FPL Tips: What to do with Ismaila Sarr in FPL?
Ismaila Sarr injured his hamstring in Gameweek 3 just before the international break, pushing many Fantasy Premier League managers to scour the news. Along with the injury to William Saliba and new problems for Matty Cash and Niclas Fullkrug, it's wise to wait on any significant FPL moves until the break is over and managers have (hopefully) provided updates in their press conferences.
Latest Sarr Update
For Sarr, it was revealed that he suffered a grade II hamstring tear, according to the Senegalese Football Federation. Crystal Palace will likely confirm or alter his timeline in Oliver Glasner's pre-match press conference.
Check out what the Crystal Palace predicted lineup looks like without him.
Unfortunately for Palace, the Sarr injury happened the same week that Eberechi Eze left for Arsenal and Yeremy Pino suffered an issue of his own. If Pino is ruled out, the Palace XI may feature Justin Devenny and Daichi Kamada behind Jean-Philippe Mateta.
Stay up to date with player injuries, getting the latest on Sarr and others on RotoWire
Latest News on Saliba, Cash & Fullkrug
L'Equipe reported that Saliba will miss up to a month with his ankle injury. Fortunately for Arsenal, they added Piero Hincapie late in the transfer window and Cristhian Mosquera came on for Saliba against Liverpool.
Cash took a kick to his muscle and was removed as a precaution Sunday, according to the Poland coach. It doesn't seem like a major problem, but Cash has had injury issues in the past and it wouldn't be surprising if a deep bruise held him out. His absence would possibly move Ezri Konsa to right-back in Gameweek 4.
Niclas Fullkrug hasn't been able to stay healthy since joining West Ham, and a new calf injury isn't a positive sign, even if Julian Nagelsmann said it was minor. His possible absence would either mean oft-injured Callum Wilson moves into the Hammers XI, or Jarrod Bowen takes up the spot up top.
Should you transfer out Sarr and Saliba in FPL?
Saliba is most popular of the bunch, on more than 15 percent of FPL rosters. If he misses the next month of games, it makes sense to cut him from your squad as a 6.1m defender. Sarr is less popular having been sold off for the last week, and there's been less information on his injury since it happened.
It's already been more than a week since both players suffered their injuries, and if Sarr only tweaked his hamstring, he could technically be in the starting XI in Gameweek 4 if the Senegal team posted incorrect information. Given that situation, it makes sense to wait on Sarr until a further update is provided.
Option 1: Keep Ismaila Sarr
The only reason to keep Sarr would be a positive update. If he pulled his hamstring, and it's indeed grade II, he'll be out at least a month, which maybe at best would point to a return in Gameweek 7 at Everton. Following that is a home game against Bournemouth and then a trip to Arsenal.
It's not advised to keep an injured 6.5m midfielder on your bench for a month.
Option 2: Sell for Jack Grealish (6.7m)
Tijjani Reijnders (5.6m) was the talk of FPL after one gameweek, but without a guarantee of defensive contributions, it's hard to add him given his popularity (above 30 percent).
Grealish is a little different because in addition to his four assists, he's hit 11 defensive contributions in each of his starts against Wolves and Brighton. Whether it's a favorable run of home matches (AVL, WHU, CRY) or a trip to Liverpool, Grealish will have the opportunity for more goal contributions or a defensive bonus.
Option 2: Sell for Mohammed Kudus (6.6m)
The right wing seems to be locked in for Kudus unless Champions League rotation changes that. He doesn't have a shot since the opener, but he's been plenty involved and is going 80-plus minutes in every start. Combined with a favorable upcoming slate (at WHU, at BHA, v WOL, at LEE), more goal contributions should be in his future.
Option 3: Sell for Elliot Anderson (5.5m)
Not many will go this route, but Anderson has a lot going for him. He's on set pieces for Nottingham Forest and has hit 11 defensive contributions in each of the first three matches. Given that none of those games came against elite attacking sides, expect defensive bonus points in his future. And with set pieces, assists are always on the table for him.
Need more tips on how to replace Sarr?
Use our predicted lineups or Gameweek 4 FPL rankings
Final Thoughts
As always, it's best to wait for firm injury news before making a decision. If Sarr is ruled out up to a month, my favorite move is to add Anderson, which would also give you money to use elsewhere in your squad. He doesn't have the same goal or assist upside as others, but his combination of set pieces and defensive contributions, in addition to being a regular for 90 minutes, is hard to beat. If you have the extra money to spend on Grealish, he'll be a more popular addition given his Everton start.
