Throughout the 2022/23 Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season, our team of Pro Pundits, Hall of Famers and guest contributors will be sharing their thoughts, tips and own transfer plans.
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Here, two-time Indian FPL champion Lateriser answers questions from the community regarding Gameweek 13 Wildcards and appealing cheap defenders.
Q: For those who are planning a Gameweek 13 Wildcard, which players should be targeted for haul-chasing? (from @KaziHyder7)
A: Hi Kazi, thank you for the question. Firstly, let’s look at the fixture ticker from Gameweeks 13 to 16:
I think you should start by looking at the best two teams in the league – Manchester City and Arsenal – and fill up those first six slots. The likes of Erling Haaland (£12.2m), Phil Foden (£8.2m), Gabriel Martinelli (£6.6m) and Bukayo Saka (£7.8m).
Foden and Saka are the top two midfielders for non-penalty expected goals (NPxG) and offer way too much for their price, in my opinion. They are my top two targets after Gameweek 12 and I suspect managers might be slow to get Saka because those spots are on names like James Maddison (£8.3m), Jarrod Bowen (£8.2m) and Wilfried Zaha (£7.4m).
The value of Martinelli is unmatchable. For the last Man City slot, the decision is yours out of Joao Cancelo (£7.3m) and Kevin De Bruyne (£12.4m). I would go Cancelo due to defenders falling like flies these days and it also allows you to spread cash around your team.
The final Arsenal player would be between Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m) and Ben White (£4.5m), depending on your squad composition.
One forward that I really like is Gianluca Scamacca (£6.7m). David Moyes mentioned that his new signings are now blending in and the Italian impressed me against Fulham. Most of the big chances fell to him and – at his price and with three juicy home games between Gameweek 13 and 16 – I like the cut of his jib.
Sticking with West Ham United, Lucas Paqueta (£6.0m) is settling in nicely and Bowen has found his rhythm, which bodes well for them.
Despite looking dicey and inconsistent, Liverpool have three very juicy fixtures and I’d throw an attacker or two in there. They are still in the top five for expected goals (xG) and are capable of scoring a ton of them against any opposition.
Mohamed Salah (£12.7m) could be a huge differential, with Klopp mentioning in his post-match interview that Salah was a “lot closer to goal” for his six-minute hat-trick against Rangers. It makes me optimistic that he could play closer to goal in the near future, especially with Trent Alexander-Arnold (£7.3m) injured, who used to play the inside spaces on the right.
Q: In your opinion, is it best to Wildcard in Gameweek 12 or 13? (from @_skippern)
A: Following the question above, I think Gameweek 13 is the best time to Wildcard simply because you won’t have to worry about Manchester City and Arsenal assets.
I also think that it enables you to punt on a Spurs or Liverpool asset beforehand, without being committed to them. Cheap punts like Leandro Trossard (£6.8m) would also work, as you can Wildcard him out in Gameweek 13 once his fixtures stiffen up.
Q: Who is the best cheap defender (£4.6m and below) to replace Neco Williams (£4.1m) over the upcoming weeks? (from @AmanTalksFPL)
A: Hi Aman, thank you so much for the question. A lot of FPL managers are in the market for cheap defenders, with Neco Williams (£4.1m) unconvincing and injuries to both Alexander-Arnold and Reece James (£6.1m).
I think that, if you can see off Gameweek 12, the best defender in that price range will then be Ben White. Arsenal have a decent run of fixtures until the World Cup break (except Chelsea away) and they are a top-two defence when it comes to goals conceded as well as expected goals conceded (xGC).
He’s already created two big chances this season and, for those costing no more than £5m, he ranks sixth for touches in the final third.
Some of the other options in this bracket and their pros and cons are as follows:
- Adam Webster (£4.5m) has played 90 minutes in all Brighton and Hove Albion games but he has difficult opponents in Gameweeks 13 and 14. We also don’t know how defensively good they will be under Roberto De Zerbi, although Webster has mustered six goal attempts in the box.
- Diogo Dalot (£4.5m) has decent fixtures until Gameweek 16 but his next three are against Newcastle United, Spurs and Chelsea. He’s very attacking, with four shots inside the box and 11 chances created, whilst the addition of Casemiro (£4.9m) and Raphael Varane (£4.8m) could see him tick along nicely at both ends of the pitch.
- Wolves don’t have a full-time manager in place yet but decent upcoming fixtures make Jonny (£4.4m) an option.
- Marc Guehi (£4.3m) is a good budget pick but you’re putting faith in his favourable fixtures because Crystal Palace haven’t looked very good defensively to date.
- Kurt Zouma (£4.5m) plays for a West Ham side which has good underlying numbers, plus he has a substantial goal threat.
- Expected minutes are the problem with Matt Doherty (£4.6m) but he has double-digit haul potential in every game he starts. It depends on your management style and risk appetite.
- With Alexander-Arnold out for a few matches, Joe Gomez (£4.5m) is an interesting short-term solution but the quick turnaround could see James Milner (£4.5m) get a game at right-back. He supplied a beautiful cross to assist one of Liverpool’s goals against Rangers on Wednesday.
Q) If not Salah, who is the best Gameweek 12 captain? (from @FPL_Composer)
A: This is a very interesting question. Looking at the match-ups, you could gamble on whichever Liverpool striker sits out the game against Manchester City, as he’ll probably start in midweek.
Brighton are at home to Nottingham Forest, so punts on Trossard and Danny Welbeck (£6.5m) are something I’m not against. Alongside Maddison versus Leeds United, my favourite captain would be Trossard.
That’s it from me. You can catch more on our Gameweek 11 episode of The FPL Wire below:
