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The Technical Area – The Optimum Gameweek 31 Line-up

Constructing sides with just a single Gameweek in mind is a rare treat in Fantasy Premier League (FPL), which typically prioritises medium-to-long-term thinking when it comes to squad composition.

Yet with just four scheduled matches in Gameweek 31, many of us now find ourselves doing exactly this. Managers who choose to deploy their Free Hit Chip for this coming weekend can assemble a side from scratch, tailored specifically to best exploit the weekend’s fixtures. Meanwhile, a number of other managers may choose to ‘dead-end’ their sides this week ahead of deploying the Wildcard chip in Gameweek 32.

Managers on both sides of the coin have no doubt been observing the form of our eight participating sides (Liverpool, Everton, Watford, Bournemouth, Crystal Palace, Stoke, Huddersfield and West Brom) closely over the past several Gameweeks, with this particular weekend in mind. With the deadline now looming, however, the time has finally come for us to commit to the players we hope will salvage premium point tallies from this meagre spread of fixtures.

Although managers with active Free Hit chips obviously boast more freedom and are able to tailor their entire squad to this Gameweek, even those preserving this chip for later Gameweeks will no doubt find themselves heavily investing in Gameweek 31 assets over the coming days.

This week’s Technical Area will be closely inspecting the Gameweek 31 candidates, to produce a blueprint for managers – particular Free-Hitters – to follow during the process of their own squad construction.

This will be guided by Fantasy Football Scout’s own Rate My Team tool, as well as some standalone statistical and eye-test observations of recent form among key assets.

780 Comments Post a Comment
  1. seanie3
    • 12 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    my mini league leader is showing as 10m in the bank and no transfers made? he never had that last week.

    Does that mean he has activated the FH chip for this week.

    1. captaincuddles
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 11 Years
      6 years, 1 month ago

      Yep sounds like it. Would only be free hit or wildcard but wouldn't make sense to wildcard on SGW.

  2. MrFrodo
    • 12 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    Which one would you go without for GW31

    A. Zaha
    B. Shaqiri
    C. Mounie
    D. Stanislas

    1. Jonny JAB
      • Fantasy Football Scout Member
      • 9 Years
      6 years, 1 month ago

      Mounie

  3. jnglizt
    • 13 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    So I've had RLC on my bench this whole time he's been injured and been unable to ship him out. Was gonna bin him this week for Stanislas but looks like he might be back in contention - anyone got any further info on this?

    I've got 2 FTs so if I hang onto RLC I could use them elsewhere to field a full 11

  4. BobBradleysOpportunity
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    there's a new post for anyone who didn't know!

  5. Cmondown
    • 7 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    ok ive got my FH and WC left and can only field 4 players at the moment,

    strategy suggestions???

    why the WC after GW31 that seems to be popular?

    1. romer
      • 7 Years
      6 years, 1 month ago

      Playing the FHC now will allow you to have a full squad playing in Gw31, and playing the WC in 32 or 33 will allow you to know the dgw fixtures for Gw34 and stock on these players to play the bench boost in this gw.

  6. HD7
    • 7 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    Team is on -4 so far...

    VVD
    Stanislas Shaq Salah
    Firmino Wilson Mounie

    Should I take another hit for Baines or Zaha?

    1. Mike82
      • 7 Years
      6 years, 1 month ago

      I don’t see many clean sheets about, Zaha for me

  7. @FPL_liverbird (liverpoolfa…
    • Fantasy Football Scout Member
    • 7 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    A)Play 9.5 and no hit (depoitre =0.5)

    or

    B) Depoitre to Mounie/King -4 for 10 players

  8. Ajax Hamsterdam
    • 9 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    it s unlikely that kane price will drop down tonight isnt it ?

  9. Mike82
    • 7 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    So tmrw my line up is
    Robertson, Daniels
    Salah (c) L.Cook, Milivojevic
    Firmino

    No FH, No WC, should I ignore this GWK and carry x2 transfers over to next?

    Thinking of Kane > Auba and L.Cook > Son

  10. Shappy
    • 6 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    Do you still get a FT if you use FH?

  11. Deulofail
    • 8 Years
    6 years, 1 month ago

    Thanks for the article. I have to pick you up on one of my pet peeves though:

    "Such a move not only broadens the potential for clean sheet returns by diversifying our defensive portfolio"

    You are increasing the chance of getting a CS (i.e. exactly 1 CS), but you have 2 players, so you are interested in the likelihood of getting 1 or more CSs. By diversifying, the odds of each individual players' chance of getting a CS is not affected. You're not broadening any potential (which is a pretty vague and empty phrase tbh).

    If players A and B have 90% chance of a CS, and player Z has 5% chance of a CS. Which 2 are you going to choose? Now if I told you A and B both play for Everton, does the answer change?

    Anyway, thanks again for the article. I have 7 out of your ideal 11 without any hits, plus 4 more. Hoping Hennessey, VVD, Coleman and Wilson outscore their "ideal" counterparts, Butland, Schindler, Ake and Mane 😀