After becoming the No 1 transfer target in Fantasy Premier League for the first-time ever, Virgil van Dijk (£6.1m) immediately rewarded his owners with a goal in Liverpool's 5-2 win over West Ham United.
The Dutchman has now delivered attacking returns in each of his last three appearances, having scored against Sunderland in Gameweek 26 and provided an assist at Nottingham Forest last weekend.
Van Dijk was snapped up by more than 715,000 managers after registering back-to-back double-figure hauls, with returns of 11 points and 17 points his two best scores of the season.
It was also the first time across his 329 Premier League appearances that the Liverpool defender had hit double digits in successive matches.
He finished on seven points this time after conceding two goals but a trip to bottom side Wolverhampton Wanderers next Gameweek will encourage his new owners.
GW28 most-bought players
| Player | Transfers in | Pts* |
|---|---|---|
| Virgil | 715,486 | 7 |
| O'Reilly | 629,441 | 6 |
| Thiago | 385,798 | 6 |
| Szoboszlai | 343,593 | 4 |
| Wilson | 335,323 | - |
*including projected bonus points
The second-most bought player was also a defender, with Manchester City's Nico O'Reilly (£5.0m) being recruited by nearly 630,000 managers.
And he didn't disappoint either, registering his second clean sheet in three matches as Man City beat Leeds United 1-0. A six-point return takes him up to 36 points over that period, one better than Van Dijk.
Listed as a defender in Fantasy but playing in midfield, he's had nine shots across those three appearances, the joint-most of any Man City player. He's also been presented with a team-leading four big chances in that time, two of which came in the win over Leeds, suggesting he was unfortunate not to add to his Gameweek score.
It's not all good news, however, as he was withdrawn in the 69th minute with what appeared to be a minor injury. His owners will be hoping for a positive update from Pep Guardiola before Tuesday's 18:00 GMT deadline.
Brentford forward Thiago (£7.1m) repaid the faith of 385,000+ Fantasy managers who recruited him for Brentford's trip to Burnley.
He scored his 18th goal of the campaign and is set to claim a share of the bonus points as the Bees won 4-3.
Two midfielders, Liverpool's Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.8m) and Fulham's Harry Wilson (£6.0m), were also in demand.
Szoboszlai supplied the assist for Van Dijk's goal to earn four points. Playing in a midfield role after covering at right-back in his three previous outings, he created three chances and took four corners.
Wilson, meanwhile, not only faces a Tottenham Hotspur side who conceded four goals in Gameweek 27, but benefits from a kind run of matches; his next four opponents are rated between three and one in the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), where five is the hardest and one is the easiest.
Crucially, in Blank Gameweek 31 (BGW31), when four teams are currently without a fixture because of the EFL Cup final, he faces Burnley.
EFL Cup finalists Man City and Arsenal, together with their scheduled Premier League opponents that weekend, Crystal Palace and Wolves, all blank in BGW31.
GW28 most-sold players
| Player | Transfers out | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| Enzo | 614,032 | - |
| Chalobah | 480,591 | - |
| Joao Pedro | 388,734 | - |
| Wirtz | 327,779 | 0 |
| Mukiele | 323,278 | 0 |
Of the five most-sold players of the round, the top three are from Chelsea - Enzo Fernandez (£6.7m), Trevoh Chalobah (£5.7m) and Joao Pedro (£7.6m). Next on the list are Wirtz and another injured player, Sunderland's Nordi Mukiele (£4.6m).
Fantasy bosses faced the classic form-versus-fixtures dilemma when it came to Joao Pedro. The Brazilian has been on fire, amassing 55 points over the last six Gameweeks, the most of any player.
But he now faces the hardest match in Fantasy, according to the FDR, as Chelsea visit leaders Arsenal on Sunday. It's rated at five in the FDR, the highest possible rating, and with good reason - the Gunners have conceded just eight goals at home this season, the fewest of any team.
The 388,000+ FPL managers who've parted company with Joao Pedro will be hoping fixtures triumph over form.