The Ultimate UFPL Guide

In January, everybody was given 12 transfers to spruce up their Ultimate Fantasy Premier League (UFPL) squads. Hopefully you’ve only got rid of the complete duds and have rolled over transfers to be used ahead of this weekend’s deadline. Remember you have to use them ahead of Gameweek 24’s deadline or you will lose them. With that in mind here’s my breakdown of all the key decisions to take you through to the end of the season.

Goalkeeper Rotations

Only seven out of 15 Gameweeks have TV schedules announced so far, so my approach has been to find two goalkeepers who rotate matchdays well over the next seven weeks and pick a third cheap keeper whose fixtures compliment them in the latter stages. There are four pairings who rotate six or seven times over the next seven weeks and all involve Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet. I’ve also included third keeper suggestions based on these pairings.

Seven Matchday rotations

• Ben Foster (WBA) & Mignolet (seven rotations, 10.0): eve/bur, TOT/SWA, sun/sot, SOT/MCI, avl/BUR, STO/swa, mci/MUN
  • Pairs well with: Krul, Adrian, Lloris
• Tom Heaton (BUR) & Mignolet (six, 10.0): eve/WBA, TOT/mun, sot/che, SWA/MCI, BUR, MCI/swa, sot/MUN
  • Pairs well with: Foster, Pantilimon
• Tim Krul (NEW) & Mignolet (six, 10.0): STO/eve, TOT/cpl, mci/sot, AVL/MCI, BUR, eve/swa, ARS/MUN
  • Pairs well with: Foster
• Asimir Begovic (STK) & Mignolet (six, 10.5): eve/new, TOT/MCI, avl/sot, HUL/MCI, BUR, wba/swa, CPL/MUN
  • Pairs well with: Krul

 Five Matchday rotations

• Hugo Lloris (TOT) & Foster (five + DGW, 10.0): ARS/bur, liv/SWA, sun/WHM, SOT,  avl/[SWA+qpr], STO/mun, LEI
  • Pairs well with: Krul, Ospina, Mignolet
• David Ospina (ARS) & Fraser Forster (SOU) (five, 10.0): qpr, LEI/WHM, cpl/LIV, wba/EVE, CPL/qpr, WHM/che, BUR,
  • Pairs well with: Heaton, Speroni, Krul
• Brad Guzan (AVL)  & David De Gea (MANU) (five, 10.0): CHE/whm, hul/BUR, STO, SUN, WBA/new, sun/TOT, SWA/liv
  • Pairs well with: Pantilimon
• Costel Pantilimon (SUN) & De Gea (five, 10.0): swa/whm, QPR/BUR, WBA, SUN, hul/new, AVL/TOT, whm/liv
  • Pairs well with: Schmeichel

Three-Way rotations

My preference for three way-rotations is to start with Foster and Lloris then pick either Krul, Ospina or Mignolet depending on your budget constraints. Here they are through to Gameweek 38:

• Lloris, Foster & Krul (five + DGW, 14.5): ARS/bur, liv/SWA, sun/WHM, AVL, avl/[SWA+qpr], STO/mun, LEI, QPR, AVL, cpl, SWA, lei, WBA, HUL, WHM
• Lloris, Foster & Ospina (six + DGW, 15.0): ARS/bur, LEI/SWA, sun/WHM, SOT/EVE,  avl/[SWA+qpr], STO/mun, LEI, QPR, AVL, SUN, LIV, hul, SWA, HUL, WBA
• Lloris, Foster & Mignolet (seven including 1 triple rotation + DGW, 15.5): ARS/bur, TOT/SWA, sun/WHM, SOT/MCI,  avl/[SWA+qpr], STO/mun/swa, LEI/MUN, QPR, AVL, hul, LIV, QPR, new, HUL, sto

Defence

Due to formation flexibility, matchday rotations are less important for defenders than goalkeepers. What will be important is covering the big teams, then filling the gaps with UFPL gems and budget bargains.

Arsenal

Laurent Koscielny (6.0) appears the go-to choice as he leads the Gunners for CBIs by some distance with 9.1 per game and is second in recoveries with 6.4 per game. If you are worried about Koscielny’s chronic achilles injury, Mertesacker (6.0) is also nailed on at centre-back and could represent extra security of starts. If you are looking to save money, Hector Bellerin (U21, 4.5) could prove a shrewd move if he keeps his position at right-back. To add to his budget appeal, he leads the Arsenal ranks for recoveries with 7.0 per game and has already created two big chances in his seven appearances.

Chelsea:

Realistically it’s between Branislav Ivanovic (7.0) and John Terry (H, 6.5). Ivanovic is the clear leader in terms of attacking potential with 24 key passes and three big chances created to Terry’s nine and zero. Defensively though Terry has picked up 12 points from CBIs and recoveries to Ivanovic’s five. Both players represent similar value for their money so it is a choice that depends on your budgeting constraints. Personally I will be spending the extra to get in Ivanovic.

Man City:

For an assurance of starts, you have to go for club captain Vincent Kompany (6.5), he’s picked up 10 points in 15 games from CBIs and recoveries, which is another tick in his book. Alternatively at left back, Gael Clichy (H, 5.5) is a slight rotation risk with Kolarov, but he has started 18/23 games this season and picked up 14 points for his defensive work and five extra points from crosses, key passes and big chances created.

Man United:

Phil Jones (H, 5.5) leads the team with 11.2 CBIs per game, and at 0.5 cheaper than Rojo or Luke Shaw, he is the obvious choice. Nobody here stands out offensively.

Southampton:

Thanks to the fixed prices of UFPL their defenders can be bought at knock-down prices for premium-tier players. Ryan Bertrand (H, 5.0) leads the way for goals, assists, crosses, key passes and big chances created, but he has a three-game suspension that may point you towards Nathaniel Clyne (H, 5.0) who is second in each of these categories. Jose Fonte (5.5) is also worth considering, having picked up 20 points for CBIs and Recoveries in 22 appearances.

The Best of the Rest:

Everton man Leighton Baines (H, 7.0) is a monster in attack who doesn’t need clean sheets to score well. He has two goals, eight assists, 47 key passes, 17 crosses and eight big chances created from left-back and he takes penalties too. Next up on the attacking front is Burnley’s Kieran Trippier (H, 5.0) who has 33 key passes, 37 crosses and seven big chances created. He also happens to lead all defenders with 141 recoveries. Swansea captain Ashley Williams (H, 5.0) is a class of his own when it comes to defensive actions, picking up 35 points for CBIs including four points for 32 CBIs in a single game against Hull. Sunderland’s Patrick van Aanholt (H, 4.5) offers a nice mix of eight defensive points and three big chances created in 13 starts in the sub-4.5 bracket. While Aston Villa’s Alan Hutton (4.0), Dummett (H, 4.0) Wisdom (U21, 4.0) and QPR’s Yun (4.0) appear to be the bargain basement starters.

Midfield

Most big hitters are fit and have been scoring well at this moment in time so we’ll take a look at mid-priced players. West Ham’s Stewart Downing (H, 5.5), Swansea’s Gylfi  Sigurdsson (6.0) and Spurs midfielder Nacer Chadli (6.0) are the budget intruders into the elite. Sigurdsson’s two-game suspension and Chadli’s recent compassionate leave makes Downing the de facto choice here, though Chadli could be a great differential for his double Gameweek 28. Finally Mile Jedinak (5.0) who takes penalties and has picked up eight CBIs and 7.9 recoveries per game is also on 4.8 points per match.

Forwards

Diego Costa (10.5) sits top of the league for points per game, but with a two-game suspension, a blank Gameweek and a second two-game suspension looming when he reaches 10 yellow cards, he could be burning an expensive hole on your bench for much of the remainder of the season. Sergio Aguero (12.0) and Daniel Sturridge (11.5) are both back from injury just in time to make the replacement easy. At the cheaper end, QPR’s Charlie Austin (H, 6.0) and Spurs striker Harry Kane (U21, 5.5) seem essential as the third and fourth top scorers in the league, with their double Gameweek further boosting appeal. Meanwhile Wilfried Bony (8.5) at Manchester City and new arrival Jermaine Defoe (6.0) could be differentials for those looking to acquire new signings. Ashley Barnes (H, 4.5) and Bobby Zamora (H, 4.5) have both made 20 appearances this term for those who need a truly budget forward.

Gameweek Rotations and Double Gameweeks

Gameweek 24

This weekend is relatively quiet on Matchday 2; Man United, West Ham, West Brom, Stoke, Newcastle and Burnley are the teams playing. If possible try and have at least three players from these teams.

Gameweek 28

This will be a very tricky Fameweek to do well in as only six teams play on Matchday 1, then QPR and Tottenham have a double Gameweek. Having a handful of players, probably defenders, from Southampton, West Brom, Aston Villa, Crystal Palace, Sunderland and Hull could be a boon in this Gameweek. On Matchday 2, Man City host Leicester, Liverpool host Burnley and QPR and Tottenham start their double Game week, and remember you only have seven substitute spots to fill. This is before we entertain the Chelsea/Leicester double Gameweek which could yet fall here.

Gameweek 29

This is the only Gameweek left with a confirmed Matchday 3. Having Liverpool or Swansea players gives you a third bite at the cherry for this Gameweek.

Gameweek 31

If Leicester beat Aston Villa in the FA Cup, this is the most likely fixture date for the Chelsea/Leicester double Gameweek. Chelsea’s other fixture that week is Stoke at home so three to four  Chelsea players looks like a must for this.

Gameweek 38

All teams play at the same time so you won’t be able to make any substitutions. Chelsea vs Sunderland, Hull vs Man U and Arsenal vs West Brom are the choice fixtures to have an eye on.

Further Thoughts

UEFA Cup

Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton are in the UEFA Cup and the further they progress, the more Matchday 2 fixtures they will pick up. However, conventional wisdom says to take these fixtures with a pinch of salt as the teams carry fatigue and rotation headaches over from the UEFA Cup to the Premier League.

Complete Fixture Tracker

To look into fixture rotations in further detail, I’ve created a complete fixture tracker that highlights Matchdays and double Gameweeks. If you wish to bookmark it, I will be keeping it up to date as new information becomes available.

Ownership

Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Raheem Sterling, Sigurdsson, Alexis Sanchez, Wayne Rooney, Kane, Krul, Aguero, Aaron Ramsey & Eden Hazard all have 33% ownership or more. If you’re part of the chasing pack, see which of these you can do without. My bets are on Costa, Rooney and Ramsey.

Meanwhile Defoe, Mesut Ozil, Theo Walcott, Oscar, Jonathan Walters, Sadio Mane, Elijero Elia, Toby Alderweireld & Bellerin all have less than 5% ownership.

Conclusion

Look at the fixtures, look for the players who shine in UFPL and remember it’s a squad game will be settled by your Fosters, your Williamses and your Downings as much as your Sanchezes, your Hazards and your Agueros. I wish your squad the best of health and some friendly second Matchdays towards the end of the season. Good luck, we’ll all need it.