In this article, we will assess the pros and cons of a Fantasy Premier League (FPL) Gameweek 9 Wildcard, alongside a bunch of draft ideas.
Remember, you have until the Gameweek 19 deadline to use the first Wildcard.
PROS
Ditch the injured
If the owners of already-hurt Bukayo Saka (£9.5m) and Dominik Szoboszlai (£6.7m) felt they were hanging on by a thread, some high-profile post-Gameweek 8 situations could force a Wildcard activation.
Rotated out of Arsenal’s league lineup for the first time, Riccardo Calafiori‘s (£6.0m) cameo ended with “a light issue”, on a day when Bobby Thomas (£4.0m) came off injured, and Joao Pedro (£7.8m) wasn’t able to play at all.
Xabi Alonso has since ruled the Brazilian out of Chelsea’s next two (at least).
Additionally, Neco Williams (£5.0m) fell awkwardly onto his right arm against Ipswich Town. That’s worth keeping an eye on.
Give up on premium midfielders
Of course, Saka wasn’t exactly bringing in hauls pre-injury, recording three successive blanks. It’s a common theme amongst all the expensive midfielders.
Cole Palmer (£9.8m) infuriated managers – especially captainers – by getting sent off against Tottenham Hotspur. But it’s not just that. He hasn’t delivered either a big chance or an expected goals (xG) tally above 0.13 since Gameweek 2 (below).
Meanwhile, Bruno Fernandes (£11.7m) has produced nothing in six of seven appearances. Supposedly untouchable, a fallout with head coach Michael Carrick reduced him to being an unused substitute last weekend.
With all this in mind, the Wildcard offers an opportunity to shift money elsewhere, perhaps Gabriel Magalhaes (£7.9m) and Alexander Isak (£9.1m), knowing there’s a bunch of good value midfielders who cost a maximum of £8.0m.
Fixture swings
At the same moment when schedules toughen for Fulham, Brentford and Nottingham Forest assets such as Gonzalo Garcia (£6.0m), Kevin Schade (£6.2m) and Morgan Gibbs-White (£7.9m), it’s a nice time to pile in on Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Leeds United and Tottenham Hotspur.
We’re already seeing Nicolas Jackson (£6.8m) being bought en masse to replace Joao Pedro, but fellow forwards Evanilson (£6.2m) and Dominic Calvert-Lewin (£6.1m) can do the same.
Barring injuries, names like Marcus Tavernier (£6.4m), Tarik Muharemovic (£5.1m) and Jan Paul van Hecke (£4.9m) could remain in squads for a while, allowing the precious free transfers to accumulate.
Deviate from the template
Now that FPL is mainstream, it becomes easier to find online content. With brains put together, it hasn’t taken long for lots of active teams to have the same template – two or three Arsenal defensive names, multiple Chelsea attackers, Erling Haaland (£15.8m), Pascal Gross (£6.2m) and Maxim De Cuyper (£5.3m).
It means that managers aren’t gaining much rank from their successes and even, in some cases, need to cheer against their own.
If you’re tired of this, a Wildcard can add exciting differentials like Johan Manzambi (£6.1m), Bradley Barcola (£8.1m), Mohammed Kudus (£6.5m) and defensive contribution (DefCon) magnet Antonio Silva (£5.0m).
CONS
Are there better fixture swings?
To be honest, Gameweek 9’s fixtures look poor. A lot of good teams are pairing off, while Coventry City, Sunderland, Hull and Ipswich go against each other.
There could be some handier times to jump onto teams. For example, Liverpool from Gameweek 10.
International break before Gameweek 11
Managers know that it’s calmer to have this chip active over a two-week international break, allowing more time to think and experiment, as well as react to injuries.
Remember what the last hiatus was like! It ended with Isak, Cody Gakpo (£7.1m), Christos Tzolis (£6.2m) and Brian Brobbey (£5.7m) ruled out, plus question marks over Haaland, Palmer, Joao Pedro, Antoine Semenyo (£8.2m) and Ezri Konsa (£4.7m).
Save it for an emergency
Keeping the above in mind, maybe it’s better to keep this chip in your back pocket for a rainy day.
Or snowy days, as the intense Christmas period approaches.
GAMEWEEK 9 WILDCARD DRAFTS
Isak in
The immediate thought here is that – despite premium midfielders doing badly – the five of Gross, Tavernier, Manzambi, Morgan Rogers (£8.0m) and Mohamed Belloumi (£5.2m) are a bit too cheap. If some of the aforementioned big names find form, they’re difficult to get back in.
Therefore, Gabriel and Belloumi can be Konsa and a £9.5m option, or even Calafiori plus either Gibbs-White or Bryan Mbeumo (£7.9m).
As for FPL’s top-scoring defender, there’s an assumption that De Cuyper’s minutes will soon decrease, in which case Luka Vuskovic (£5.2m), only eight points behind his teammate, is better for the long term.
He, Muharemovic, van Hecke and Antonio Silva are fighting over three spots, although the Bournemouth summer signing could replace £4.0m bench fodder like Thomas, Jay Dasilva (£4.0m) and Leif Davis (£4.0m). Just be prepared for some benching headaches!
Isak out
Alternatively, this squad opts for Calvert-Lewin over Isak.
That extra few million can either secure both Gabriel and a Palmer/Saka price point, or leave money in the bank for a simple Joao Pedro transfer, whenever he’s fit.
