Manchester City sent the community into a spin this week with the news that, should they beat Huddersfield in the FA Cup, their Gameweek 28 clash with Stoke will be moved forward to create a double Gameweek 27.
Our hot topics consider the ramifications of this potential lucrative change to the calendar, key Sky Blues’ assets and how to deal with a double, while also battling the blanks.
How FPL’s elite managers are coping with the evolving fixture list is the focus of our community articles, as is a more immediate issue, namely the Gameweek 26 captaincy.
There’s more statistics for those with an eye on Pep Guardiola’s troops in our Members tables.
We finish off with the launch of a new community league, which aims to find out who pays the closest attention to the season ticker.
The Community Articles
With Arsenal facing two blank fixtures over the next three Gameweeks, Alexis Sanchez has become surplus to requirements for many of the community. As Top Marx’s latest analysis of the top five of our career Hall of Fame discovered, already one of this elite group has ditched the Chilean, with the others surely tempted to follow.
While the Gunner’s top scorer’s stock has fallen, Romelu Lukaku’s continues to rise.
A strong set of fixtures for Everton, which includes swerving the blanks in Gameweeks 26 and 28 and features Sunderland’s visit to Goodison Park this weekend, is a key factor in his popularity. YMA’s latest look at the best captaincy options shows that the Toffees marksman also has form on his side for those trusting him with the armband.
Don’t forget, if you’ve got some analysis, scout reports or features brewing, be sure to visit our community section to submit your article.
The Hottest Topics
Just as the community thought they had sussed the tactics to accommodate the blank fixtures over Gameweeks 26 and 28, Manchester City came along to spoil their best-laid plans.
As soon as the news broke of a potential double Gameweek 27, we canvassed your views on how you plan to cope with this revised schedule.
For Twisted Saltergater, the update couldn’t have come at a worse time, as just days before, he had jettisoned key City asset Sergio Aguero, with his prospects of regular starts improving markedly since rival Gabriel Jesus picked up a long-term injury in Gameweek 25.
But as our hot topic on the Argentine marksman showed, many still worry he will be rotated. The fear of not seeing his name in the first XI was an issue also addressed in Individual’s excellent analysis of Pep Guardiola’s troops, although AA33 FCB Champion is optimistic the striker is safe from teamsheet tinkering.
During the deliberations over City assets, we thought it best to remind the community of the points potential of Stoke City players, who also benefit from a double Gameweek 27 should the Manchester side prevail over Huddersfield.
Their keeper Lee Gant is among those many are considering drafting in, especially with the Potters facing Middesbrough at home before travelling to the Etihad.
With more than 100,000 FPL managers showing Alexis Sanchez the door, there is plenty of cash to be spent on a blank and double Gameweek squad overhaul. FPL Virgin asked for views on how you plan to spend your Chilean windfall.
Liverpool winger Sadio Mane is among the most popular replacements. He escapes the forthcoming blanks and has a trip on Monday to a Leicester City side that has shipped nine goals in their last four league matches. Dingo is also interested in the Senegalese winger but asks whether his team-mate Roberto Firmino may be a stronger option.
Although Spurs suffer a blank Gameweek 28, they have some stellar fixtures on the horizon, making them difficult to ignore, according to our discussion on the North London side’s schedule.
Brainpower will be required to cope with the considerable planning needed over the changing fixture list. But as Shawcus’s survey on your ages highlights, being long in the tooth does not necessarily bring wisdom.
Meanwhile, we had some good news from Cheeseoid that Mrs Cheese has given birth to a baby girl this week. As his post explains, this was a happy event that he thought may never happen.
The Members Tables
To help those looking for a Manchester City asset ahead of their potential double Gameweek, Papilo has constructed this table looking at their most attack-minded midfielders.
If you’re a member and are yet to get to grips with the custom statistics tables, you can view this movie for an explanation of how they work. Also, remember to tag them so that people can find the tables with ease.
The Community Tournaments
Jay has launched a new league to find out who are the best managers at tackling the changing fixture list from Gameweek 26 onwards. Further details can be found here.
If you are running a community tournament and would like the latest scores included in future Community Round-ups, please email me a brief summary of the current leaders and a link to your league, spreadsheet or head to head competition, at jonty@fantasyfootballscout.co.uk.
