Fantasy Premier League: Chris Wood and other budget forwards analysed

Some great value Fantasy Premier League budget forwards have emerged over recent weeks.

Such low-cost alternatives are important picks in FPL. While the big names are commonly picked, the budget options are usually the players who are the differentiators in your mini-leagues and overall rank.

They can also act as enablers, which means their price allows you to upgrade other areas of your squad and perhaps squeeze in another premium.

So here are some of the best budget forwards you might want to consider…

Matheus Cunha (£6.5m)

The Wolves forward has been fine value this season despite his side not winning a single game yet and being second from bottom in the league table.

Despite that, Cunha has scored four goals in eight starts with an xG (expected goals) of 2.2 and an xA (expected assists) of 1.6.

Consider Wolves’ tough run so far — they have played Arsenal, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle United, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City in the first nine games — and it highlights how well he has done. Six of those teams finished in the top seven last season.

Gary O’Neil’s side’s fixtures take a huge turn for the better now as can be seen from the fixture ticker below. They play Crystal Palace (H), Southampton (H), Bournemouth (H), Ipswich (H) and Leicester City (A) during the next eight games.

Cunha looks a firm first-team player having played 90 minutes in six of the last seven games. He also takes corners and is likely the first-choice penalty-taker, too.

Raul Jimenez (£5.7m)

The Mexican started the season second fiddle to team-mate Rodrigo Muniz (£5.7m) but since Gameweek 4 has cemented himself as the clear first-choice forward for Fulham.

Since then, he has scored four goals playing as the No 9 and his underlying numbers have been really impressive. In only six starts, he has registered an xG of 3.4 and an xA of 1.1 and his minutes have been gradually increasing, too, playing the full 90 minutes in the last two matches.

Jimenez hasn’t been the same player since his head injury back in November 2020. Prior to that, he scored 30 goals and 17 assists in his first two seasons in the Premier League over the 2018-19 and 2019-20 campaigns.

However, he now seems to be finding form again and if he can get close to those sorts of attacking returns, he will make a mockery of his £5.7m price tag.

I think it’s also likely that he will now be the first-choice penalty-taker. He took and scored one in Gameweek 6 against Nottingham Forest but wasn’t supposed to according to his head coach Marco Silva, as Andreas Pereira (£5.3m) is the designated penalty-taker.

However, Pereira missed his penalty against Aston Villa in Gameweek 8, so I think there is a fair chance Jimenez takes them from hereon in.

Fulham also have returnable fixtures over the next five, playing Brentford (H), Palace (A), Wolves (H), Spurs (A) and Brighton (H).

Yoane Wissa (£5.9m)

The Brentford forward started his first game last week since Gameweek 4 due to an ankle injury. He has only played six games but has still managed to score four goals and pick up two assists.

He has registered an impressive xG of 3.9 in that short period. Wissa is playing as the No 9 for an attacking Brentford team who always seem to find a way to score goals.

They have scored the third most (18) so far and it’s no fluke, as they have registered the fifth-highest xG (16.1) among all teams.

As long as he stays fit, Wissa will be first choice in the starting XI — and Brentford have kind fixtures for attacking purposes coming up. They take on Fulham (A), Bournemouth (H), Everton (A), Leicester (H) and Newcastle (H) during the next six fixtures.

The only thing that works against Wissa compared to other budget forwards mentioned here is he’s the only one not on penalty duties. Despite this, he does have the highest goal threat and has the sixth-best xG among all forwards.

Chris Wood (£6.4m)

The New Zealander has been in fine form, scoring seven goals with an xG of 3.7. He is the second-highest-scoring forward (59 points) in the game behind only Erling Haaland (15.4m).

The Kiwi is an established Premier League player, with 76 goals in his last seven top-flight seasons. He has also hit double figures for goals in five of those and is perhaps the most reliable of the budget forwards.

Forest’s fixtures over the next five are a mixed bag, though. They play West Ham (H), Newcastle (H), Arsenal (A), Ipswich (H) and Manchester City (A). So unless you have a good eighth attacker who you can rotate Wood with for his harder games, then he’s a tricky buy.

He is still a worthy long-term option, however, and although it’s unlikely he will keep up his current rate of scoring, he will surely still provide value at his price, as the fixtures over the long term are decent.

Wood is the clear talisman for Forest and has cemented his place as a first-team player. He is also the first-choice penalty-taker.

If you do plan to buy him, then I would advise holding off until the press conferences. He was seen getting treatment after being subbed off against Leicester City in Gameweek 9.

To help you decide, here is a table of the aforementioned players’ league stats to date. All four look quality value for their prices.

It is worth noting that Jimenez seems to be the player with the best goal and assist threat. Cunha is also high on the assist threat, whereas Wood and Wissa’s stats are more geared towards goals only.

I think you also need to look at how long you intend to keep the forward you plan to purchase. Looking at their fixtures, Wood and Wissa look the best for the short term but over a longer period Cunha and Jimenez look the best bets.

Other options

Danny Welbeck (£5.9m) seems to be having his best-ever start to a season with six goals and one assist with an xG of 4.5. That said, Brighton’s next two fixtures are tough as they come up against Liverpool (A) and Man City (H).

Fabian Hurzeler’s side’s fixtures do pick up from Gameweek 13 though, which seems like a smart entry point for Welbeck.

At the age of 37, Premier League legend Jamie Vardy (£5.7m) has been rolling back the years. The Leicester City stalwart has four goals, started all nine games and been getting plenty of minutes too (753).

However, Steve Cooper’s side play Man United (A), Chelsea (H) and Brentford (A) in the next four, so Vardy’s immediate fixtures aren’t the best.

(Top photo: Chris Wood; by Carl Recine via Getty Images)