If you’re in a rush and need some last-minute Fantasy Premier League (FPL) advice, here’s a quick round-up of what you need to know about Gameweek 28.
WHEN’S THE FPL GAMEWEEK 28 DEADLINE?
This evening! All transfers and team selections need to be done by 18:30 GMT on Friday 27 February.
A LIVERPOOL SWING
We’re about to experience another fixture swing, where Chelsea’s schedule seemingly takes a nosedive. ‘Buy, Keep or Sell’ advises us to ditch Enzo Fernandez (£6.8m) and perhaps Joao Pedro (£7.7m). But perhaps there’s a valid argument that the Blues’ opponents aren’t actually too bad for attackers.
Either way, many FPL managers are now looking towards the shiny toys brought by Liverpool and Brentford’s attractive runs.
Up first for the reigning champions is West Ham United. Being backed to keep a clean sheet explains why Virgil van Dijk (£6.0m) is the Gameweek’s most-bought player. Well, that and his back-to-back hauls.
Joining him as a unanimous Scout Squad pick is teammate Hugo Ekitike (£8.9m), despite the forward’s frustrating lack of recent goals.
WIRTZ + MUKIELE INJURED
Ekitike and Florian Wirtz (£8.4m) were picked out as the best routes into Liverpool’s attack, but it’s since been confirmed that the latter won’t recover in time for Saturday. He hurt his back in the warm-up against Nottingham Forest.
“I don’t expect Florian [Wirtz] to be available, so that is a disappointment. Every time a player is not available, it’s a disappointment, and it’s also something I didn’t expect after last week, but that’s sometimes how things can evolve and unfortunately, this time not in a positive way.
“At this moment in time, no. Usually when I say that, I do know that and I don’t want to share it! Now, I honestly don’t.” – Arne Slot
Last weekend also saw Bryan Mbeumo (£8.7m) do some post-match limping, while popular Sunderland defender Nordi Mukiele (£4.6m) is out for at least a fortnight.
If used in midfield, Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.8m) could provide good Liverpool coverage. He’s far better value than Mohamed Salah (£14.0m), though the Egyptian has the highest odds for a Gameweek 28 attacking return and is due some joy, according to ‘Goals Imminent.’
WHICH CHEAP MIDFIELDER?
It’s the same table that Brentford’s Igor Thiago (£7.1m) appears on. This penalty-taker is experiencing a lull, but he hauled versus next opponents Burnley in late November, as did Dango Ouattara (£5.9m). Six of our ‘Great and Good’ managers bought one of this duo for Gameweek 27.
For Enzo and Declan Rice (£7.6m) sellers, Dango is part of a big debate about who is the best low-priced midfielder to buy right now.
Lateriser goes through the sub-£7.0m options and whittles them down to Dango and Harry Wilson (£5.9m). In his weekly Q&A, Zophar is clear about his favourite choice, while FPL General is targeting at least one of them with his four free transfers.
Both Dango and Wilson make our Gameweek 28 Wildcard draft, alongside Nico O’Reilly (£5.0m) and his superb out-of-position form.
BEST FPL GAMEWEEK 28 CAPTAIN
Our Rate My Team (RMT) algorithm suggests Mohamed Salah as the armband recipient, while you can find out what Captain Sensible author Tom thinks here.
Both include Bruno Fernandes (£9.9m), at home to Crystal Palace, in their top three.
TEAM REVEALS
SCOUT PICKS + DIFFERENTIALS
Our weekly selection – which is essentially a Free Hit in all but name – doubles up on five top-flight teams.
As for the latest trio of differential recommendations, Kevin Schade (£6.9m) is another enticing way to jump onto Brentford’s fixture run.
PREDICTED LINE-UPS
We’ve predicted the starting XIs of all 20 Premier League teams.
Whatever you decide to do, good luck with FPL Gameweek 28!
