Greetings all, and welcome to another delicious slice of Gameweek 24 preview goodness.
You’ve already had the Best Fixture Runs piece… whether you knew it or not. It’s right here, see!
full90fpl.com/gameweek-24-fpl-fixture-runs-25-26
Now, let’s get stuck into the always straightforward matter of actually picking the players. That’s the easy part, really.
Gameweek 24 Transfer Tips – Should I Buy?
Long-time readers know the drill. Newcomers should probably just about be able to work it out pretty quickly.
We look at the most-bought players in FPL right now, and we decide whether or not we should buy them too.
There – that didn’t take long.
Oh, you want some examples? Then read on, dear friend!
- Bruno F – Yes, he easily feels like the priority player to target right now. He’s returned three games in a row, and now has 15 returns on the season, with typically excellent underlying stats to back it up (0.69 xGI/90). And now they have Fulham at home, Spurs at home, and West Ham in a row. Get him in
- Mbeumo – Yes, for basically the same reasons as Bruno. He’s racked up 19pts in the two games since he got back, he also has excellent underlying stats (0.57 xGI/90, and one of the best players in the whole league for Shots on Target), and has those lovely fixtures too!
- Joao Pedro – Maybe… but I wouldn’t do it myself. I wrote about this in detail in the fixtures piece, but he’s been the Troll King of FPL this season. Every single time he’s had a mini-hot streak, he’s immediately followed it up with a longer streak of blanks. I obviously see the upside, but I wouldn’t trust him
- Enzo – Yes. Between his price, returns, underlying stats, and fixtures, he’s borderline must-own right now
- Dorgu – No. He just got a long-term injury… and while he is the real victim of that, obviously, it’s still a bit annoying to lose a high upside, starting ‘defender’ at 4.3
- Semenyo – Yes. He’s been excellent since getting to City, seems nailed, has obviously had a great season overall, has fine fixtures, and still only costs 7.8
- Wilson – Yes. I’ve seen enough now – we can’t really call it an unsustainable hot streak, when it’s basically been going on since Gameweek 13. He’s up to 8 goals and 6 assists, keeps on getting the job done, and his value is ridiculous at 6.0
- Chalobah – No. I know the fixtures are good, but I don’t trust Chelsea to keep cleans right now (see: their very last game). Given that he also averages a middling 8.95 DefCons/90, and is therefore pretty clean sheet-dependent, he’s too expensive at 5.6
- Rice – Yes. No attacking returns in the last three games, but he remains an easy, fairly-priced set-and-forget midfielder, with so many routes to points
- Gabriel – Yes, obviously, he’s the best defender in the game
- Szoboslai – No. I’ve had one big game, and hadn’t returned in seven gameweeks before that. There is no world in which I would take him at 6.3 over Wilson at 6.0, or just getting a cheaper, DefCons-based midfielder instead
- Watkins – Yes. He’s annoyingly expensive, but – in a season where we’re all struggling to find a reliable second forward to put with Haaland, he’s been very consistent indeed. The returns are sustainable too, with 8 goals and 2 assists (that equals 10 – maths has always been one of my strong points) on a 10.31 overall xGI.
(UPDATE: Came off injured on Thursday night, so keep an eye on the news to see the severity of that. The lesson, as always – don’t make early transfers before European games).
- Evanilson – Maybe. Bournemouth’s attack has been excellent recently, but he’s only been okay, ticking along with three returns in the last seven gameweeks. At 7.0, I’d rather just save and get DCL, spend a bit more on Bowen, or spend a lot more on Watkins
- Rogers – Yes. He’s massively outperforming his underlying numbers… as usual, with 12 returns on an xGI of 6.79. He’s been doing that since he got to Villa though, so it’s hard to say that it’s unsustainable. He’s got high upside too, and I think he’s fine value at 7.7
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Gameweek 24 Transfer Tips – Should I Sell?
There are two sides to every coin, and – indeed – to every FPL transfer. For every player that comes in, one must depart.
It’s poetic, really – right up until the Gameweek actually begins, and all the transfers you just made crash and burn.
On that cheery note, let’s look at the most-sold players heading into Gameweek 24.
- Foden – Yes. I finally jettisoned him, and I feel like a whole new man. You’re never roping me in again, Phil… until next season
- Bruno G – Maybe. I still think he’s a very good option when he plays, and it doesn’t sound like he’ll be out too much longer. I’d probably just hold him for the (maybe) tricky fixture at Liverpool, then start him for the Brentford and Spurs games, and reevaluate for City in GW 27
- Ekitike – Yes, regrettably. He’s a quality player, but we can’t actually trust him to start. Which isn’t ideal, when he costs 8.8. Simply moving him to Watkins feels very tempting indeed right now
- Cherki – Yes. Far too much of a minutes risk, and there are better options who are either cheaper (Wilson), or around the same price (Enzo)
- Thiago – Maybe. God, who the hell knows. I sold him last time he was on a cold streak, then he went and put up 29pts in two weeks. He’s one of the few good forwards in the league, but he does also have horrible fixtures – Villa and Newcastle away, then Arsenal at home. I’d sell him, but – as noted – I’ve been wrong on this before
- Woltemade – Yes. As with Ekitike, it’s unfortunate because he’s an excellent player, and I’m sure he’ll still return when he does play. He’s just too much of a minutes risk right now, though
- Haaland – No. I can’t even believe he’s this high. If there were loads of other amazing forward options, I would understand it maybe 10% more. But there aren’t, so I don’t. He’s the best forward by an absolute mile! Just be patient!
- Saka – Yes. He’s just nowhere close to justifying his price right now, when the likes of Bruno F and Mbeumo are significantly cheaper, and you can just get Rice for far cheaper still if you want a route into the league’s (nominally) best side
- Dorgu – Yes. Injured for a while, unfortunately
- DCL – No. Not unless you’re really desperate for another forward, and I don’t know who that would be. He’s right around that Thiago/Evanilson/Bowen good-but-not-great forward tier… and he costs over a million less than any of those guys. I know the fixtures aren’t great, but he’s already returned this season against Newcastle, Sunderland, Brentford, and City away, plus Chelsea and Liverpool at home. That’s about as fixture-proof as it gets
- Wirtz – No. I think he’s a potential buy! I wouldn’t actually buy him myself, but he’s definitely a good option in that Mbeumo/Semenyo range. He’s been returning pretty consistently since Gameweek 14 now, has fine underlying stats (0.46 xGI/90), and the fixtures aren’t that bad. I’d hold him, if you’ve got him, unless you literally have to move him to get Bruno F
- Gordon – Yes. One of the few challengers to Joao Pedro’s Troll King title this season. Just played Burnley, Palace, Leeds, and Wolves, and managed one assist in the entire run. Bin him
- Palmer – Yes. I know they’ve got good fixtures, but he’s constantly injured this season, and you have literally no idea when he’s going to start. He’s far too expensive to be worth that kind of headache
Final Thoughts
Well, there you go then – a big old bunch of FPL transfer tips, to kick off your Gameweek 24 in style.
We’ve been through spells this season where it felt like there were basically just no good options, in any position.
I still mostly feel that way about defence, but in attack, and especially in midfield, we’ve actually got quite a few intriguing options to pick from right now. In fact, that’s one of the most positive ‘Should I Buy?’ columns I’ve ever written!
Maybe I’m just getting soft.
Anyway, thanks for reading, everybody, and may all your Gameweek 24 transfers be glorious successes.
