FPL Wildcard Q&A: Darwin, Isak, goalkeepers + best defenders

Our team of Hall of Famers and guest writers are writing about all things Fantasy Premier League (FPL) in 2023/24. Next up, seven-time top 10k finisher Zophar takes a Wildcard special of his usual weekly FPL Q&A.

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Q: What are your thoughts on picking a second Spurs midfielder over Bukayo Saka (£9.1m) on the Wildcard?

(via @mycaymanfan)

A: The early news coming from Spurs is that Richarlison (£6.9m) is a doubt for Gameweek 30 and I think he’s clearly their second-best midfield option when available. Rather than go for somebody like James Maddison (£8.0m) now, I would like to leave that spot open for the Brazilian in case he is fit and firing as Spurs’ centre forward by the time Gameweek 36 comes around.

I also think Saka has big points potential over the upcoming fixtures and will likely outscore any Spurs midfielder until then except Son Heung-min (£10.1m).

Q: How would you rate Darwin Nunez (£7.5m), Alexander Isak (£7.6m) and Nicolas Jackson (£6.8m) for the run-in, versus the security of minutes for Ollie Watkins (£9.0m) and Dominic Solanke (£7.2m)?

(via @yala_leopard)

A: Starting with Jackson, he’s an interesting one. The data has been outstanding all season and I think he’s actually improved a fair bit – if he wasn’t currently on nine yellow cards, he’d be an easy inclusion for me.

Unfortunately, because Chelsea have only played 27 matches so far, he has five more before reaching the amnesty threshold and will therefore likely soon be missing two games. If that happens, you either bench him for those Gameweeks and play your eighth attacker, or you transfer him out. The latter seems to make little sense as you’d likely want him back for Doubles 36 and 37 anyway.

Meanwhile, Darwin is a hugely popular pick amongst Wildcard users as there is the obvious appeal of Liverpool’s kind schedule before the Gameweek 34 double. He sat out the international break due to a hamstring issue and the consensus amongst the community is that it was just a case of ‘internationalitis’.

I’m not so sure. Because if it was nothing whatsoever, Darwin would have linked up with his country. Two weeks may be more than enough time to recover from it but I don’t think we can conclusively say until Jurgen Klopp talks. He is also on eight bookings, nearing a two-game suspension.

I fully expect him to start against Brighton and Hove Albion but I worry that Sheffield United (h) comes just three days before they visit Manchester United. Liverpool can dispatch the Blades with Cody Gakpo (£7.2m) and Harvey Elliott (£4.8m), meaning there’s a chance Darwin is restricted to a cameo. Apart from that, I think he’s a great pick – especially if you’re not looking to Free Hit 34.

As for Isak, he played 90 minutes for Sweden in both of their friendlies, the last of which was on Monday. This suggests that he’s over his fitness worries and will recuperate for Saturday’s meeting with West Ham United. Fitness permitting, Isak should start the remaining games as Newcastle United’s centre-forward.

Three of their appearances before Gameweek 34 are at home and, even though the Magpies have been shoddy defensively, their attacking numbers have always been decent and they should continue to score goals. I’m pretty certain all Wildcard 35 teams will feature Isak, so it’s a transfer you’ll likely have to eventually make if you don’t get him now.

Although Watkins is great for this week, he is without any doubles and is soon away to Manchester City and Arsenal. This makes the Aston Villa star sellable. It’s perfectly ok to hold him as well but I think it could be the time to go against his ownership.

With Solanke, I think the schedule to Gameweek 35 is outstanding and his manager Andoni Iraola says he has trained “at 100%”, overcoming the injury issues that plagued him before this international break. I later plan to sell Solanke for a Double Gameweek 37 asset but will likely have him now due to his security of minutes in a three-match week.

Q: Which goalkeeping combination would you bring in on a Wildcard, if Free Hit in Gameweek 34 and Bench Boost in Gameweek 37 is the plan?

(via JOLETOURISTE)

A: This is a position short on choices. With Chelsea and Spurs likely to have another double before the Gameweek 37 ones, you’ll probably want a goalkeeper from one of these sides. Either Djordje Petrovic (£4.5m) or Guglielmo Vicario (£5.3m). The latter is just too expensive when Destiny Udogie is £5.0m, ruling him out for me.

Chelsea’s schedule is also great between now and Gameweek 33 but my main problem with having both Petrovic and Malo Gusto (£4.2m) is that it locks you out of a Jackson purchase later on, once his suspension threshold has been overcome. The Blues’ likely two doubles – West Ham and Spurs, then Nottingham Forest and Brighton – look good for goals and, however poor Jackson’s finishing may be, he’s still posting great underlying numbers and is involved in every Chelsea attack.

Another worry is that, with Chelsea having 11 games remaining, will Mauricio Pochettino randomly chuck Robert Sanchez (£4.5m) in goal? Recent updates say that the Spaniard is injured but that may be short-term, we don’t know yet. But given what we know, I think Petrovic will probably be my first choice.

For the second keeper, ideally you’ll want someone with good Gameweek 31 and 35 fixtures alongside Double Gameweek 37. Man United’s Andre Onana (£4.8m) has Burnley (h) in one and a pair of home games in Double Gameweek 37 but travels to Chelsea in Gameweek 31, which isn’t great. Plus, £4.8m is expensive for a stopper you’re likely going to use just twice.

Jordan Pickford (£4.6m) has Brentford (h) and Sheffield United (h) in Gameweeks 35 and 37 but it’s only a small saving, so you might as well go with Onana.

Elsewhere, other options are Ederson (£5.5m), Martin Dubravka (£4.2m) and Caoimhin Kelleher (£3.8m). The Man City option is a decent idea but it’s a lot to spend for a goalkeeper, while the other two are short-term enablers with Nick Pope (£5.3m) and Alisson (£5.7m) expected back sometime in April. It’d involve booking a future transfer.

If you’re not going for Conor Bradley (£4.2m), I don’t mind the Kelleher route but possibly taking a later hit in this position won’t be fun, with limited gameweeks to pay back those four points.

So, in short, Petrovic and Onana are the best pairing for me.

Q: Best Wildcard 30 defenders?

(via @drbenmcnair)

A: Most people on a Wildcard this week are looking to Free Hit in Gameweek 34 so let’s look at it from that perspective. Firstly, I wouldn’t remove Gabriel Magalhaes (£5.3m) despite him lacking a Double 37 when you’ll likely Bench Boost. Arsenal are the league’s best defence and all of the fixtures barring Gameweeks 30 and 35 look decent for both clean sheet prospects and attacking returns. The Brazilian can become Kieran Trippier (£6.7m) later on, or just be left in for Double 37 knowing that he has a good Gameweek 38 too.

Malo Gusto – There has been some talk about not including Gusto, as there’s a possibility of Reece James (£5.3m) minutes in the final weeks. Yet that seems a little far-fetched, as there’s absolutely no timeframe on his return. Whereas Gusto by himself is a good pick. No defender has created more big chances (five) than the Frenchman since Gameweek 22 and he is also top for expected assists (xA, 2.00). At £4.2m and such a schedule, he’s an easy pick.

Jamaal Lascelles (£3.9m) – Perfect bench fodder now that Sven Botman (£4.5m) is injured. Newcastle are top of Scout’s fixture ticker from now until the end.

Pedro Porro (£5.9m) – This spot can also be Udogie or Cristian Romero (£5.1m) and, if buying today, I understand the reluctance of paying £0.9m more than Udogie. If money isn’t a problem, I prefer Porro but Udogie is a fine alternative.

Conor Bradley – Probably the most difficult one to decide. With the recent news that Trent Alexander-Arnold (£8.5m) will likely miss the next few matches and maybe even Gameweek 33, I think Bradley offers plenty of short-term upside and is worth using a free transfer on later when some funds can be freed up.

If you don’t fancy that, I think Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.1m) is a good shout. Even though they only have a single Gameweek 34, Everton’s Jarrad Branthwaite (£4.2m) gets to host Sheffield United. Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.5m) is also an appealing pick but I feel you’ll purely be having him for attacking returns.

Check out this week’s The FPL Wire episode (below) where we discuss these along with other Wildcard dilemmas.