Our panel of Fantasy Premier League managers have answered some of your questions in time for your Gameweek 2 preparation.
Key subjects topics have been touched on such as transfer strategies, the unexpected impact of returning World Cup stars and Marcos Alonso’s (£6.5m) impressive Gameweek 1 haul.
Once again, we had an overwhelming response to our request for questions. Unfortunately we can only answer a handful each week but keep your queries coming in for the rest of the season.
Here’s a reminder of who is on the panel for your Gameweek 2 Question Time:
FPL General – Has finished in the top 500 in three of the last four seasons and is a big influencer in the FPL Twitter-sphere.
Ben McNair – Australian FPL manager Ben has four finishes inside the top 5,000 so far and is an expert in all things metrics-related.
Holly Shand – Founder of the popular Fantasy Football Community website and recent video star for Official FPL.
Josh and Brandon from Always Cheating Podcast – The brains behind popular American-based FPL podcast ‘Always Cheating’.
QUESTION 1 – FPL GENERAL
Is Gameweek 2 a definite time to save a transfer unless your team is in dire straits? Considering the planning that goes into an initial squad, is saving a transfer wise?
General: “I always plan to save my transfer in GW2 so that I’ll have two free transfers for GW3 which gives so much more flexibility.
“I wouldn’t say it’s a definite time to save though. Already, there are a couple of players that I want to bring in as soon as possible, Mendy and Mane in particular, which may change my plans this week.
“It’s important to keep an eye on the possible price changes this week as well which could prevent you from making the moves you want to make later in the week especially if you’ve got £0.0m in the bank.
“Saving a transfer is wise, but if there is a player you feel is essential, go get him.”
QUESTION 2 – BEN MCNAIR
With players from the latter stages of the World Cup coming back earlier than expected, is an international break Wildcard the most viable option to bring them in or is there a better time to do so?
Ben: “We feared the worst as the Gameweek 1 team sheets were revealed, but those of us who avoided World Cup semi-finalists got off lightly.
“A rare N’Golo Kante goal may have been what hurt our rank most. Harry Kane lacked sharpness and Kevin De Bruyne and Eden Hazard played just 44 minutes between them. Importantly, the players we did choose tended to perform well. In the wake of it all, the only late returner attracting a lot of early transfers is Paul Pogba.
“The short answer to the question is that we need to wait and see. Using free transfers and the odd judicious hit might see us through the reintegration of World Cup semi-finalists. The Wildcard will be there when we need it.
“It’s nice playing the Wildcard in an international break as there tend to be a few more price changes and injuries and – let’s be honest – we get to enjoy the kid-in-a-candy-store experience over what would otherwise be a barren weekend.
“But, I wouldn’t get hung up on it. When you have several fires to put out and the prospective performance of a Wildcard squad looks a lot better than that of your current squad – that’s the time to play it.”
QUESTION THREE – HOLLY SHAND
How quickly do we jump on cheap bandwagons like Pedro, Kante, Jorginho, Neves or Wilson? Is it wise to wait a week or two or get in early and make some money?
Holly: “I would give it at least another week before jumping on the cheap bandwagons.
“Some were involved in very fortunate goals and face tougher opposition in Gameweek 2. Chelsea host Arsenal and Pedro could well lose his place while Wolves travel to Leicester and therefore won’t have home advantage.
“Moves to these low budget players will probably involve a downgrade, so you’ll still be able to afford them at a reasonable price in the next couple of weeks, if it emerges that they are the real deal.
“Holding a free transfer this week gives much greater flexibility further down the line.
“Keep them on the watchlist for now. You’ve built a team for the season, not just for one Gameweek.”
QUESTION FOUR – ALWAYS CHEATING
Do you think it’s too early to look at getting Alonso or Azpilicueta in the team? I read articles that said they wouldn’t get forward as much as least season but that wasn’t what happened in Gameweek 1?
Josh: “I hate to say ‘it’s too soon to say’ but…it’s too soon to say. Let’s take a look at the pros and cons.
“The pros: strong upcoming fixtures, Sarri’s Napoli squads were some of the top defensive teams in Serie A, Alonso has great attacking instincts and Azpilicueta has been perhaps *the* preeminent set-and-forget defender for years.
“The cons: Chelsea are still transitioning from 3-4-3 to 4-3-3 and the four-at-the-back set-up should, in the long-term, hinder Alonso’s attacking potential.
“The centerback situation is completely unsettled and I don’t expect the team to truly clamp down on defense until it is.
“Also, they were playing Huddersfield, a team with one of the least-potent attacks in the Premier League. Only a week previously, a very similar squad was roundly defeated by Manchester City with Alonso and Azpilicueta not getting forward too much.
“I think the cons outweigh the pros at this point, though if I were going to pick someone in their defense I’d go with Azpilicueta for his consistency, link-up play with Morata, and the fact that he should see more attacking returns as a fullback than he did as a centerback.”
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