Gameweek 31 Wildcard: Pros, cons, best drafts

Those Fantasy Premier League managers still with a Wildcard to play will be seriously considering deploying it ahead of Gameweek 31, which offers the promise of points aplenty, and a fixture swing that leans nicely towards Double Gameweek 34.

There are pros and cons to playing any Wildcard. Those who used it last week, for example, will have benefited from returns for Mohamed Salah (£13.3m), Son Heung-min (£10.1m) and Jarrod Bowen (£7.9m).

Conversely, many of those same managers are now having to contend with using transfers to replace the injured likes of Jamal Lascelles (£3.9m), Alphonse Areola (£4.3m), Nathan Ake (£5.1m) and possibly even the suspended Anthony Gordon (£6.0m).

Seize the day

It’s always reassuring to know you have a Wildcard in reserve for a rainy day but leave it too late and you can miss out on the myriad points you could have earned by playing it sooner.

Playing your Wildcard now means you benefit from fantastic fixtures for Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, starting in Gameweek 31, without having to take the hits to get those attractive assets in. You also get to enjoy the advantage of eight weeks’ worth of points from those players rather than, say, four, were you to wait until Gameweek 35.

Strike first

Premium and popular players will already be starting to find their way into the teams of mini-league rivals, so failure to act now means that they will be enjoying returns from those players long before you get in on the act.

Those assets will only increase in value over the next few weeks so if you leave it too late you might even be priced out by the time you get around to playing your Wildcard.

Gameweek 31 gimme

You couldn’t really ask for better fixtures in Gameweek 31 for Arsenal and Liverpool.

The Gunners are at home to Luton Town, who have not won on their travels since Boxing Day, have the third-worst defence in the Premier League and conceded four in the reverse fixture against Arsenal, who are the division’s top scorers and boast the best defence in the league.

A treble-up on Arsenal should not be far from your thoughts – the only question is which three to go for: William Saliba (£5.8m), Gabriel (£5.3m) and Bukayo Saka (£9.0m)? David Raya (£5.0m), Saliba and Saka? Saliba, Saka and Martin Odegaard (£8.5m)? All are very viable options.

Liverpool are also flying high just now, are home to Sheffield United in Gameweek 31 and have Salah back. The Egyptian King had 12 shots in Gaameweek 30 against Brighton, the most he has ever had in a Premier League match. Both he and Darwin (£7.6m) can be expected to return against the worst defence in the division. Darwin has returned four times in his last six matches and can be trusted to fire against the bottom side. Liverpool are also worth the treble-up with Alexis Mac Allister (£5.8m) having returned in his last five matches one to consider.

Gameweek 31 promises to be prosperous for Son, too, as opponents West Ham have been atrocious in defence, conceding 21 goals in their last eight matches. Son is the third-highest scorer in FPL, has scored 36 points in his last four matches and West Ham will be forced to play Lukasz Fabianski (£4.2m), who conceded three goals in 45 minutes at Newcastle in Gameweek 30 after Areola went off injured.

Double Gameweek

A quick glance at the Fixture Difficulty Rating shows that there are huge gains to be made from drafting in Arsenal, Liverpool and Spurs players for Gameweek 31. Even the Gunners’ tougher matches, against Brighton and Aston Villa, offer the potential for goals – such is the attacking approach of those opponents.

And it’s also worth remembering that although Spurs don’t have a Double Gameweek 34, they do still have two more matches to be rescheduled, from which the likes of Son, the fit-again Richarlison (£6.9m), and the in-form Brennan Johnson (£5.8m) can benefit.

Something to play for

As the season reaches the business end, it’s worth bearing in mind that some clubs will have more to play for than others. Arsenal, Liverpool and Man City are still going for the title right now so are less likely to entertain the notion of rotating their squads, even if their European ambitions are still alive.

Aston Villa and Spurs are also going all out to finish at least fifth – while at the other end of the table, the clubs at risk of relegation are still fighting tooth and nail to stay in the division.