We will start this week by thinking about punts, hits and captaincy conundrums, before doing the usual fixture ticker and looking at who you should buy and sell in FPL this week. Let’s get into it!
(Oh, and don’t forget to check out Joe’s piece on the fantasy football implications of Unai Emery’s return to the Premier League.)
Talking Points
Here are three of the main things on my mind in this FPL gameweek.
Punting Out the Obvious
So, pointing out the obvious, there are only three weeks of FPL left before the World Cup. This means that pretty much everyone beyond premium is a bit punty.
Traditionally, we like to hold the cheaper assets for at least five gameweeks, simply because they don’t always return. Now, your transfers are going to be a bit more punty in general.
Hits – Just Don’t Do Them
As noted above, there are only three weeks left of FPL. That means the value of a hit is diminished.
The player you hit in has less time to recover the points that you spent to get him. You should have Andreas by now, so he is a perfect 12th man in case your player is injured. Don’t do hits.
Joao Cancel-flu, Erl-influenza Haaland
Two of the worst puns I have ever thought of.
These two lads apparently have the sniffles, and so played reduced minutes in the Champions League in the week. It’s not exactly great news… but this is the case for everyone, so I can’t see them leaving my team.
It does, however, present an interesting dilemma for captaincy. Who do we captain, in the absence of Erling? And, importantly, who do we vice-captain?
Captaincy Conundrums
FPL Twitter has been going wild about returning to Salah (12.8) as your first choice captain if Haaland is confirmed out, or vice if we don’t know. I don’t hate it, but I’m not spending a transfer to make it happen. Mo’s been crap, and odds are he will continue to be crap.
I have Kane, and my vice armband is firmly on him in a plum fixture against Bournemouth. He’s been incredibly consistent all year, so I just expect him to get a return against one of the worst teams in the league. It’s not super sexy, but captaincy rarely is (nor should it be).
Basically, wait until as late as possible to make a captaincy decision this week.
Best Three-Week Fixture Runs
Remember, we don’t care about the fixtures after gameweek 16, as we get a free and enforced wildcard between 16 and 17 (i.e. the World Cup).
| 14 | 15 | 16 | |
| Man City | lei | FUL | BRE |
| Everton | ful | LEI | bou |
| Man U | WHU | avl | ful |
| Crystal Palace | SOU | whu | nfo |
| Arsenal | NFO | che | wol |
My City and Arsenal triple-up feels good, looking at this.
United assets like Rashford and Antony have also started to enter my thoughts as possible Zaha replacements. I just don’t know how to judge Palace after that performance against Everton, and I’d like to see them play again before recommending bringing any players in… but I obviously don’t hate playing them against Southampton.
Should I Buy?
- Saliba – No. He’s on 4 yellow cards (you get a one match ban on 5). Look for a different Arsenal defender. White is cheaper and only on 2 yellow cards
- Dalot – No. He’s on four yellows
- Castagne – Not this week (plays Man City)
- Almiron – Hard to deny he is in excellent form. Knock yourself out
- Trossard – Not that interested before they play Chelsea
- Foden – Yes
- Saka – Yes
- Mitro – One great fixture followed by one terrible one. I’m not sure he is the priority, but again I don’t hate it
- Kane – Yes. Super consistent, even if Spurs suck
- Toney – Next two fixtures are okay, but he’s on 4 yellows
- Jesus – Great fixtures, but on 4 yellows
Should I Sell?
- Perisic – Yeah, just get rid. Too much rotation
- Cucurella – Yeah, he’s not getting enough minutes
- Salah – Keep him in case you need to cap him (unless you can move to KDB, who is better)
- Gross – Yeah, his time in the sun is over
- Zaha – I don’t hate selling him (but he’ll probably come back and bite you, knowing Wilf)
- Foden – No. He’s excellent. I know the 1 pointer was frustrating, but great fixtures and high ceiling on a mid-priced asset
- Rashford – Probably not. I wouldn’t recommend buying because he is struggling to finish, but he is getting in great positions and I hope Ronaldo’s tantrum has ended his United career
- Firmino – Sure. I can’t work out what’s going on in Liverpool, but he’s far from consistent regardless
My Moves
I honestly don’t know…
Traditionally after a wildcard I like to hold my transfer and make a double move the week after.
The trouble is the short time frame to the World Cup, specifically regarding Zaha. If he is a problem, he needs to go now. I’m just currently not sure I definitely want rid. In the past, I would do nothing if I didn’t know… but this is the time to be super aggressive, so maybe he goes.
Watch this space (specifically on Twitter, @Full90FPL).