This article is part of our FPL Bargain Bin series.
It's a quick week in the Premier League, as matches kick off Tuesday evening (afternoon in the U.S.) for a midweek gameweek. Not wanting to waste any more of your time, we will get right to the Bargain Bin recommendations after our quick and mandatory midweek PSA.
Be sure to confirm your players are in the lineup, as the short turnaround means managers may tinker with their starting XI's. Don't be surprised if some regulars get a little breather, especially in lopsided matches like Arsenal v. Leicester City or Manchester United v. Burnley. This means it could be very important to have a useful player on your bench, and what better place to find those useful cheap players than this week's Bargain Bin.
Goalkeeper
Queens Park Rangers have actually scored in four straight away matches, but that may be a little deceiving, as two of those were on penalties converted by Charlie Austin, who will not be in the lineup Tuesday, making the QPR attack much less frightening. Especially if you consider that Sunderland has allowed just one goal in their last four home matches in all competitions. He may not make a lot of saves, but Pantilimon is a good bet to keep a clean sheet this week, and that is the stat that matters the most.
Defender
This is straight from the "if it's good for the goalkeeper, it's good for the defenders" department. What makes van Aanholt so special is his ability to contribute to the attack. Among all defenders in the Premier League this season, van Aanholt is tied-for-third with three assists. When Sunderland played QPR earlier in the season, he attempted three shots and assisted on two others. Now that he has a formidable striker to assist (we'll get to that in a minute), van Aanholt could be a great FPL play this week.
Notes:Hector Bellerin has been starting at right-back in place of the injured Mathieu Debuchy, which puts him in a good spot for Tuesday's match against Leicester City. The Foxes are in turmoil with their current manager situation and have scored just eight goals in 12 away league matches this season.
Midfielder
Carles Gil v.
We talked about Gil briefly in the Gameweek 24 Bargain Bin, and he delivered an assist and was clearly Aston Villa's best player against Chelsea. If anyone is going to spring life into the Aston Villa attack it will be Gil, who now has a goal (FA Cup) and assist (against Chelsea) in his limited time since joining the club. They now get to face a Hull City squad that has allowed eight goals in their last four league matches. This could be Gil's coming out party, so get on the bandwagon now while his price will be at its lowest point.
Notes: Playing without Wilfried Bony (transferred out) and Gylfi Sigurdsson (suspended) has left Swansea City light on the attack. Insert Jonjo Shelvey, who has scored a goal and led the team with 10 shot attempts over the last two league matches. West Bromwich Albion have not looked as strong defensively as many expected, and Shelvey could get one more good match in before Sigurdsson returns.
Forward
How could it not be Defoe? The match against QPR is as juicy as it gets from a fantasy standpoint. QPR has allowed 12 goals in their last five away league matches and have allowed the most away goals overall (five more than second-to-last Burnley). Defoe is Sunderland's best attacking option and is showing that he can still cut it in the Premier League with goals in two consecutive matches. Keep riding his hot foot, especially with what is likely the best matchup in the Premier League this week.
Notes:Dame N'Doye made his Hull City debut Saturday and could see more playing time against Aston Villa on Tuesday. This is good news for the Senegalese striker that has proven scoring ability in some of the lesser European Leagues (Russia, Denmark, and Greece) and will look to prove he can score in England, as well.