Zophar hosts his weekly Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Q&A ahead of Gameweek 30, chatting about when to Wildcard, goalkeeping duos, Bukayo Saka (£10.2m) and how to proceed with Assistant Manager.
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Triple Captain Assistant Manager
Q: The only issues I have for Gameweek 30 are Chris Wood (£7.2m) and Erling Haaland (£14.8m), the rest of my team looks fine. However, I’d have to play Dango Ouattara (£5.0m), Antonee Robinson (£4.9m) or take a four-point hit. Should I Wildcard now or for Gameweek 31?
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(via @CastleRockDG76)
A: Whether you should activate it now or for Gameweek 31 is very team-dependent. Yes, there is the case that the teams you want to load up on – Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Arsenal and Manchester City – all have good entry points right now. There’ll be an immediate gain from getting them early. But what does waiting a week get you?
You’ll get some idea of Saka’s fitness and sharpness. If he only comes off the bench and looks a bit rusty, he’s not someone to buy on your Gameweek 31 Wildcard.
Perhaps Kieran Trippier (£5.6m) emerges as a strong Newcastle pick. And would you prefer Eberechi Eze (£6.7m) or Ismaila Sarr (£5.7m) as your Palace midfielder? Maybe both?
As for Man City, another 90 minutes can help decide if Phil Foden (£9.2m) or Savinho (£6.2m) are worth pursuing.
On top of all that, we’re highly likely to get the rearranged fixtures confirmed between these deadlines. We’re only working off predictions right now.
Therefore, if you can put out a decent team this week, there is merit in delaying the chip a few more days. In my experience, the closer you play your Wildcard to a Bench Boost, the better. Ouattara might even start this great fixture, as Marcus Tavernier (£5.4m) is injured.
Q: If you have all the other chips available, except Triple Captain, how would you play them? Wildcard 30, Assistant Manager 31-33, Free Hit 34 and Bench Boost later on?
Q: For Assistant Manager between Gameweeks 31 and 33, is Eddie Howe (£1.5m) and Pep Guardiola (£1.5m) better, or five Oliver Glasner (£0.8m) fixtures where four could have table bonus?
Auto Draft 93
(via WINSTON and BLACKTOE)
A: Let’s discuss Gameweek 30 Wildcard and Assistant Manager in the three following rounds. This will likely give you at least three table bonus games for Glasner but will lock you out of a Bench Boost in Gameweek 32 or 33. That’s not a big deal, as those extra players will likely be single Gameweek players anyway, something you can always find in later usage.
So I would lean towards Assistant Manager between Gameweeks 31 and 33, then leaving Bench Boost for the final weeks.
With the table bonus, I think I’d go Glasner over Pep, but the point you make is valid. The Eagles have three clear investible assets, while it’s a struggle to find a third Man City.
Palace’s four fixtures are also quite difficult, as Newcastle, Man City, Arsenal and Bournemouth are all fighting for Champions League spots and have plenty of motivation. So you could be looking at a single-digit return for Glasner. This depends on your risk appetite, I guess. The Howe and Guardiola combination is definitely lower risk, but I think I would roll the dice with Glasner.
Q: For the hundreds of thousands with both Wood and Haaland, who are the best replacement options, bearing in mind the blanks and doubles coming up?
(via THE KNIGHTS TEMPLATE)
A: Plenty depends on when you plan to Wildcard. If it’s going to be after Gameweek 34, then you need to target Double Gameweek 32 guys like Alexander Isak (£9.4m) and Jean-Philippe Mateta (£7.6m).
Of these two, I think it’d be Isak because of his strong Gameweek 32 captaincy, but ideally you’d have both. If you are looking at a one-week punt before Wildcarding, Mateta versus Southampton appeals a bit more than Isak against Brentford.
Q: Specifically for the Gameweek 30 Wildcards but also in general, is it too early to be buying Saka?
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(via POWERS106)
A: The fitness update from Mikel Arteta was unusually promising, saying the winger was “raring to go” and had been building up his fitness for some time. Does this mean Saka starts vs Fulham? Not necessarily.
But given the lift he’ll give the Arsenal side, he very well could do. The Gunners now play every midweek until Gameweek 33, so you’d have to assume his minutes will be managed after such a lengthy injury. Facing Real Madrid over two legs is the priority.
Of course, he’ll need sharpness before those, so we could see 60-minute appearances in these next two matches. However, Fulham and Everton are good defensive sides that are trending inside the top six for expected goals conceded (xGC) over the last six matches.
That’s why I’d like to wait before adding Saka, but if you’re looking to save a transfer and get him in early ahead of Gameweek 33, I wouldn’t put you off it. He is just a class player and a top FPL asset.
Q: If you’re on a Wildcard, what is the best goalkeeping duo?
(via POWERS106)
A: I think the combination of Dean Henderson (£4.6m) and Emiliano Martinez (£5.0m) is ideal for those planning to Bench Boost in Double Gameweek 33, then Free Hit in the blank.
It gives you a doubler in Gameweek 32 and two of them straight after. Their Crystal Palace and Aston Villa sides face each other in the FA Cup semi-final, and it’s rumoured that the finalists will likely have Double Gameweek 36 and Blank Gameweek 37.
In that case, this duo guarantees you a double, then a non-blank.
Q: I don’t have the Triple Captain remaining, so I’m looking at Wildcard 31, Bench Boost 32 and Free Hit 33. It means I don’t need Man City or Arsenal on Wildcard and can stack the midfield.
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(via THE FPL UNITS)
A: I don’t see why you wouldn’t want to include Man City or Arsenal assets on a Gameweek 31 Wildcard. Omar Marmoush (£7.4m) is a great pick now that Haaland is out, while his side may have a Double Gameweek 37 if they reach the FA Cup final.
Arsenal also have a decent run of fixtures at both ends, with Saka one of the best picks around. I would try to save the Free Hit for either Gameweek 34 or 37.
Q: Your thoughts on Aston Villa defenders? Is Lucas Digne (£4.5m) worth the risk or do we go safe with Ezri Konsa (£4.4m)?
(via @NyeGuy01)
A: Villa have a lot of fit defenders now, like Konsa, Tyrone Mings (£4.4m), Pau Torres (£4.2m) and Axel Disasi (£4.2m), meaning we might see mass rotation for the Southampton fixture that’s between the two Paris Saint-Germain legs.
Even beyond that, there might be rests before their FA Cup semi-final and potential final. Villa’s fixtures don’t exactly scream clean sheets either, and they’ve been leaky this season. I’d avoid.
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