West Ham are riding high on a wave of popularity after just two weeks of Fantasy Premier League action.
The Hammers have started this season with purpose – having secured European football earlier in the year, they sit top after two games.
Two of David Moyes’ men have risen to early stardom already, the first being midfielder Said Benrahma.
The Algerian has notched two goals and two assists so far, picking up 12 FPL points in each game and incentivising hundreds of thousands to add him to their squad ahead of gameweek three.
At just £6.3m he remains a bargain – with Crystal Palace and Southampton up next, and impressive Threat and Creativity scores to boot, it’s no surprise to see his ownership rocket.
Elsewhere, Paul Pogba has seen his ownership increase by more than 200,000 FPL managers thanks to five assists in just two games.
While his form is encouraging, new managers will also have been attracted to Manchester United’s fixture list, which sees them face Wolves, Newcastle, West Ham and Aston Villa next.
Meanwhile Son Heung-min has seen a modest rise in managers at +87,524 ahead of the third gameweek of the season.
The Tottenham man’s goal against Manchester City in GW1 will have helped, as will Spurs’ two wins and the return of Harry Kane.
Making way for these hot properties however are Bukayo Saka, Harvey Barnes and Kai Havertz, who have seen a collective drop in ownership of around half a million managers.
Saka’s lack of minutes in a poor Arsenal side appear to have condemned him, while Barnes was substituted early in the second half of Leicester’s two opening league games – Havertz has yet to contribute a goal or an assist.
Up front, another Hammer leads the way in the shape of Michail Antonio, who saw an ownership increase of almost three quarters of a million ahead of GW3.
With three goals and three assists in just two games, Antonio is second for Threat among forwards with 142 so far this season.
Can West Ham score four for the third league game running when they host Crystal Palace?
Elsewhere Romelu Lukaku appeared to have passed the audition with a goal against Arsenal on his Chelsea return, including a huge Threat score of 128.
At £11.5m, hundreds of thousands of managers have decided the Belgium striker is the big-money signing they were looking for – but with Liverpool, Tottenham and Manchester City to come in Chelsea’s next four games, sterner tests lie ahead.
From big money to a bargain buy, Watford’s Emmanuel Dennis has turned heads at just £5.1m.
Dennis managed a goal and an assist in GW1, and would make a perfect third-choice striker if he continues to get minutes on the pitch.
Making way for our three popular forwards however are Ivan Toney, Kelechi Iheanacho and Roberto Firmino.
Toney’s 31 Championship goals for Brentford appear a distant memory right now after two blanks, while Iheanacho’s minutes on the pitch have been limited by Jamie Vardy.
Firmino meanwhile did score in GW1, but at £8.9m he has managed just 38 minutes on the pitch, prompting fantasy bosses to drop him in their thousands.
