - 5.5 Predicted Points
If a maverick captain pick is what you're after, look no further than Ollie Watkins. Aston Villa's talisman takes penalties and had a good pre-season, building on his impressive Premier League form during 2022/23.
In gameweek one, Watkins had two shots on goal and grabbed the assist for Moussa Diaby's goal. His record against Everton is also good - two goals and two assists in five meetings - and around 60% of his FPL points last season came at Villa Park.
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This article was originally published on 90min as FPL Gameweek 2: Top AI captain picks.
