Every week in the Suspension Tightrope, we look at the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) players who are racking up yellow cards and how close they are to a one-match ban.
We also reveal when the cut-off dates are for suspensions and how many bookings players have to avoid in order to dodge a ban.
Finally, we round up the individuals already suspended and who is returning from a ban.
WHEN ARE THE CUT-OFF POINTS FOR SUSPENSIONS?
The table above is taken from the Football Association website. It details the cut-off points for the various yellow card thresholds.
The one we’re concerned about right now is the five-caution mark. This is an unwanted target that Premier League players will have to avoid for their team’s first 19 league matches of the season.
Punishments for yellow card accumulation are competition-specific, whereas suspensions for dismissals cover all competitive matches.
ON THREE YELLOW CARDS
We haven’t got any Premier League player on four cautions, so there is no player in imminent danger.
There are half a dozen others on three bookings, however. These players have to avoid two bookings in their next 14 top-flight fixtures in order to swerve a ban.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.0m) is by far the most popular pick from this group. He sits in just under 25% of squads.
Fellow forward Oli McBurnie (£5.5m) is also on the list, having been booked in three of the last four Gameweeks.
Jacob Murphy (£5.9m) has impressively got more cautions than starts (two) to his name, while Matt Crooks (£4.4m), the joint-cheapest midfielder in FPL, has been booked in all three of his Premier League starts.
Vitaly Janelt (£5.0m) is something of a DefCon magnet, but those tackles have come at a cost, too, with three bookings in Gameweeks 1-3.
Bournemouth right-back Adam Smith (£4.5m) rounds off the list.
CURRENTLY SUSPENDED
Four players are banned in Gameweek 6.
Abdul Fatawu (£5.4m) is the newest addition to the suspension list, having been sent off for two bookable offences in Gameweek 5. He only has to serve a one-match ban.
Phil Foden (£6.9m) and Taiwo Awoniyi (£5.4m) complete their three-match bans in Gameweek 6.
Axel Disasi (£4.5m), another serving a three-game suspension, won’t be back until Gameweek 8, however.
RETURNING FROM A BAN IN GAMEWEEK 6
Reinildo Mandava (£4.4m) returns from a one-match domestic ban for Sunderland in Gameweek 6.
He was sent off for two bookable offences in Gameweek 4.
