FPL Gameweek 10 Preview – Non-Wildcard Edition

Here we are, looking down the barrel at Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 10 and wildcards are flying. But, if you are like me and not on wildcard then this piece is for you!

FPL Gameweek 10 is a FRIDAY DEADLINE and kicks off on Friday night with Palace against Spurs. But, before that, there is lots of European football so make sure to pay attention to our news piece and try to hold those transfers! Jesus has already gone off injured against Sevilla so there could be more to follow.

In this FPL Gameweek 10 Preview we will do our usual top talking points, fixture tickers, should I buy/sell, captaincy corner and my moves.

Top Talking Points

Fixture Swing – It’s Wildcard O’Clock!

Teams like West Ham, Brighton, Liverpool and Arsenal have more favourable fixtures upcoming. Man City, Spurs and Chelsea have more difficult fixtures now.

As a result of the fixture swing, many managers have activated their wildcards ahead of FPL Gameweek 10. If you are one of these managers, make sure you check out Joe’s piece tomorrow!

Mo, Mo, Mo – How Do You Like Him? How Do You Like Him?

He’s a top talking point again this week. Still only owned by 39.6% of managers, Salah has returned all but one week this year. Not only that, but he has outscored Haaland significantly in the last few weeks. This is only further fuelling the fire of demand for wildcards and some are even thinking about Haaland-less FPL teams.

Erling on the Side of Caution

For what it’s worth, we think it’s high risk to go without the best striker in the league in the best team in the world. Two bad games don’t make a season and his pedigree is clear for all to see. Finally, as you may have seen in our international break review, there are no alternative forwards besides Alvarez and Watkins. Both of those guys are overperforming right now which isn’t necessarily a huge problem, we just think that we are getting a bit lucky with the sheer quantity of returns.

Fixture Tickers

This is a regular stalwart of our pieces throughout the year. We1 look at which teams have the best fixtures over the next five gameweeks to help you plan your transfers.

Teams in capitals are home fixtures and teams in lowercase are away fixtures.

The defensive and attacking fixtures look pretty similar ahead of FPL gameweek 10. The only noticeable differences being Arsenal appearing on the defensive top five and Liverpool taking their spot in the attacking top five.

Defensive Fixture Ticker

So, West Ham top the fixture ticker. This just makes Areola an even more enticing prospect for wildcarders and Pickford owners. Coufal is a relatively interesting option too. Though, it should be noted that his xGI is only 1.0 for the season despite his 4 assists.

Brighton are second but, to be honest, I’m still not that interested in their defensive options. I don’t have much faith in this squad’s ability to keep a clean sheet or to maintain consistency with their fixture pile up caused by European commitments. They’ve not kept a clean sheet all year and even shipped six goals to Villa. Villa are good, but not six goals good. So, with Estupinian injured, I would avoid these guys as none of them have his attacking threat. He might be back soon as he has been spotted training by himself so you might be able to hold him.

Palace, on the other hand, are fantastic at defending. Andersen is naturally the standout but if you need to save 0.4 then Mitchell and Guehi are great options. I’m still wary of rotation for Johnstone because Palace signed Henderson but he’s obviously also a great keeper too.

Villa are relatively solid at the back. They’re pretty middle of the road on xGC compared to the rest of the league. So, they’re fine in my mind. Cash though is absolute gold. He has lots of chances and creates a fair amount too so I think he is well worth his 5.1 pricetag.

As for Arsenal, White is a good option. Though, his points returns are quite reliant on bonus points which won’t come as easily if Arsenal’s attack gets into gear. Saliba offers less attacking threat. But, if you need to save 0.4 then he feels good too.

Attacking Fixture Ticker

On the attacking side, Brighton rotate strikers so there isn’t a good one to pick. So, it’s in midfield that you need to look, and look no further than Karou Mitoma. He is the main man and he’s bloody brilliant. If you need a cheap asset then 5.0 for Adingra is also not too bad. He’s a downgrade on Mitoma but an xGI of 0.28 per 90 isn’t anything to be sniffed at. Otherwise, there isn’t much to see, particularly with March injured.

Villa have a couple of decent options. Watkins is obviously the standout. Though, as I said earlier, he has been outperforming his stats a bit. Still, he’s easily delivering value at the moment. Diaby is the other one to consider. Personally, I like him less than Mitoma but I know Joe doesn’t share that view and I like them both.

As for Palace, I just wouldn’t bother with their attack. No Eze and no Olise makes homer something something…

West Ham are a far more interesting proposition. Some have toyed with Soucek who seems to have a new advanced role. I think that’s only because Antonio is out so I wouldn’t bother with him. Others have toyed with Ward-Prowse and I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised with his output this year and he’s continuing to put up good underlying numbers. But, Bowen is the real man at West Ham and he has the ability to score points when he shouldn’t.

Finally, Liverpool. Just get Mo. All the others are rotation risks.

Should I Buy?

In this section, we will look to answer the most basic question. Should I buy this player ahead of FPL gameweek 10? So, if you’re thinking about one of these guys AND YOU ARE NOT ON WILDCARD then here is my advice:

Saka – Yes. He’s brilliant and the main man at Arsenal.

Trippier – Maybe. He’s great and good value at 6.9 but the fixtures are less good now than 5 weeks ago so maybe he won’t deliver as many points. You might have bigger fires to put out.

Palmer – I can see why you would. He’s mega cheap and is on penalties. But, Chelsea attack sucks, their fixtures aren’t good and I’m not sure he is nailed. I’d rather have Gordon.

Tsimikas – Yes. I’m not sure there is a more valuable 4.5 defender right now. Pool defence is pretty good, despite the lack of clean sheets, and the fixtures look great. I think he only got subbed because Everton went down to ten men and Liverpool needed to go all out attack to break them down.

Alvarez – Yes. He’s a good player. Be aware that he is overperforming but he appears to be doing that consistently which might be a sign he is just brilliant or a sign he is a bit lucky at the moment. Only time will tell.

Son – Probably not. Eight returns in nine games seems good but three goals and 20 points were against Burnley. I think you are better off with Saka.

Gordon – Yes. The fixtures aren’t great but this is currently one of the best attacks in the league for only 5.6!

Nketiah – Wait for news on Jesus. If he is out for a while then yes.

Should I Sell?

In this section, we will look to answer the other basic question. Should I sell this player ahead of FPL gameweek 10? So, if you’re thinking about one of these guys AND YOU ARE NOT ON WILDCARD then here is my advice:

Rashford/Fernandes – Yes. Great players, bad team and they play Man City this week. I don’t care if they play Luton in 12.

Botman – I probably wouldn’t if I could rotate with someone else at the back. I expect him to be back soon. Wait for news at least – not that you can trust Eddie Howe…

Mitoma – At the time of writing he is the sixth most sold player and that’s a mistake. Keep him.

Akanji – Yes, injured and bad fixtures (if there is such a thing for City).

Foden – Yes, there are better FPL assets out there.

Odegaard – No, not ahead of Sheffield United at home!

Mbeumo – Yes, tough fixtures and better assets available at his price point.

Ward-Prowse – No. Good fixtures, surely you have bigger fires to put out?

Captaincy Corner

Watkins, Salah and Haaland are the options and probably in that order of preference.

Watkins feels a bit rogue but Villa play the woeful Luton at home and Watkins has returned every home game this season, including a 23 pointer and an 11 pointer.

Salah is at home to Forest. They aren’t a bad defence but he’s bloody brilliant.

Haaland is Haaland. He’s going up against Man United’s fifth and sixth best centre backs and whilst I love Jonny Evans and I still remember him dominating Lewandowski in a Euros, I don’t think he is as good as he was. Haaland is away from home which makes him less good but still. He’s Haaland.

James’ Move

I have Wissa. He is a problem. He and Brentford don’t look great. His underlying numbers are fine but he’s gone missing in a couple of games and completely shagged it a couple of other times. Plus, they now have a tough run of fixtures up to gameweek 14.

So, with 0.0 in the bank and two free transfers I am thinking about moving Wissa to Archer who will sit on my bench. And, using the extra funds to upgrade Nakamba to Gordon.

I might also hit out Pickford for Areola. I hate (HATE!) making a goalie transfer and even more so for a hit. But, I can’t stand the sight of Pickford anymore and at least this way I get to pretend it was a mini-wildcard. Plus, this way I don’t need to wildcard because the rest of my team looks great.

If Jesus is confirmed out for a while then I could go straight to Nketiah which I don’t mind at all.

Oh how I wish I had backed Areola and Alvarez instead of Pickford and Wissa at the start of the season and I would be laughing right now. Alas, I did not…

That’s it!

Hopefully now you have all the tips and tricks you need for an excellent FPL gameweek 10 and beyond! Good luck out there.