Fantasy Football Scout community writer Greyhead analyses the transfers and strategies of some well-known Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers in his series of The Great and The Good articles.
This season’s names are the BlackBox pair of Mark Sutherns and Az, Scouts Joe Lepper, Tom Freeman and Andy North, Pro Pundits FPL General, Pras, Zophar, FPL Harry and Lateriser, FPL ‘celebrities’ Ben Crellin, Luke Williams and FPL Fran, Hall of Famers Fabio Borges, Jan Kepski, Markku Olaja and Seb Wassell, plus last year’s qualifying mini-league winner Geraint Owen.
“I’m undefined. I’m just beginning. The pen’s in my hand. Ending unplanned.”
The new year. A time for reflection and, of course, resolutions. I probably won’t be the first to suggest that we should all perma-armband Mohamed Salah (£13.6m) every week for the foreseeable after he again punished those who thought Cole Palmer (£11.4m) was a good idea in the final round of 2024 matches. Variance, eh?
Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s (£7.2m) resolution appears to involve joining Real Madrid, so his 15-point brace pleased FPL owners and the agents negotiating his contract in equal measure.
Then we had Matheus Cunha (£7.0m) – our very own pantomime villain or hero, depending on whether you sold him. He scored on one occasion, went off hurt on another and then the FA Spokesperson – the real one, this time – confirmed a two-match domestic ban.
Finally, we had some late Christmas cards flying around. It’s worth taking note if you own Morgan Rogers (£5.5m) or Jurrien Timber (£5.7m).
Right then, how did The Great and The Good find their way through this festive chaos?
OVERALL PERFORMANCE
Gameweek 18 saw several reach the 70s, with Joe just edging the highest score with 75. Naughty boy Cunha was there but the difference makers were unlikely heroes Dean Huijsen (£4.4m) and Bart Verbruggen (£4.5m).
Mark Sutherns was nearby on 73, despite taking a hit to remove Cunha for Gabriel Jesus (£6.9m). Timber and the always-overlooked, now-injured Jarrod Bowen (7.5m) helped him move into the top 200k.
Yet Gameweek 18 belonged to Geraint Owen, who is doing a Luke Littler as he took top spot in his first season of The Great and The Good. However, that was short-lived as Pras quickly returned to first place and a four-point lead.
Pras has played a blinder so far this season, reaching the top 500k in Gameweek 2 and not looking back. He’s spent the last eight weeks inside the top 65k and is now flirting with a four-figure digit rank.
As expected, he has Palmer, Salah and Alexander Isak (£9.2m), whilst adding Alexander-Arnold at the right time and showing patience in Cunha. Pras has plenty of squad depth too, allowing him to cope with unexpected suspensions such as Bruno Fernandes‘ (£8.3m). Having now collected a couple of Crystal Palace assets, expect their stock to rise over the coming weeks.
Not that he was Gameweek 19’s top scorer. That honour belonged to Tom Freeman. 104 points, even affording to leave the dozen of Lewis Hall (£4.8m) on the bench.
His score derived from a Liverpool triple-up and a calculated gamble on Jesus. Some would say he’s quite good at picking a differential or two.
The other centurion was Andy North, after finally achieving some transfer success by bringing in goalkeeper Alisson (£5.4m). Though the real gains came from his firm hold of Chris Wood (£6.7m).
TRANSFERS
Selling Bukayo Saka (£10.3m) was the obvious move in Gameweek 18. Fernandes was a popular replacement but let’s hope buyers kept their receipts after he saw red.
Interestingly, Pras and Harry kept faith in the Portuguese playmaker.
Ismaila Sarr (£5.9m) offered a cheaper alternative for those looking to restructure. In fact, Crystal Palace was the popular destination for New Year sales, as their players became the latest fad. Those who took Eberechi Eze (£6.6m) reaped the biggest rewards – well done Markku, Luke and Jan.
Meanwhile, after three weeks of rolling, Fabio Borges finally ventured into the transfer market. He made three moves for a gain of 11, mainly through moving Raul Jimenez (£5.6m) to Isak, alongside the exits of Saka and Matthijs de Ligt (£5.0m). It demonstrates his transfer strategy of removing the weak links when making moves. Which sounds obvious, yet many of us overlook it.
Noteworthy in Gameweek 19 was FPL General ignoring the Palace party and heading to Newcastle United for Anthony Gordon (£7.4m). Only he and Mark Sutherns own the attacker, who has 28 points in four matches.
THE GREAT AND THE GOOD TEMPLATE
A game of musical chairs took place over the festive party season. Saka departs and is replaced by Martin Odegaard (£8.4m), though the jury is out as to whether that’s a good move.
We also saw a clear out with Mark Flekken (£4.4m) and Jacob Greaves (£3.9m) making way for David Raya (£5.6m) and Daniel Munoz (£4.7m).
Fabianski (44.4%), Raya (38.9%)
Gabriel (94.4%), Alexander-Arnold (88.9%), Hall (61.1%), Munoz (38.9%), Mykolenko (33.3%)
Palmer (100%), Salah (100%), Rogers (61.1%), Odegaard (38.9%), Mbeumo/Sarr (33.3%)
Isak (83.3%), Joao Pedro (66.7%), Cunha (38.9%)
SEASON STATS
As seen in the table, Ben Crellin and Geraint Williams are the only ones to have broken the 400-point barrier when it comes to captaincy. The former has taken risks by letting six different players hold his armband but they’ve averaged 23 points, so this has obviously pleased the FPL gods.
Pras is considerably richer than others when it comes to team value, although the usual value kings of Mark and Harry are up near the top showcasing their prioritisation of cash, which intends to help them climb up the ranks in the final weeks. Will they need it to eventually afford Erling Haaland (£14.8m)?
Transfer-wise, Mark is the most active and has taken four hits, while six managers are yet to spend points on additional moves.
CONCLUSION
2025 brings an opportunity to think creatively when attempting to climb up the ranks. Find that differential forward, or simply buy Wood instead like everyone else.
Whatever you decide to do, I wish you nothing but green arrows for the rest of the season – just not as green as mine.
Anyway, that’s all from me for now and remember: don’t have FPL nightmares.
Those affected by any of the topics raised in the above article can find me here on Twitter or BlueSky.
