Fantasy Premier League – Gameweek 10 Review

UPDATE: The injuries to Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz have been confirmed. Trent is out for ‘up to three weeks’, and is now a must-drop. Diaz is out until 2023, so… you’ll probably want to drop him too.

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Greetings all, and welcome to your comprehensive roundup of Gameweek 10. In this article I’ll take you through all 10 of the weekend’s games (some needed more analysis than others), dish out some Fantasy Premier League tips on who to buy and sell, and give you a quick roundup of my own FPL team and my current plans. 

 

Fantasy Premier League Gameweek 10 Review

It feels like we’ve had a few drab gameweeks already this season, but this was anything but. Looking down this week’s scores, I feel like every single matchup had FPL relevance, either because of what fantasy players have been up to recently, or what they’re seemingly planning going forward. 

Let’s kick off with the weekend’s marquee fixture – in real-life and FPL terms – before going through the other games in order. 

 

Arsenal 3 – 2 Liverpool

Full disclaimer: I’m an Arsenal fan, and I bloody loved this game. It feels like we’ve been getting smashed by Klopp forever, so finally beating him – even despite the admitted contrasts in respective form – felt amazing. 

With that out of the way, let’s review the FPL implications. 

For Arsenal, Martinelli is obviously an absolute beast. He’s the third-highest scoring midfielder in FPL, and still only costs 6.6. If you’re one of the 53.5% of managers who still isn’t starting him, I don’t know what else you need to see. 

Saka (7.8) is a far more interesting case. He wasn’t passing the eye test for me earlier in the season, but has looked far better recently. He’s been his usual incredibly consistent self, returning in 6/10 games so far, and has only scored one fewer point than Martinelli. He’s also on penalties, and starts every game. 

On paper, I’d much rather have Saka than the streaky Maddison (8.2). The problem, of course, is Arsenal’s blank Gameweek 12. After that, however, they have Southampton and Notts Forest back to back – tasty. If you’re planning to wildcard just after Gameweek 12, Saka is starting to look very tempting indeed.

Elsewhere, the Arsenal defence looks good, but you shouldn’t bring them in before the blank gameweek. Also, since Martinelli is must-own, and Jesus’ ownership is still around a ridiculous 70%, you’ll need to choose between Saka and an Arsenal defender.  

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As for Liverpool… what a fall from grace. I’ve binned Salah and Trent in the past few weeks – two absolute FPL stalwarts for the past few seasons – and feel great about it. I texted my FPL co-conspirator James during the game, mentioning how strange it felt to not have any Liverpool players in my FPL team, and for that also to be the right call. 

If you’ve been hanging on to Trent, I’d bin him. He apparently got an injury against Arsenal (UPDATE: did get injured), and they honestly looked better with Gomez at right-back. Klopp benching him seems unthinkable… but he already did it to Robbo earlier in the season. 

As for Salah… I binned him weeks ago, and recommend you do the same. He looks terrible, the change in system doesn’t suit him at all, and he’s super expensive. Swap him for De Bruyne or Foden if you’ve got a City spot open. 

 

Newcastle 5 – 1 Brentford

Newcastle’s inability to not-quite-get-clean-sheets is driving me crazy. They’ve played Bournemouth, Fulham, and Brentford in their past three games, and conceded one goal every single time. 

I regret following the crowd and getting Pope (5.3) instead of a cheaper option. For all the hype, he’s only actually kept one clean in his past seven. I still back Trippier (5.6) as an excellent option though. He’s returned in seven of his nine games this season, which is absolutely fantastic. 

Up top, Wilson (7.3) is fine for now, although his fixtures are about to get tougher. There’s also no guarantee he keeps his place when Isak returns, and I wouldn’t bother risking it personally. 

Finally, imagine Carragher’s face when he saw this. Congrats on the massive win over Brentford, Magpies!

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Brentford are all over the shop.

I’ve hung on to Toney (7.3) as my non-Haaland/Jesus forward, but I wouldn’t recommend bringing him in right now. Among his next seven opponents are Brighton, Chelsea, Villa, Wolves, City, and Spurs – six of the better defences around right now. He’s somewhat fixture-proof since he’s on pens, and because Brentford are better on the counter anyway, but I’d hold Mitrovic (6.8) over him if you’ve got him.

Aside from Toney, there are absolutely no FPL-relevant Brentford players.

 

Bournemouth 2 – 1 Leicester City

I’ll freely admit that Bournemouth have looked a lot better under Gary O’Neil, but they’ve got nobody I want in FPL. 

No, I don’t want to hear about Solanke (5.7) yet – I don’t care how cheap he is. He’s returned against Notts Forest and Leicester – arguably the two worst defences in the Prem. 

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As for Leicester… that was fun while it lasted! If only they could play Notts Forest – probably the only team worse than them – every week. 

Maddison (8.2) was getting a lot of FPL buzz prior to this game, and promptly got 1pt. Unfortunately, this is Maddo defined – he’ll end the season with a decent points tally, but you’ve got absolutely no idea when they’re actually gonna come. He’s basically the opposite of Saka, who is less explosive but vastly more consistent. 

There are no other Leicester players I care about. The goalkeeper and defenders were popular picks recently, thanks to a favourable fixture run, with Joel Ward (4.1) even managing the most improbable price rise in living memory. They immediately let everyone down. This is a terrible team, with an especially terrible defence. Avoid. 

 

Man City 4 – 0 Southampton

We don’t need to waste any time on Southampton. They’ve got no FPL-relevant players right now. 

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For the Citizens, you’ve obviously already got Haaland, who should be your permanent captain. After that though, it’s quite an interesting choice how we fill our remaining two City spots. 

I love Cancelo (7.3) in real life, and I love having him in FPL. He’s the top defender by a mile, and the only premium defender to have delivered this year. City’s defence isn’t getting the hype of past seasons, but Cancelo still has five clean sheets in 10 games, and is the only City defender to start every match. Yes he’s expensive, but he’s also the fourth-highest scoring player in the game. He’s a season-long keeper, even with the blank Gameweek 12.

After that, you’re choosing between De Bruyne (12.4) and Foden (8.2). 

Foden has scored five in his last three, and is linking up brilliantly with Haaland. De Bruyne still only has three fewer points overall, and has a ridiculous nine assists in 10 games. Both get subbed off when City are winning (which they always are). Both have started nine of 10 games. 

In short, there’s absolutely nothing to split them. I’ve got De Bruyne already, but I got him before Foden’s purple patch. Foden is vastly cheaper, and – if you’re binning Trent too – could enable Kane up top with Haaland. I guess he’s also bigger goal threat, and goals get more points than assists, so… I prefer Foden? But they’re both great choices. 

(Final warning, if you didn’t see my first mention: City have a blank Gameweek 12!).

 

Chelsea 3 – 0 Wolves

Wolves technically have one of the best defences in the league, and have some decent fixtures coming up, including Forest at home next. If they do get Lopetegui – which is the current rumour, despite him not even being Portuguese – that’s great news. His Sevilla side had the best defence in La Liga last year. It’s a wait-and-see for now, though. 

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James (6.1) was brilliant against AC Milan. Naturally Potter benched him in the following game, enraging 40% of FPL fans around the world, including yours truly. Hopefully this was just a temporary rest for the terrible Wolves attack (which failed to score yet again). I’m a bit nervous though, since Chelsea have AC Milan again this week, and are only playing Villa and Brentford next in the Premier League. Hold him if you have him… probably wait-and-see if you don’t.

I brought in Thiago Silva (5.4) this week. He didn’t even make the squad, so that worked out well. I love Chelsea’s defence in general right now, but you can’t trust any of them to start week-in week-out.

… Which brings us to the fascinating case of Kepa (4.4). Edouard Mendy is fit again now, and was on the bench against Wolves. Kepa has kept back-to-back cleans, and looks a player transformed compared to the mess he was under Sarri and Lampard. He’s much better with his feet than Mendy, which suits Potter’s style of play. If you’ve got two transfers banked, and nothing else to spend them on, you could do worse than bringing Kepa in for Pope, for example.

Looking further up the pitch, I like Havertz (7.7) in real life but I’m not buying him in FPL yet. Two names which are on my radar are Mount (7.6) and Aubameyang (9.1). 

Mount has suddenly looked back to his old self in the games against Milan and Wolves. If you’re moving to three at the back and four in midfield (which is what I should have done a long time ago), I like him as a pick. 

Auba is Auba. He scores goals. The problem – as with James – is that he’s a rotation risk right now, with Potter prioritising him for the Champions League. Again, they’ve got a big game against Milan this week, so I definitely wouldn’t be bringing him in for FPL Gameweek 11. 

 

Brighton 0 – 1 Tottenham

I brought in Trossard (6.8) before his price rise last week. He blanked against Spurs, but that’s fine – I wasn’t bringing him in for this game. I still like him a lot. He plays in a very attacking position for a good team, and plays Brentford and Forest in the next two, which is great. 

That’s about it for Brighton. No interest in Gross, nor in Welbeck. 

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Considering they’re third in the table and have one of the best managers in the world, Spurs have stunningly few FPL players I’d want.

Kane (11.4) is great, as usual. He’s the highest-scoring mortal (i.e. not Haaland) in FPL, and is super-consistent. As noted, I really like the idea of just binning off defence, having a cheap-ish midfield, and having both Kane and Haaland up top. 

Son (11.7) has been far less consistent than normal, and is too expensive. Richarlison (8.5) has looked fine, but hasn’t scored yet, isn’t that cheap, and will get rotated when Kulusevski (8.0) comes back. 

Thankfully I never gambled on Perisic (5.5), who was benched again this week. 24.3% ownership for a rotation-risk who isn’t even elite when he does play is baffling to me. Dier (5.1) is a nailed-on starter, and Romero (4.9) has been when fit. If either was closer to 4.5 I’d be interested, but I don’t think they’re great value at those prices.

 

West Ham 3 – 1 Fulham

I love Pereira (4.6). He’s the ultimate bench fodder, starting every game and being heavily involved in his team’s attacking play. He saved my bacon this week after Thiago Silva’s no-show.

Mitrovic (6.8) is the only other Fulham player we care about here. Stay away until he’s fit, if you don’t already have him.

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West Ham are confusing, and generally just a bit boring. 

I wouldn’t back them to get cleans, so that rules out Fabianski and the defenders.

Antonio (7.1) finally scored his second goal of the season. He showed he can be explosive last year, but he’s lost his starting spot in the league, so let’s pump the brakes for now. That aforementioned starting spot has gone to Scamacca (6.7), who has scored in back to back games. He’s very cheap for a starting forward on a solid team, but he’s still a wait-and-see.

Bowen (8.1) is the most interesting one here. 

He was a popular wildcard pick, and has scored twice and assisted once in his past two games. He obviously had a great 21/22 season (12 G, 10 A), but his increased price this year makes him far less appealing. Stack him up against Foden (8.2), for example, and it’s not even a question. That said, if he returns again against Southampton in Gameweek 11 then I’ll be interested, especially with a matchup against Liverpool’s awful defence in Gameweek 12, then Bournemouth at home after that. 

 

Crystal Palace 2 – 1 Leeds United

For my money, Zaha (7.4) is the biggest trap in Fantasy Premier League. I genuinely won’t go near him any more, regardless of what kind of form he seems to be in – I’ve been hurt too many times before.

With all that said, if hypothetically I was ever going to give in to temptation, it would be when he played Leicester. 

What’s that? He’s got Leicester this week? 

… never mind, I’m back in!  

Eze (5.5) is a budget alternative to Zaha. He’s actually only scored four fewer points than Wilf on the season, and has started every game. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly midfielder to tap into Palace’s great run of fixtures (on a wildcard, for example), he’s a nice choice. 

Defensively, you don’t see many fixture runs better than this:

FPL advice - crystal palace fixturesIf you’re on a wildcard, or simply want to swap out a defender (*cough* Trent *cough*), I’d target Palace. Guaita (4.5) is an excellent, cheap option in goal, and none of the defenders cost more than 4.5 (Guehi, at 4.3, is a great enabler).

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Leeds are super boring.

Rodrigo (6.3) was on fire to start the season, but has done nothing in his two games since coming back. They have Arsenal next too, so you’re not bringing any Leeds players in right now anyway.

 

Everton 1 – 2 Man United

Everton have Spurs next, so they’re almost certainly not keeping a clean, and probably won’t score either. 

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Man U have Newcastle, Spurs, and Chelsea in their next three, who are sixth, third, and fourth respectively. On paper, that’s a pretty nasty run. Since Man U have been best on the counter attack for years now, however, it worries me more for their defence than their attack. I don’t think they’ll keep any cleans, but I don’t think they’ll be shut out either. 

I’ve still got my eye on Rashford (6.5). His price is tantalising, and he’s done his damage in the bigger matchups this season. He’s been shunted back out to the left wing for now, annoyingly, but if he goes up top again he immediately becomes interesting. 

Lost in the usual hysteria surrounding Man U, Antony (7.6) has quietly gotten off to an amazing start. He’s scored in all three of his games so far, all of which have been against solid defences (Arsenal, City, and Everton).

Those upcoming fixtures look scary, but I think Antony will actually be fine. If you’re moving money from defence to midfield then I quite like him, especially as something of a differential at only 7.4% ownership.

 

Notts Forest 1 – 1 Aston Villa

Forest are obviously irrelevant in fantasy.

Taking my FPL hat off for a second, though, I actually really like the new contract they gave Steve Cooper. The higher-ups like him, he’s got a reputation as a good man manager, and he just had a whole new squad dumped on him. Sure, they’re rubbish right now, but we’re always saying managers should ‘get more time’, so let’s enjoy it when it actually happens. 

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After back-to-back clean sheets, I was starting to get excited about Aston Villa’s defence. Then they went and conceded to Forest, and now they have Chelsea. Fulham and Brentford follow, which is fine, but don’t bring any Villa players in this week. 

 

Should I Buy?

 

Should I Sell?

 

My Gameweek 10

FPL advice - gameweek 10 review

It was a solid week overall, despite neither of my transfers working out. I’m still only at 579k overall, which… isn’t where I want to be, but I’ve been trending upwards for weeks now after a slow start. 

I finally binned Trent, which felt great, although the player I got in – Thiago Silva – didn’t even make the squad. Fortunately, Andreas Pereira scored off my bench, which is always one of the most satisfying things in FPL. 

I got Trossard in before he rose – I like him, like his team, and like his upcoming fixtures. Unfortunately it was Odegaard I swapped him for, who – after four straight blanks – immediately assisted against Liverpool about one minute into the game. Not that I was complaining too much at the time. 

Elsewhere, it was slow and steady. Kev and Trippier are consistent, Cancelo rewarded the faith in his big price tag, and it was nice to get a Toney return after two blanks. 

I’ve got 2.0 in the bank this week, but only one transfer. I really need to decide whether I’m going to drop my wildcard in Gameweek 12, or just transfer out Arsenal and City players before then, but the whole thing is making my brain hurt. I’ll probably just see what James does and copy him. 

That’s it for this week. Cheers for reading, everybody, and give us a follow on Twitter – @Full90FPL – if you feel like it!

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