FPL Question Time – Hazard vs Liverpool options and Champions League rotation

Our panel of Fantasy Premier League managers have answered some of your questions in time for your Gameweek 6 preparation.

Key subjects such as how to get Eden Hazard (£10.8m) into our squads, whether a double-up on Mohamed Salah (£13.0m) and Sadio Mané (£10.0m) is still viable, and Champions League rotation are all touched on this week.

Once again, we had an overwhelming response to our request for questions. Unfortunately, we can only answer a handful each week but keep your queries coming in for the rest of the season.

Here’s a reminder of who is on the panel for your Gameweek 6 Question Time:

Chief #FPL Manager – This man has finished inside the top one percent six times in his career as a Fantasy manager and is one of the biggest influencers in the FPL Twitter-sphere

Lee from FPL Family – One half of the popular married couple who play FPL together and run a YouTube channel.

Simon March – Winner of FPL in 2014/15.

Question 1 – Chief FPL Manager

Having missed Hazard’s points the last two Gameweeks, is he worth missing another week due to my Salah and Mané double up against Southampton or do I drop one of them for the Chelsea man?

“I was fortunate enough to acquire Hazard during the international break, courtesy of my wildcard. I considered the Mané and Salah ‘double up’ as a serious option, but simply couldn’t ignore Hazard in part after watching his scintillating performances during the World Cup, along with his proven FPL pedigree.

“I also experimented with the possibility of having Mane, Salah and Hazard in one team (along with Alonso and Aguero) but it would have unbalanced and decimated the rest of my squad.

“Instead, I opted for Hazard and Salah, despite the Egyptian costing more than Mane. This wasn’t an easy decision to make, but I took into account their ownership levels and concluded that it’s easier to switch from Salah to Mane if needed, rather than the other way around.

“Crucially, to his benefit, Hazard was given sufficient rest in the first two Gameweeks. But more importantly, I think he will feature far less in Chelsea’s Europa league matches than Liverpool’s reliance on Mane and Salah to top their Champions’ League games, which makes Hazard a must-have in FPL.

“Get Hazard in sooner rather than later even if it means selling one of your premium Liverpool assets. It may be worth considering this as early as Gameweek 6 in case Hazard’s price rises again.”

Question 2 – FPL Family

Aguero is doubtful and with Champions League football could be susceptible to rotation by Pep. Is Lukaku the best alternative?

“First things first, the Aguero heel injury doesn’t look too bad and he shouldn’t miss too many minutes through injury. In terms of rotation though, we could well see a reduction in minutes around the Champions League.

“But having watched Aguero so far this year, as well as hearing his manager’s recent comments on his form, I firmly believe he’s their main man this year.

“There’s no doubt that Pep and City will be going all out for the Champions League this year though, so if rotation is a concern, then you are right to consider Lukaku as a viable alternative.

“With four goals to Aguero’s three, Lukaku already has a higher goal involvement rate than the Argentinian – and a higher conversion rate (26.7% to Aguero’s 12%).

“Aguero’s creativity can’t be ignored though. He creates a chance twice as often as the Manchester United man – every 32 minutes to Lukaku’s 64. As a result, he also dominates the Bonus Points, with excellent underlying BPS when compared to the Belgian.

“My advice: stick with Aguero. If you simply HAVE to transfer him out though, then look at Lukaku. However, also consider the value in the lower price brackets. Zaha is back and winning games for Palace, Wilson’s looked incredibly lively in a Bournemouth side with great upcoming fixtures and Arnautovic turned on the style against Everton in Gameweek 5.

“Given the clamour for premium midfielders such as Sterling, Hazard and Mané, the sale of Aguero for one of the budget strikers, should surely only happen if you’re looking to bring in one of the heavy hitters in that position.”

Question 3 – Simon March

Whether Ben Mendy was rotated or injured, at what point (or how many players) does any absence due to rotation become unacceptable for premium players?

“It’s not a new problem but rotation feels like it’s becoming a bigger one. The best teams now have so many options in their squads, rotation is practically inevitable. In FPL, it seems like an added premium we pay for owning players from the biggest teams.

“How much rotation is too much, I think, depends partly on the position. Benched premium defenders can be frustrating and defender cameos are the worst. Overreacting and ditching players we’ll want in the long term is unlikely to be the answer, but frequently-rotated premium defenders probably aren’t worth holding on to either.

“I’m not sure the same applies to premium attacking players though. For example; because of how Man City play, Aguero might get as many chances in a 30-minute cameo as most strikers will in a full match. Assessing players by the number of opportunities they get to score, rather than by the number of the minutes they play, might be the way forward in a world that won’t stop rotating.

“It’s hard to predict who will get dropped but we know when players are most likely to be rotated; during periods of heavy fixture congestion, especially any involving Champions League football. Having a decent bench and selecting a sensible vice-captain become ever more important tactics during these phases.”

READ OUR ANALYSIS OF GAMEWEEK 5

• Spurs 1-2 Liverpool
• Bournemouth 4-2 Leicester
• Chelsea 4-1 Cardiff
• Huddersfield 0-1 Crystal Palace
• Man City 3-0 Fulham
• Newcastle 1-2 Arsenal
• Watford 1-2 Man United
• Wolves 1-0 Burnley
• Everton 1-3 West Ham
• Southampton 2-2 Brighton

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