Fantasy Premier League Question Time is back once again to help you with your dilemmas ahead of Gameweek 11.
Managers are still reeling from the surprise benching of Andrew Robertson (£6.4m) and the absence of Marko Arnautovic (£7.0m) while some are worried about their Bournemouth assets.
All of these subjects have been put to our latest panel for discussion…
Who’s on the panel this week?
Chief #FPL Manager – This man has finished inside the top one percent six times in his career as a Fantasy manager and is one of the biggest influencers in the FPL Twitter-sphere
James Egersdorff – You can’t get much more experienced than this man when it comes to FPL. After yet another season inside the top 5,000 managers in 2017/18, James is a former leader of the Fantasy Football Scout ‘Hall of Fame’.
Lee from FPL Family – One half of the popular married couple who play FPL together and run a YouTube channel.
Question 1 – Chief
Is it KDB time? Or is Mané a better option for that slot for the next two weeks at least?
“Based solely on their game time and performances in Gameweek 10, it’s safe to say that Mané is the standout pick for now.
“The Senegal international ended a five league game drought with a much-needed brace against a beleaguered Cardiff team.
“I expect him to take advantage of Arsenal’s inconsistent defence and Fulham’s woeful backline in the weeks ahead.
“In addition, despite a brief interlude of not scoring, Mane’s six league goals since Gameweek 1 have come from only 13 shots which validates his accuracy when in front of goal.
“Of course, Salah could encroach on his Fantasy returns but if the weekend demonstrated anything it showed that they both complement each other rather well under Klopp’s current system.
“I have no doubt that De Bruyne will become a must-have again before the end of this year. He could be immune to Pep’s rotation during the busy December fixture rush by virtue of very little game-time in August.
“As tempting as it is to bring in De Bruyne against Southampton, there’s no guarantee that he will play a full match, let alone have involvement in any goals.
“If Monday night is anything to go by, he is still off the boil and lacking in match fitness.
“We may need to wait a while before we see him demonstrate the kind of form that has led him to register 60 attacking returns in just over 100 Premier League games.”
Question 2 – James Egersdorff
‘With the rotation at the weekend, what’s the consensus on Liverpool’s defence? Should we just stick to the option we have and hope for the best? Is doubling up too risky? Is Lovren an option?’
“There’s no question that a Liverpool defender is a valuable addition to any FPL squad. At the time of writing, they have the second best defensive record in the league, having kept six clean sheets and conceded only four goals.
“There’s also no question that given the intense demands on players of the League, European and Domestic Cup schedule combined with the burden of international fixtures, rotation amongst the top teams is not avoidable. It is inevitable.
“Liverpool, as with many of the top sides have the luxury of two international calibre defences; Robertson, Van Dijk, Gomez and TAA would be the first choices most people’s eyes, but Moreno, Lovren, Matip and Clyne provide a backup defence that most Premier League sides would fall over themselves to secure.
“This for me means that yes, doubling up is probably too risky. Not because of Liverpool’s lack of defensive quality but because of the unpredictability over game-time.
“Robertson and Van Dijk are sensible options for their attacking and bonus potential but FPL managers need to mitigate the risk of rotation by having regular starters amongst their subs.
“This in itself can help to rise up the rankings as rival managers overlook the rotation risk factor and carry non-playing reserves.
“Is Lovren an option? Sure, he’s a sub £5m defender playing in a great team. Will he be rotated? Absolutely.
“As a Robertson owner, was I disappointed to see him rested on Saturday? Yes. Was I surprised? No.
“However, I can take comfort in the fact that he’s now had his rest which should hopefully mean it’s somebody else’s turn to sit out next time around.”
Question 3 – FPL Family
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5 years, 6 months ago
A) Mitro to Arnie for -4?
B) Fraser to Deulofeu for -4?