Amidst the downtime allowed by this latest international break, many Fantasy Premier League (FPL) managers who have remained patient with their chips will be looking to hit the Wildcard button.
Below, we run through some of the pros and cons of doing so, as well as providing a Gameweek 11 Wildcard draft.
PROS
REACT TO INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTS
Perhaps the most obvious benefit of using your Wildcard during the international break is that doing so allows you to react to any developments.
Injuries are likely to be the biggest possible factor here, with an active Wildcard meaning you can easily swap out players whose fitness becomes a fresh concern – of which we’ve already seen a few, including Johan Manzambi (£6.2m), Virgil van Dijk (£6.4m), Ezri Konsa (£4.8m) and Marc Guehi (£6.0m).
Wildcarding also means you can pivot based on team news regarding players like Joao Pedro (£7.6m).
BUILD TEAM VALUE
The ability to make unlimited transfers during this two-week break also means you could build some team value.
There is typically a lull in transfer activity in the middle of an international break, but price changes do still occur and will pick back up again in the days leading up to Gameweek 11.
OFFLOAD UNDERPERFORMERS AND DEAL WITH GAMETIME RISKS
Being able to offload underperforming assets is a ‘pro’ of using your Wildcard at any time, but FPL managers can perhaps do so with greater peace of mind now that we have a full 10 Gameweeks’ worth of data to base decisions on.
For example, it may now be easier to dodge players who might have shown some signs of form early in the campaign before losing it more recently – such as those from Manchester United’s ranks, or even Cole Palmer (£9.8m).
With popular players nearing bans and peak fixture congestion season approaching, a Gameweek 11 Wildcard also offers the chance to bolster your squad with some reliable back-up picks.
PLAY THE FIXTURES
Wildcarding in Gameweek 11 means you have the perfect opportunity to play the fixture swings by loading up on teams like Liverpool, Brighton and Hove Albion, Bournemouth and Aston Villa…
Players from many of those teams with appealing fixtures are in better form anyway, as we’ll discuss in our proposed Wildcard draft below.
CONS
BEWARE GAMEWEEK 12
You should use Wildcards with a medium-to-long-term plan in mind, though seeing unappealing short-term fixtures – which could happen as soon as Gameweek 12 – is never nice.
For example, Arsenal and Manchester City – two teams that Wildcarders might be looking to back in some capacity – face off that week, and there is also a Merseyside derby plus a potentially hard-to-call clash between Nottingham Forest and Chelsea.
Of course, this is less of an issue for managers who still have their Free Hit available.
NEW MANAGER BOUNCES?
This international break has already brought two sackings, with Michael Carrick and Pierre Sage given their marching orders.
Mauricio Pochettino is expected to replace Carrick at Manchester United – could this lead to a ‘new manager bounce’ ahead of what, on paper, look to be some appealing fixtures for the Red Devils from Gameweek 12?
It could be worth waiting another week or two, then, just to see how the situations at both Man Utd and Crystal Palace unfold.
KEEP IT FOR EMERGENCIES
As ever, you can also argue that your Wildcard is worth keeping intact for emergencies, which are more likely to occur – whether through injuries, suspensions or unexpected rotation – during the winter months.
GAMEWEEK 11 WILDCARD DRAFT
This is a solid Gameweek 11 Wildcard draft, if your team value makes it affordable. If funds are stretched, we’ll also talk through a few budget-friendly alternatives.
GOALKEEPERS
In goal, David Raya (£6.2m) offers a nailed-on route into Arsenal’s backline at a time (the hectic festive season) when rotation is likeliest to strike due to the continued flurry of midweek matches. The Spaniard is paired with a bargain-bucket back-up.
To bring down the overall goalkeeping outlay, an alternative is to opt for a rotating pair of James Trafford (£5.0m) and Antonin Kinsky (£4.4m).
DEFENDERS
Into the backline, we’re going for a ‘big five’ that includes Gabriel Magalhaes (£8.1m). The ever-present Gunners centre-back is the most guaranteed starter in Mikel Arteta’s defence, has hit the defensive contribution (DefCon) threshold in three of his last four outings and has scored recently.
Meanwhile, Tarik Muharemovic (£5.1m) and Jan Paul van Hecke (£5.1m) have the upside of DefCon points and attacking threat; combined, the pair have two goals and two assists in the last seven Gameweeks. The rotation between Muharemovic/van Hecke also works very well…
Antonio Silva (£5.1m), who has hit the DefCon threshold in seven out of 10 matches so far, and Luka Vuskovic (£5.0m), another DefCon-plus-attacking-threat pick, complete the defensive selections.
MIDFIELDERS
Splashing the cash in defence, where the points have been flowing steadily so far this season, means pulling money from elsewhere in the squad – and at the moment, it makes sense to go a little lighter in midfield where most of the costlier options are either injured or out of form.
Indeed, Chelsea’s Morgan Rogers (£8.2m) is the priciest of this bunch. He has five goals and an assist from 10 matches. Marcus Tavernier (£6.7m), another five-goal midfielder, has seen his stock soar in recent weeks thanks to Bournemouth’s form, while Pascal Gross (£6.3m) has blanked in successive matches just once this season (that was against Liverpool and Manchester City).
However, Gross, Tavernier and Silva each have four yellow cards this season, meaning another booking before the end of Gameweek 19 will earn them a one-match ban.
Completing the engine room are Coventry City’s penalty-taking bargain buy Jack Rudoni (£4.9m), plus Aston Villa’s penalty-taking skipper John McGinn (£5.4m), who has six attacking returns in his last six starts. There’s a chance McGinn mightn’t be the first choice from the penalty spot in situations where previous takers like Emiliano Buendia (£5.9m) or Ross Barkley (£5.0m) are on the pitch, but the Scot’s minutes are much more secure than those two.
FORWARDS
And in the frontline, the in-form Nicolas Jackson (£7.1m) and Alexander Isak (£9.3m) join Erling Haaland (£15.8m).
Jackson has scored six goals and assisted another in his last six league appearances, and we would expect more of that to follow against teams like Sunderland, Ipswich Town, Crystal Palace and Coventry City during his next five.
This might be one place where this draft becomes less attainable to those without a sizable team value, but Isak stands out as one appealing option to complete a Gameweek 11 Wildcard; Liverpool’s line leader trails only Haaland for league goals so far this season.
However, Isak may be the easiest position from which to save funds if it allows the rest of this draft to be pulled together, given that a few cheap or mid-priced forwards are in similarly good form, like Thierno Barry (£5.7m) or Evanilson (£6.5m).
