Gameweek 4 Booster strategies: 12th Man suggestions ahead of mouthwatering fixtures
GAMEWEEK 4 will go a long way to separating the pretenders from the serious Dream Team managers.
Brighton v Newcastle, Liverpool v Aston Villa and Arsenal v Manchester United are all compelling contests that could go either way but there are some one-sided match-ups to target as well.
Gaffers should give due consideration to Booster strategies every single Gameweek of the season so let's analyse the best possible ploys for the upcoming round of fixtures.
Max Captain
- Whichever one of your players scores the most points during the Gameweek will automatically be selected as captain
This Booster is best deployed when there isn't an obvious candidate for the armband.
Gameweek 4 doesn't fit that description as Erling Haaland (£8.4m) faces Fulham at home on Saturday.
Bernd Leno (£3.3m) has made the most saves in top flight so far this season as the defence in front of him hasn't offered much protection - it doesn't help that the Cottagers' centre-backs keep getting sent off.
No Premier League player has taken more shots Manchester City's prolific No9 after three games so all signs point to one-way traffic and while the German keeper has been brilliant between the sticks, it's hard to envisage anything other than a Haaland goal (or two, three, four).
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The Norway international did eventually score against Sheffield United in Gameweek 3 but he squandered a few chances and missed a penalty, meaning Dream Team bosses had to settle for a seven-point return when it looked for all the world double digits were on the cards.
The big dog rarely misses out on massive hauls twice in succession so save your Max Captain Booster and follow the crowd this weekend.
12th Man
- Select an additional player from any position to score points for your team for one Gameweek only
Jarrod Bowen (£4.6m) jumps out as an appealing 12th Man option this Gameweek.
West Ham's No20 is averaging nine points-per-game at the start of this season and has been a reliable Dream Team midfielder for the last two years.
He'll be unleashed upon a Luton side still searching for their first Premier League point on Friday night in a match-up ripe for healthy returns.
Plenty of gaffers will see Bowen as a transfer candidate this week but that may be a short-sighted view as the Hammers are due to face Man City then Liverpool after the international break.
Selecting Bowen as 12th Man now would mean capitalising on his trip to Luton without over-committing to an asset with horrible fixtures until the end of September.
Raheem Sterling's (£3.6m) ownership has gone through the roof after an impressive start to the campaign and Chelsea's fixtures suggest he's more viable in the long-term than Bowen.
But some gaffers may be hesitant to use a transfer to recruit an asset who can slip in and out of form.
However, what's clear is that the 28-year-old is well placed to provide further returns this Gameweek thanks to a home game against Forest, who remain incapable of positive results on the road.
Alternatively, Tottenham's defensive assets have delivered so far, albeit via some good fortune, and Cristian Romero (£3.7m) and company will be hopeful of a win at Turf Moor on Saturday.
Although that feels like a sub-optimal use of the 12th Man Booster, to be honest.
Park the Bus
- All defenders score double points for one Gameweek only
Many of the gaffers currently residing at the top of the leaderboard have already made use of the most-powerful Booster in the game.
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However, it would be a huge risk to activate Park the Bus in Gameweek 4 because many of Dream Team's most-popular defenders face difficult opposition this weekend.
It's a viable option for gaffers with Ben Chilwell (£4.3m), Malo Gusto (£2.4m), Destiny Udogie (£2.6m) and a couple of Man City defenders but even so, waiting for a juicy double Gameweek remains the most sensible tactic.
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