In this regular article, we look at the latest Fantasy Premier League (FPL) disciplinary situation.
And we bring you good news ahead of Gameweek 20: there are now only five Premier League players sitting on four yellow cards who are at risk of a one-match ban.
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.
Most clubs have now passed that point following the Gameweek just gone, with only four sides yet to contest their 19th fixture of 2023/24:
| Team | 19th fixture falls in… |
| Bournemouth | Gameweek 20 |
| Brentford | Gameweek 20 |
| Luton Town | Gameweek 20 |
| Man City | Gameweek 20 |
A reminder that punishments for yellow card accumulation are competition-specific, whereas suspensions for dismissals cover all competitive matches.
ON FOUR YELLOW CARDS – AND STILL AT RISK OF A BAN
With no Manchester City player sitting on four cautions, the five players above are the only ones at risk of a one-match ban as we go into Gameweek 20.
Marcos Senesi (£4.5m) and Issa Kabore (£4.0m) both have FPL ownerships around the 5% mark, with the other three sitting in fewer than 0.3% of squads.
Kabore, Tom Lockyer (£4.3m) and Kristoffer Ajer (£4.5m) are all flagged anyway due to injury or health reasons.
So, then, the likes of Darwin Nunez (£7.5m), Joachim Andersen (£4.9m) and Hwang Hee-chan (£5.7m) – all of whom are sat on four bookings – are no longer at immediate risk of a suspension for yellow card accumulation.
THE RACE TO (AVOID) 10 BOOKINGS
Premier League players now have to avoid picking up 10 yellow cards before their team has contested 32 top-flight fixtures.
If that fate does befall them, they’ll be hit by a two-match ban.
No-one is at imminent risk of a two-match suspension but there are a handful of assets who are already well on their way to 10 bookings, as seen above.
WHO IS CURRENTLY SUSPENDED – AND WHO WILL RETURN FROM A BAN IN GAMEWEEK 20?
Dejan Kulusevski (£7.2m), Lewis Dunk (£5.0m), Gustavo Hamer (£5.0m), Anel Ahmedhodžić (£4.3m) and Ibrahima Sangare (£4.9m) all fell at the final hurdle in Gameweek 19, picking up their fifth bookings of the season. They’ll sit out Gameweek 20 as a result.
Ben Mee (£4.8m), Boubacar Kamara (£5.0m) and Yves Bissouma (£5.0m) also remain unavailable after their Gameweek 17 red cards.
This is the last Gameweek that Ivan Toney (£7.9m) will be suspended for, as his eight-month exile from competitive football ends on January 16.
Sandro Tonali (£5.2m) remains banned until August, however.
Matty Cash (£4.7m), Cole Palmer (£5.6m), Raheem Sterling (£7.1m), Jayden Bogle (£4.5m), Kai Havertz (£7.1m), Frank Onyeka (£4.9m), Willy Boly (£4.5m) and Raul Jimenez (£5.2m) all return from bans this weekend.
