In the Suspension Tightrope, we look at the players close to a ban, already suspended or returning from the naughty step in Gameweek 18.
As we’ll explain below, there’s not long to go until Premier League players are free – at least in the short term – from the ramifications of yellow card accumulation.
HOW MANY BOOKINGS RESULT IN A BAN – AND WHEN ARE THE CUT-OFF POINTS?
We’ve taken the above table from the Football Association website. It details the cut-off points for the various yellow card thresholds.
The one we’re concerned about right now is the five-caution mark. This is an unwanted target that Premier League players will have to avoid for their team’s first 19 league matches.
There have been no postponements this season, so that’ll be after Gameweek 19 for all 20 clubs (barring any Christmas cancellations!).
Punishments for yellow card accumulation are competition-specific, whereas suspensions for dismissals cover all competitive matches.
ON FOUR YELLOW CARDS
There are nine new additions to the 33-strong list.
Everton pair James Tarkowski (£5.5m) and Vitalii Mykolenko (£4.9m) are two of them, for those considering a Toffees defender for their favourable fixture swing.
Three Spurs players also joined the list: Micky van de Ven (£4.6m), Richarlison (£6.4m) and Rodrigo Bentancur (£5.3m).
Ibrahima Konate (£5.4m), Nico Gonzalez (£5.9m), Nikola Milenkovic (£5.1m) and Enzo Le Fee (£4.9m) round off the new entries.
Antoine Semenyo (£7.7m) and Bruno Guimaraes (£7.0m) are among the other well-owned names who were already on four bookings.
ON THREE YELLOW CARDS
There are 48 others who have a bit more breathing space on three yellow cards.
They’d have to be booked in both of the next two Gameweeks to pick up a ban.
Marc Guehi (£5.3m), Virgil van Dijk (£5.9m), Igor Thiago (£7.1m) and Phil Foden (£8.9m) are among the well-owned names here.
The in-demand Harry Wilson (£5.8m) is also on the list.
SUSPENDED IN GAMEWEEK 18
Only one player reached five yellow cards in Gameweek 17 but it was a significant name: Liverpool’s Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.7m), who features in 700,000+ FPL squads.
He’ll be back in Gameweek 19.
Xavi Simons (£6.5m) and Cristian Romero (£5.0m) both serve suspensions for red cards they received on Saturday. Simons is banned for three matches, Romero one.
Luke O’Nien (£4.0m) still has one match to go of a three-match ban, meanwhile.
Hannibal Mejbri (£4.8m) is three games through a four-match suspension for misconduct – but as he’s off to AFCON, he’ll serve the rest of his ban while in Morocco.
Mykhailo Mudryk (£4.9m) remains indefinitely suspended by the FA.
BACK FROM A BAN IN GAMEWEEK 18
Casemiro (£5.5m), Yerson Mosquera (£4.3m), Lewis Dunk (£4.5m) and Diego Gomez (£4.9m) are all back from suspension in Gameweek 18.
