Joao Pedro injury update: Should you pick him for FPL Gameweek 6?
There haven’t been many budget forwards more impressive than Brighton & Hove Albion striker Joao Pedro in Fantasy Premier League this season.
The Brazilian started the campaign priced at just £5.5m and offered returns in two of Brighton’s three opening fixtures. Scoring against Manchester United and Arsenal, the forward looked a nailed-on starter who was perhaps fixture-proof in this new-look Seagulls side.
However, since the September international break, Pedro has picked up just a single point in FPL due to injuries. That came against Nottingham Forest last weekend, where the South American was on the end of a hefty challenge from Morgan Gibbs-White that has only exacerbated his fitness issues.
So, will Pedro be available for Gameweek 6 as Brighton travel to Chelsea?
Unfortunately for those who own Pedro, Brighton boss Hurzeler has already confirmed he will almost certainly be absent for the journey to Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon. Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Hurzeler admitted he couldn’t name an exact return date for the forward.
„I’m not sure how long he will be out,“ said the German boss. „I think that he is a good healer and I’m convinced that he will be back soon. But we can’t take any risk.
„We all know that he’s a player who can make the difference for us. We have several other options and we try to replace him as good as we can and give him a good rehab. I’m sure he won’t be out for so long.“
The challenge from Forest’s Gibbs-White, which resulted in the midfielder earning a second yellow card in last Sunday’s 2-2 draw, is what Hurzeler attributed to Pedro’s latest injury, but there remains uncertainty over how long he will reside in the treatment room.
For those eager to replace Pedro, recruiting a player of the same calibre will be difficult. However, it’s not impossible given the sparkling form of his Brighton teammate Danny Welbeck (£5.8m), who has amassed 31 points in five games. The Seagulls have some difficult fixtures on the horizon, though.
Those able to squeeze a little more out of their budget could make the move to Chris Wood (£6.1m). He has returned in three of Forest’s five matches and appears to be on penalty duty after scoring from the spot against Brighton last weekend.
For the same price, Aston Villa striker Jhon Duran (£6.1m) is an option. While not starting games for the Midlands side, he has remarkably scored from the bench in four fixtures this term and struck midweek in the Carabao Cup where he played 90 minutes.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) has two goals and an assist this term and Everton find themselves facing Crystal Palace (H), a leaky Newcastle United (H) and Ipswich Town (A) in their next three outings. Jamie Vardy (£5.7m) could also be a longer-term option with fixtures against Bournemouth (H), Southampton (A) and Ipswich (A) in three of Leicester City’s next five outings.
If you’re searching for a high-risk, high-reward budget forward, there are several options. Fulham’s Raul Jimenez (£5.4m) has scored in back-to-back games, while Bournemouth’s Evanilson (£5.9m) is owned by under one per cent of players and has encouraging fixtures. Liam Delap (£5.5m) and Cameron Archer (£5.0m) are decent shouts at Ipswich and Southampton respectively.