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Wildcard Top Tips and Pitfalls

Those of you who are regular Scoutcast listeners will know that my winter wildcard team has come under discussion from Mark and Granville in recent weeks. It has even been branded as a 'failure' after one week, something I’ve taken with a pinch of salt on the back of an 86pt Gameweek and return to the top 2K. 😉

But while the ‘failure’of my wildcard may still open to debate it got me thinking about exactly when and why a wildcard should be considered a success or failure, what strategies are needed to make it a success and what pitfalls to avoid.

Here’s my top tips and pitfalls to avoid for those still to wildcard or looking to correct any wildcard errors they may have already made.

Follow the fixtures.

Looking ahead over the next six weeks the teams where your heavy hitters would be best to come from Arsenal, ManC and Chelsea (although be aware they have a blank fixture in Gameweek 27). The worst places for heavy hitters over the coming six Gameweeks in terms of fixtures are from Liverpool and Tottenham. Although for form over fixtures fans one of Sterling, Coutinho or Sturridge may be worth considering.

In terms of budget and midpriced players the teams to look to include West Brom, Sunderland and Stoke.

Think ahead as well. Keeping one or two players with poor immediate fixtures but a good run thereafter is fine. Plus these players can often spring surprises. This is why currently I still have Downing and Austin. I can afford to carry them for a while or move them out – I have that choice thanks to having a good sprinkling of players with good next six fixures.

A Wildcard should be judged after several weeks.

A wildcard can never be considered a failure after one week. It is not a one week move, it is designed to set you up for the coming weeks. All further transfers will stem from it. If you have ensured you have lots of starters, most of which with good fixtures then you afford yourself the chance of a luxury transfer to take advantage of latest trends. I did that in Gameweek 23 by swapping Silva for Cazorla, who I captained. That move would not have been possible if I had not have just wildcarded the week before.

Gameweek 27’s blank and the Gameweek 28 double is a crucial consideration. We already know that Spurs and QPR have a double in Gameweek 28. We know that Che, Spurs, QPR and Leic have a blank in Gameweek 27. Think ahead to this and pick a good cheap defender or fifth midfielder with a good fixture in Gameweek 27. If you want to hang on to three assets from among Chelsea and Spurs’ ranks then you will need your bench players to shine that week. Among the teams with cheap assets plus a good Gameweek 27 are Burnley, New, Villa, Stoke, Sou, Swa and Sunderland (who even though they face ManU have a tendency to unexpectedly beat top teams).

A High Scoring Bench Is Inevitable

If you have got your wildcard right and packed it with players with strong fixtures and form then an unwelcome consequence will be a high scoring bench. I’m always a glass half full person when it comes to bench points. I’d obviously prefer to see those points in my XI, but I much prefer having bench points and knowing that I own players with the potential to do well, rather than looking at a bench and starting XI that are both full of duds.

Is Your New Team Better Than Your Old One?

This is the final and crucial test. Some wildcarding this week will have teams stricken by injury poor form or succumbed to rotation. If your new team addresses those, gives you flexibility, has a good spread of heavy hitters with good fixtures and good budget options to call on in Gameweek 27 then your wildcard is very likely to be a resounding success.

Finally, feel free to let us know what your top wildcard tips are as well as the key pitfalls to avoid? How has your wildcard gone?