Fantasy Football Scout community writer Greyhead analyses the transfers and strategies of some well-known Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers.
The Great and The Good this season are the FPL Godfather, Mark Sutherns, BlackBox pair of Az and Andy North, Scouts FPL General, Joe and Tom, the FPL Wire trio of Pras, Lateriser and Zophar, FPL ‘celebrities’ FPL Harry, Martin Baker, Pingreen, FPL Frasier and Luke Williams, Hall of Famers Ben Crellin, Fabio Borges and Tom Dollimore, and last year’s mini-league winner Huss E.
If you muted the words “Double” and “Arsenal” as we rolled into Gameweek 26 then you would probably have had a much quieter life. Fixture spreadsheets were being consulted to determine what chip to play and group chats were pinging as the Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.1m) Triple Captain narrative was pushed, but it was some wise old heads that flexed the biggest green arrows.
The template reacted exactly as you’d expect: a full-scale trolley dash down the Arsenal aisle, while the Wolverhampton Wanderers shelf gathered dust like the Woolworths’ pick and mix section. Everyone seemed to have forgotten about the FPL folklore of Shane Duffy as a community-wide decision was made — with the armband landing on a defender — and the majority of The Great and The Good smashed the Triple Captain button like it was a game-show buzzer.
At least we could rely on Mark Sutherns and FPL General to be a little different, with the former gently humming “Rice, Rice, Baby” and the latter launching the mother of all Bench Boosts.
OVERALL PERFORMANCE
There is only one place to start this week, and that is with FPL General, who hit the century thanks to a well-played chip, a smart alternative captain and his gamble on Cole Palmer (£10.6m).
Since his Wildcard in Gameweek 24, which started with a red arrow, he has gained over 1.5 million places. That has seen him fly past many in The Great and The Good, despite his self-imposed Erling Haaland (£14.9m)-less handicap.
Staying true to his “do the opposite” season theme and supported by his early-second-half Wildcard, FPL General rolled out the Bench Boost and casually pocketed 28 points from his substitutes — the kind of haul that makes everyone else start to worry about whether they were right to wait until Gameweek 33 or Gameweek 36 (or during a single Gameweek, if you laugh in the face of convention).
The majority got chopsy with their chips as 14 of the 18 went with the Triple Captain button, all dutifully arm-banding Gabriel. Mark Sutherns tried to exert some main character energy by going with Declan Rice (£7.6m) instead. This paid off handsomely as he scored 85 points overall and moved into third amongst this group. A top 50,000 finish is well within grasp.
The chip-free rebels were Fabio Borges, Luke Williams and Lateriser, calmly watching the Gabriel gang celebrate their DefCon and assist points.
TRANSFERS
Misery likes company, so at least there was a shared sense of disappointment as Daniel Munoz (£5.9m), who arrived in seven of the 18 squads, delivered very little in returns as Burnley remembered how to start scoring goals.
Elsewhere, Lateriser gambled on Kai Havertz (£7.3m) for the double. The German promptly got injured but fortune favoured the brave as the new budget cult hero James Hill (£4.0m) strolled off the bench with nine points, like he’d planned it all along.
Meanwhile, Pras and Tom Freeman were busy looking smug, banking a 13-point haul from Jørgen Strand Larsen (£6.1m). Well played, sirs, well played.
TEMPLATE
The template continues to be based around the two pillars of Gabriel and Bruno Fernandes (£9.8m) at 100%, with Haaland not far behind.
However, the chatter would suggest that Liverpool’s fixtures may see a few more discard the Norwegian for Mohamed Salah (£14.0m). In which case, at least Martin Baker can say he was a trend-setter.
The main changes from last week saw cheap but very cheerful Hill and Chris Richards (£4.4m) boot Nordi Mukiele (£4.6m) and Nico O’Reilly (£4.9m) off the template as The Great and The Good continue to faff about with their fourth and fifth defender spots.
The template is as follow:
Dubravka (83.3%), Raya (55.6%)
Gabriel (100.0%), Timber (61.1%), Munoz (44.4%), Andersen (44.4%), Hill/Richards (both 27.8%)
Fernandes (100.0%), Rice (77.8%), Enzo (72.2%), Mbeumo (44.4%), Rogers (44.4%)
Haaland (88.9%), Thiago (61.1%), Ekitike (55.6%)
TRANSFER TITANS
A look now at the transfer success of The Great and The Good over the season.
Note that the data includes chip usage, so includes the gains from Wildcards and Free Hits, and that this is just up to Gameweek 25.
Fabio Borges rode early Free Hit and Wildcard chips to glory to embellish his immediate transfer returns, while Martin Baker treated the market like a casino, cashing in 187-point jackpots.
Meanwhile, the cautious, data-obsessed managers quietly slide down the table. Making those early aggressive moves may be the way to set you apart from the pack this year.
CONCLUSION
It’s back to normal after that extended Double Gameweek, with the season now entering the end-game.
There’s a five-week block until Gameweek 31 and then the chip strategies will be rolled out in earnest over the remainder of the campaign.
It might be worth a gamble or two over the next weeks, then, with Liverpool and Brentford prime candidates.
Anyway, that’s all from me for now, and remember: don’t have FPL nightmares.
For those affected by any of the topics raised above, you can find me here on Twitter or BlueSky.
