Eight-time top 10k finisher Zophar hosts his weekly Q&A, giving his opinion on the best Fantasy Premier League (FPL) midfielders to own right now. He also provides a hypothetical Wildcard draft.
You can read his team reveal here.
Q: With many midfield template options becoming rotation risks or in poor form like Bukayo Saka (£10.1m), Phil Foden (£8.6m), Anthony Gordon (£7.5m), Rayan Cherki (£6.7m) and Matheus Cunha (£8.0m), which of them are priority sells this week, or can we give them one last hurrah before the Gameweek 24 fixture swing? Who are the best replacements in their respective price brackets?
Q: Is it worth doing Saka to Declan Rice (£7.4m) now? Morgan Rogers (£7.7m) or Bryan Mbeumo (£8.1m)?
Q: Keep or sell Foden for Bruno Fernandes (£9.2m) or Enzo Fernandez (£6.6m)?
Q: How would you rank midfielders in the £6.5m-£8.5m price range? I am strongly considering Antoine Semenyo (£7.6m); what are your thoughts?
Q: Do you think Foden starts versus Wolverhampton Wanderers, and if not, would you do Foden to Bruno this week rather than wait until Gameweek 24?
Q: I have Foden, Cherki and Saka. Should I do Foden to Semenyo this week and Saka to Bruno next week?
(via IAWC, z13, WVA, Winston, @iandavis101 and @DannyRhymesWith)
A: Midfield is clearly the pain point for Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers this week, and this question seemed like a good opportunity to tackle each one and assess them individually. First, let’s examine the problems and to what extent they are priority sells, before we look at the replacements. Caveat – it, of course, depends on the number of free transfers you have, your chip strategy, etc.
HOW MUCH OF A ‘PRIORITY SELL’ ARE THESE MIDFIELDERS?
BUKAYO SAKA
Even after playing 90 minutes at the San Siro in midweek, I still expect Saka to start against Manchester United. The turnaround for Arsenal is quite generous; they played Inter Milan on Tuesday and host the Red Devils on Sunday, allowing for four days of recovery. So minutes are not an issue, but you could obviously make the argument that he is not delivering on his price, and performances have not been inspiring over the last few weeks to say the least. Consequently, I don’t mind moving Saka to Rice if you need to fund other moves, but he is not a priority sell in the least, as I expect him to start their next two league matches. The price point is also useful in case Cole Palmer (£10.4m) emerges as a viable option in the upcoming weeks.
PHIL FODEN
I think that Foden’s half-time substitution in the Manchester derby was due to an injury to his hand, rather than something performance-related. The England international still started in midweek against Bodo/Glimt, and like most other Manchester City players, he had a poor night. The underlying numbers for Foden have plummeted as well. As you can see in the image below, he is not in the top 20 players for non-penalty expected goal involvement (NPxGI) over the last six Gameweeks.
Moreover, Man City’s fixtures toughen up soon with away trips to Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool, so if you’re likely to move him on in Gameweek 24, then it could perhaps make sense to do so now. At worst case, you’re losing out on whatever points he gets against Wolves, but in the best case scenario, you could avoid a possible benching. I would say he is a mid-priority sell.
ANTHONY GORDON
Gordon has been an extremely frustrating pick to own over the last four weeks, particularly while Bruno Guimaraes (£7.3m) has been plundering the points, but historically him and Newcastle United have been much better at St. James’ Park. The injuries and poor form of their other wide options mean that he should start against Aston Villa, and given that Unai Emery’s side were away to Fenerbache in midweek and are without Boubacar Kamara (£4.8m), I think it’s a good matchup. Of course, he becomes more of a priority sell next week when Newcastle’s fixtures turn sour, but for this week, he is a low-priority sell and someone I would look to keep.
MATHEUS CUNHA
Michael Carrick has options at his disposal. With Bruno nailed in the No 10 role, it’s between Amad Diallo (£6.2m), Cunha, Mbeumo, Benjamin Sesko (£7.2m) and perhaps even Patrick Dorgu (£4.3m) for the other three attacking spots. I can’t be certain that the Brazilian will start against Arsenal, so he would be a high-priority sell for me.
RAYAN CHERKI
Cherki was the only Man City goalscorer in midweek, but after two consecutive damaging defeats, there is no telling how Pep Guardiola will shuffle his pack in Gameweek 23. If you have an abundance of free transfers, I think it makes sense to move him on, as the game-time risk going forward is just not worth the hassle. But he is also a fine hold week against Wolves, where I do think City will show some sort of ‘wounded animal’ reaction. Similar to Foden, he is a mid-priority sell. However, unlike Foden, his numbers are actually decent, as you can see in the table above, which makes me slightly more keen to hold onto him.
WHO ARE THE BEST MIDFIELDERS TO BUY?
BRUNO FERNANDES
If it weren’t for the Arsenal fixture, I am convinced Bruno would have had over one million transfers in by now. He is absolute FPL gold in the No 10 role, and I wouldn’t back against him getting a return at the Emirates Stadium either. He is as close to ‘essential’ as it gets from Gameweek 24, and if you feel like Foden’s gametime looks iffy, making the move this week does make sense as it’s an obvious transfer after. Bruno is undoubtedly the top priority buy in midfield.
MORGAN ROGERS
As you can see in the above table, Rogers’ underlying numbers are actually improving; he’s second for shots (22) and eighth for NPxGI (3.36). Aston Villa’s fixture against Newcastle isn’t great this week, but from Gameweek 24, they improve significantly. There are no issues regarding minutes, but the only thing causing me some hesitation is the injuries to Kamara and John McGinn (£5.4m), who are vital cogs in this Villa team. But with Rogers, you are buying certainty, and you know what you’re getting, unlike with Mbeumo and Enzo under new managers.
ENZO FERNANDEZ
Enzo is probably the only Chelsea attacker I can recommend right now with a degree of confidence, at least when it comes to minutes. His role will change from game to game; sometimes we will see him in a more advanced No 10 position, while in certain matches he will feature in the double pivot alongside Moises Caicedo (£5.7m). Similarly, in the games where Reece James (£5.7m) or Palmer are absent, he will also be on set-pieces and penalties.
His price at £6.6m is also attractive, and Chelsea’s fixtures over the next five Gameweeks are the best in the division. He will have frustrating games, though, and he is not a high-volume shooter, but instead relies on the odd big chance every game. Chelsea also have not shown a lot of attacking cohesion yet under Liam Rosenior, but he’s a low-priced ticket into the lottery. In the sub-£7m bracket, he is the standout option.
BRYAN MBEUMO
I am trying not to get carried away with the impressive nature of Carrick’s troops against Man City, and I don’t expect Mbeumo to play every game as the centre-forward. However, I do think his starting spot as one of the three attackers outside of Bruno is very secure, though we might see some early subs. We might also see him moved up front in some games when Sesko is subbed off. Either way, he is one of their primary goal threats and will always be closer to the goal than someone like Enzo. However, there is still a bit of uncertainty as to how the Red Devils will fare in games against a deep block, which they will likely encounter after the Arsenal fixture. Either way, you’re not rushing to buy him this week, but he is a top target for Gameweek 24.
COLE PALMER
It’s gone under the radar that Palmer has now started eight consecutive Premier League games for Chelsea. He was left out of the squad midweek, with Chelsea perhaps prioritising his availability for the weekend and the Premier League in general. He did score his penalty against Brentford, but apart from that, he had a poor game, and the traditional bursts into the box we are used to seeing from Palmer were completely absent. At £10.4m, it seems like a huge outlay right now for a player and team that are not really firing. One for the Watchlist, but low on the list of targets at the time of writing.
FLORIAN WIRTZ
As the table showed, Florian Wirtz (£8.3m) is third for NPxGI (4.24) only to the Brentford duo, and the new dual ’10’ system which Arne Slot used in midweek should suit the German international. However, their fixtures stiffen up a bit after Bournemouth with Newcastle and Man City, and I think there are other targets we should look at in the short term.
ANTOINE SEMENYO
Semenyo is probably the most nailed-on City midfielder to start against Wolves with his midweek unavailability. As a result, Semenyo is the midfielder I like the most this week. The last two words are imperative, though. After this Gameweek, the fixtures turn and he only has the competitive advantage of being unavailable for the Champions League for the next two Gameweeks, then the playing field levels with the other City attackers. If you have him, he’s even a viable captaincy option, but I am not sure if he is someone I would buy this week, unless you want to captain, of course.
ILIMAN NDIAYE
Everton’s talismanic winger is back after winning the African Cup of Nations (AFCON), and I expect him to go straight into David Moyes’ starting lineup. The fixtures for Everton are decent, and at that budget price, you’re also getting penalties. It’s close between him and Enzo in that bracket, but I just prefer the Argentinian slightly with Chelsea’s fixtures. He’s a good pick, though.
In general, the high upside matchups are few and far between this week, and unless you have a plethora of free transfers or are completely convinced about game-time risks, it’s a good idea to wait one week for more information. Of course, leaks on Saturday could decide it.
Q: Marcus Tavernier (£5.5m) fitted the perfect mould of fixtures, routes to points and price. If we need a replacement with the same money, so can’t get to Harry Wilson (£5.9m), where would you go?
(via (@FPL_Harry)
A: Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.3m) missed yet another penalty last night, and I think there’s a good chance that Elliot Anderson (£5.3m) takes over spot-kick duties. He’s the top pick now in that bracket, though I know that you already have him in your team, Harry!
Some of the other options are James Garner (£5.2m), Anton Stach (£4.9m), Enzo Le Fee (£4.9m) and Brenden Aaronson (£5.4m), none of which really inspire much confidence. I would rather downgrade to someone like Lewis Miley (£4.5m) and look to upgrade a defender instead; that same outlay can buy you much more at the back. If I had to pick one of the aforementioned lot, it would be Garner. You are getting good defensive contribution (DefCon) potential to go with some attacking threat, and the minutes are secure, plus the fixtures are decent too.
Q: If you were on a Wildcard this week, do you have a screenshot of what your team would look like?
(via FPL Virgin)
A: Sure, here is what it would look like. Yes, Man City have looked poor of late, but I think Marc Guehi (£5.2m) is still a good long-term pick, and with Trevoh Chalobah (£5.6m) in the squad, you can afford to bench him for the next few. Similarly, you can bench Mbeumo this week for Igor Thiago (£7.2m) and then bench the Brentford forward for the upcoming tougher games.
