You may be sitting there looking at your Fantasy team for Gameweek 16, waiting for the points to roll in, and notice that one, two or more red flags have suddenly appeared.
Bryan Mbeumo (£8.3m), Dango Ouattara (£6.1m), Amad Diallo (£6.3m), Ismaila Sarr (£6.4m) and 28 others are all now sporting red flags, having not done so before the deadline.
You’ve probably established the link by now: these are all individuals who are off the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).
WHY ARE THEY RED-FLAGGED NOW?
These AFCON-bound players will not be available for selection for their clubs from Gameweek 17 onwards.
They’ll miss a minimum of three Gameweeks, and as many as six.
Red flags have been added to alert Fantasy managers on the ‘Pick Team’ and ‘Transfers’ tabs to their unavailability in Gameweek 17.
WHY CAN I SEE THE RED FLAGS ON MY GAMEWEEK 16 POINTS PAGE?
“But I can also see the red flags on the ‘Points’ tab for Gameweek 16!”, you might be saying.
And you’d be right. As Amartey Partey says, Fantasy Premier League (FPL) really ought to have a code so that flags for the upcoming Gameweek don’t appear on the current one. But they don’t.
Don’t fret, however: the vast majority of your AFCON-destined players are going to play in Gameweek 16 – providing they’re not injured or suspended, of course.
The only uncertainties are the Manchester United contingent of Mbeumo, Amad and Noussair Mazraoui (£4.9m). That’s because the Red Devils’ clash with Bournemouth (who don’t have any players away at the Africa Cup of Nations) falls on Monday 15 December, FIFA’s “mandatory release” day.
Even Ruben Amorim didn’t know if his trio would be available for selection against the Cherries when asked on Friday. There is optimism, however, that at least Mbeumo and Amad will. Their countries aren’t in action until Christmas Eve, whereas Mazraoui’s Morocco contest a fixture on December 21.
Long story short: ignore the flags for Gameweek 16, pay attention to them for Gameweek 17!
