Fantasy Premier League

Disasi and Colwill ideal James replacements in Fantasy

By The Scout 16 Aug 2023

The Scout on what right-back’s injury might mean for Fantasy managers ahead of Chelsea's excellent run of fixtures

An injury to Reece James (£5.5m) could force a reassessment of the best way to invest in Chelsea’s defence in Fantasy Premier League.

The right-back is set for a spell on the sidelines after sustaining a hamstring injury.

James’ absence comes as a huge blow to his owners, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side set to embark on a very kind run of opponents.

According to the Fixture Difficulty Ratings (FDR), five of their six matches from Gameweek 3 score only two.

Chelsea’s GW3-8 schedule

GW	Opponent	FDR	GW	Opponent	FDR
3	LUT (H)	2	6	AVL (H)	3
4	NFO (H)	2	7	FUL (A)	2
5	BOU (A)	2	8	BUR (A)	2

The news only further enhances the appeal of Ben Chilwell (£5.6m) as Chelsea’s go-to pick at the back.

The left-back is the most-bought player in the Gameweek after his assist and seven points against Liverpool. He has collected more than 550,000 new owners for the Blues’ trip to West Ham United.

James’ absence has lifted the prospects of Levi Colwill (£4.5m) and Axel Disasi (£5.0m) for managers keen on a Chelsea double-up in defence.

Disasi played as a centre-back, getting the equaliser, as Pochettino rolled out a wing-back formation against Liverpool.

Disasi's goal v Liverpool

Off the mark on debut! 🙌#CheLiv pic.twitter.com/DOe6G96Sst
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 13, 2023

But with fewer options at his disposal, the Argentinian may drop that system and revert to his favoured 4-2-3-1 set-up.

This would allow Disasi to occupy the right-back berth vacated by James, with Colwill partnering Thiago Silva (£5.0m) in the centre of defence.

While this seems the likeliest scenario, managers in Fantasy will be hoping Pochettino turns to Malo Gusto (£4.0m) as a like-for-like replacement for James at right-back.

Pochettino’s preference for attacking full-backs could mean that Gusto, at a cost of just £4.0m, could be a Fantasy gem over the upcoming schedule.

Remember, the FPL deadline is Friday, 18 August, at 18:15 BST.