Welcome to my regular look back at the month’s key Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players; March saw some impressive returns from well owned players and differentials alike. I will also take a look ahead to those teams with the best fixtures in April, in addition to touching on the much talked about double Gameweeks. There will also be an assessment of the Chips in terms of how many players have used them, and what it means for the remainder of our seasons.
Goalkeepers
The highest-scoring keeper for the month of March was Kasper Schmeichel (22) from Leicester. As the Foxes continue to mount their challenge for the title, the Danish shot-stopper saw three clean sheets as Leicester emerged as one of the toughest teams to break down over the month. Liverpool’s Simon Mignolet (21), who recorded two clean sheets and a penalty save for Liverpool, ran Schmeichel a close second for the accolade of March’s best goalie.
Manchester United’s David de Gea (20) was third with a pair of clean sheets, in addition to save and bonus points. Tied in fourth were Swansea’s Lukas Fabianski and West Ham’s Adrian (18). The latter managed a tidy sum of points despite only having three fixtures in March.
Defence
When Swansea keep clean sheets, skipper Ashley Williams has a habit of getting a high number of bonus points. For this reason he ended up as the highest scoring defender last month on 27 points from two clean sheets and a goal. Williams’ centre back partner Federico Fernandez was also among the points, but considerably behind on 22. Bournemouth’s Steve Cook (24) was in fine form with a brace of goals for the month in addition to a clean sheet.
Hector Bellerin (23) started the month frustrating owners with his lack of attacking returns. But with only three fixtures for Arsenal, he delivered three assists, a clean sheet and six bonus points.
Leicester duo Danny Simpson and Christian Fuchs tied for 22 points, with team-mate Wes Morgan a couple of points behind on 20. Lastly the ever-popular Toby Alderweireld (21) for Tottenham continued his steady flow of points with a goal and two clean sheets.
Midfield
After a decline by his standards over the last few weeks, Leicester’s Riyad Mahrez (29) finished the month as the highest-scoring midfielder. Elsewhere, Fantasy Football Scout favourite Gylfi Sigurdsson (28) returned a very nice sum for those willing to invest.
The return of Josh King from injury and into the Bournemouth starting XI saw a brace and an assist for 25 points. Likewise for Bournemouth, the contribution from Matt Richie’s four-assists, earned him 23 points, along with the return of Max Gradel for 19 points.
Another popular pick, Dmitri Payet (24), continued his fine display of form with an attacking return in all three of his matches last month. Teammate Michail Antonio was on the lower end of returns but still managed an adequate 18 points. Liverpool duo Roberto Firmino and Adam Lallana tied for 21 points, while elsewhere in Merseyside, Aaron Lennon (20) impressed for Everton.
Dele Alli (21) continued his fine run of form for Tottenham and still offers great value for money .
Attack
Up front, only three strikers managed to impress last month. Unsurprisingly, Harry Kane (37) finished as the top-scoring striker and the top-scoring player for last month by a large distance. The Tottenham forward bagged five goals and maximum bonus on two occasions as he pushes for the golden boot. Graziano Pelle’s 31 points was perhaps a surprise to many as he bagged three goals and a pair of assists for Southampton. With a mixed run of fixtures ahead and no double Gameweek, it may deter many to invest in him. Lastly, comes Jermaine Defoe (21) as he looks to help Sunderland avoid relegation this season. With only three fixtures last month, he managed an attacking return in each one, with a brace of goals and a solitary assist.
Chips
The following estimate is taken from a 20,000 sample conducted by FPL Discovery. As we can see below, the numbers are starting to stack up, particularly for the top 10,000. With 44% using their Triple Captain (TC) and 54.3% using their Bench Boost (BB), we would expect to see a significant rise in rank for those just outside the top 10,000, who still have their key Chips in place, when the double Gameweeks come around.
Furthermore, 35% in the top 10,000 have only one Chip remaining (second Wildcard, All Out Attack, BB, TC) and if we go a step further, just under 60% have two Chips remaining (most being a combination of Wildcard, BB and TC), though a good percentage of those will include All Out Attack too.
Top 10,000
Wildcard – 47.4%
Triple Captain – 44.0%
Bench Boost – 54.3%
All Out Attack – 67.0%
Number of chips played in the top 10,000 on average
0 – 10.3%
1 – 24.9%
2 – 23.9%
3 – 23.7%
4 – 17.2%
Overall
Wildcard – 22.0%
Triple Captain – 38.9%
Bench Boost – 32.4%
All Out Attack – 31.7%
April Preview
With many clubs having double fixtures in Gameweek 34, it means there will be teams with as many as six fixtures in April. Several sides stand out that should be worth investing in for the forthcoming double Gameweeks in an effort to try and move up the ranks. I think Balders’ and Ryan’s recent articles on the double Gameweek are two fantastic pieces worth reading in order to decide which approach you feel applies most to you and your team.
Arsenal (WAT, whm, CPL/ WBA, sun, NOR)
Without a doubt, tripling up on Arsenal looks essential to gaining ground on the ranks. For many, the dilemma of whether to have double defence or double attack seems to be a popular conundrum. With Arsenal having a favourable game in GW35, many see safety in owning goalkeeper Petr Cech as a cheaper alternative to owning the more expensive, but attacking full-back Hector Bellerin.
In midfield, the usual suspects remain Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez who will undoubtedly have to work harder to save the season for club and Fantasy managers alike.
Some have opted to punt for recently-favoured Danny Welbeck up front, though with Olivier Giroud constantly lurking in the background it may prove to be a risky move for that precious third striker spot.
Liverpool (TOT, STO, bou/ EVE, NEW, swa)
I am quite fond of teams with a home fixture, and Liverpool have four over the next six. For the same reasons above, many will opt for the cheap Simon Mignolet as a nailed-on defensive asset with a plum Gameweek 35 fixture. Elsewhere, Mamadou Sakho and Nathaniel Clyne are most likely the safest options in the back four given the uncertainties over the other spots.
In midfield there are several options with the most popular being similarly priced Brazilian duo Phillipe Coutinho and Roberto Firmino. An unlikely maverick move perhaps comes in the form of James Milner who has set pieces in his locker and boasts a cheaper price.
Up top, there are not many options bar Daniel Sturridge whose fitness will certainly be put to the test over the next month. As a very expensive asset, it remains to be seen whether he will bring investors frustration or joy.
Everton (mun, wat/ cpl, SOT/ liv, BLANK, BOU)
As mentioned above, I do feel safer with home fixtures and Everton, unlike their Merseyside rivals, have four away games from their next six. Having said that they do have two consecutive double Gameweeks and strong recent away form. Over their last four away matches Everton are unbeaten, scoring an incredible nine goals along the way. This makes Romelu Lukaku, a stand-out pick, especially given the lack of rotation up top for Everton.
Goalkeeper Joel Robles is a very cheap pick for those wishing to rotate with a more premium keeper, especially given Everton’s two clean sheets over their last four away games.
If Kevin Mirallas is dropped it may add some appeal to Leighton Baines once more for free kicks and possibly corners. Ross Barkley remains the most common midfield pick, with a reputation as “champion of the casuals”, though his form and consistency remains sketchy at times. Aaron Lennon is gaining a lot of attention from his form and as a cheap fifth midfielder, though it is possible given Everton’s hectic schedule he may have to share game time with Gerard Deulofeu.
Also consider…..
Manchester City (bou, WBA, che/ new, STO, sot)
I couldn’t include Man City outright as they have four of six away games and their form on the road has been downright terrible this season. The return of Vincent Kompany later in April and Kevin De Bruyne, possibly as soon as Gameweek 32, may change that, but for now I think a “wait and see” approach could be most beneficial.
No doubt Sergio Aguero is the prime candidate for including in our squads, as both a captaincy option and a double Gameweek choice. David Silva and Yaya Touré have the potential to cause upsets but will need to improve their form massively to tempt Fantasy managers to invest.
Newcastle (nor, sot, SWA/ MCI, liv, CPL)
Like Man City, a “wait and see” approach is probably the safest option at this crucial point in the season. We haven’t seen much of Rafael Benitez’ Newcastle, but they do look focussed on keeping it tight at the back in these early stages. Concerns surround the positioning of Moussa Sissoko and Georginio Wijnaldum at the moment, but two picks that are tempting Fantasy managers for the forthcoming fixtures are the attacking Daryl Janmaat and the hot-headed striker Aleksandar Mitrovic. Whether they prove fruitful remains to be seen over the next few weeks.
Given the injury to keeper Rob Elliot while on international duty Newcastle are expected to field Karl Darlow in goal. Priced at just 3.9, he could prove a handy enabler over the double Gameweeks.
