FPL Gameweek 19 Preview

The rest of the world quite likes to take a break from it all over the holidays. That’s why they’re holidays, after all. The Premier League, of course, completely ignores this, and bombards us with even more football than usual!

What does this mean for Fantasy Premier League players? Another gameweek, of course, right after the last one! 

If you haven’t had time to get ready, fear not. This slimline FPL Gameweek 19 preview will get you up to date in no time. 

Just Show Up…

Before we crack onwards, a quick note on your general ‘strategy’ for this gameweek… as the sub-heading suggests, just show up. 

This time of the year is the first major opportunity for more committed FPL players to overcome more ‘casual’ players. The latter forget about the fast turnarounds between gameweeks, fail to keep of suspensions/injuries, and so on. What a bunch of losers! 

In short, just keep paying attention around the Christmas/New Year’s period, make sure you set your lineup and keep your transfers ticking over, and you can already get a leg up on a good chunk of the competition. 

FPL Fixture Ticker

Here are the team’s with the best all-round upcoming FPL fixtures. Home fixtures are in all-caps.

• Fulham are rubbish in FPL, so we can discount them immediately
• Aside from Gross, Brighton also have very few options we could seriously consider. And we’re not jumping on them until after the Spurs game at the earliest
• Chelsea continue to be a bit all over the place. I still wouldn’t back them to actually score goals, but – Liverpool aside – these remain very nice defensive fixtures
• Arsenal’s defence continues to be the most trustworthy in the league. They could clean in any of those first four fixtures. None of their attackers are setting the world alight, but Saka and Jesus remain good options
• I’m not confident in City keeping cleans against anyone. Going forward though, these are some tasty fixtures. Aside from Haaland, Alvarez will probably look like a bargain again soon, and Kev is looming for the Salah-AFCON replacement

Should I Buy?

Let’s take a quick look at the most-bought players in FPL this week, and decide whether or not they belong on your team:

• Solanke – Maybe. He’s fine as a one-week move, but he has Spurs then Liverpool straight after his nice fixture against Fulham
• Trent – Maybe. He still wouldn’t be in my own team – the price is just prohibitive. But with Trippier off the boil, a move to Trent – and saving money elsewhere, probably in midfield – is definitely looking more attractive
• Alvarez – Yes. Excellent value again at 6.8, and has nice upcoming fixtures
• Richarlison – Yes… but I’d rather have Alvarez. Rich is in nice form though, and has solid fixtures
• Kudus – Maybe. He’s obviously a quality player, he’s in form, and his fixtures are nice. If he’s matched up against Zinchenko, then Arsenal isn’t actually a bad game for him
• Gordon – No. I’d still hold him if you’ve got him, but I wouldn’t buy him before Liverpool and Man City
• Porro – Yes. The only premium FPL defender right now, apart from Trent
• Gabriel – Yes. Arsenal’s defence is excellent, they’ve got nice fixtures, and he’s a set piece threat
• Son – Yes. Speaking as an owner, his price does make it difficult to also fit Haaland and Salah in and still have a good team. But he’s great, and fixture-proof
• Bowen – Maybe. He’s great in general, but – assuming he plays CF against Arsenal – I’d rather wait a week and buy him after for the easier fixtures
• Nkunku – Maybe. I’d rather wait a week to see if he definitely starts. He probably will, with Sterling and Palmer suspended… and I’d assume he sticks around after that, with Jackson and Broja both playing poorly? If he does, he becomes an intriguing option with Chelsea’s nice fixtures
• Salah – Only if it’s a short-term rental. He’s off to AFCON in a couple of gameweeks

Should I Sell?

Let’s now turn our attention to the most-binned players, ahead of FPL Gameweek 19:

• Tsimikas – Yes, will be out injured for a while
• Palmer/Sterling – No. They’re both suspended, but I wouldn’t sell them with Chelsea’s fixture run
• Mitoma – Yes. Injured, and is off to the Asian Cup soon
• Haaland – No. We don’t have any injury news, but if you’ve held him this long, you have to hold him anyway (unless you’ve got two transfers and no other moves to make)
• Darwin – Yes, even with the Burnley fixture. You’ve got no idea how many minutes he’ll play, and we suddenly have a few good forward options
• Watkins – No. The Sheffield United blank is annoying, but Man U aren’t good, and he has Burnley after that
• Isak – Yes. Major minutes concerns
• Alvarez – No. Keep him for the nice fixtures
• Trippier – Maybe. I’m getting increasingly tempted. Personally I’m holding for Forest (not with confidence), then binning next gameweek