In this weekly article, we look at the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players who are a caution away from a one-match ban.
We also round up which FPL assets are already suspended ahead of next Saturday’s deadline.
The good news is that players on four bookings aren’t a concern going into Gameweek 16, as any fifth caution and subsequent suspension can be addressed with the unlimited transfers over the World Cup break.
A reminder: punishments for yellow card accumulation are competition-specific, whereas suspensions for dismissals cover all competitive matches.
CURRENTLY SUSPENDED
Four players reached the unwanted five-caution target at the weekend, the most notable of whom was the 16%-owned Diogo Dalot (£4.8m).
Bournemouth’s Chris Mepham (£4.4m) and Fulham duo Kenny Tete (£4.4m) and Harrison Reed (£4.5m) were also booked for the fifth time in 2022/23.
That quartet will all be suspended for Gameweek 16.
On the red card front, Diego Costa (£5.5m) will observe the second and third games of his three-match ban in the Carabao Cup and Gameweek 16, returning after the World Cup break.
Joao Cancelo (£7.4m) and Nelson Semedo (£5.0m), sent off for the denial of goalscoring opportunities on Saturday, will be available for Gameweek 16, as their one-match bans will be served in midweek cup ties.
Ivan Toney (£7.4m), Bruno Fernandes (£9.8m), Joelinton (£5.9m) and Bobby DeCordova-Reid (£5.5m) all return from suspension this weekend after sitting out Gameweek 15 through yellow card accumulation.
ON FOUR YELLOW CARDS
There are currently 18 players on four yellow cards, three of which are well-owned forwards: Gabriel Jesus (£8.0m), Harry Kane (£11.6m) and Aleksandar Mitrovic (£6.9m).
William Saliba (£5.2m) and Fabian Schar (£4.9m) are the other FPL assets with double-digit ownerships who are also on four bookings.
WHEN ARE THE CUT-OFF POINTS FOR SUSPENSIONS?
The table above is taken from the Football Association website and details the cut-off points for the various yellow card thresholds.
The one we’re concerned about right now is the five-caution mark, an unwanted target that Premier League players will have to avoid for their team’s first 19 league matches of the season.
Following the wave of postponements over the last month, that is no longer Gameweek 19.
| Team | 19th fixture falls in… |
| Arsenal | Gameweek 21 |
| Aston Villa | Gameweek 20 |
| Bournemouth | Gameweek 20 |
| Brentford | Gameweek 20 |
| Brighton | Gameweek 21 |
| Chelsea | Gameweek 21 |
| Crystal Palace | Gameweek 21 |
| Everton | Gameweek 20 |
| Fulham | Gameweek 20 |
| Leeds | Gameweek 21 |
| Leicester | Gameweek 20 |
| Liverpool | Gameweek 21 |
| Man City | Gameweek 21 |
| Man Utd | Gameweek 21 |
| Newcastle | Gameweek 20 |
| Nottm Forest | Gameweek 20 |
| Southampton | Gameweek 20 |
| Spurs | Gameweek 20 |
| West Ham | Gameweek 20 |
| Wolves | Gameweek 20 |
The above will change if there are any rearrangements of the postponed fixtures before that but there are few available windows.
Keep your eyes peeled on our Suspension Tightrope widget over the coming weeks and months, as we’ll be updating that after every Gameweek to keep you informed on the latest disciplinary developments.
