Eight-time top 10k finisher Zophar hosts his weekly Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Q&A ahead of Gameweek 31. Here, the topics include the Assistant Manager, chip strategy, Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.4m) replacements and whether to keep or sell Phil Foden (£9.2m).
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Q: For those planning on using the Assistant Manager in Gameweeks 31-33, who are the best options? And is it worth booking in Assistant Manager transfers or just going with the same manager in all three Gameweeks? My current thinking is Thomas Frank in Gameweek 31 and Oliver Glasner in Gameweek 32/33 to chase the table bonus!
(via ROYALEBLUE)
A: There are two sides to the transfer argument. You could say that transfers are very precious now as we have to plan for two consecutive doubles, a blank and another possible double/blank in Gameweek 36/37. So, pick your Assistant Manager and stick with him for three weeks.
You could also make the argument that it’s the most powerful chip in the game and one where a manager transfer can yield you 20 points in a single week. Neither are wrong, but I lean towards the first argument. At most, I want to make one transfer over the next three Gameweeks for the Assistant Manager.
If you have already Wildcarded in Gameweek 30, you likely have left a spot open for either Eddie Howe (£1.5m) or Oliver Glasner (£0.8m). I think picking one of them and sticking with it is perfectly reasonable. The table bonus is gone for Glasner in Gameweek 31 but it’s still there in Gameweeks 32/33.
If you’re looking to start with table bonus this week, I think the options are Thomas Frank (£0.8m), Graham Potter (£0.5m), Ruben Amorim (£0.8m), David Moyes (£0.5m) and Marco Silva (£1.1m), ignoring Leicester City and Southampton. Of the lot, I think Frank probably appeals the most. You would expect them to get a draw at least against Chelsea.
If you’re looking for someone who doesn’t occupy your three Newcastle and Palace slots and you stick and forget for three weeks, then Unai Emery (£0.8m) is a good shout. Villa have been on a fantastic run of form and don’t have any table bonus but then again, they don’t really have three nailed-on FPL assets now with such a deep squad and rotation imminent.
Q: When should I play the following chips in the remaining Gameweeks: Triple Captain, Free Hit, Wildcard and Bench Boost?
(via BLUETIGER1)
A: I think you play the Wildcard now (ie Gameweek 31). Free Hit in Gameweek 34 lends itself naturally to that, if you are going to triple up on Arsenal, Man City, Palace and get some Villa, all of whom blank in Gameweek 34. It is likely that two of those teams will double in Gameweek 36 as well, so you are setting yourself up for that, too.
The Triple Captain and Bench Boost are really open. You can’t Bench Boost 15 Double Gameweek players this season, the way the fixtures are landed, so it’s going be single Gameweek players whichever week you choose to do it. If you are keen on Triple Captain Alexander Isak (£9.5m) in Gameweek 32, you Bench Boost in Gameweek 33. However, if the recent injury concerns on the Swedish international put you off, Bench Boosting that week is reasonable as well with Chelsea/Forest players having good single Gameweek fixtures.
You could even choose to save the Triple Captaincy for a potential double in Gameweek 36, or just use it on somebody like Omar Marmoush (£7.5m) even if he has a single fixture, like against Southampton in Gameweek 36.
Q: Best Villa midfielder on a Wildcard?
(via Caligula’s third favourite horse)
A: Marcus Rashford (£6.6m) looks to be the most upside one right now, with the former Manchester United winger playing up front for Villa against Brighton. However, with the Southampton fixture sandwiched between the two PSG ties, rotation is likely and predicting a starting XI against the Saints is virtually impossible.
Villa have the FA Cup semi-final a few days after their second fixture in Double Gameweek 33 (against Man City), as well, so Emery could opt to rotate there too. It’s all a bit of a minefield. The safest one is probably Morgan Rogers (£5.5m) as Emery seems reluctant to bench him whatever the fixture. Even he could miss out in 32 against Southampton, however, as the PSG ties are over six days rather than eight.
Q: Phil Foden: keep or sell?
(via @alexwaterbaby)
A: Phil Foden (£9.2m) was an unused substitute against Leicester and my personal opinion is that it was to give him a rest with the Manchester United fixture at the weekend. This could be wishful thinking on my part as a Foden owner!
Jack Grealish (£6.4m) mentioned post-game that he was disappointed to be left out in the FA Cup match against Bournemouth, having started the previous cup fixture, so perhaps this was a way for Pep Guardiola to compensate. Only Pep knows for sure, though.
What we should keep in mind is Man City’s upcoming schedule. If you are uncertain of his starting spot against Man Utd, you could bench him and play somebody like Jacob Murphy (£5.0m). Then in Gameweek 32, Man City have the early kick-off, where you will likely get a leak on Foden starting. Double Gameweek 33 follows, where you would expect Foden to start one game at least. There’s another early kick-off Gameweek 35, while Gameweek 36 is another possible double.
So, to cut to the chase, I wouldn’t be buying Foden on a Gameweek 31 Wildcard right now as the money fixture against Leicester has already passed. However, as an owner, I am willing to hold onto him for the aforementioned reasons and assess closer to Gameweek 33.
Q: Is David Raya still the top GK option with Gabriel and Jurrien Timber injured?
(via @footballfan5220)
A: Arsenal’s defence is weaker without Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.4m) in there, there’s no questioning that. However, picking the third Arsenal pick has also become more difficult now. There’s William Saliba (£6.3m) and Bukayo Saka (£10.3m) but beyond that, it’s a bit of a minefield. Jakub Kiwior (£4.8m) should come in for the Brazilian but it could also be Ben White (£6.1m) or Jurrien Timber (£5.6m) playing at centre-back, if fit. It’s difficult to get the Polish international now; perhaps you can be more certain if he does well against Madrid and Brentford.
So keeping this in mind, and the fact that I do expect Arsenal to still keep churning out clean sheets, I would still pick David Raya (£5.5m) as my Gameweek 31 Wildcard goalkeeper. The problem with picking someone like Dean Henderson (£4.6m) is that finding a permaplay defender has now become more difficult, so Daniel Munoz (£5.1m) still warrants inclusion.
Q: Best replacement for Gabriel?
(via @chliford)
A: As mentioned in the earlier question, I expect Kiwior to come in for the Brazilian but I wouldn’t buy him this week. I still want to see how he does against Madrid and Brentford before investing, which most of us can do with a Newcastle defender on our bench this week against Leicester. Even then, you can make an argument that he could be rotated when White is fully fit. The Arsenal fixtures after Gameweek 34 also do not really warrant a defensive double-up with Raya/Saliba.
I think the Forest defenders are the best set-and-forget defensive assets, si I would go for one of the centre-backs: Nikola Milenkovic (£5.0m) or Murillo (£4.7m). This is assuming you already have Munoz and Josko Gvardiol (£6.1m). Either of those two would obviously rank higher given the upcoming double.
