With the next Fantasy Premier League (FPL) deadline nearing, we’re hearing from our panel of guest writers. Here, five-time top 1k finisher Tom Freeman discusses his Gameweek 8 Wildcard team.

This week, I’m going to talk through my Gameweek 8 Wildcard team.

There will likely be some adjustments before the deadline, but after reading this piece, you should at least have a clear understanding of the players under consideration.

Firstly, after much deliberation, I’ve decided to Bench Boost in Gameweek 10 instead of Gameweek 9. It means I can target some nice differential picks from Fulham and Sunderland, who host Wolverhampton Wanderers and Everton respectively.

I also don’t need to worry about my Crystal Palace players against Arsenal in Gameweek 9, as they can simply be moved to the bench.

GOALKEEPERS

Nick Pope (£5.1m) is my preferred goalkeeper, given Newcastle United’s defensive solidity.

The Magpies have conceded only five goals in seven matches, giving them the joint-second-best defensive record in the Premier League. They are also second for expected goals conceded (xGC), having allowed their opponents chances worth just 4.89 expected goals (xG) thus far.

Additionally, Newcastle are top of the Fixture Ticker right through until the end of the year:

The second ‘keeper spot is much harder to decide on.

Martin Dubravka (£4.0m) is the obvious cheap option and optimal from a structural perspective; however, he is set to face Arsenal in Gameweek 10, which is when I plan to Bench Boost.

Bart Verbruggen (£4.4m) and Giorgio Mamardashvili (£4.3m) are the other two names under consideration, but for now, Dubravka is in my draft.

DEFENDERS

The defence consists of Gabriel Magalhaes (£6.3m), Joachim Andersen (£4.5m), Chris Richards (£4.5m), El Hadji Malick Diouf (£4.4m) and Nordi Mukiele (£4.0m).

I’ll subsequently avoid Marcos Senesi (£5.0m) and Bournemouth’s defence for now, given the tricky nature of three of their next four fixtures (cry/NFO/mci/avl).

Instead, Gabriel is preferred to Jurrien Timber (£5.9m), primarily for the added security of starts. I actually owned the Dutchman pre-Wildcard, and I’m not entirely dismissing him; however, if I do choose to pursue Timber, it will be alongside Gabriel rather than in place of him.

Andersen, Richards and Mukiele all rank among the top 10 defenders for defensive contribution (DefCon) points:

Diouf, meanwhile, is included for his offensive threat.

If Nuno Espirito Santo does indeed switch to a three-at-the-back/wing-back system against Brentford on Monday, which has been reported, I expect his final-third influence to grow even further.

Aside from Timber, the only other defender really under consideration right now is Trevoh Chalobah (£5.1m).

MIDFIELDERS