Eight-time top 10k finisher Zophar hosts his weekly Q&A, answering your questions about Arsenal players, midfielders, the Gameweek 35 Wildcard and more.
You can find his Gameweek 35 Bench Boost team reveal here.
Q: Cole Palmer and Joao Pedro; Ollie Watkins and Morgan Rogers; Declan Rice; Harry Wilson: hold or sell this week?
(via Sheffield Wednesday, Haa-lala-land, FPL Virgin, avd_nyn)
Cole Palmer (£10.5m) & Joao Pedro (£7.5m)
Watching Chelsea’s abysmal performance against Brighton and Hove Albion was an all-time low as a Blues fan, and if Liam Rosenior was still in charge, I would strongly be advocating abandoning ship on all Chelsea assets. However, the board have made the move and while we know little about Calum McFarlane, I think there is likely to be some sort of improvement in performances. It can’t really get worse than what we saw against Brighton.
I think Joao Pedro is more of a hold than Palmer. The Brazilian looked sharp against Leeds, while Palmer has been poor for multiple games now. That being said, I don’t particularly like any of the alternatives this week, unless you want to buy into the Aston Villa attack. I think you hold them for Gameweek 35 and look to move them on in Gameweek 36.
Ollie Watkins (£8.8m) & Morgan Rogers (£7.5m)
Easy holds for the next two games against Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley. I don’t think Unai Emery will rotate much despite the Europa League game against Nottingham Forest on either side of Gameweek 35.
However, if they do win those two league games and progress to the Europa League final, which is between Gameweeks 37 and 38, then rotation might kick in for the final two Gameweeks.
Declan Rice (£7.2m)
He’s been playing much deeper of late. He’s a sell. While he’s not someone who is a ‘priority sell’, as he will continue to get minutes and has set pieces, I think there are better options who are more capable of a double-digit haul over the final four Gameweeks.
Harry Wilson (£6.0m)
I think Wilson is a hold. The final three fixtures against Bournemouth, Wolverhampton Wanderers and Newcastle look appealing, and Fulham do have motivation to climb up the league table.
Q: Thoughts on Antoine Semenyo to Rayan Cherki?
(via Atmis and AC/DC AFC)
A: I think it depends on how many free transfers you have. It does appear to be a luxury move on paper but keeping transfers aside, I do think it is an upgrade (despite the lower spend) and not a sideways move.
The image below compares their data over the last six matches. Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m) is on the left, Rayan Cherki (£6.5m) on the right:
Despite playing fewer minutes, Cherki is nearly matching Semenyo for xG (1.82 vs 1.50) and is significantly ahead for creativity (0.38 xA vs 2.22). Minutes should only improve now, given that City’s second string was poor against Southampton.
The formation change has played a part. Prior to the cup games, Semenyo was playing almost alongside Erling Haaland (£14.5m), whereas now he has been shifted to a wide role. Meanwhile, Cherki is operating closer to the Norwegian international as a no.10.
If you have multiple transfers or need cash to, say, bring in Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.2m) or Bruno Fernandes (£10.4m), I would make the switch. There are still five games to play for Man City, so plenty of time for the move to pay off.
Q: With their focus on Europe, is it worth bringing in Crystal Palace players? If so, how many, and which ones?
(via FPL Virgin)
A: I think this question is better answered next week, as most of us are looking to buy Palace players at that point, and we will know if Crystal Palace have indeed progressed to the Europa League final.
If they get knocked out by Shakhtar, then I would feel more comfortable investing.
Assuming the first scenario, I think Palace attackers would be a complete ignore for me. Maxence Lacroix (£5.1m), Chris Richards (£4.4m), Jaydee Canvot (£4.5m), Daniel Munoz (£5.8m) and, to an extent, Tyrick Mitchell (£5.0m) look like likely starters for every game, but it is very difficult to predict who could get a rest in any of the matches in Gameweeks 36/37/38, with Chadi Riad (£4.0m) or Jefferson Lerma (£4.9m) coming in. They are playing every three days now till the end of the season, and it would depend on fatigue/small injuries players are carrying, which we really have no information about.
I think I would be comfortable ignoring Palace assets altogether, or maybe bringing in one for Gameweek 36. Lacroix or Canvot are my preference.
Q: Best three Arsenal players on a Gameweek 35 Wildcard?
(via Flynny)
A: I think David Raya (£6.0m) and Gabriel pick themselves. William Saliba’s (£6.1m) limited upside has me a bit more hesitant.
For the third, I would like to say Bukayo Saka (£9.8m), but I don’t feel comfortable investing yet. Ideally, I want to leave that move till Gameweek 36 or 37.
On a Wildcard, perhaps start with Gabriel and Raya and leave room for an Arsenal attacker – that could be Eberechi Eze (£7.2m) or Saka.
The Gameweek 37 game against Burnley may be one where the Gunners ratchet up the goal difference, so you don’t want to be locked out of that.
Q: Best sub-£6.0m midfielder for the run-in? It would entail selling Elliot Anderson on a free.
(via Sheffield Wednesday)
A: Brighton’s form cannot be ignored, and the Seagulls are realistic contenders for a European spot.
As the image below from the Members Area shows, Jack Hinshelwood (£5.1m) is second for xGI over the last six Gameweeks. He is even ahead of Bruno Fernandes and Cherki.
Very low ownership, good minutes and haul potential.
Q: What would be the best differential picks from now to the end of the season?
Q. Best midfielders to target till the end of the season?
(via Joletouriste and @Shrikhande7)
A: Hinshelwood, as mentioned above, is one. I like Danny Welbeck (£6.3m) now, too, with only one game a week. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (£5.1m) has decent fixtures after Gameweek 35. Bruno Guimaraes? Newcastle United have been struggling but he is their talisman. Saka and Eze could be the Arsenal attackers to target. Alexander Isak (£10.3m), if you can afford his asking price. Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.6m) is not really a differential, I know, but he’s also a great pick with still relatively low ownership.
Q: Which three players from Manchester City should we have in our teams ahead of Double Gameweek 36? Is Everton away a good entry point for more City players, or will David Moyes frustrate them and keep the score down?
(via FPL Virgin)
A: I think Nico O’Reilly (£5.1m) and Haaland are as close to no-brainer picks as it gets. For the reasons mentioned earlier, I prefer Cherki over Semenyo. You could wait for Gameweek 36 to make that move.
Q: With Bruno Fernandes playing Liverpool and Erling Haaland away to Everton, and with Gameweeks running out, is this a good opportunity to chase rank with a different captaincy shout? Perhaps going for someone like a Leeds player at home to Burnley (although apparently Burnley are a bogey team for Daniel Farke)?
(via FPL Virgin)
A: Captaincy is an interesting one this week, and I think it will be quite split between Bruno and Haaland. Bruno isn’t shooting much at all. The earlier image shows that he’s racked up just 0.54 non-penalty xG over the last six matches. He still has many routes to points, however, and no player has notched more FPL points (110) in home matches than the Portuguese international.
Haaland is still a good pick with City title chasing but I think Pep Guardiola will pay respect to Everton’s counter-attacking style and look to grind out a low-scoring result.
If you are looking away from the two, then perhaps Marcus Tavernier (£5.4m) or Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£5.7m). Bournemouth’s opponents, Crystal Palace, should rotate heavily between their European ties, while Leeds play struggling Burnley at Elland Road.
Q: Your suggestion on the best Leeds triple-up against Burnley? It’s a real mismatch here, at home against one of the division’s worst teams. Leeds will be looking to secure a win to ensure their safety
(via @abdustuan)
A: With Noah Okafor (£5.6m) an injury doubt and minutes doubts around Anton Stach (£4.8m), I think it would be Calvert-Lewin and a defensive double-up. Leeds are likely to have a lot of the ball against Burnley, so rather than back the DefCon-amassing centre-backs, I like Jayden Bogle (£4.4m) from their defence. The third pick can be either Karl Darlow (£3.9m) or Pascal Struijk (£4.3m).
Q: If we sold all our Arsenal players for the recent Double Gameweek, is it worth getting them back straightaway? Some teams that doubled (eg Leeds and Bournemouth) have decent fixtures this week, and free transfers may be needed for Crystal Palace’s Double Gameweek 36?
(via @AdamBell168142)
A: A lot of Fantasy managers are in this position, where they have a decent defence this week of O’Reilly, a Bournemouth defender and a Leeds defender. All have good matchups. I think you can wait a week to bring Gabriel in, particularly if you need cash to fund the move. Several players, like Palmer, Joao Pedro etc, can be sold next week rather than this. If you can get him in for one move, though, I would just do it.
Q: What’s the structure and a few good punts for a Gameweek 35 Wildcard?
(via z13)
A: This is the Gameweek 35 Wildcard team I would go with, assuming a Gameweek 36 Bench Boost is to follow.
Rogers can be moved on after the next two fixtures. I like targeting Brighton’s next few games, especially after Newcastle. Thiago can become Welbeck after this week.
The only thing annoying me is not having room for another Arsenal attacker in Gameweek 37, so perhaps you can go elsewhere instead of Saliba.
