If you’ve never played FPL Challenge before, it offers Fantasy managers something different to the standard game mode. And, even after the FPL deadline has passed, FPL Challenge remains open for entrants right up until kick-off. No worries about teamsheets here…
Each week brings a new twist, so identifying the right players for this challenge is key.
In this article, Louis (aka FPL Reactions) breaks down the best picks for this week’s Challenge format – and then reveals the team he’s entering to try and push up the leader board.
- READ MORE: MLS Fantasy: Gameweek 8 Team Reveals
WHAT IS THE CHALLENGE THIS WEEK?
DOUBLE GAMEWEEK 33
Six sides play twice this week, including Bournemouth, Brighton, Burnley, Chelsea, Leeds and Manchester City. With that in mind, those teams will be our main focus when highlighting players.
TOP PICKS
GOALKEEPERS
Leeds rank among the top two sides for projected clean sheets this week, so we could look at them for a goalkeeper. Daniel Farke and his team have picked up two clean sheets in their previous three games, helped by Karl Darlow.
Those who aren’t keen on Darlow, or want to select an alternative Leeds asset, could just opt for Bournemouth’s Dorde Petrovic. The Cherries are unbeaten in their last 12 league outings, so matches against Newcastle and Leeds could be good opportunities to extend that.
Other goalkeepers to consider include Manchester City’s Gianluigi Donnarumma, Chelsea’s Robert Sanchez, and Brighton’s Bart Verbuggen.
DEFENDERS
Fouls won should be our focus here, so topping every other defender for that metric is Gabriel Gudmundsson. Making sure he’s in the starting XI before selecting him will be critical due to his recent injury, but considering Leeds are projected second-highest for clean sheets this week, he could be worth the wait.
Whilst Brighton duo Ferdi Kadıoğlu and Jan Paul van Hecke both rank among the top 10 defenders for fouls won, it’s the latter that could offer more routes to points. The Dutchman has produced five attacking returns this season already.
Another player Challengers should consider is Nico O’Reilly. Manchester City top the clean sheet projections ahead of the new round, so backing their defence makes sense. If fit, although lacking in fouls won this season, O’Reilly offers significant attacking threat. In his previous four matches alone, the youngster produced three goals and one assist.
Challengers could also consider Leeds man Pascal Struijk, Manchester City’s Marc Guehi, Chelsea’s Marc Cucurella and Marcos Senesi of Bournemouth.
MIDFIELDERS
Those who want to fully focus on midfielders with the most fouls won could select Alex Scott. The Bournemouth man has produced more than any other player with a Double Gameweek. He also scored in his latest league game, so he could even offer some attacking threat.
There are several other midfielders who have managed at least 40 fouls won this season, including Brenden Aaronson of Leeds, Chelsea’s Moises Caicedo and Manchester City winger Jeremy Doku.
However, there are players with huge attacking threat this week. One of them is Antoine Semenyo. The Ghanian faces an awful Burnley defence, and a title-contending match against Arsenal, so we could see him continue his strong start to life under Pep Guardiola.
Chelsea haven’t exactly been fantastic as of late, but with matches against Brighton and Manchester United, two sides who have failed to convince from a defensive perspective, penalty taker Cole Palmer could have two fantastic opportunities to return.
Differential names like Bournemouth’s Marcus Tavernier, Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, and Rayan Cherki of Manchester City could also be great picks.
FORWARDS
Due to the Double Gameweek, it could be extremely difficult to look past Erling Haaland, or maybe not if you want to prioritise a defender or midfielder. Either way, the Norwegian has racked up 29 attacking returns this season, so leaving him out could be risky.
We also have to recognise how good Joao Pedro could be for this challenge. The Brazilian ranks above every other forward for total fouls won. Combined with his impressive goal contribution tally and two good fixtures, he could have huge potential this week.
Challengers should also consider Leeds’ Dominic Calvert-Lewin and Brighton frontman Danny Welbeck.
TEAM REVEAL
- We can only pick one player from each team as usual, so it was tough.
- Ideally, I want my whole team to double this week, so I have also taken that into account.
- I don’t like any of the Bournemouth assets, so I have opted for Petrovic.
- If Gudmundsson doesn’t start for Leeds, I’ll likely shift to Struijk. He joins van Hecke, who I think could rack up fouls won.
- In midfield, whilst I do like Joao Pedro, I prefer Cole Palmer due to penalties. I went for Burnley’s Anthony; he could be a surprise package this week.
- Haaland is up front with the captaincy.
GAMEWEEK 32 REVIEW
- 50 points and a 36k round rank meant a fairly big global rank drop to 407th.
- Whilst Neco Williams was a fantastic addition, and Bruno Fernandes did alright, both of those players were fairly template.
- It also didn’t help that the rest of my team pretty much blanked.
- I’m not making much progress recently, I’m hoping for a big jump this week!
