MyFPL is a series where we will go through our thought process before every FPL Gameweek in the 2018/2019 season.
Current Overall Points: 1024
Current Overall Ranking: 10,262
Last Gameweek Points: 84
MyFPL is back, back again. We’re in the middle of a hectic Christmas period, which has been pretty hectic for me as well, working full-time lately, so apologies for not keeping you posted with the latest FPL tips and tricks. Jumping off of Mo Salah’s hat-trick performance last time out, I feel re-invigorated to give you the best FPL tips on the planet, so here comes a quite extensive run-down of all things FPL. To start off, here’s a little update of what my team looks like:
I’ve successfully doubled up with Liverpool’s defence, something you didn’t expect to hear during Jürgen Klopp’s first 3 seasons with Liverpool. After dabbling with the now injured Trent Alexander-Arnold (£5.4) for a couple of unproductive gameweeks, I’m back with my GW1 starter and one true love, Andrew “Robbo” Robertson (£6.4) for a couple of GWs now and it feels very good indeed. Never leaving you again Robbo.
I might have to sell Alisson (£5.7) soon for a cheaper goalkeeper with better matches.
I’m still keeping faith in Marcos Alonso (£7.0) even though his cheaper teammate David Luiz (£5.7) has been doing just as well for a fraction of the price. If anything I’ll double up on Chelsea soon.
Issa Diop (£4.3) and Aaron Wan-Bissaka (£4.3) keep being a good rotating pair at the end of my bench and I feel like they’ve been unlucky not to get more clean sheets lately. Along with point getter Matt Doherty (£5.0) they have made my defence a solid unit that will be hard to break up.
My midfield has been settling in quite nicely of late as well, especially my guy Heung-Min Son (£8.5) who helped make last gameweek a huge success for me with a goal and an assist against Leicester. I’m glad I got him when I did, because I’m not sure I’d bring him now with the Asian Cup in January looming. More on that later.
Leroy Sané (£9.5) has also looked lively lately, but sadly for me only in the Champions League so far. Whenever Benjamin Mendy (£6.2) gets injured, I always want to get Sané, who provides necessary width for Pep Guardiola with the French wing-back not there. Mendy won’t be back until late February, so until that time comes, I’m sticking with Sané most likely. The curse of City midfielders is that you’re never confident in getting them because of rotation, but you don’t want to risk losing them and a potential double digit haul when you have them.
Mohamed Salah (£12.9) looked like a potential transfer out, but after a hat-trick against Bournemouth he has bought himself some more time. He’s still as potent as ever as a FPL prospect, even though you’ll always be tempted by selling him to get a much needed cash influx.
Richarlison (£7.1) has been another productive FPL player, starting off the season at exactly half of Mo Salah’s cost. With some slightly tougher fixtures coming up though, and with me eyeing another mid-price midfielder, I might sell him for a couple of gameweeks, but more on that later.
My latest transfer and already latest, “should I stick or twist” candidate, has become emblematic of the striker issues I’ve had all year. For the longest time I stayed away from getting Callum Wilson (£6.9). Now, the game’s 2nd highest scoring striker has been in my team for a grand total of 1 GW; the last one when he was out with injury all of a sudden. I think he’ll be back this week and I’m keeping him for at least the next 2 gameweeks.
The highest scoring striker on the other hand, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (£11.5), has been in my team for 9 GWs. The issue.. the 7 GW stretch I didn’t have him for, was between gameweek 8-14, when he got 63 out of his 98 points, including 3 double digits hauls of 15, 12 and 16 points… I had faith in him to start the season, but gave up after a dreadful performance and blank at home to Watford, just to get Kane in for the gameweek he blanked at home to Cardiff. Now that I have him back, I’m not letting go until at least when he plays Fulham at home in GW21. Not selling him for Kane. Nope.
So who am I looking at buying and which players in my squad should you be targeting? Well why don’t we have a looksie at my current watchlist:
I said I’m looking at replacing Alisson in goal, with Liverpool’s fixtures against Man Utd, Arsenal and Man City within the next 5 gameweeks. There are 3 options I am mulling over.
The first and most likely option is Lukasz Fabianski (£4.6) who has a much lighter schedule in the same timeframe. The FPL saves king the last couple of years has had a fantastic season so far for West Ham, and keeps finding a way to get points even though West Ham keep conceding pointless goals through no fault of his own. Saving your last 3 penalties will help you collect points.
The 2nd option is the man who should take over from the current save king Joe Hart (£4.5) once he is back from injury, Nick Pope (£4.9). Being a West Ham fan and also being hugely impressed by Pope before his injury, there is no way you can tell me that freakin’ Joe Hart should remain as the #1 GK over him. I don’t care how many saves he has and how good Burnley fans claim Hart has looked. Pope is better in every way. Pope isn’t quite fit yet, but his upcoming return aligns very well with Burnley’s fixtures turning around GW20-21. With a couple howlers and big defeats against top 6 sides before then, I wouldn’t be surprised to see Joe Hart getting dropped.
Speaking of top 6 sides, my final GK on the watchlist is the cheapest top 6 GK of the bunch, Bernd Leno (£4.8). Leno finally got a clean sheet last GW and it was only a matter of time until Arsenal started collecting those as well. Arsenal also have kind fixtures for a while, making Leno a decent set & forget option.
Or maybe I’ll be better suited going for an Arsenal defender like Hector Bellerin (£5.5) or Sead Kolasinac (£5.0). Unai Emery’s full-backs like to get forward, giving them the potential attacking return Leno won’t get. Deciding between them is tougher however, with Kolasinac the cheaper and more attacking of the two, but Bellerin being a safer bet to keep his place with Monreal getting back from injury. I usually rather be safe than sorry, but I’ll keep monitoring Kola’s playing time with Koscielny and Monreal back.
A player is both nailed on AND has great attacking prospects is Lucas Digne (£4.9). The former French international has shown why Barcelona wanted him now that he actually left the Catalan giant, playing like a revitalized Leighton Baines (£5.1). He even added a thunderous free kick with his left, something the Goodison Park faithful have become used to the last decade under Baines. The only thing going against Digne is Everton’s upcoming matches, facing Man City away and Spurs at home. After those games however, I’m very much intrigued.
Fixtures are kinder for Toby Alderweireld (£5.9) and Tottenham, who seems like the most nailed on defender for Spurs. If Kieran Trippier (£6.1) returns soon, he might be a more promising Spurs defender going forward. Taking advantage of 3 home games in the next 4 matches edges it for the healthy Alderweireld in my eyes, should I want a Spurs defender.
As I mentioned in my team rundown, David Luiz (£5.7) is a very intriguing option if you want a cheaper way into Chelsea’s defence than Alonso. Or if you just want to double up. Luiz is a bonus machine and has shown his aerial threat on several occasions, finally notching his first goal of the season last weekend.
Chelsea’s fixtures are getting easier, which makes me more and more nervous about selling Eden Hazard (£10.9) a couple weeks back. He and Chelsea might have been lucky getting extra points against Man City, but he won’t need luck when they play teams like Brighton, Leicester, Watford, Palace or Southampton.
I downgraded Hazard to Sané which gave me enough cash to bring in Son, so I don’t regret it, but I might regret not going with the premium Man City option, Raheem Sterling (£11.6) going forward. Sterling could get back to the red hot form he was on very quickly, as Man City closes out a favorable run of fixtures.
Robert Snodgrass (£5.3) and Callum Paterson (£5.3) are cut-price alternatives for me to bring in over the very disappointing Kenedy (£4.9). Paterson is playing out of position as a striker for a Cardiff team looking for answers. The answer they got from Paterson is 4 goals in the last 8 gameweeks, pretty decent. A Hull-like Snodgrass has fought his way into a surging West Ham team, collecting 24 points on FPL in the 3 matches West Ham collected 9 out of 9 points themselves.
One of the main reasons for West Ham’s uptick in form, apart from a very friendly schedule, is the play of their own record signing Felipe Anderson (£7.3). He very much reminds me of the way Dimitri Payet dominated play for West Ham, with exquisite technique and a good foot to boot. Anderson has shown that he can get FPL points in bunches, getting 4 double digit scoring GWs already. He should have had even more against Burnley back in GW11 and I still regret going for the wildcard in Diangana over Anderson back then.
Speaking of regret and we are back to the striker section again. I haven’t had a reason to regret it yet, but once Harry Kane (£12.6) is done with Burnley this weekend, I might regret going with Aubameyang over him before GW15. Kane is the clear captain option this week and I’m praying to Joe Hart that he manages to stop him… I’m screwed.
I went with Aubameyang however, bringing him in for the then injured Sergio Aguero (£11.2) who has been my only truly productive striker this season. With news that he might even be back against Everton in the early game tomorrow, I’m trying to find a way to get him back in to the team alongside Aubameyang.
If I can’t find the money to upgrade Wilson to Aguero, then I might just have to settle for Marcus Rashford (£6.9) instead. Rashford has been on fire lately for the Red Devils and their schedule is getting quite tasty once they are done with Liverpool. It’s hard to trust young guys to stay in the starting lineup under Mourinho however. I’ll monitor his progression the next 2 matches before I decide if I want him replacing Wilson or not.
Other potential cheap Wilson replacements are Chicharito (£6.4) and Danny Ings (£5.4). I’ve gone on and on about West Ham’s form and fixtures so all that applies to Chicharito, who now serves as the main striker and sure starter with Arnautovic out injured. There are some scary rumblings that even Chicharito might be out though. Ings is coming back from injury himself, and it will be interesting to see how he fits in with new manager Ralph Hassenhüttl. Judging from the way Hassenhüttl set up his teams in the Bundesliga, Ings might very well flourish in his high-pressing, counter attacking style.
What Will I Do This Gameweek?
Personally, the move I’m leaning towards is selling Richarlison to make room for Felipe Anderson. Don’t worry, I haven’t lost faith in Richi. I just figure Anderson will get me more points in the next couple of gameweeks. With Heung-Min Son soon going to the Asian Cup, I already have a spot in the team for Richarlison once the fixtures clear up.
I’ve also thought about shipping out the disappointing Kenedy and getting my West Ham cover in the form of Snodgrass instead. I’ve never been a big fan of Snoddy, but the way he has been playing his heart out lately, he has me convinced.
I could also just save the transfer, just in case I need a double swap next week to get someone like Kane or Sterling in. In general, if you can’t find any natural transfers you’d want to make, you’re better off saving it up for the next week rather than forcing it.
For everyone else, here is a quick rundown on who you should sell and who to replace them with:
Sell Immediately:
Mané (£9.7) – Looks awful lately, even in the Champions League where he missed several sitters.
Lacazette (£9.6) – Even if you brought him in last week… Sell. So many good options.
D. Silva (£8.6) – Injured, move on to another Man City midfielder
Martial (£7.4) – I’ll never trust this guy as long as Mourinho stays the Man Utd manager.
Zaha (£6.7) – Suspended, has looked off pace and tough matches coming up.
Murray (£6.6) – Their good run is over. A dreadful set of fixtures ahead.
Alexander-Arnold (£5.4) – Injuries, tough matches when he returns and Klopp rotates RBs.
Duffy (£4.6) – Banned and horrible fixtures.
Hart (£4.5) – I think I’ve made it quite clear what I think of him. Pope should start when back.
Replace Them With:
Sané (£9.5) – With Mendy out until February, you have the best excuse to get Sané in.
Kane (£12.6) – The Spurs striker could very well become essential after this GW.
Son (£8.5) – If you can’t afford Kane, Son is the next best option. Get him while he’s here.
Felipe Anderson (£7.5) – The best player left on West Ham. Explosive potential.
Rashford (£6.9) – Might finally be realizing his potential. You’ll never get him this cheap again.
Chicharito (£6.3) – Provided he’s fit, Chicharito will continue to score for high-flying West Ham.
Bellerin/Kolasinac (£5.5/5.0) – Secure offensive full-back in Bellerin, risk/reward with Kola.
Holebas (£4.7) – Watford have kind fixtures and Holebas might return to early-season form.
Fabianski (£4.6) – Always finds a way to get points. West Ham will keep clean sheets eventually.