If you’re in a rush and need some last-minute Fantasy Premier League (FPL) advice, here’s a quick round-up of what you need to know about Gameweek 17.
WHEN’S THE FPL GAMEWEEK 17 DEADLINE?
All transfers and team selections need to be done by 11:00 GMT on Saturday 21 December.
BITTEN BY WOLVES ASSETS
Last week’s stoppage-time defeat to Ipswich Town not only ended Gary O’Neil’s stint as Wolverhampton Wanderers head coach but it brought misery to the many owners of two highly-selected players.
Post-match scenes saw Rayan Ait-Nouri (£4.8m) sent off for two bookings, making him immediately suspended whilst still one yellow away from another.
Meanwhile, popular forward Matheus Cunha‘s (£7.1m) altercation with an Ipswich staff member is very likely to bring a ban. The FA gave him until Thursday to respond but punishment could wait until after their trip to Leicester City.
Both are owned by at least 50% of The Great and the Good, reflecting the wider landscape of active managers.
Pro Pundit Zophar likes Chris Wood (£6.6m) and Daniel Munoz (£4.7m) as replacements for the pair, though the latter is also suspended for Gameweek 17.
TIME FOR FULHAM?
Alternatively, three of Fulham’s next four fixtures are attractive home outings, pushing their players onto the FPL radar.
Antonee Robinson‘s (£4.8m) two Anfield assists were well-timed. They put him alongside Ait-Nouri and Nathan Collins (£4.5m) on six attacking returns, the most of all defenders. He and Raul Jimenez (£5.5m) are unanimous Scout Squad picks, though the latter has only one goal from his last seven starts.
Perhaps better attacking coverage of the Cottagers comes from midfielder Alex Iwobi (£5.8m). On five goals, he’s one of this season’s best finishers and also beats both Jimenez and Emile Smith Rowe (£5.5m) for expected goal involvement (xGI) over the latest six games.
CHAOTIC CHRISTMAS SCHEDULE
In fact, Raul is one example of uncertainty during this period of tight festive turnarounds. We’ve already discovered that certain teams have it better than others.
Whether it’s due to age, injury history or being part of a big squad, notable names like Nicolas Jackson (£8.3m), Ollie Watkins (£8.9m), Pedro Porro (£5.6m), Lewis Hall (£4.6m) and Joao Pedro (£5.9m) could see themselves benched in Gameweek 17, 18 or 19.
That’s why upcoming transfers will ideally bring in those who are seemingly nailed-on to start.
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 17 CAPTAIN
Leading contenders are mostly away from home. Mohamed Salah (£13.4m) is the recommended armband recipient of both Captain Sensible and our Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm.
In second place, they agree on Cole Palmer (£11.2m), though third is split between Alexander Isak (£8.8m) and Bruno Fernandes (£8.4m).
TEAM REVEALS
SCOUT PICKS + DIFFERENTIALS
Our weekly selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – includes the aforementioned Fulham duo Robinson and Iwobi.
Yet an interesting differential pick could be Robinson’s right-sided colleague Timothy Castagne (£4.2m), now that Kenny Tete (£4.5m) is out for a while.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
We’ve predicted the starting XIs of all 20 Premier League teams.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with FPL Gameweek 17!
