Five-time top 1k finisher Tom Freeman answers some of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) community’s questions ahead of the Gameweek 10 deadline.

You can get more tips and advice on our dedicated Gameweek 10 page here.

“Risky wing-backs or safe centre-backs?” (from Twister Saltergater)

My top three defenders in the game right now are Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.6m), Joao Cancelo (£6.4m) and Ben Chilwell (£5.9m), all of whom combine clean sheet potential with some serious attacking threat, so for now at least, it’s comfortably the risky wing-backs. However, if doubling up, I prefer to pair them with a safer, less rotation prone option like Ruben Dias (£6.2m) or Antonio Rudiger (£5.8m), rather than someone like Reece James (£5.6m), for example.

“Is it worth investing in a Leeds player ahead of their Norwich fixture, perhaps a gamble on Joe Gelhardt?” (from Rossendale Rover)

Firstly, this fixture is about as good as it gets right now, which is why I’m starting Raphinha (£6.7m) in my own squad. It’s just a shame that Leeds aren’t truly clicking in the final third. You have to go all the way back to August since they last scored two goals in a single game, which does put me off a short-term punt, especially with a tougher schedule to follow. Re Joe Gelhardt (£4.5m): he’s shown potential, but I just don’t see him starting regularly, so for me, he’s not an option right now.

“Is there a better £4.5m option than Tyrick Mitchell after Gameweek 10? Confused whether to go for him or Andersen.” (from Pingissimus)

I really like Tyrick Mitchell (£4.5m) as a budget defender option, and actually included him in my Scout Squad entry ahead of Gameweek 9. You are right to flag up Gameweek 11, too, which is when fixtures ease, and remain pretty good right through until January.

Defensively, Palace’s numbers have been reasonably solid so far, as they rank sixth for non-penalty xGC, only behind Man City, Wolves, Chelsea, Brentford and Brighton. I expect that’ll drop a bit after tomorrow’s trip to the Etihad, but it’s worth remembering that they have already played Liverpool and Chelsea away from home, which is encouraging. All in all, I’ve been pleasantly surprised by Patrick Vieira and his team so far.

“What do you think the Man City starting midfield will be in Gameweek 10?” (from Shipston Trev)
“Is Foden a must-have?” (from Logical)

That’s a tough one, Trev, but I’ll give it a whirl! Personally, I think we’ll see Rodri (£5.5m) screening the back four, with Kevin De Bruyne (£12.0m) and Bernardo Silva (£7.0m) in the no. 8 roles. Further forward, I think it’ll be Gabriel Jesus (£8.6m), Phil Foden (£8.2m) and Jack Grealish (£7.8m) again, but I could of course be completely wrong on this – Pep Roulette isn’t something I, or anyone else for that matter, has truly mastered yet.

This also ties in with a few other questions which came in re Foden, which I’ll answer here. I brought him in as a Son Heung-min (£10.2m) replacement back in Gameweek 8, when it looked like the latter was going to miss out with Covid. Being totally honest, I wasn’t that enamoured with the move at the time, it was more about the fixtures than the player. However, my perception has changed after watching him closely, as he has been excellent, and I genuinely think he is the best no. 9 option at the club right now. The issue with Foden has always been minutes, and it does seem like he is a little more secure at this moment in time, at least for now that is.

I also liked this segment from our recent Big Numbers article, which highlights his impact when on the pitch:

“8.82 points per match averaged by Phil Foden in his last 11 Premier League starts for Manchester City, which dates back to last season. The young midfielder has scored eight goals and assisted a further seven during that period. Even factoring in his six ‘one-pointer’ substitute appearances during this purple patch, Foden still averages 6.06 points per game.”

“Should I sell Harry Kane if he looks as bad against Man Utd as he did vs West Ham?” (from Internal Error)

I also own Harry Kane (£12.1m), and will probably end up holding him till at least Gameweek 15 regardless of his performance on Saturday. West Ham United were superb defensively last weekend, with Kurt Zouma (£5.4m), Angelo Ogbonna (£5.0m), Declan Rice (£5.0m) and Tomas Soucek (£5.8m) forming an effective box, which proved too much for Spurs to break down. Against easier opposition, like we saw against Newcastle in Gameweek 9, they should be fine, and Kane will be a big differential going into that run between Gameweeks 12 and 15, when they take on Leeds (h), Burnley (a), Brentford (h) and Norwich (h).

“Took a -12 and now have a very strong bench. Should I Bench Boost now or wait for the Double Gameweeks?” (from Critical Theorist)

Personally, I’d wait till one of the big Double Gameweeks next year. That isn’t to say playing a Bench Boost with one round of fixtures can’t work – I did it successfully last season – but ideally, you want to use it when the big teams have a couple of fixtures, else you run the risk of only 13-14 players turning up.

“There is a lot of focus on Chelsea and Kai Havertz as a short-term punt due to injuries, but could Callum Hudson-Odoi also be considered as cheaper alternative and way into their attack for one-to-two Gameweeks?” (from TLF)

I had a look at Callum Hudson-Odoi (£5.3m) myself, but it does feel a bit too short-term for my liking, especially with Romelu Lukaku (£11.5m) and Timo Werner (£8.6m) due back after the international break. I’d argue that his numbers haven’t been great, either, having mustered just two shots in the box against Aston Villa, Southampton and Norwich combined. Of course, he could haul against Newcastle, but it does feel like it’s a transfer waiting to happen, and I prefer Kai Havertz (£8.1m) over the next couple of weeks, or Mason Mount (£7.5m) if you want someone you can hold longer-term.

“Wildcard key picks for this week?” (from Knowledge)

If I were playing a Wildcard this week, I’d be looking to include Alexander-Arnold, Cancelo and Chilwell at the back, and probably add a Brighton defender and Tino Livramento (£4.4m), too. In midfield, I’d go Mohamed Salah (£12.9m), Son and Foden, with Ivan Toney (£6.6m) and Kelechi Iheanacho (£7.0m) further forward.

“Other than Sanchez and Foster, which other goalkeeper can be a good replacement for Raya?” (from Nuclear Atoms)
“Best goalkeeper to pick on a Wildcard?” (from Akash)
“Replacement for Raya?” (from Ankit)

Great questions, and it’s something I’ve been pondering myself as a David Raya (£4.6m) owner. My initial instinct was to reintroduce Robert Sanchez (£4.6m), who I sold on my Gameweek 7 Wildcard. However, part of me thinks Alvaro Fernandez (£4.5m) could be the way to go. Brentford are a system team, which means that they should be able to handle the loss of Raya, while the numbers put up so far have been encouraging. After nine Gameweeks, only Man City, Wolves and Chelsea have a better non-penalty xGC, which is especially impressive given that they have already faced Liverpool, Chelsea and Leicester City.

“Lukaku replacements? Already have Antonio and Toney.” (from Omri Zuckerstein)

I’d be looking at Iheanacho, or perhaps Callum Wilson (£7.3m) from Gameweek 11 onwards. The former I really like, having been impressed with Leicester City since reverting to a 3-5-2 formation in Gameweek 8. Since then, they’ve beaten Man Utd and Brentford, and have a nice run right through until Gameweek 16.